Ban Oudomsouk is rather large village located in not so high mountains of the Loop. Upon arrival I was welcomed with a nice, fresh and cool air. I stopped at one of the two (only two!) available guest houses, which was run by a German guy with his local wife. The guest house was in a quite picturesque location next to some sort of lake. Since I was travelling alone, I got myself quite comfortable bed in a dorm – which I had all to myself – the dorm, that is (the bed costed me 30,000 kip, which is about 3 euros as of that time). In the evening and at night it was nicely cold so that there was absolutely no need to even use a fan. The next morning I continued my journey right after breakfast. Because of many dams that were built on Laotian rivers (in order to produce electricity), on the way one can spot flooded trees – which is quite a sight on its own and also reminds us that together with the progress, there is always some sort of loss. The road goes through various villages and quite a large part behind Ban Tha Long (one of the other villages on the way) is unpaved. The typical view of the village can be seen on the photos below.

One of the more interesting places on the way was the town of Tha Bak. There wouldn’t be anything special about it if not the fact that this is the only place where one can see bomb boats. The name is somewhat misleading, since the boats were made out of huge missile-shaped drop tanks that carried fuel for jets that were operating here in the 1960s and ’70s. Empty tanks were sometimes dropped and those that didn’t receive too much damage during the hit were turned into boats.

The second day was completed upon arriving in Kong Lo village (or Kong Lor). From here the next morning I was about to see the main attraction on the Loop – the Kong Lo cave.

From Ban Oudomsouk (A) to Kong Lo cave (B)

Lake outside my guest house in Ban Oudomsouk. Tha Khaek Loop, Laos.
Staw tuż obok mojego hotelu w Ban Oudomsouk. Pętla Tha Khaek, Laos.

My bed in a dorm in Ban Oudomsouk. Tha Khaek Loop, Laos.
Moje łóżko w dormitorium w Ban Oudomsouk. Pętla Tha Khaek, Laos.

A dorm in my guest house in Ban Oudomsouk. Tha Khaek Loop, Laos.
Dormitorium w moim hoteu w Ban Oudomsouk. Pętla Tha Khaek, Laos.

The view outside my guest house in Ban Oudomsouk. Tha Khaek Loop, Laos.
Widok na zewnątrz hotelu w Ban Oudomsouk. Pętla Tha Khaek, Laos.

The view outside my guest house in Ban Oudomsouk. Tha Khaek Loop, Laos.
Widok na zewnątrz hotelu w Ban Oudomsouk. Pętla Tha Khaek, Laos.

Flooded trees on the way to Tha Bak. Tha Khaek Loop, Laos.
Zatopione drzewa po drodze do Tha Bak. Pętla Tha Khaek, Laos.

Flooded trees on the way to Tha Bak. Tha Khaek Loop, Laos.
Zatopione drzewa po drodze do Tha Bak. Pętla Tha Khaek, Laos.

Flooded trees on the way to Tha Bak. Tha Khaek Loop, Laos.
Zatopione drzewa po drodze do Tha Bak. Pętla Tha Khaek, Laos.

Flooded trees on the way to Tha Bak. Tha Khaek Loop, Laos.
Zatopione drzewa po drodze do Tha Bak. Pętla Tha Khaek, Laos.

A mountan road. Tha Khaek Loop, Laos.
Droga w górach Pętli Tha Khaek, Laos.

One of many local villages in Tha Khaek Loop, Laos.
Jedna z wielu wiosek w Pętli Tha Khaek, Laos.

One of many local villages in Tha Khaek Loop, Laos.
Jedna z wielu wiosek w Pętli Tha Khaek, Laos.

Tha Bak. Tha Khaek Loop, Laos.
Tha Bak. Pętla Tha Khaek, Laos.

Bomb boats in Tha Bak. Tha Khaek Loop, Laos.
Bombowe łodzie w Tha Bak. Pętla Tha Khaek, Laos.

Bomb boats in Tha Bak. Tha Khaek Loop, Laos.
Bombowe łodzie w Tha Bak. Pętla Tha Khaek, Laos.

Bomb boats in Tha Bak. Tha Khaek Loop, Laos.
Bombowe łodzie w Tha Bak. Pętla Tha Khaek, Laos.

Tha Bak. Tha Khaek Loop, Laos.
Tha Bak. Pętla Tha Khaek, Laos.

Bomb boats in Tha Bak. Tha Khaek Loop, Laos.
Bombowe łodzie w Tha Bak. Pętla Tha Khaek, Laos.

The road to Kong Lo village. Tha Khaek Loop, Laos.
Droga do wioski Kong Lo. Pętla Tha Khaek, Laos.

The road to Kong Lo village. Tha Khaek Loop, Laos.
Droga do wioski Kong Lo. Pętla Tha Khaek, Laos.

Famers working in the field, on the way to Kong Lo village. Tha Khaek Loop, Laos.

Famers working in the field, on the way to Kong Lo village. Tha Khaek Loop, Laos.

Locals travelling on bicycles using umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun. Tha Khaek Loop, Laos.
Miejscowi podróżujący na rowerach i używający parasolów w celu ochrony przed słońcem. Pętla Tha Khaek, Laos.

Kong Lo village. Tha Khaek Loop, Laos.
Wioska Kong Lo. Pętla Tha Khaek, Laos.

Local kids at Kong Lo village. Tha Khaek Loop, Laos.
Lokalne dzieci w wiosce Kong Lo. Pętla Tha Khaek, Laos.