Tha Khek is one of the least visited tourist towns in Laos. It is easy to see why. The majority of the people traveling through Laos do not have their own transportation. Without your own vehicle it is not possible to take Rte 12, which turns out to be one of the most amazing drives ever. It has a feel as though you are driving back in time as the road is lined with only primitive grass huts and fields of rice. The limestone cliffs give it an extra element of exotic flavor and if you are ever in the area you should make a point to take this drive.
The fact that this is not a tourist hot spot keeps it a treasure that will not be disturbed anytime soon. Unfortunately, because of the rain we had to turn around halfway along this road and head back to where we started. The road was flooded with 6 ft of water and completely impassable. Hopefully someday I can make it back here as a trip to the road outside of the rainy season will lead you to countless caves for exploration with many containing ancient Buddha statues and temples. Unlike the rest of the Buddha caves in the area, these are mostly unexplored, or at least rarely visited.
