The first day of the Tha Khaek loop typically covers what I covered the other day—the caves and Tha Falang. Once caved out, most continue on to Mahaxai or Nakai. To avoid retreading the same ground, today a tale of a trip to somewhere nearby which wasn’t where we thought it would be.

“Go to the bus station early,” our guesthouse owner said, “take a bus t…