Adventure capital

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Today we travelled north to Vang Vieng which by the look of it is the adventure capital of Laos. You can do anything from microlighting to rock climbing, zip lines to dirt buggies.

We are not being that adventurous opting to kayak down the Nam Song River, not the Mekong as I think I mentioned earlier. Our accommodation at the Thavansouk Villas is right on the riverbank with a gorgeous view of river activities and the limestone karst mountains opposite. At present the river is so shallow that you can walk across, 3 feet deep, but with quite a current.

The drive up was interesting through numerous villages, along Route 13 built by the French in the early 20th centur. Until recently it was a dirt track but don’t believe when they say it is now sealed and in excellent condition. It’s not too bad. The seal has just broken up in a few places.

We stopped at a village market run by H’mong people who were resettled from the Highlands 25 years ago. Apparently many of them are now very wealthy. The market was clean as a whistl, with many fabric and tradi costume stalls as well as fresh fruit and vegetables. H’mong New Year starts shortly so we watched a woman trying on different outfits to wear. Pleated skirts that used to be embroidered are now printed in China.

As we climbed into the mountains another village specialised in all sorts of fish, dried, salted and fresh, caught in the nearby lake.

As more tourists discover Laos more big hotels are springing up. So it is here too, along the banks of the river.

I’ll let you know tomorrow how our kayaking goes. I have even done some shopping in preparation. For the princely sum of $NZ25 I have bought some new aqua shoes, a zip up water jacket (that I should have had at Otres Beach) and a white muslin over shirt with long sleeves.

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Photos

Sunray pleated skirts
Originally these patterns would have been embroidered

Buffalo hide to chew on
You’ve heard of chewing the fat. Well here it is.

Where everyone ends
Just below our villa