So this is the place where we spent the night. It probably needs to fleece the occasional traveller who somehow managed to find their way to this fringe area (probably miles away from any tourist attraction). We were also wondering how the eatery where we had our noodle breakfast can afford their spacious place with a huge TV set and a full karaoke system.
We were well-prepared for the dust the next day.
We ended up at the tail end of a certain village, where longtail boats will take us upstream on Xe Bang Fai river all the way to the cave's opening. Loading the boats with our gear and ourselves left only like 2 inches of freeboard from the water at the sides, and some of us ended up having to bail water constantly throughout the hour and a half.
Buffaloes were everywhere along the river banks, and the comical-silly look on their faces never fails to amuse me.
We reached this large sand bank where we assembled our boats and set camp for the night too. It was mid day already and the plan was to go into the cave and return around 9-10pm in the evening.
I was really glad to have a nice campsite to return too after the paddling, and loved the fact that it is so near the cave entrance, just across a large pool of water where the cliff overlooking our campsite is.
We paddled across to the opening of the cave, and had to leave our boat and clamber up the sharp-edged eroded limestone rocks to view the entrance proper as there is a small rapid just at the mouth. The cliff was overwhelming around us, and the cave is...well, cavernous.
So this is the place where we spent the night. It probably needs to fleece the occasional traveller who somehow managed to find their way to this fringe area (probably miles away from any tourist attraction). We were also wondering how the eatery where we had our noodle breakfast can afford their spacious place with a huge TV set and a full karaoke system.
We were well-prepared for the dust the next day.
We ended up at the tail end of a certain village, where longtail boats will take us upstream on Xe Bang Fai river all the way to the cave's opening. Loading the boats with our gear and ourselves left only like 2 inches of freeboard from the water at the sides, and some of us ended up having to bail water constantly throughout the hour and a half.
Buffaloes were everywhere along the river banks, and the comical-silly look on their faces never fails to amuse me.
We reached this large sand bank where we assembled our boats and set camp for the night too. It was mid day already and the plan was to go into the cave and return around 9-10pm in the evening.
I was really glad to have a nice campsite to return too after the paddling, and loved the fact that it is so near the cave entrance, just across a large pool of water where the cliff overlooking our campsite is.
We paddled across to the opening of the cave, and had to leave our boat and clamber up the sharp-edged eroded limestone rocks to view the entrance proper as there is a small rapid just at the mouth. The cliff was overwhelming around us, and the cave is...well, cavernous.
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