2011 - NZ To SF - Day 86

Day 86: (7 August 2011):
- After breakfast, rent bicycle. Western loop. Drizzle. Prepare for wet day.
- Toll bridge: bomb shall decorations.
- Muddy roads, lots of puddles. One/two very deep ones, pedals dip in water.
- Missed 1st cave we were aiming to visit.
- Found 2nd cave OK with LP directions. Telephone pole numbers.
- Park bike, 10k admission. A girl guide us down dry riverbed with rounded rocks & trail. Very strange to have dry riverbed in rainy season.
- Long walk. Nice view of hills, jungle & mist.
- Cave entrance over some rocks. Slip a bit, stub toe: minor crack in nail. Bag broken.
- Some small chambers. Wooden “ladders”/walkways. Buddha. A corridor with a deep trench beside it. Tiny hole to craw through: small chamber.
- Ask for 50k each, gave 20k each. Walk back: girl stop to collect leaves & herbs. Bags & clothes dirty. Tie bag to rough backpack.
- Continue, find next place. Two shops, school, village.
- Raining. Very slippery mud/moss path. Bamboo gate. Slippery on bike.
- Old woman come collect 10k each. Warn of bull? Make horns with fingers & point in field. Motion for us to close gate when back.
- Long climb up steep & slippery trail. Flipflops bad choice.
- Wood pagoda/shelter, wild garden behing & great view of fields, mountains & mist. Eat a bit. Steep mountains rising from flat fields cool. Wring clothes out.
- Continue through some forest, more uphill.
- Section with sharp pointy rocks. Top of all mountains here look sharp & pointy.
- Shelter perched on rocks. Broken supports. See road below.
- Take video from a rock perch. Difficult to get down. Flipflops & sharp.
- Slow descent. Red centipede-looking things on trail.
- Sun breaks through.
- After putting poles back through fence, continue. Slip & almost fall from bike.
- Pass signs for fake Blue Lagoon. Bike past a small bridge.
- Arrive “Blue Lagoon”: more like a green stream.
- Cave: Explore without guide. Very tall: ~50m or more? Large squarish boulders. Buddha & dramatic opening. Behind: more chambres, explore first one. Not sure how to return: climb down a steep section, get back. Get guano all over bags. Smell a bit. Water dripping/flowing down from cave ceiling.
- Lend headlamps & torch.
- Swim @ stream: cows grazing: cow poop? Rope swings & cold drinks.
- Wait long time for people with torches: they get lost. Eat banana bread (from the European bakery in morning).
- Bike back: road much less slippery & less puddles. Bids poking at crushed cow poop on road. Cows. Deep puddle still there. Have to bike between small gaps in cows.
- Wash up, decide leave bag. Use plastic bag when necessary. Buy in China.
- Dinner @ usual place. Internet, book my ticket to Vang Vieng. Rain.
- Drink at a restaruant that is always popular! Friends section & soccer section.
- Game of Manchester U vs. City. Lao waiter much more excited than guests.
- Return after game: everyone else seems to leave.