Storing the staple food - the paddy. The same sights seen in any hilltribe village of Thailand or Myanmar is available in the mountains of Laos too. Usually the villagers grow rice just for own consumption. Keeping paddy is in a wooden or bamboo hut like this.
Tham Nam None about 30 minutes walk from Ban Phon Nyeing. Underground river comes out of the cave and flows as Nam None stream into Hin Boun river. In the dry season (Dec to March) when the water level is low people could go into the cave for about 1 km. In other times accessibility is just about 300 meters, and you must come back. Up to now diving into the underground water chamber did not discover the outlet.
When we came back from a 3 hours walk a buffalo was grazing behind the fence. As when we went out of the village we still had the view of limestone mountain in the distance on the walk into the village. In fact, the mountains are everywhere and the villages and rivers are in the valleys between them.
Next day we were again on Hin Boung river for a trip to Konglor village and the nearby Konglor cave. Elevation was getting higher and the river water getting clearer like a mirror. Sala Hin Boun to Konglor village is about one hour boat drive.
Ban Konglor village runs a home stay and river/cave exploration trips under the management of a village committee. At the time of our visit 32 houses were open for accepting homestay visitors in rotation. They proivide dinner, bed and breakfast, and Lao traditional Baci ceremony. All houses are wooden and wood and bamboo built on stilts. Toilets are outside. Shower is in the river.
Before 6 in the morning a farmer and his buffalo were already on the way to their paddy field. The paddy field were almost yellow and ready for cutting. Some were already under harvesting. As usual the mountains in the distance surround the farms and villages.
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