The Loop and Kong Lo cave...

Sabadee! (Hello in Laos). Wow so much has happened since my last post. Alec and I went on an adventure of a lifetime. It's called The Loop! The Loop is a motorbike trail that starts in a small city located in central Laos and takes you about 200 miles through remote villages and the most dense jungle in Laos. We left around 8 am from a city called Tha Khek and filled up our gas tanks. The journey begins! We stopped at a cool springs after the first 20 miles and swam for an hour...it was hot around 90 degrees. We continued on and explored a couple caves along the way. After driving through some beautiful mountains we arrived at a guesthouse in a village around 6 pm. It was completely dark. We had a good nights sleep and continued on the next morning. The next 35 miles were the rockiest/bumpiest roads I've been on while in S.E. Asia. I snake maybe 6 feet long crossed right in front of me.along the way. Pretty cool. Then came the jungle...my favorite part. My mind felt free and nothing else mattered at this point. This is what I came to see in Laos. It was unreal (picture). After driving through the jungle as well as several remote villages I understood how well off we truly are in the US. I thought about all my "worries" back home and realized how small they really are in this world. After settling down in another guesthouse along a river I fell asleep around 9 pm. I was exhausted. I woke up at 7 am and drove to a cave called Kong Lo cave. You must take a boat to see it because water runs through it. The cave is about 4 miles long (picture). What an experience! After being lead through the cave by a local we continued on back to our starting point, which was about an 80 mile drive. I ran out of gas with 20 miles left. Luckily I wasn't far from a petrol (gas) station. We returned around 6 pm that night and fell asleep early from the long ride. It was the best way to experience Laos and understand what the country has to offer. Beautiful mountains, rivers, caves, and jungles. The next morning we took a bus 8 hours to a city called Pakse. Ps...I've taken enough buses to last a lifetime. I'm still in Pakse about to take another bus (4 hours) to the most southern part of Laos called the 4,000 islands. It boarders Cambodia where I will be traveling next. I'm excited for Cambodia. Both Laos and Cambodia are among the worlds 20 poorest nations. It's been quite the journey/adventure whatever you want to call it. I just ate breakfast and read a quote I want to share with you. "If you are in a bad situation, don't worry it will change. If you're in a good situation, don't worry it too will change." I loved this quote. It tells me to roll with the punches and take things day by day. Don't get to high or to low. Things change. It is inevitable. Enjoy the journey. Well, it's time to walk to the bus station and buy a ticket to the 4,000 islands. Oh ya! I forgot to tell you, Alec and I stopped to get some food on our last day if The Loop and were invited to an after party of a Laos wedding. Of course we went lol. We drank a couple Laos beers and danced for an hour. Thought you might like that. I hope you enjoy my posts. I really miss my friends and family back home. Until next time...love.