Thakek and overall impression of Laos

The Thakek Loop

Jan 2024

Thakek is in the Center of Laos and the journey from Vientiane goes around the Thailand bulge along the Mekong river to reach there. The Mekong forms the natural boundary between Laos and Thailand for a large part of the country. Thakek is famous for a circuitous journey around it called the Takek loop and is very popular amongst motorcyclists and cyclists.

The town itself is very quaint and the riverside area has some beautiful sitting spots and restaurants and one can watch the brightly lit Thai side. A little on the North is the Thai–Lao Friendship 3 Bridge through which one can move between the two countries. I was thinking that it is impossible to monitor the border since it was a porous natural border like India and Bangladesh and if there was an internal or external war in Laos, there is nothing that the Thai authorities can do to prevent people from crossing over to their side.

The bus to Thahek arrived around 9 PM pm on 23rd Jan which was about an 8 hour drive from Vientiene. I checked into Song Lao Guesthouse which is where a lot of people doing the loop stay in. The next day, after hiring a motorcike, I started the Thakek loop. This would be a 3 day, 2 nights journey starting from Thakek to the Kong Lor caves and then back to Thakek through highway 13 in a loop.

Loop - Day 1

The first stop was Tham Nong Pa Fa (Tham is cave and Nong Pa Fa means lake of soft-shelled turtle) or the Buddha Cave which was accidentally discovered by a local villager and has a collection of 229 bronze Buddhas over 300 years old. The surroundings and the lake is serene and beautiful.

I sopped over for the evening at Nam Theun which is beside the river of the same name. There are a couple of guesthouses and the one I stayed in was called Phosy Thalang just beside Sabaidee Guesthouse. They have a wonderful restaurant overlooking the lake and with great views. At the reception desk was a French young man called Thomas who had run out of money, so decided to volunteer to be the desk manager for some time. The Laotian family running the restaurant provided free boarding and lodging and he in turn would manage all customers since many of their customers were French. Good arrangement! Thomas said he was waiting for another friend to join, then he might move on to his next destination. 

All through the journey, I could see small manmade lakes due to the flooding of the land as the river was being dammed upstream to form a reservoir. Laos was involved in constructing multiple dams across the country to provide power mainly for its neighbour Thailand. They had the ambition of becoming the "Battery of South East Asia" due to their abundant water resources. However, this modern style development will have its own impact and together with the improvement in Roads and the high speed rail built y the Chinese, we are going to see a different Lao in a few years. In a way, this would be last Shangri-La before it got absorbed by the Capitalism Juggernaut coming in fiercely at it from all sides.

Loop Day 2

I left early next morning as I wanted to reach the Kong Lor caves by afternoon before it got too hot. You take the bend at Lak Sao into highway no 8 and then travel further till once comes at a fork which leads into the south and inland towards the caves. All along are Karst mountains and soon I reached Thongdam Guesthouse which was a few meters away from where the gates to the caves started. I settled down for the evening and take a well deserved break after the day's driving. The room was nice and the guesthouse lay among the rice fields. There were other guest houses  nearby and soon the wrooming of motorcycles could be heard as other travelers started reaching the village.

In the evening, went up for dinner at a local restuarant called "The Best One". Run by a couple, it was a lovely setting amongst the rice fields with ducks around us. Soon, we were a group of 10 odd people and had a great time discussing the various countries we were from and some travel stories. 

Loop - Day 3

The Kong Lor cave open at 8 AM and I was the first at the counter with another person from Netherlands and both of us shared the boat to go into the cave and come out on the other side. Kong Lor was the highlight of the Laos trip along with Luang Prabang. The trip is through a 7.5 Km underground river inside the mountain that goes into the Kong Lor Valley and emerges on the Natane valley on the other side. It is pitch dark inside and all of us had headlights which was the only thing available for navigation. Our boatman maneuvered the diesel motorized boat expertly along the bends of the river which is pretty shallow and therefore required a knowledge of the river. 

Along the way, we got off to see stalagmites and stalactites and since we were the first, as our boatman switched on the electric lights at each point along the journey, the formations came alive in a spectacular fashion. 

After spending some time on the other side, I made the return trip back through the cave and then checked out of my homestay for the drive back to Thakek. On the way back, there is an excellent spot called The Rock Viewpoint which is a must stop for a cup of coffee and lunch and also to go deep into the Karst mountain and see the eco system there. Very thoughtfully designed and managed, one can take a small self guided hike within the mountain and there is also facility for Ziplining from one point to another and back. 

Back To Thakek

Back at Thakek, I spent the evening and the next day at the river bank and its restaurants. Of interest is the Wat Nabo Si Pattanaram which is a beautiful temple and contains the city pillar.

From Thakek, the next place which people often go to is Pakse which was further south. Instead I decided to exit the country through the land route to Vietnam so that I could reach Da Nang and take the flight out of the country to India. The other option was to bus it down to Bangkok which would take a lot of time. Pakse and the 1000 Islands which are Islands within the Mekong river (Similar to Majuli in Assam on the Brahmaputra) had to be kept for my next visit to the country.

The border crossing to Vietnam was not as smooth as crossing over to Laos from Thailand. I had an American and a few Germans for company. However, the journey was pretty smooth and soon I found myself in Vietnam and from there back to India. 

Overall Impression of Laos

Laos is a lower middle income developing country and therefore its standard of living is similar to India and below its other neighbors including Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. Transportation, stay and food costs are therefore expensive compared to these other countries.

However, Laos is changing at a rapid pace. While India may have been the cultural influencer in the past, today its the Chinese that are in favor and helping the Laos government build cities, ports and railways. The high speed link from China through Vientiane to Bangkok is a regional gamechanger. It has brought in Chinese tourists into Laos. Today, Mandarin is being taught in Laotian classrooms. in preparation for further business from China. 

Similarly, there are many hydroelectric projects being built in collaboration with France, its erstwhile Colonial power to meet demand from Thailand. Highways are being laid and becoming better.

Food wise, Laos is influenced mainly by Thailand and in turn is closely linked with the Isan region of Thailand which is culturally similar. Laotian food doesn't have the refinement of Thai cuisine, but is unique with tangy Umami and earthy flavors. Most Laotians are Buddhists and society is religious and conservative. Laotian people are easygoing and warm and welcoming though tourism still needs to develop compared to its other neighbors. 

Overall, its a great country to explore with its two Jewels of Luang Prabang and the Karst hill regions of Thakek and Kong Lor. Laos is the place for travelers who love nature and outdoors with a penchant for timeless culture. It is rapidly changing though as the country hurriedly hurtles into modernity, so time is limited.