Laos The Tham Phu Hospital Cave Nr Phonsavan

20.11.15

Tham Pua cave

Another area which is easy day loop ride from Phonsavan is the Tham Pha Hospital caves, the site is located N19.50103 E102.87241 only 50km or so from town. You will need a headlamp to explore although the staff on site will loan you one if you forget.

Once used by the Pathet Laos as a medical field hospital and was heavily bombed.

The site is divided in two cave complexes, the first housing a large Buddha.

If you crawl behind the Buddha you will many murals on the rocks.

Some pretty impressive rock formations inside the first cave.

As you descend into the cave an old hospital gurney on display.

If you look carefully you will see many medical vials around the edges of the floor.

Old army shoe.

Lot's of small Buddha's hidden away in crevices, most with heads removed.

To reach the other cave you have to double back and walk around the mountain to the opening, this cave must have been storage for medical equipment of some kind.

Once inside the floor is littered with hundreds of vaccination bottles, its hard to walk without standing on them.

Various food cans littered about, not sure if these are from the war period or just litter.

An enjoyable couple of hours poking around the caves, i was lucky i was the only person visiting.

Not far away on the way back is a lovely old Wat and stupa located at N19.51427 E102.90299 well worth a look at.

Dragon boat in storage.

I noticed this suspension bridge on the way back worth exploring next time.

War scrap parked inside an army camp on the edge of town.

Southern Laos Attapeu Bolovens & Beyond

Total distance today 261 km

The previous night we had a big storm go over the hotel so the mornings ride was going to be fun.

The first thing you notice as you leave Attapeu is how poor the people are in this region away from the drainage dykes everything is so dry and almost all rice fields unable to make a crop, turning north from the 18A it was still pretty green.

We had decided to try and poke our way through the farmers trails and clear to see the iron buffalo was carving nice rut's.

Extensive irrigation channels around here.

The only rice nursery we would see today.

Making good progress up to this point, talking with the locals they indicated the water was waist deep, almost linking up with the main trail it was time to back track.

One of the moist bit's

Scrap dealers having a break.

Then a bunch of motorcycle sellers approaching.

Dead straight.

Collecting for the local Wat.

Coffee is the only thing growing is these parts almost every house has bean's laid out drying, these next to the local snooker hall.

Approaching one of the few river crossings, this bridge was barely holding together so it was to be wet feet.

Pretty rocky, but not deep.

The next was even rockier.

Watching the iron buffalo for a line.

Nice camping spot.

One of the few houses showing any colour.

As you approach Pakxong the roads are being graded.

Reaching the 16A junction at Pakxong.

Time for some delicious stick food.

Saravane bridge.

The road onwards is all paved and uneventful, we checked into the Phoufa Hotel @ 80K kip a night.

The owner has a very interesting collection on display.

It had been a great day's riding but hard to forget the poverty we saw in most of the villages along the way.