I left Vientiane on a fairly comfortable bus and for hours we rolled through flat terrain, unfortunately with only occasional sights of the river. Small and rather miserable dusty villages stretched along the road. After a couple of hours the landscape turned greener and the outline of the rugged Khammouane Mountains appeared on the horizon. Situated between the Mekong and the Annamite Range, the Khammouane Plateau is a very scenic mountain area featuring gorges, grottoes, jungles, sugarcone limestone hills, and rivers. The mountains are famous for its caves and underground streams, with some of them being up to 7 km long and only accessible by boat. Many of the caves were used as shelter from bombing during the Vietnam War.
After dusk the bus arrived in Thakek. Thakek, is the sleepy provincial capital of Khammouane Province and stretches along the Mekong just opposite the Thai city of Nakhon Phanom. The small town was founded around 1911 and boasts a handful of derelict pastel villas designed in French colonial architectural style clustered around a simple town square area, a collection of colonial era shophouses and a breezy riverside position and relaxed ambiance.
French colonial architecture. A building near the riverfront downtown Thakek
Streetside barber. The man and the boy use the hot and lazy noon hours for a quick trim
Typical shophouse of the old days on mainstreet
A junkyard just off mainstreet with two bicycles.
Sunset over the Thai city of Nakhon Phanom on the opposite shore of the Mekong River
A small flock of goats feeds on sparse pasture above the Mekong. Goats were quite common in the outskirts of the town.
A solitary abandoned building stands on the river banks
This cow ruminates lazily in a temple yard outside Thakek
Two school boys admire my MTB. It was the best of the many rental bicycles I used during my trips
Lao school boys are curious. What is behind the lens ?
Monks pedalling along the riverfront to their nearby temple
A fisherman lifts his net out of the river while the late afternoon sun reflects on the Mekong
This woman sells crisp Lao flatbread in the early morning hours in the streets of Thakek
The cool and sleepy ambiance under a giant Bodhi tree and a refreshing breeze from the river help to get over the hot afternoon hours
Typical dish along the Mekong. Whole fried fish in a salt crust
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