I was sleeping in my nightdress and jacket and tights and socks. But I woke up in the middle of the night, shivering. So I put on more clothes! In the end, I had on 3 tops, 2 bottoms and 2 pairs of socks but I was still cold ...
So I was extremely worried because Day 3 was activity day. We had some water activities lined up, and we were worried that we would freeze to death with the weather being this cold. When day broke, I quickly opened the door. Yes, the wind was strong, but the morning temperature was bearable. Phew.
So I was extremely worried because Day 3 was activity day. We had some water activities lined up, and we were worried that we would freeze to death with the weather being this cold. When day broke, I quickly opened the door. Yes, the wind was strong, but the morning temperature was bearable. Phew.
Namsanam River in the morning ...
Brrr ... we all wanted hot coffee or hot tea and a hot breakfast. Breakfast was toast, fried eggs, fruits. We checked out from the resort, and went to Namsanam Waterfall.
It was a pleasant morning, chilly, but not too cold. We had to trek about 3 km from the main road.
It was a pleasant morning, chilly, but not too cold. We had to trek about 3 km from the main road.
Our guide walked in front of us
The trail started off fine. Then it got hard. The trail became uneven and was very high at some places. Plus, it was slippery. I found it immensely difficult as I was afraid that I would slip and fall. And I was worried about the trek back ... would I be able to navigate downhill later on without falling flat on my face ... so I was really glad when we reached the lower falls. We all got hot and sweaty after the trek.
Lower falls of Namsanam Waterfall
Photo by BW
From the lower falls, one could trek upwards still, but I did not want to go any further. A few of us waited here at the lower falls. It was while trekking here that I got to know BW and CC. They were 2 friends travelling together, and we were all of around the same age. So it was really nice to chat with them.
The three of us were really clumsy trekkers - typical city people, I guess. Heh. So we stuck together and moved at our own snail pace. The few old men in our group - some in their seventies - were still very strong and managed to trek up with us. "Go slowly and use your hands if you have to," they advised.
Market and stalls just across the road
Fritters stall
Sweet potato fritters
Vegetable stalls
The convenience store? Heh? Local 7-11?
They sell all sorts of things from hardware to clothing to groceries
Everyone got excited and crowded around this stall ....
Initially, we thought it was a grilled rodent ... but in fact, it was a squirrel. We drove to the Blue Lagoon ... and the road was very bad. It was full of large potholes, and the drivers had to navigate really carefully. Any mistake and we could get our van tyres stuck in any one of the large holes, or even damage our vans.
Tasted of artificial seasoning ...
Moo Laab
Fried minced pork with herbs
And then we went to the Blue Lagoon. This is where the mouth of Kong Lor Cave is located ...
Blue Lagoon
We could swim here if we wanted to, but in our huge group of 24 persons, only 2 persons swam. The rest were contented dipping our feet in the water. Then came the exciting part.
Walking into the cave
Photo by BW
We would take long boats from here into the cave. The cave was 7.5 km long, and when we exited at the other end of the cave, we would reach the village of Ban Natan. We would stay at Ban Natan for the night. I changed into shorts and slippers and got ready for my boat ride.
The mouth of the cave
Photo by BW
We were informed that since the water level was low, we would have to get off the boat at times to help push it. So 3 persons were assigned to a boat. I got into a boat with CC and BW. When the boatman steered us into the cave, complete darkness engulfed us. We felt the wind flapping against our faces, but we could not see anything till we turned on our torch lights. Then we saw the limestone formations in this long, long cave. The sight was really special, the experience was priceless!
Not long after that, we got off the long boat, and there was a section of the cave which was lighted. Here, a pathway had been constructed and walking along the pathway, we could see very interesting stalagmites and stalactites against colourful lighting of blue, red, yellow and green lighting. Beautiful!
Inside Kong Lor Cave
Photo by BW
We got back on the boat and rode till we reached the rapids. Here we got off, while the boatman lifted the boat upstream. Before long, we exited the cave and reached our destination, Ban Natan.
Our party disembarking form the long boats
It was approaching darkness, and this place was deserted
We had to walk from here to the village. Information was not too accurate. Our guide told us it was 1.5km walk ... but the villagers told us it was 3km. Hmn .... we walked till it got dark and cold and we finally reached our village. We were divided into groups of 4 and sent to our houses. We would be hosted by the villagers.
Our house was one of the better houses in the village. The ground floor was concrete, but the living quarters upstairs were made of wood. The house was very spacious, and it had at least 3 rooms. We would be sleeping in the living room. There was even a small television in the living room. The 3 kids were glued to the television.
Communciation was difficult ... and we knew very minimal Lao - we knew how to say hello, and we knew how to say the numbers. And that was about it. So, much as we wanted to find out about our host family, we couldn't. So to break the ice, I gave the kids some candy - I'd brought a bottle of Sticky that bro had redeemed the other day in KL. And with sign language, we sort of figured out that our host and his wife, daughter and son-in-law, and a granddaughter stayed in the house. The 2 other children in the house were the neighbour's kids, From the photos on the wall, we concluded that our host used to be in the army.
Our dinner
2 bowls of egg omelette
Bamboo shoots
Kangkong? Hmn ... it did not taste like it.
Khao niaw basket
Khao Niaw
It was awkward as the hosts sat around and watch us eat. We gestured for them to eat together with us ... and they gestured back that they had eaten.
Our host, and the little girl of about 7 years old; she was really lovely and showed interest to interact with us. Only that we did not know how to communicate apart from using non-verbal language
Dinner done, there was nothing to do. We couldn't communicate ... apart from asking for "Hong Nam" - toilet. So we laid down and slept. It was another cold and chilly night ...the winds again were blowing really hard. I was thankful for the thick blanket the host provided. I covered up from head to toe, and went to sleep.
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