The road between Kasi and Phou Khoun is very scenic, I realised on my way up, so I decided to return. I was thinking of renting a scooter in Phou Khoun, but locals told me nobody has any for rent, and I am not that confident with these motorised two-wheeled machines anyhow. If I knew about this scenic route, I would have rented a bicycle in Kasi and have it taken up by a bus, then just roll down back. Anyway, if I wanted to travel this route at my own pace, I had no other choice but to walk. I left Phou Khoun early in the morning, hitched a ride out of town to the first view point, Phu Paing Far, from where I started walking. Locals were friendly, a Hmong man invited me to eat and finish a bottle of not too strong home-brew with them and even wanted me to stay overnight at his place, but I had to carry on. It is all downhill about 3/4 of the way, until the small river (stream) called Nam Kaen, from where it is a gentle but steady uphill for a while when it becomes a gentle but steady descent. Shortly after Nam Kaen, there is a hot spring which seems to be a popular picnic spot. You can also camp here, which was my original plan, but since I got here early, I decided to continue. This is also where you leave Pha Tiao behind, the rugged peak that dominates the view all along - from here, the landscape changes to rolling hills and rocky outcrops, with the view of big mountains in the far distance. I stopped shortly before Kasi in a village - I walked 26 kms to this point according to my GPS, which is not that much, but I was carrying a heavy bag and got quite tired and sore. Here, I had to drink beer with friendly Khmu people, then I hailed down a microbus. A small village, Phathang, is what I still wanted to visit, but then I will be saying goodbye to the Vang Vieng area.
