Our exploration of Phonsavan area didn’t finish with just visiting Plains of Jars. Before moving towards Luang Prabang we decided to get lost in the surrounding mountains and we should admit that it was a great idea.
Our first stop was at a small Buddhist temple where we even had a chance to talk with monks about their everyday life. While driving in the rural areas up north from Phonsavan we had to do a lot of stops because sceneries were just stunning (as you will be able to see from the footage). On the way magic happened again: from fog and dribbling rain suddenly the sun appeared! This weather phenomenons were following us around Laos.
By the end of the day we ended up at the Buddha cave (probably there are hundreds caves with this name in Laos). This cave was really hard to find because there were no marks or any direction indicators on the way. We spent at least one hour driving back and forth around Muang Souy village while looking for it. No doubts that it’s very local and pristine cave if it’s so hard to find. We added it to Google Maps so it should help next travellers to find it.
After overnight stop in Phou Khoun we moved towards Luang Prabang, for some reason Phou Khoun felt under strong Chinese influence (stores, hotels, restaurants were all Chinese). Lucky again: another market on our way. It’s alway nice to submerge into local environment with all local communities gathering together. On our shopping list we had mandarins and some breakfast; and we ticked both.
Last stretch of the road and we are in Luang Prabang!