The Water Cave

The terrain around Vang Vieng is really beautiful -- when you can see it. Unfortunately the air quality in Lao is so poor because of the slash-and-burn farming that is done all over the country. It fills the entire sky with smoke and ash, and blocks out the Sun for months. It only clears up after a heavy rain. when it is clear, you can see that the area is surrounded by sheer limestone karsts that suddenly rise up vertically from the ground. Most of these limestone structures are riddled with caves. Today I went with Roland to the Water Cave, about 20km outside of town. We rented bikes again and rode there. Once along the way I received a nice ego boost when I stopped to ask a woman for directions (in Lao of course). She asked me how long I had been in Lao and was very surprised when I told her it was only about a week. She thought I must have been there about one year to learn that much Lao!

The Water Cave itself is pretty cool. It's filled with water rushing out from a large underground spring deep within the cave.
They give you an inner tube to float on the water and there are ropes to pull youself along to explore the cave. The cave went a lot deeper than I expected, and we never did really reach the end. Again, we were a bit late in returning the bikes but didn't get charged any late fee!

BTW, the best mojitos (main drink of Cuba) in Vang Vieng are found at Bamboo Bar (they also have a great vegetarian buffet). Everything at the bar is made from bamboo: the tables, benches, the bar itself, and it's surrounded by bamboo trees. The mojito is served in a bamboo mug with bamboo straws!