The Journey to Pak Ou Caves

The beautiful Mekong

The Mekong River is huge. I mean we both knew it was extremely massive but when you're traveling on it to see some of the most beautiful sights in Laos, you really get a feel for how big, how long, how curvy and how vast it really is.

 The journey to Pak Ou Caves took 2 hours by slowboat.  Due to the current, and that our trip down was going against it, a journey that should have only taken 1 hour like it did coming home, took 2 hours.

It was a long trip but so worth the journey!

Whiskey Village

Our boat and a makeshift bridge

Jai and his family took us to the caves and we had a brief stop at Whiskey Village about 30 minutes out from the caves.  Whiskey Village is a little village that makes homemade rice wine and rice whiskey.  It's quite the tourist trap but a nice reprieve

from the hard seats of the longboat.  I will say that Allan and I did purchase some rice wine (at $2 a bottle) and some of the 50 proof rice whiskey (at $1 a bottle).  It's beyond anything we've ever tasted.  Both Allan and I had a shot of whisky as a sample and I swear I was buzzed from that little amount!

The mountainside entrance to Pak Ou Caves

After the village, we boarded the boat again and made our way to the caves.  They are divided into two sections: The lower cave and the upper cave.  Both areas are filled to the brim with Buddha statues, offerings, incense and rubble.  The lower cave, is perfectly placed high on the cliffside.  High enough that as you look out, you are overwhelmed with a view of the Mekong Riverside from both directions.  Up a long, steep flight of stairs takes you to the upper cave which was so dark that a flashlight was needed to see even a step in front of you.  Wooden statues are everywhere, shrouded in spiderwebs and dust, giving off both an inspiring and eery glow to the cave itself.

Though the area was filled with tourists from all over the world, the caves are a very spritual spot and every year both the Laos people and the monks make the trek to the caves for religious purposes.

This was such a great experience.  I am trying to put words to my thoughts right now and I seem to be struggling, to be honest.  Everyone takes something different away from visting religious/spiritual sites and I can only use one word to describe what I am feeling about the journey and the caves themselves: Peace.