A Day Worth Remembering - Van Vieng, Laos

Today was a day that just cannot be put into words. A good day. We woke up this morning and went to the Organic Farm Cafe to have some Mulberry pancakes. They have many Mulberry trees here so that the silkworm that makes silk stays busy. The pancakes were delicious. We then headed across the footbridge and began to follow the signs to Tham Phou Kham cave. We had been told that this cave was something to see, what we didn't count on was the great things we would encounter on the walk to and from the cave. We walked about six kilometers (one way) through a small Laos village known as Ban Na Thong. Along the way we handed out some stickers we had brought from home to the village children. As you can see from the pictures they were very excited. Some of the children did not have clothes, some were dirty, but all of them were happy and excited to see us. The houses along the way consist mostly of bamboo structures with no windows, no doors, and no rooms or walls. There certainly is no kitchen or bathroom. We were touched by these kids, they just reach out and tug at your heart, and it's a hard tug. We also saw some more great butterflies, some unique birds, pigs, cows, chickens, goats, dogs, cats, fish, turkeys and other animals. The cows are starving, and there rib cage is very, very visible. Along the walk we were uncertain if we were going the right way - (we were on a dirt road with no signage) and a Laos man rode up on his bicycle and offered to be our "guide". We agreed and Wan took charge and led us to the cave. When we arrived we crossed another footbridge over a stunning lagoon with crystal clear blue water. Wan took us up a very steep hill (rock climbing) and into an absolutely unbelievable cave. If you have time to Google Tham Phou Kham cave see what you can find factually, because this description won't do it justice. It is huge. Like 7 stadiums huge. Big cavern after cavern, each one more spectacular then the next. We took pictures but keep in mind we couldn't see our hand in front of our face, it was pitch black. The pictures still turned out good and our little Cannon cameras from Costco continue to do a great job. Wan showed us the longest and biggest stalagmites we have seen (we really haven't seen that many) - I would guess 10 to 20 feet high. Inside the cave a bit was a sleeping Buddha . We spent about 45 minutes inside then climbed down the very STEEP hill again. At the bottom Wan convinced us to take a plunge in the lagoon from the rope swing. What a blast! We then began our trek home (six more kilometers) stopping in Ban Na Thong to buy some silk from the village women who were weaving it along the dirt road. They told us it took them four days to make one table runner. They are beautiful, we can't wait to show you. We continued our walk, said no to the footbridge and waded across the Nham river back to our bungalow. All in all about a four to five hour trip and one of the best days we have had on our trip. We are going to try and locate some crayons and coloring books to give to the children in the next village we visit because you just cannot believe how excited they get. We leave this beautiful city tomorrow and head by mini bus north to Luang Prabang. They say it is a very scenic drive and even though it is long and curvy we are looking forward to it. We will spend about 4 days in Luang Prabang before heading back into Thailand and over to Chiang Mai. We are going to stay with Esther for three night in Chiang Mai. We don't know Esther but met here though a great web site, http://www.couchsurfing.com/. From Chiang Mai, back to Bangkok by overnight train, and then we are going to make a decision whether to stay in Thailand or head to Cambodia. What do you think? From there, we plan to head home around the first week of March. Hard to believe isn't it? Asia has been one of the greatest learning experiences of our lives and we can't wait to sink our teeth into more. If any of you travel we strongly strongly suggest coming to Laos. Your money will go very far, and you will never be the same again.