Laos - Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Northern Thailand - page 703

CENTRAL & SOUTHERN LAOS
Steamy rice plains, gothic karst formations, vast forests, coffee-growing plantations and au-
thentic riverine life: all of this beckons en route to and from the border with Cambodia.
Ever since Tha Khaek opened her faded colonial petals a few years back, many have been
using the town as a picturesque springboard to access Tham Kong Lo, a fantastical 7.5km
subterranean cave complex only traversable by boat, and the ragged black karsts of Kham-
muane Province, home to the Loop, a legendary three-day motorbike adventure. Further
south, Savannakhet charms with her old French buildings and trekking options, while close
to the hammock-flopping paradise of turquoise-watered Si Phan Don (Four Thousand Is-
lands), you'll find the beautiful Khmer ruins of sleepy Champasak.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Bolikhamsai & Khammuan Provinces
Bolikhamsai and Khammuan form the narrow girdle of Laos, straddling the Annamite
Chain, which heads east from Laos to Vietnam, with the Mekong River and Thailand to the
west. Due to the presence of the Ho Chi Minh Trail from Vietnam passing through Laos
here, the area was heavily bombed during the Secret War, and the UXO problem is still a
major challenge for NGOs.
If you're passing this way to see Tham Kong Lo, languid Tha Khaek is a pleasant base,
or nearer still - if you're in a hurry - overnight in the rural village of Ban Kong Lo, liter-
ally minutes from the cave.
Paksan
054 / POP 27,000
Sitting at the confluence of Nam San and the Mekong River, Paksan is something of a non-
entity and needn't feature on your itinerary unless you're using its international border to
cross to Thailand. BK Guest House ( 054-212638; r 70,000-80,000K; ) makes for a
budget stop, with clean but small rooms. Midrange, Vietnamese-run Paksan Hotel (
054-791333; Rte 13; s/d 100,000/140,000K; ) , located a little east of the bridge, is prob-
ably the best digs on offer, with huge clean rooms that offer air-con, en suites, hot water
and TV.