Anyone been recently to Ratanakiri's other volcanic lake? I was going to go years ago, but my friend who knew the way was called in to work. Next time I'm in the province I'd like to check it out, but it isn't so easy to find on G. Earth now, too much development.
How does it compare to Bung Year Loam?
There is also one in Attepeau I'd like to visit, not too far north of the road from there to Vietnam. Has anyone checked that out? Years ago, I loved SE Laos along the Viet border. Is it still worth revisiting?
The OTHER volcanic lake in Ratanakiri
Where is the other vulcanic lake located in Ratanakiri?
I've been to Nongphatom Lake, its not quite as impressive as Yeak Laom as it is not circular and frankly looks like any other mountain lake. But the scenery is nice.
I've been to Nongphatom Lake, its not quite as impressive as Yeak Laom as it is not circular and frankly looks like any other mountain lake. But the scenery is nice.
None but ourselves can free our mind.
I haven't been. I saw it on a map long ago, it looked pretty round, like Beug Yeak Loam only around half the size. The friend I was going to visit with lived there perhaps 3-4 years about 2003-2007 (dating it by the motorcycle I had then, that visit was May 1st was 2006.)
As I recall, it was about half way to the border and perhaps 20km(?) south of the main road. I'll look again on G. Earth. He said it was with a visit.
(I was in Ratanakiri for Christmas Holidays 3 times, '94, '95, and around 2003, whenever he moved up there. We road in via the Lao border track, sometimes across rice fields, to Seimpang, for Christmas, then through Jungle tracks to Veunsai, including 4-5 river or stream crossings. A nice ride back then. Maybe this winter I'll try the new military border road, up along the river from Siempang, across it, then to wherever it ends enroute to the dragons tail. Anyone been up there by that road?)
So many people to meet and places to see, but so little time.
As I recall, it was about half way to the border and perhaps 20km(?) south of the main road. I'll look again on G. Earth. He said it was with a visit.
(I was in Ratanakiri for Christmas Holidays 3 times, '94, '95, and around 2003, whenever he moved up there. We road in via the Lao border track, sometimes across rice fields, to Seimpang, for Christmas, then through Jungle tracks to Veunsai, including 4-5 river or stream crossings. A nice ride back then. Maybe this winter I'll try the new military border road, up along the river from Siempang, across it, then to wherever it ends enroute to the dragons tail. Anyone been up there by that road?)
So many people to meet and places to see, but so little time.
Just found it again on Google Earth. Further South than I thought, as the Hornbill flies (straight line distance) it is 22.7km SE of Lumphat Health Centre (at 733109.49mE, 1479312.68mN) It is almost exactly half a kilometre across, so about 2/3 the size of Beung Yeak Loam, but much more remote.
To me, it still looks worth a visit, but I'm prone to silly motorbike trips.
FYI the South Lao volcanic lake is a bit bigger, named, just over 1 km in diameter, and 72km NE of Attapeu City. I tried to get there in 2000 and perhaps 2004 and failed both trips. (First time got lost, remote and few tracks. 2nd time got quite close, both to N of it and to S, but broke my motorbike.) Sure 3rd try will be the charm.
Anyone on this (or TOF) been to either lake?
To me, it still looks worth a visit, but I'm prone to silly motorbike trips.
FYI the South Lao volcanic lake is a bit bigger, named, just over 1 km in diameter, and 72km NE of Attapeu City. I tried to get there in 2000 and perhaps 2004 and failed both trips. (First time got lost, remote and few tracks. 2nd time got quite close, both to N of it and to S, but broke my motorbike.) Sure 3rd try will be the charm.
Anyone on this (or TOF) been to either lake?
Whilst on the ever lively volcanic lake topic, let's branch out slightly. (By the way, did you know that at over 14,000 ft, at some times of the year, you can enjoy a hot bath only about 30 vertical meters below the top of Mt. Shasta, in the North California Cascades?)
How about other volcanoes in Cambodia? Anyone visit any?
How about features that LOOK like volcanic cones, but might not be?
And, in a quest to get a response. What is your best volcano story from ANY country, or just your favourite ?
How about other volcanoes in Cambodia? Anyone visit any?
How about features that LOOK like volcanic cones, but might not be?
And, in a quest to get a response. What is your best volcano story from ANY country, or just your favourite ?
Just wrote that about Mt. Shasta from memory. Hiked up it alone quite a while ago, before the W.W.W., and hadn't read anything about it, before summiting, just heard from some one at the gas station store that it was easy, so I went up in late Sept. Stayed overnight at the summit, near the bath. After posting about it here, above, I decided to look it up on wikipedia. Turns out John Muir survived a summit blizzard in the 1870's by lying in the same bath!
I guess that bath, and swimming in Beung Yeak Lom, Ratanakiri, will still be around long after all us will be gone. The presidential debates will be long forgotten, but K440 will finally be a real money spinner.
I guess that bath, and swimming in Beung Yeak Lom, Ratanakiri, will still be around long after all us will be gone. The presidential debates will be long forgotten, but K440 will finally be a real money spinner.
Thanks for the info, I'll put the lake near Lumpat on the list for the next trip.
The lake I mentioned in my previous post is the lake in southern Laos. I visited in the 04/05 winter on a week long moto expedition with a Lao guide I hired in Atapeu. Good fun but I wished I had a dirtbike at the time as the tracks were pretty challenging.
Another vulcanic place well worth visiting is the bottom of the Tad Soung waterfall on the north side of the Bolivan plateau near the town of Tad Lo. We were there in Januari of 03 and there was little water going over but the hike there along the Tad Lo river is pretty nice.
On the bottom of the waterfall there is what looks like an ancient vulcanic vent, full of those black rocks with all the holes in it, not sure what they are called but it looks like the magma that formed them had a lot of gas bubbles in it. Some of those rocks are minibus size. If I can find the rock I took from there I'll post a picture.
The lake I mentioned in my previous post is the lake in southern Laos. I visited in the 04/05 winter on a week long moto expedition with a Lao guide I hired in Atapeu. Good fun but I wished I had a dirtbike at the time as the tracks were pretty challenging.
Another vulcanic place well worth visiting is the bottom of the Tad Soung waterfall on the north side of the Bolivan plateau near the town of Tad Lo. We were there in Januari of 03 and there was little water going over but the hike there along the Tad Lo river is pretty nice.
On the bottom of the waterfall there is what looks like an ancient vulcanic vent, full of those black rocks with all the holes in it, not sure what they are called but it looks like the magma that formed them had a lot of gas bubbles in it. Some of those rocks are minibus size. If I can find the rock I took from there I'll post a picture.
None but ourselves can free our mind.
Nice post Visser!
I missed your first post on this thread. Yes, that was the lake in South Laos I was thinking of that I never made it to. It was probably around the time you tried, or maybe a year or two earlie?. They were just bulldozing through the jungle towards the Viet border for the road that became the international highway and the track was full of timber shards. My XLR (perhaps 1997 model?) had a poorly designed 3 inch loop of wire that left the engine housing near the rotor before going back in, just long enough to rip out. Couldn't run the engine without it and I didn't have the right tools with me to open the engine all up. Tried that night (ham mock)and the next morning to get it tucked in, but no luck. Coasted down the big hills, but did a lot of pushing to get it back 5-6km to a construction camp. We tied it to a fuel truck heading back to Attapeu where I found a decent mechanic.
I cycled to Tad Lo in '91. Loved it, but never saw the volcanic vent you mention. The 'To Do' list only gets longer!
Once I'm back in Cambodia and have made my current 250 legal, I'm very keen to check out the road NE from Siempang towards Laos. Not sure if that will be before or after Christmas, but I'll probably be happy to have company. Look for the Lumphat crater lake too.
I missed your first post on this thread. Yes, that was the lake in South Laos I was thinking of that I never made it to. It was probably around the time you tried, or maybe a year or two earlie?. They were just bulldozing through the jungle towards the Viet border for the road that became the international highway and the track was full of timber shards. My XLR (perhaps 1997 model?) had a poorly designed 3 inch loop of wire that left the engine housing near the rotor before going back in, just long enough to rip out. Couldn't run the engine without it and I didn't have the right tools with me to open the engine all up. Tried that night (ham mock)and the next morning to get it tucked in, but no luck. Coasted down the big hills, but did a lot of pushing to get it back 5-6km to a construction camp. We tied it to a fuel truck heading back to Attapeu where I found a decent mechanic.
I cycled to Tad Lo in '91. Loved it, but never saw the volcanic vent you mention. The 'To Do' list only gets longer!
Once I'm back in Cambodia and have made my current 250 legal, I'm very keen to check out the road NE from Siempang towards Laos. Not sure if that will be before or after Christmas, but I'll probably be happy to have company. Look for the Lumphat crater lake too.
Did you organise that cycling trip through that German sounding travel company (Diethelm or something like that)?
I remember researching a trip to Laos in '92 but at that time you could only go on an organised tour wich was above my (student) budget so I gave it a miss and went winter trekking in Capadocia, Turkey instead.
My first time in Laos was over the 95/96 winter when you could get a visite 30-day visa from the consulate in Kon Khean for a 300THB under the table surcharge. This was at the time that they were in the process of abolishing the provincial entry/exit stamps. (Nice little racket btw, with one province refusing to stamp you and then the next threatening to send you back if you didn't want to pay the "no stamp fee")
This was also my first time in China as we got lost hiking out of Muang Sing and ended up crossing the border by mistake. Luckily the Chinese border guard we met didn't want to deal with it and just told us which direction to walk and send us back. That could have ended badly had the guy been in a bad mood.
Btw, did you also have random people walking up to you with medical problems back then? We had that several times when not in the traveler hubs. Seems most of the white people they saw back then were Swedish medics.
I remember researching a trip to Laos in '92 but at that time you could only go on an organised tour wich was above my (student) budget so I gave it a miss and went winter trekking in Capadocia, Turkey instead.
My first time in Laos was over the 95/96 winter when you could get a visite 30-day visa from the consulate in Kon Khean for a 300THB under the table surcharge. This was at the time that they were in the process of abolishing the provincial entry/exit stamps. (Nice little racket btw, with one province refusing to stamp you and then the next threatening to send you back if you didn't want to pay the "no stamp fee")
This was also my first time in China as we got lost hiking out of Muang Sing and ended up crossing the border by mistake. Luckily the Chinese border guard we met didn't want to deal with it and just told us which direction to walk and send us back. That could have ended badly had the guy been in a bad mood.
Btw, did you also have random people walking up to you with medical problems back then? We had that several times when not in the traveler hubs. Seems most of the white people they saw back then were Swedish medics.
None but ourselves can free our mind.
Thanks for the post. on a later trip, I loved Muang Sing too.
Here is a silly long reply.
I bought a very heavy Thai 1-speed bike, a Royal Pheasant I think, about 1989-90 and cycled around Thailand a few months before leaving it with a friend. 1990-91 I took a better bike cycling in Nepal, India, and Pakistan, and, like you, crossed legally into China -"by mistake". (Not far past the Kunjerab pass Chinese border marker I left my bike and hiked over to and partly up a mountain. Returning a few hours later, an excited truck of westerners told me soldiers had been 'hunting' me a long time. There had been a lot of unrest in Kashgar that Spring, and they hadn't opened the border to tourists.)
1991-92, as you said, Lao opened up for fully organized group tours, or also if you had an invitation from a Laos business. I was in Nong Khai already when I heard that, so I asked around until I got an invitation from a Lao business. It took perhaps 3 weeks to get my 30 day visa. When I applied late 1991, The Nong Khai ferry was the only way in, not because of Laos, but because it was the only place Thailand wanted regular foreigners (i.e. not including UN and big NGOs) to exit Thailand by 'land'. However, I'd become friendly with a Thai immigration worker who told me Thailand would allow other exits in 1992. It took me around a week to cycle the old heavy bike along the Mekong to Mukdahan, and that is where I boated across. Laos immigration there had been caught unaware by the Thai rule change and didn't know what to do with me. Unfortunately for them, all my paperwork looked good, so they reluctantly stamped me in. Yeah!
Worried slightly about the inter province stamp thing and not having any x-province permission, I never went north of Savannakhet that trip, but did all the southern provinces, only getting arrested once, about ten days into the trip, in Xekong. I was visiting some Medicine Sans Frontier expats when the police chief pulled up, said I had to stay there under 'house arrest' overnight, and he'd get me in the morning. Six am, following a night of French wine - I think, 'Work hard, play hard' is their unspoken motto(?)- The chief put my bike in his truck and drove me away to break my balls. Though he mentioned USD 1,000 early on, I eventually gave him $5 and the bus fare, perhaps $3, down to Paxe. I got off halfway when we crossed a dotted line on my map, a dirt road the length of the village that became a footpath up onto the NE corner of the Bolven Plateau. Camped two nights enroute to the main town up there, buying sausages (not fingers I hoped!) at a tiny Leper colony the trail passed through. In that main town, officials put me up at the Communist Party Headquarters, where I slept on the meeting table beneath a large portrait of Lenin. Spent a day touring with a FAO French Coffee expert, then cycled down towards Paxe arriving after dark. While it was still light, hundreds of school kids would cheer me as i passed. Always a bit ego inflating!
Days later, on Kong Island (the big island a bit north of Don Det etc.), I met the only tourist I saw that 1st Laos trip, a French Laotian who had immigrated to Paris. She had a guide, driver and land-cruiser, so I went with her to see Kong Falls and to the Cambodian border to look for Dolphins. No luck with the water mammals, but she bought me a nice lunch. I think I heard about Tad Lo from her, but there were no tourists there when I visited.
Then went east to Saravan, hoping to explore the Viet border, but didn't get far into high mountains. (In the end, border patrol was a couple motorcycle trips 2002-2004) Instead I went north on a small trail along the old railway tracks. Making a circle of sticks around my hammock so I'd hear approaching tigers. Cycling nervously along a long, long straight away towards 4 soldiers, one with a RPG7 across his shoulders, the only people I saw for 2 full days. It became a muddy road 10-20km S. of an impressive bombed out train bridge. A tall tired. all wheel drive Russian or East German military van came towards me across the river and told me the best route. That heavy bike flat on the pack, on my head, to keep the wheels from catching in the rapids. Dicy, I was lucky to make it without a fall.
Because I never actually had permission to go outside Savanakhet, I left the country the same way I entered. It was a small town then, and I met and shared a coffee with a different MSF group, driving back up to Vientiane. They told me I was famous! The police all over southern Laos had been looking for me since I 'escaped' off the bus. We laughed. Me, the white guy on a bike, was such a sensation through every town that the cops couldn't have been trying hard!
In Saravan, they though I was East German expert at I forget what, they had been housed in a big wooden dormitory there until a year or two before when the East Block collapsed. Closer to the Cambodian border, a boatman thought I was a Soviet opium buyer. Anyway, it was a nice month of adventure.
Here is a silly long reply.
I bought a very heavy Thai 1-speed bike, a Royal Pheasant I think, about 1989-90 and cycled around Thailand a few months before leaving it with a friend. 1990-91 I took a better bike cycling in Nepal, India, and Pakistan, and, like you, crossed legally into China -"by mistake". (Not far past the Kunjerab pass Chinese border marker I left my bike and hiked over to and partly up a mountain. Returning a few hours later, an excited truck of westerners told me soldiers had been 'hunting' me a long time. There had been a lot of unrest in Kashgar that Spring, and they hadn't opened the border to tourists.)
1991-92, as you said, Lao opened up for fully organized group tours, or also if you had an invitation from a Laos business. I was in Nong Khai already when I heard that, so I asked around until I got an invitation from a Lao business. It took perhaps 3 weeks to get my 30 day visa. When I applied late 1991, The Nong Khai ferry was the only way in, not because of Laos, but because it was the only place Thailand wanted regular foreigners (i.e. not including UN and big NGOs) to exit Thailand by 'land'. However, I'd become friendly with a Thai immigration worker who told me Thailand would allow other exits in 1992. It took me around a week to cycle the old heavy bike along the Mekong to Mukdahan, and that is where I boated across. Laos immigration there had been caught unaware by the Thai rule change and didn't know what to do with me. Unfortunately for them, all my paperwork looked good, so they reluctantly stamped me in. Yeah!
Worried slightly about the inter province stamp thing and not having any x-province permission, I never went north of Savannakhet that trip, but did all the southern provinces, only getting arrested once, about ten days into the trip, in Xekong. I was visiting some Medicine Sans Frontier expats when the police chief pulled up, said I had to stay there under 'house arrest' overnight, and he'd get me in the morning. Six am, following a night of French wine - I think, 'Work hard, play hard' is their unspoken motto(?)- The chief put my bike in his truck and drove me away to break my balls. Though he mentioned USD 1,000 early on, I eventually gave him $5 and the bus fare, perhaps $3, down to Paxe. I got off halfway when we crossed a dotted line on my map, a dirt road the length of the village that became a footpath up onto the NE corner of the Bolven Plateau. Camped two nights enroute to the main town up there, buying sausages (not fingers I hoped!) at a tiny Leper colony the trail passed through. In that main town, officials put me up at the Communist Party Headquarters, where I slept on the meeting table beneath a large portrait of Lenin. Spent a day touring with a FAO French Coffee expert, then cycled down towards Paxe arriving after dark. While it was still light, hundreds of school kids would cheer me as i passed. Always a bit ego inflating!
Days later, on Kong Island (the big island a bit north of Don Det etc.), I met the only tourist I saw that 1st Laos trip, a French Laotian who had immigrated to Paris. She had a guide, driver and land-cruiser, so I went with her to see Kong Falls and to the Cambodian border to look for Dolphins. No luck with the water mammals, but she bought me a nice lunch. I think I heard about Tad Lo from her, but there were no tourists there when I visited.
Then went east to Saravan, hoping to explore the Viet border, but didn't get far into high mountains. (In the end, border patrol was a couple motorcycle trips 2002-2004) Instead I went north on a small trail along the old railway tracks. Making a circle of sticks around my hammock so I'd hear approaching tigers. Cycling nervously along a long, long straight away towards 4 soldiers, one with a RPG7 across his shoulders, the only people I saw for 2 full days. It became a muddy road 10-20km S. of an impressive bombed out train bridge. A tall tired. all wheel drive Russian or East German military van came towards me across the river and told me the best route. That heavy bike flat on the pack, on my head, to keep the wheels from catching in the rapids. Dicy, I was lucky to make it without a fall.
Because I never actually had permission to go outside Savanakhet, I left the country the same way I entered. It was a small town then, and I met and shared a coffee with a different MSF group, driving back up to Vientiane. They told me I was famous! The police all over southern Laos had been looking for me since I 'escaped' off the bus. We laughed. Me, the white guy on a bike, was such a sensation through every town that the cops couldn't have been trying hard!
In Saravan, they though I was East German expert at I forget what, they had been housed in a big wooden dormitory there until a year or two before when the East Block collapsed. Closer to the Cambodian border, a boatman thought I was a Soviet opium buyer. Anyway, it was a nice month of adventure.
Thanks for posting, that sounds like an amazing trip!
Those waterfalls in Si Pan Don are nice, in a way its a perfect fit for the delta like feel that area between Stung Treng and Champasak has. I would not mind living on one of the smaller islands for a while. Away from the tourists that is. Always has been one of my favorite places in SE-Asia.
But speaking about volcanoes, we were planning for six weeks of mostly Volcano trekking on Sumbawa and Flores this winter but seeing that plan is out the window and everything is closed over here I might save up and take half a year off once things open up again. Go on a biking/trekking tour of the whole range from Lombok to the Alor archipelago. Then take the Ferry to Celebes and on to Halmahera and surrounding islands.
Although I'll probably climb Rinjani again as last time we were not allowed to go into the crater, some of the volcanoes, mostly on Java, are getting too busy as more and more Javanese go camping and climbing.
In itself that is a good thing but I've seen photo's of ridge camps with up to 100 tents on it during weekends and holidays. That pretty much takes the fun out of it although the view at sunrise from any of the central Javanese cluster of volcanoes is something to see at least once. Under the right conditions its just gold lit cones all around floating on a sea of clouds.
Same with the blue fire at night at the Ijen crater.
Those waterfalls in Si Pan Don are nice, in a way its a perfect fit for the delta like feel that area between Stung Treng and Champasak has. I would not mind living on one of the smaller islands for a while. Away from the tourists that is. Always has been one of my favorite places in SE-Asia.
But speaking about volcanoes, we were planning for six weeks of mostly Volcano trekking on Sumbawa and Flores this winter but seeing that plan is out the window and everything is closed over here I might save up and take half a year off once things open up again. Go on a biking/trekking tour of the whole range from Lombok to the Alor archipelago. Then take the Ferry to Celebes and on to Halmahera and surrounding islands.
Although I'll probably climb Rinjani again as last time we were not allowed to go into the crater, some of the volcanoes, mostly on Java, are getting too busy as more and more Javanese go camping and climbing.
In itself that is a good thing but I've seen photo's of ridge camps with up to 100 tents on it during weekends and holidays. That pretty much takes the fun out of it although the view at sunrise from any of the central Javanese cluster of volcanoes is something to see at least once. Under the right conditions its just gold lit cones all around floating on a sea of clouds.
Same with the blue fire at night at the Ijen crater.
None but ourselves can free our mind.
Because I consider myself kind of well travelled, this confession is a quite embarrassing: I've never been to Indonesia. And I've travelled with so many people who have raved about it for so many years. And I believed them, but somehow I always thought it wasn't the best time of year, so I'll go elsewhere first, and I never made it. Yet.
I'd never heard of that blue fire. It looks VERY cool, I looked it up. Now it's on the list. Certainly the perfect country for volcano exploration! Your postponed trip sound great!
I'd never heard of that blue fire. It looks VERY cool, I looked it up. Now it's on the list. Certainly the perfect country for volcano exploration! Your postponed trip sound great!
-
- Similar Topics
- Replies
- Views
- Last post
-
-
Rare animal spotted in Virachey National Park, Ratanakiri
by Bong Burgundy » Sun May 17, 2020 2:17 pm » in Cambodia News - 16 Replies
- 3739 Views
-
Last post by Guest
Mon May 18, 2020 12:09 am
-