Pathok Caves

This morning was a skype morning with my family. It is always fun to hear and see the goings on back home even though skype does its very best to disrupt all conversation.

We ended up going on a walk and found that 3km outside of town was a cave system. Pathok cave is the name. We knew nothing about it other than it could be a good way to spend a few hours. When we reached them we were met by a small hut selling tickets to the cave for about seventy five cents. We paid and were on our way when a small child, maybe five years old, ran up behind us and got our attention. He was a spry young fellow with a husky voice, bright eyes, and torn clothes; the most prominent tear was the seat of his pants which were split wide open vertically providing us a view of the waxing, full, and waning moons all at once. He carried a flashlight which was constantly flicking off and he always smacking it, unscrewing it, fastening it, and smacking it again until it worked properly. He asked our names, told us his and proceeded to guide us to the cave. Though he only spoke a few english words he managed to communicate that these caves were used during the wars of the past hundred years and especially during the Vietnam conflict.

Upon further research I learned that villagers, government, and military personal all stayed in these caves. It was especially used during the Vietnam conflict when US bombs fell on the land regularly. In the caves different sections are marked out by signs. There was the military headquarters, the government headquarters, the military and government sleeping quarters, the hospital, an arts and crafts area, a kitchen, a bank, and the civilian living areas.

Laos remains to this day the most heavily mined country as well as containing the most unexploded ordinance. We may have even heard one go off while we were in the caves. Our guide at least attempted to sign that the explosion we heard was something big. The ordinance still kills and maims many Laos citizens every year and is a sorrowful reminder of the destructive efficiency of men. Even years later these devices are doing what they were built for.

On a happier note after we left the caves we met a few of the other children from the nearby village. Our guide asked for money from us which we provided for his services. My favorite moment was a little girl who picked a tiny wild flower for Ashley. She handed it over and bashfully and requested not money but candy. A child after my own heart. Another boy asked if we had any pens which we had not packed along. If we could have I would have brought our headlamp, a couple pens and candy although I probably would have eaten most of the candy before we arrived.

Tomorrow we are going to a smaller town about an hour north of Nong Khiaw. We have heard that power runs only from 7pm-10pm but we will see. Still I doubt that I will be able to post many blogs. Tonight we continue the tradition in this town of eating delicious curries and watching a movie. There is a restaurant that provides both and it has been fun to meet other travellers who have come to watch.