Route 13 - Unlucky for Some

---

One of the less relaxing expereinces however was being on the public bus between Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng.. Reassuringly there have been no hold ups on this stretch of road, aptly named Route 13, for two years. However I have to say I was more than alarmed when the man sat directly behind me had a pistol in his back pocket and a rifle stacked up against the wall- what ever happened to a Pork Pie and a Puzzle Compendium to wile away a six hour bus journey....for obvious reasons I decided not to ask him this and strategically moved three seats ahead as in my mind I believed this would help me in an 'open fire' situation!?

In all seriousness, this route is seemingly renound for armed men travelling on it, endorsed by the fact that the locals did not seem to bat an eyelid, probably feeling safer with the man's presence on the bus. They are armed purely to protect the bus from local bandits, which as previously mentioned hasn't happened in a good while. If you are not used to seeing guns the mere presence of one can be a frightening experience, because of this I was ready to disembark and wait for the next gunless bus...I would probably still be Luang Prabang waiting!

As the crow flies from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng its about 60 miles, however this journey was 7 hours and through beautifully lush mountain ranges. The scenery was absolutely breath-taking and some of the best that I have seen whilst in SE Asia, however the roads were rather tretcherous and there had been the odd land slide which meant getting stuck in mud for about ten minutes with the wheels spinning, locals pushing...all next to a 500 metre sheer drop (just don't think about it).

Every one that I have spoken to has had exactly the same experience with armed men which was reassuring to know and consequently should not deter anyone from using this mode of transport for the journey.

However hair-raising this journey it is totally worth it. Vang Vieng isn't the prettiest of towns and made somewhat uglier by the scores of Television Restaurants playing Friends...In a thirty metre radius there are about four cafes playing this tv show on repeat..By getting involved in the activities that Vang Vieng has to offer you can miss this scene altogether however you cannot avoid hearing canned laughter as you walk down the street.

Vang Vieng is a happy town...no no seriously I mean HAPPY...When you see 'happy' written on ANYTHING within the menus, it doesn't mean 'service with a smile'...Everything marked as such is laced with marijuana..You can get Happy Pizzas, Happy Shakes or if your in need of a serious cheer up you can get a Extra Happy meal option!

TUBING is an absolute must...It sounds technical but its anything but...Imagine an afternoon of floating down a river in an inflated tractor tyre with your primary concern being getting to the side of the river for your next 'bar stop'...Fear not though, the resourceful Lao people, not wanting to miss out on a beer Lao sale, will do all that they can short of jumping in and pulling you out of the water to enable you not to miss their stop...The main method being throwing out a human fishing rod that you grab hold of-they then reel you in!

It is an excellent way to pass an afternoon and believe me the hours will soon fly by before you are at the final bar, somewhat the worse for wear and deciding that this is the time you wanted to try a Flying Fox (when you are at a significant height holding on to a bar and have to push yourself off and jump). Unfortunately I am talking from experience-only mine got stuck in mid air..the only way still being down..At that moment I was trying to recall whether my Bradford and Bingley Travel Insurance covered me for 'Tubing/Flying Fox Activities'...hmmm I think we all know the answer to that one.. I knew it was time to sail home down the river, however this soon did not come off either...the current was incredibly fast and if it wasn't for franticly paddling to a verge and pushing myself onto the grass verge I could have been returning my tyre to a firm in Vientianne! Make sure that your tubing company provides you with a life-jacket as the river is incredibly strong..

The scenery when you do tubing is awesome...its truly wonderful just to be floating downstream gazing at the lush green mountains, even if you don't partake in any alcoholic beverages, the experience is more than worthwhile. If tubing doesn't float your boat (!) then the kayaking is a good day out...even if like me you have never done it before. If you go with a good tour company they will take you to the caves too which is an experience, half swimming through water-half holding a candle to see where you are going (where good walking shoes)! All good fun though!

---