One of the essential day trips in Luang Prabang is to take a boat, raft or kayak trip to see the Pak –Ou caves. The trip begins zigzagging down the river, leaving winding trails in the milky brown water. The trip can be taken lazily, as one takes in the immensity of the Mekong,  the surrounding myriad jungle and verdant mountains. It becomes apparent from this trip how much of Laos is really uninhabited wilderness. Rowers should be wary of the ephemeral whirlpools on Mekong, ones that suddenly form seeminyl randomly and twist into fits of bubbly spins through which kayaks and boats alike bob and nod. Paddling down the Mekong however is a strangely humbling experience, feeling like the boat is a little ant crawling through a river to infinity.

  25 kilometers upriver from Luang Prabans, The Pak-Ou caves reside where the Ou River and the Mekong merge , under a limestone cliff . These caves were originally used for the worship of the river spirit until Buddhism spread into Laos from India. Once inside, one realizes the spiritual nature of these caves. Thus over 60 decades, more than 4,000 Buddha images – mostly the standing Buddha of the Luang Prabang style - were placed within the caves by believers. There are Buddhas in all sorts of shapes and positions, all symbolizing something different, some more than 300 years old.   The lower,smaller cave, called Tham Ting, is open to the light some 50ft above the river; but in the higher cave, Tham Phum, it is necessary to bring a flashlight to see. Once the flashlight turns one, suddenly the thousands of Buddhas are illuminated - impressive, hiding buddhas, seemingly dormant.