Muang Ngoi

I’d arrived and settled with enough time to enjoy the late afternoon “golden light” and sunset. After walking along the main street I went to the river, as I was there some local children came crashing though with their toy guns horsing around at war and very happy to play to the camera. 

Next morning I went down to Vat Okad and then Ot, the guest house owner, took me along the only road into town to the valley as far as Tham Kang Cave, where locals sheltered during bombing raids by the USAF during the war. Later in the afternoon I revisited to the temple, and along the road before returning to the river for the sunset.

Stop 1 Vat Okad Savaram Previously there were three temples around the town, all, however, were flattened during US bombing and only Vat Okad has been rebuilt.

Stop 2 Tham Kang Cave One of the caves around the town where locals sheltered as the US was bombing the bejesus out of the place, I think possibly because it was close to the front line in the civil war between the Royal Lao and Pathet Lao forces, rather than being part of the campaign against the Ho Chi Minh trail- which was further south. The cave is located at the base of a towering kharst, with several adjacent entrances and a clear underground stream flowing through the cave to join with a tributary of the Nam river. There were numerous fish swimming around, one of which seemed longer than 30cm and smart enough to dash back into the shadows when I raised my camera. Close to the cave was a substantial traditional fish trap that seemed to have been there for several decades.

Stop 3 Vat Okad Savaram

Stop 4 Sunset by the river