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Valley of Dreams: Vang Vieng to Kasi
by Peter Kemp
"It's gorgeous. It's just like a Chinese painting." These words from a native Lao are an accurate description of a wonderland on Route 13 two, three and four hours north of Vientiane. Travel passes are history; anybody can go anytime. The serpentine stretch of undulating road between Vang Vieng and Kasi is a virtual scenic wonder waiting to be discovered by natives and foreigners alike.
Sheer limestone cliffs rise vertically from rice paddies and cascading rivers. Trapped with nowhere to go, morning mist rides up and down precipitous facades like an elevator looking for passengers, natural grottos playing hide and seek behind wispy fog for several hours after sunrise. In slender pirogues on deviously swift streams, nimble families leave for distant fields never seen by infrequent visitors. Here and there, other natives, singly or in pairs, bathe quietly in waist-deep water near tilting, tree-shaded banks.
We rented an air conditioned 4-wheel-drive Land Rover for overnight for US$120 (with driver) in Vientiane and enthusiastically set out for Vang Vieng about noon on a Saturday. The road to Vang Vieng, recently paved and re-bridged, is smooth, wide and almost without traffic; gone are checkpoints everyone, natives as much as foreigners, formerly approached with trepidation. We spent an hour rushing across the flattish Vientiane plain to Phonhong before climbing up, up, up to an elevation almost exceeding 300 meters (984 feet) and considerably cooler air.
Having frequently stopped en route to take pictures, we nevertheless arrived in Vang Vieng, 70 kilometers north of Phonhong and 160 kilometers north of Vientiane, in less than three hours. As did our driver, it's easy to motor past the provincial town without realizing it at first. "Improved" 13 North bypasses Vang Vieng on the eastern edge of a little-used airstrip that was a hubbub of activity during the 1960s and early 70s. (It was then called "Lima Site 6"; says an Air Facility Data Pamphlet revised as of 1 April 1974: "Monitor 119.1 MHZ while landing and taking off.") Especially if you are traveling there for the first time, it may be best to make note of the odometer reading before leaving bustling Vientiane on the Mekong.
Few people seem to remember that Tom Dooley (1927-1961), US physician, author and a founder of MEDICO, an international organization for underdeveloped countries, established his first medial clinic in Laos in, of all places, postcard-looking Vang Vieng. We had no time to search for the former clinic but, like most things in Laos, it is undoubtedly still there, as is the French-era guesthouse I slept in six years ago that's now an administration building for the provincial government.
Opened just last year by enterprising entrepreneur Seng Phanith, "Vang Vieng Resort" is much more comfortable than the former guesthouse. At the very edge of the Xong River, red-roofed bungalows rent for US$15 a night and can accommodate a whole family. Each includes a private bathroom, multiple-speed ceiling fan, adequate lights, wardrobe and several pieces of furniture. An open-air restaurant and coffee shop are nearby and adjacent to the bubbling Xong. The food is fine but as backup for a hungry stomach in the middle of the night--or the middle of your plucky, spunky drive--you might consider loading up on a variety of snacks and assorted beverages in Vientiane before heading north. Whatever the season, take mosquito repellant too.
Besides its exotic Lao beauty, what else is Vang Vieng noted for? Caves. Joe Cummings, our friend the Lonely Plant author, said it best in Laos--a travel survival kit:
The town itself if not without charm, but the main attraction is the karst topography lining the west bank of the river. Honeycombed with unexplored tunnels and caverns, the limestone cliffs here are a spelunker's heaven. Several of the caves are named and play small roles in local mythology--all are said to be inhabited by spirits.
The most famous of the caves is Tham Jang, a large cavern that was used in defense against marauding Chinese Ho (Jiin Haw) in the early 19th century (tham means cave, jang is steadfast). Another cave nearby, Tham Baat (Begging-Bowl Cave), contains a rusting begging bowel that supposedly belonged to a hermit who lived and died in the caves.
Unlike the complete account in the Lonely Plant guide, as of last year concrete steps (rather steep) lead to the caves. The caves are illuminated and the view of Vang Vieng and the Xong River below is remarkable. The entrance fee for a foreigner is US$2; carry your camera and add a dollar. Small change for a extraordinary view inside and out easily worth a million bucks.
The next day, Sunday, we decided to drive to Kasi and see what (if anything) had changed in six years. In Vang Vieng we were told the drive would take a mere 20 minutes. This seemed impossible as the distance is at least 60 kilometers and we weren't flying. Even last year's Lonely Plant guide says the road is paved but no way, certainly not after fanciful and romantic Phatang. As we rediscovered, the breathtaking trip (the scenery is awe-inspiring) takes about 2 hours.
At one point the unimproved portion of the dirt and gravel road climbs to 645 meters--2,115 feet--as it navigates, often wondrously, between the enveloping verdant folds of two mountains, Kiou Dendin and Kengkian. The elevated "pure" air was as cool as that inside the caves at Vang Vieng. Like wild flowers, primitive if picturesque Hmong villages are scattered here and there. It seems impossible that the Hmong can cultivate enough food to sustain themselves on such steep slopes. Look closely and you will see bamboo pipes carrying mountain water to villages that appear to catnap on the unbelievably narrow space between road and mountain.
Lay and Koi, enormous twin mountains rising 1,739 meters (5,703 feet), loom majestically just a few kilometers west of Route 13 as it eventually turns northward, beginning its gradual descent to Kasi--408 meters (1,338 feet) above sea level--as it parallels an ever-twisting Lik River. As for Kasi itself, Joe Cummings claims it to be "little more than a truck stop and staging point for the final road push to Luang Prabang." Only 80 kilometers farther north, travel time between Kasi and the old royal capital is estimated at 8 to 10 hours depending on the season, wet or dry. (Six years ago in the August monsoon it took several of us 4 days and 3 nights and we changed vehicles three times.)
If you are looking for isolation from the modern world, Kasi is not to be under-estimated. Clean-as-they-are-friendly guesthouses abound (we recommend the "Somchith"), food is in plentiful supply (try grilled tiger), and intrepid tourists sooner or later show up from all corners of the world (the morning we there it was a Swiss and a Brit). Truck stops the world around are known for good food, comfortable beds and a leave-you-alone policy. In that context a night in Kasi makes sense. Moreover, when you are ready for entertainment, elephants are known to be used by natives in sawmills near the ambling Lik. Ask Kasi residents; some kind soul may volunteer to show you pachyderms at work.
From Kasi, plan on it taking 5 hours if you intend to drive straight back to Vientiane. On the return it is an excellent idea to get out of the car and gaze for a few minutes at the absolutely remarkable view directly south from the high bridge over the Xong at Phatang--freely translated, "vertical cliffs." In a valley of dreams, this must be a view of a Lao version of paradise. Barefoot, a Tom Sawyer-type boy on a raft of bamboo poles went over the rapids while we stood there madly snapping pictures and praying at least one would come out (it did; see the cover photo on the next issue of Dok Champa). Last, at the north breast of the bridge are primitive but safe steps to a storybook temple well worth the dwarfish climb.
All Vientiane travel agents can arrange short or long tours to Vang Vieng and Kasi. Daily, local buses ply the route as well. Should you wish to stay at the "Vang Vieng Resort" and desire more information, Seng Phanith has an office in Vientiane on Thong Khan Kham Road; its phone number is (856) 21-222671-2; its fax number is (856) 21-214743; its mailing address is POB 590, Vientiane. Of course you are welcome to say you read about "Vang Vieng Resort" in Dok Champa.