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Laos Phenomenal Cloud of Bats
As dusk falls over Laos, an endless ribbon-like cloud of bats pours out of a cliffside cave at Pha Luang in Meuang Feuang. Click on photo to watch a 16 second video. This natural phenomenon has yet to attract many tourists. Only a handful of Lao biologists and outdoorsmen had made the trek until recent years, when the expressway and upgraded road provided easy access to Meuang Feuang and its popular Nam Lik Riverside accommodation. But even today, few outsiders know about the “Pha Luang Bat Cave”, and those who do need a guide and permission from the village chief to visit the vantage point for the show. Local lore tells us that a Pha Luang villager first spotted the massive bat colony’s evening flight generations ago. Back then, the area was mostly a forest, where locals hunted. One day, the villager went hunting, and decided to spend the night in a clearing in the forest. As he sat admiring the limestone cliffs at sunset, he saw a silent black stream shoot out of the mountainside. Unsure of what he had witnessed, he returned home the next day, gathered some neighbors, and ventured to find the source of this mystery. They headed to the base of the mountain, where the hunter said the black wave had emerged. Sure enough, as the sun sank, the black cloud was injected into the sky. They were close enough to see the individual bats, and traced the flow to a cave halfway up the cliff. They stayed up all night, waiting to see the bats return, but they couldn’t spot any in the dark. They climbed the cliff in the morning, and entered the cave. They didn’t see any bats at the opening, and the cave disappeared into the darkness. However, they did notice plenty of bat droppings (guano), which they collected to use as fertilizer and gunpowder. Biologists say the bats head out at night to find food for their offspring. Today, much of the forest has been converted into rice fields, and Pha Luang villagers are mostly farmers. The best time to see this natural bat marvel is at dusk (6:00-6:30) during October-February, when the skies are clear. Cloudy skies during Green Season obstruct visibility and change the bats’ natural clock. Travel Guide Other attractions in Meuang Feuang include Ban Lao Meuang Feuang, Sinxayaram Temple, and Angnamtong View Resort. How to Get to Pha Luang Bat Cave: From Vientiane (about 90 minutes) and Vang Vieng, take the expressway to the Hin Hoeup exit and head west on the newly paved Nam Lik River Road to Ban Don, where you turn south on the Meuang Feuang District Road. Continue past Ban Na Dan, and take the turnoff west onto a dirt road and the 2.5 km (20-30-minute drive) to Pha Luang. From here, follow a trail through rice paddies and fields of grazing cows to the vantage point. Click on photo for Google Map Note: No pin is available for Google Maps due to a lack of signal. Visitors should hire a tour operator or guide/driver (below), who needs permission from the village chief, to visit the vantage point. Access to the cave is prohibited. Meuang Feuang Riverside Accommodation Ban Lao Meuang Feuang WhatsApp/Tel: +856 20 5247 3888 Facebook Page, click here Meuang Feuang Ni Yome WhatsApp/Tel: +856 20 5449 9298 Facebook Page: click here VANGNAMTHIP WhatsApp/Tel: +856 20 5478 7878, 5656 5611 Email: thip_lsa@yahoo.com Tour Operators Mina Travel Website: www.minatravellaos.com WhatsApp/Tel: +856 20 56 882 281 Email: somsak@minatravellaos.com Asia Concierge Website: www.asia-concierge.com WhatsApp/Tel: +856 20 5858 9119 Email: thongsy@asia-concierge.com Car Rental Services w/Driver Option SP Car Rental Laos Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/spcarrentallaos WhatsApp/Tel: +856 20 5858 9119 Email: thongsy.pmj@gmail.com VTE RENTACAR Website: www.vterentacar.com WhatsApp/Tel: +856 20 8881 0101
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Angnamtong View Opens Lakeside Resort in Laos
Angnamtong View Resort and Draft House Restaurant, about 90 minutes from Vientiane Capital in Meuang Feuang, held its soft opening in March 2022, and is already attracting guests to its villas, floating pavilions, and water sports on the Nam Tong Reservoir. The secluded yet easily accessible property is set to fully open before the end of this year. The resort’s super-tall villas are perched on the hillside with stilts, and overlook the lake through floor-to-ceiling windows and sliding doors. The villas comfortably sleep two, but there is room to bring in extra beds for families. The interiors feature nicely varnished wood ceilings, walls, and floors, giving the room a modern, natural feel. Each villa opens to a balcony with ample seating and a net-like hammock that hangs from the base. Below the villas, a long bamboo dock presents the resort’s focal point. It runs parallel to the shoreline, with more than 20 salas set on the lake for friends and families, who want lounge, eat, drink, or dive into the calm waters for a swim. Kids can safely cool off in small pools that extend out from the pavilions and dip into the reservoir like nets with floors. The artificial archipelago also serves as the center for a variety water activities. Guests can paddle kayaks around the lake’s islets and peninsulas, before tying them off at their salas. Jet skiers can bring their water scooters to rip around on the smooth surface. Tubes are also available for just lazing on the lake in front of the pavilions. The resort’s Draft House Restaurant offers a menu starring local Lao favorites including fish, laap (minced fish or pork salad), spicy somtam, and noodle and rice dishes. Guests can eat at the restaurant or have meals and snacks, along with cold soft drinks and beer, delivered to their pavilions on the dock. Sunset dinners at the salas are already a big hit. Angnamtong View Resort presents a great overnight stopover on the overland route between Vientiane-Vang Vieng-Luang Prabang. Guests staying at Meuang Feuang’s Nam Lik Riverside accommodation will find the Angnamtong a pleasant daytime diversion. It’s off the beaten track, yet only about 90 minutes from the capital and less from Vang Vieng, making it perfect for day trippers. For more information and to book a villa at Angnamtong View Resort, click here. Tel/WhatsApp: +856 20 7717 5261 Travel Guide Other attractions in Meuang Feuang include Ban Lao Meuang Feuang, Sinxayaram Temple, and Pha Luang Bat Cave. How to Get to Angnamtong View Resort : From Vientiane and Vang Vieng, take the expressway to the Hin Hoeup exit and head west on the newly paved Nam Lik River Road to Ban Don, where you turn south on the Meuang Feuang District road. Continue for about 15 minutes to the righthand turn to the resort. Click on photo for full Google Map Meuang Feuang Riverside Accommodation Ban Lao Meuang Feuang WhatsApp/Tel: +856 20 5247 3888 Facebook Page, click here Meuang Feuang Ni Yome WhatsApp/Tel: +856 20 5449 9298 Facebook Page: click here VANGNAMTHIP WhatsApp/Tel: +856 20 5478 7878, 5656 5611 Email: thip_lsa@yahoo.com Tour Operators Mina Travel Website: www.minatravellaos.com WhatsApp/Tel: +856 20 56 882 281 Email: somsak@minatravellaos.com Asia Concierge Website: www.asia-concierge.com WhatsApp/Tel: +856 20 5858 9119 Email: thongsy@asia-concierge.com Car Rental Services w/Driver Option SP Car Rental Laos Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/spcarrentallaos WhatsApp/Tel: +856 20 5858 9119 Email: thongsy.pmj@gmail.com VTE RENTACAR Website: www.vterentacar.com WhatsApp/Tel: +856 20 8881 0101 * Photos courtesy of Angnamtong View Resort
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Sinxayaram Temple: Kingdom of Buddhism
Sinxayaram Temple presents a “Kingdom of Buddhism” in Meuang Feuang, about a 90-minute drive from Vientiane. The recently upgraded temple compound has been attracting the faithful from around Laos and northern Thailand for decades, and is now welcoming tourists. The sprawling Sinxayaram Temple grounds, surrounded by mountains and forest, presents hundreds of golden Buddha images alongside religious structures and sites. A long red carpet welcomes visitors to a walkway around the temple, and leads to several points of interest. You will find 1,200 golden Buddhas in sitting positions, where the faithful pray for success. An herb garden dotted with Buddha sculptures offers a place to pray for good health. Other sacred sites include an area to mourn the dead, pray for good fortune and wealth, pray for work advancement, and learn about Buddhism. According to Mr Songthon Sodxay who oversees Sinxayaram Temple, the faithful flock to the holy grounds during three main Buddhist holidays and cultural festivals. The Rice Festival (Boun Pha Thay Khao), held in March, honors Laos’ abundance of rice and agriculture. In mid-April, people come to celebrate Songkan (Lao New Year), and later in the year they arrive for the Rocket Festival (Boun Bang Fai) to pray for rain after the dry season. Mr Songthon added that nuns come to the monastery throughout the year to maintain their health and calm their minds. He added that laypeople often visit Sinxayaram Temple to worship, meditate, and study Buddhism. Visit Sinxayaram Temple while staying in nature at Nam Lik riverside accommodation, and walk through the peaceful compound while learning about Buddhism. Note: Women must wear Lao sarongs to visit the temple and men should dress appropriately. Please take off your shoes at the red carpet entrance. Travel Guide Other attractions in Meuang Feuang include Ban Lao Meuang Feuang, Nam Tong Lake, and Pha Luang Bat Cave. How to Get to Sinxayaram Temple: From Vientiane and Vang Vieng, take the expressway to the Hin Hoeup exit and head west on the newly paved Nam Lik River Road to Ban Don, where you turn south on the Meuang Feuang District road. Continue for about 15 minutes to Sinxayaram Temple, which is located in Nonhinhae Village. For a Google Map with the exact location, click on the map above. Meuang Feuang Riverside Accommodation Ban Lao Meuang Feuang WhatsApp/Tel: +856 20 5247 3888 Facebook Page, click here Meuang Feuang Ni Yome WhatsApp/Tel: +856 20 5449 9298 Facebook Page: click here VANGNAMTHIP WhatsApp/Tel: +856 20 5478 7878, 5656 5611 Email: thip_lsa@yahoo.com Tour Operators Mina Travel Website: www.minatravellaos.com WhatsApp/Tel: +856 20 56 882 281 Email: somsak@minatravellaos.com Asia Concierge Website: www.asia-concierge.com WhatsApp/Tel: +856 20 5858 9119 Email: thongsy@asia-concierge.com Car Rental Services w/Driver Option SP Car Rental Laos Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/spcarrentallaos WhatsApp/Tel: +856 20 5858 9119 Email: thongsy.pmj@gmail.com VTE RENTACAR Website: www.vterentacar.com WhatsApp/Tel: +856 20 8881 0101
