By David Smee

Awake. My eyes flickered around searching and studying the detail of the room despite the darkness. My ears strained to hear, while my mind sifted through each scratch, shuffle and distant voice. Why was I suddenly awake? My whole body was on full alert as I looked for an answer.
 
Then slowly. In bits. Memories returned.
 
Images of a river; I flowed along it entering a massive cave, only to be spat out again into light... and a village. There were two children in tears, clearly in great distress. Then it was gone. I struggle to recall more, but even what I'd seen so clearly was fading already. The images become blurred but still I reached for information: where was this place? who were these children? Despite the alertness of a moment ago, sleep was once more clawing at me. No matter how hard I fought, I couldn't resist; the details turned to smoke. But then...
 
"Tham Kong Lo"
 The name came, then sleep.
 
The next morning I rose with renewed purpose. As fate would have it, we were only a stones throw away from the well-known cave of Tham Kong Lo, as we'd arrived in Tha Khaek the previous night -- after yet another uncomfortably long bus journey. With a destination and a quest to fulfil we headed out to find our mounts. I found myself strangely drawn to a motorbike shop called Mad Monkey*; where we were provided with info, including good stopover points, and brand new mopeds**. At this point in our journey I considered myself a bit of an expert, however this was the first time Caroline would be driving solo. With a bit of instruction and a test drive up the quiet riverside road she was as ready as she was ever going to be. So we headed off.

DAY ONE
Once out of town we found ourselves on a fairly quiet and well-kept road. This is cave country, so the road weaved it's way around cliffs and pillars of rock***. While it would be easy to say these where the same as those in Vietnam that would be doing them a disservice. They where similar, yet more substantial, giving a valley like feel from the road. We stopped at two of the many caves, the second of which was recommend to us by Mad Monkey. This cave had its own little river running through it, with a tiny row boat waiting to take us inside. With just the two of us and our guide, the only sound inside the cave was the quite splushing of the oar. While narrower then other caves we could see the cavern was still deep. This all made the experience both peaceful and inspiring****.
 
The rest of the day involved several small villages at different states of evolution; driving within spitting distance of the Vietnam boarder; a massive power station development; then thick, towering jungle a couple of meters from the left-hand-side of the road, while on the right was the flood-land created by the power plant -- complete with dead trees regally rising out of the water. Mad but stunning.
 
We finished the day feeling saddlesore at Phosy Thalang, where we slept in a little hut on the edge of part of the newly formed lake. With just the owner around we settled down to check over tomorrow's plans and watch the sunset while enjoying a beer...
 
DAY TWO
...With the dawn of the next day we knew we were in for a challenging drive; yesterday was just the warm up. Not only was this our longest drive yet, but we set off to find that the road slowly changed from Tarmac to gravel, then gravel to compacted earth, finally into a freshly cut rock and soil track. So new was this road that we had to run the gauntlet of piles of sand and the massive diggers still clearing parts and forming others. After about 5 hours of plenty of wheel spinning, and the realisation that we just had to 'go for it', we finally returned to some Tarmac.

Lunch was quick as we still had quite some distance to go. But we were pleasantly surprised by the next part of the drive: an all but empty road, completely smooth, that rolled through gentle curves and hills. It left a feeling of being in a computer game. The most stunning section was the mountains that created the valley we were in: nothing short of a giant rock wall stretching for mile after mile, with no way up*****.
 
After a long day we reached our second nights stay -- set in the shadow of the wall, amongst the corn fields -- looking forward to enjoying a beer and a meal******. After finally finding some food, we went to bed, comforted by the knowledge that tomorrow we'd be arriving at our destination -- and hopefully some answers to my dreams...
 
DAY THREE
...The day started much like any other. We arrived at the Tham Kong Lo cave and found ourselves a boatman to take us through. We journeyed completely through the cave, jumping on and off the river -- even UP some small rapids, where the boatman had to haul our boat to the top -- to emerge the other side at the village. As we got out of the boat to look around and get a drink*******, nothing appeared to alluring. All seemed calm.
 
Then it happened.
 
Without warning there where two young boys clearly in distress. I acted instantly. Grabbing my handy Swiss army knife and my multi tool, I burst into action -- artfully using my tools to save them from disaster. Because of my efforts, the boys could happily continue on their way on the peddle bike, chain returned to wheel cog********.
 
With mission complete we headed back to Tha Khaek, stopping for a quick victory swim, and another over night sleep before heading back. The journey home was uneventful********* and we arrived back ready to continue on our journey, to northern Thailand next, somehow?

* Mad Monkey was run by an ex-German military engineer, who spoke 5 different languages! While being very helpful and friendly, things didn't quite seem to add up around him. After all, in what part of the military do you need to speak 5 languages?
 
** Really new: they both only had about 30km on the clock. It's also worth noting that these aren't the 50cc mopeds you see 16-year-olds driving around the UK. These are better described as auto bikes, with at least 125ccs. Mine was called a cool Zoomer X... I plan on getting one if and when Honda start to sell them in the UK.
 
*** This is also one of the newer world-class climbing spots. So much so, a hostel has sprung up to cater for this, outside of town but near a lot of the good walls.
 
**** This cave did in fact cause a 'best cave' debate. Both of us still agree this was our top choice. Pity I can't recall it's name!
 
***** To picture this wall think about The Wall from Game of Thrones, or the mountains around Mordor in LotR. 
 
******However we were soon informed that there was "no kitchen"! After a but of persistent questioning we found there were places to eat just a short walk away.
******* It seems this village was used to the tourist, with at least 3 stalls selling drinks, sweets and local stuff... With inflated prices.
 
******** Some people may wonder as to how or why they were directed in their dreams to complete such a task. I however, am quite at easy with getting communications from a greater power.It is also possible that some report of this event may be included to say it took me a while to sort out and in fact the boys with there twigs would have been better off without me. But you shouldn't listen to them.
 
********* Uneventful, except nearly been wiped out by a truck. And Caroline making friends with a Loa girl from the shop we got drinks from; the girl asked me to take several photos of her with Caroline on her phone.