Mr.CurryBadger's Corner: Tham Phu Kham Cave @ Vang Vieng

While in Vietnam I got a couple massages throughout my trip in order to alleviate the back pain which comes on after days of lugging around a heavy backpack. I've been starting to feel that pain again on this trip so I figured I'd try and solve it the same way here in Laos. I located a massage place by my hotel the other night and got a full body massage however the result turned out to be a major disappointment, not wanting to let a single experience form my opinion I sought out another masseuse last night. The similarities between the two massages were that they were both very soft, they used their finger nails to scratch the skin all over my body and they both left me feeling no better. The differences were that the second girl had the skill of being able to text with one hand while scratching me with the other.

Due to my back pain, a simple day like today becomes much more stressful, but since I probably wont be back in Vang Vieng for a while I've got to use my time wisely while I'm here. Tham Phu Kham Cave was my point of interest today and after drinking some Beerlao to medicate for the pain, I caught a rickshaw out of town heading west. After 15 minutes I arrived at the Blue Lagoon, a pool filled with bright aqua marine spring water at the base of the cave attraction. A short walk past the lagoon I purchased tickets and hiked up a steep dirt and stone path to find the entrance.

Blue Lagoon

Pathway to cave

This cave was far more spacious then the others I've visited here, the first chamber is about 30 meters high with a large hole facing the sky, allowing the sunlight to scatter a couple chambers deep. Further in the walls get a bit closer but still leave enough room to feel comfortable, the rock formations, stalagmites and stalactites were a great value for the amount of hiking involved to get to them.