(Day 16)
Today we decided to go to Pak Ou cave which is full of miniature Buddha figures/relics. We, of course, took scooters to get out to the location. It took us about 2 hours to drive there. It was very enjoyable, as usual.
We arrived at a little village, parked our scooters, and bought entrance fees and long boat passes to get to the other side of the Mekong river.
The cave was beautiful, but a bit anti-climatic. I think we were all expecting a colossal-sized cave with larsacs and everything (Star Wars geek reference), but perhaps our expectations were somewhat unrealistic. It was beautiful to see the innumerable Buddha relics. It felt like a semi-spiritual place.
We met some Brazilian girls while we were there. The guys were smitten, especially the ones who speak Portuguese.
On our way back from the cave, we had to go down a seemingly endless, rocky, and dirt-ridden road. Arrio and Sam got a little too excited and left us all in the dust, literally. I, trying to keep up with them, was keeping a decent speed as well. We didn't look behind us. Blake and Dalton ended up getting a flat tire on their scooter, and with the help of an old man and a truck, they were taken to a mechanic. Mechanics in Laos (as opposed to the U.S.) are very honest and cheap. I believe Dalton and Blake paid $2.50 to get their flat tire fixed. How glorious!
After the flat tire ordeal, we stopped at a local market place. There were literally no tourists. We found some great homemade food and some delicious deep fried sweet potatoes.
I also almost died on the way back to town. Dalton and Blake were in front of me, and as they were passing this slow-moving dump truck, I decided to follow. Little did I know, there was a white Toyota Tundra driving in the opposite direction. I was barely able to swerve over back into my lane in time. I felt like Tom Cruise in a Mission Impossible movie.
We had some delicious chicken, bacon, avocado sandwiches on a baguette for dinner, and sleep came swiftly over me.
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