Ban Phakhoun

8:30am - a nice breakfast after a day of riding 6+ hours in the rain. Our clothes weren’t dry but we made due. It did rain on and off the entire evening, and the weather app wasn’t to dependable as it did not predict rain the whole day and evening.

The clouds were higher, the sun peeked out some, so we decided to hit the road. Along the way, we started a slight accent, about 100m gain according to online information on the loop. We saw two sandstone Buddha rock sculptures carved into the side of the mountain. One was a seated Buddha and the other a Buddha laying on his side.

Eventually, we headed west on Route 8 towards Phonton and stopped at Dragon Cave. The cave was well lit and it was quite interesting to see the different internal rock formations. Upon exiting the cave, you ascended up towards a cave opening via stairs followed by slippery rocks. The cave exit opened up to a jungle and there were two signs marked “viewpoint” and the other “exit.” We opted for the viewpoint, and made it up to the platform, and it had a great 360 degree view of the surrounding land.

After cooling off, we climbed down to the exit path. This was part path and mostly negotiating our balance on sharp and slippery limestone rocks, holding on to vines, bamboo, cables, and large gaps to cross requiring any past “Ninja Warrior Obstacle Course” experience one had. And yesterday it did rain all day, so most foot placement required double checking for stability.

After our safe and successful descent, upon exiting, we collected our bike helmets and had a cold soda before getting on our bikes.

After driving through a few small towns, reservoirs, gaining some elevation, we arrived in Konglor village. Konglor, is special, and almost surreal in its beauty and peace. Rice fields of emerald green, farmers working in unison, enveloped by majestic mountains, all leading to the Konglor cave. We may have to include additional pictures of this special place in a separate post/foot print as words cannot accurately describe its sheer beauty.Read more