Vang Vieng

So we did arrive, eventually. Whenever you encounter another traveler who's just come from Laos, they always go on at length about Vang Vieng. The legacy of Vang Vieng chased me everywhere, even when I was in Australia! And yet somehow, I couldn't figure out what was so great about it. By all accounts it was a place to get drunk, high, and watch Friends or Family Guy. In the daytime you went down the Mekong River in an inflatable tube and were roped in by various "bars," or little shacks on the riverbank selling cheap drink. I mean, getting drunk is great and everything, but I can do that more or less everywhere. Yet, I had heard only positive things from every person, and it did seem to be the adventure capital of Laos, so we ended up going.

It's quite funny when you read about Vang Vieng. It's described as the tourist capital of Laos, and yet when you get there you're struck by the quiet - the absence of tourists or anyone. The tuktuk drivers are few and far between, and not too persistent. The roads are shit and have not been sealed - many are completely filled with orange clay. You plod your way through what looks like an ordinary town - a bit more english about and more hotels than normally found - but otherwise, a very typical Laos settlement.

The Laos people are famous for being chilled out. The Thai are known for being smiley, the Cambodians for being hardened, the Vietnamese for being money-hungry and somewhat inconsiderate, and the Laotians are known for being chilled. What does this mean? Does it mean that they sit around in hammocks all the time, wearing tye-dye and smoking grass? Does it mean they're impossible to offend? When it comes down to it, it seems to me that the "chillness" of the Laotians is owed mostly to the sheer remoteness, simpleness, and the quiet that it brings. Do I feel chilled when I walk down the street and there is nothing but the sound of a distant moto? Well, to be honest I find it more eerie than chilled, but I suppose chilled is a good spin on it. Weird ambiance in this country.

So, we arrived, slept the horrible bus ride off. The next day we got up and went on a Kayaking trip down the Mekong. That was an awesome day. We walked through a very old village which was full of water buffalo, naked kids fishing, women washing in the river.. just beautiful. We explored a very long and slippery cave which resulted in a few bumps and bruises. We explored another cool cave which was full of Buddha statues - really beautiful. THen we began our Kayak. It was great - because the water was so high, very little effort was needed to keep the speed up, and this left much room for dicking about.

We got to a bar at the riverside, which had a ten foot platform and a big rope swing you could use. It was really cool! I spent the entire afternoon taking full advantage. Overall, a very successful day.

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