Well, Central Laos to me actually just ment Ta Khaek. I'm on my way north. To Vientianne and further up.
Ta Khaek is another small town with nothing much happening. But the area around is one of the nicest in Laos (they say).
After a LOOOOOOOONG bus-ride here (it was supposed to take 6 hours, but ended after 12 with everybody still smiling and humming on the bus, no complains, screaming kids or things like that) I collapsed at 8 pm. Good for me, because I got up at 6 am, had some breakfast and talked to a guy who was waiting for a car to take him on a trip into one of the protected areas. That sounded great to me, so I booked myself on the same trip right away :)
We went into Phu Hin Bun NPA for 2 days and that was the nicest trip I've done so far.
We walked about 15 kilometers per day through jungle, rice-fields and valleys with limestone karsts all around. Very, very beautiful. On the way there were many caves, often with Buddha-statues inside, water-holes with turtles, bats and everything you would wish to have on a trip like that.
We also passed 2 green-blue lakes, where it was us tourists allowed to swim. The villagers would never do because of bad spirits circeling the deep water.
Overnight we stayed in a local village in the jungle. They killed a pig for those who ate meat and served Lao-Lao- the local spirit you just HAVE TO drink at least once in Laos. Later on that night the villagers had a ritual wishing us good luck, wrapping bands around our wrists. Some of the Lao-Lao had to go to the ground to keep the house-spirit in good mood :)
I really enjoyed being on that trip, even though I had to pay some money for it and walked in a group together with 10 other people..
One more day in Ta Khaek. I thought I would take the motor-bike to a newly explored Buddha-cave, but they wanted just too much money for renting, so I took a bycicle instead. Easy and nice trip.
Except for that the tire went flat TWICE! I had to wait until somebody passed, put me and the bike on the back of the pick-up/ traktor and drove me to the next village. The bike was fixed in no time for under half a dollar. Nice people!
The Buddha-cave was explored because a guy went after some bats he wanted to catch for dinner. They flew into an opening and when the guy went after- there were like 200 bronze Buddhas sitting around. They say it's over 300 years old!
Very holy, incense-sticks, bowed heads, monks singing.
Next stop Vientianne :)
