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East of Thakhek, potholed Route 12 is swallowed up by a surreal landscape of karst formations. Hidden among the sea of jagged limestone hills are scores of caves, known as the Mahaxai caves , a handful of which are popular tourist spots. The easiest way to get to them is by hiring a tuk-tuk ($16 per day), but more than a few visitors prefer to take in the area as a longish walk, catching one of the Mahaxai-bound buses to the caves and then exploring on foot. Public transport can be tricky, however: though pick-ups and buses travel the road frequently enough in the morning, you can't count on catching one back late in the afternoon. A good point to start a walking tour of the caves is Tham Ban Tham, 7km from Thakhek, on the road to Mahaxai. From here you can walk to Tham En, taking in other caves en route, a twelve-kilometre walk in all. Even if you don't bother with the caves, the scenery provides a stunning backdrop for a walk. To find the first cave, after getting off the bus, turn right down the dirt road that peels off Route 12 towards BAN THAM , a small village at the base of the first limestone escarpment. Cut through the village to find the concrete stairs leading up to Tham Ban Tham , which contains a shrine, centred around a sizeable Buddha image. From Ban Tham, follow the road cutting north to get back on the main road. A few hundred metres after the second wooden bridge along this road, roughly 17km from Thakhek, drink vendors set up shop in the recesses of two cliffs, signposting the path leading to Tham Sa Pha In , which is the best of the caves and only a short walk from the main road. Look for the bamboo gate to find the cave entrance. The cave was renamed for the Hindu god Indra after the Second Indochina War, when villagers claimed to see the Hindu deity's image reflected in the pool. Illuminated by an inaccessible opening in the ceiling of the cave, the sacred pool glows emerald green, the colour of Indra's skin. The most visited of Mahaxai's caves, Tham En (entry 500K) is named for the large number of sparrows that are said to inhabit it and lies another 1.5km up the road. It gets packed at weekends. A concrete stairway takes you deep into the tunnel mouth, but there is still plenty of room to clamber on the rocks and climb up to one of the several cave mouths that offer commanding views of the forest outside.
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