The Friday Photo: Inside an Underground River
In Khammuan, Laos, we took a boat inside a mountain, up the underground river that runs 7.5k through the Konglor cave, and out into the green the other side. We stopped, in the dark, at a white sand beach and climbed up to this chamber of stalactites and stalagmites, illuminated in blue. It’s even more dazzling than the underground river in Palawan, the Philippines, and the most wonderful thing we’ve seen in all of Central Laos.
beautiful – and sort of scary, too.
It was quite scary going into the cave, and into total darkness. You only see flashes of illumination from the navigator’s torch, and your own head torches — walls, tunnels, vaulted chambers, big rocks, beaches. Wish I’d had a camera with a powerful flash to capture half of what we saw…
Stop it!!! I was convinced to just head to China via Thailand in November. And then you keep reminding me how amazing Laos is. That looks and sounds stunning.
Central Laos is seriously stunning. And much less-touristed than many other parts.
Do I need to mention French food and cheap massage in Vientiane, while we’re on the topic?…
Or phenomenally lovely, sweet, friendly people. You can actually get a boat up the Mekong from northern thailand into China, though…
The boat up the Mekong was our first plan … then then you just had to go and show us photos of caves with beaches inside them! Mentioning French food does not help at all!
What wonderful photos. I never get tired of going into caves–doesn’t matter what kind, they are all fascinating. Didn’t know about these…thanks for posting!
The whole stretch around Thakhek /Tha Khaek is full of them. There’s one with thousands of Buddhas, hidden away for safekeeping and not rediscovered until a few years ago, other vast caverns — if you like caves, Laos would be perfect for you.