Sup Buddy

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With a little help from a few American compatriots (Paul and Will from Minnesota) we decided that the Laos word for Hello, Sabadee, sounds like Suup Buuudy....Thus this is how I have started greeting people. Maybe it's only funny in my head, or it's one of those you have to be here to understand it. So all you get your butts to Laos...
So after 8 great days in Luang Prabang I decided to head south to check out the backpacker town of Vang Vieng. My van broke down on the way there but luckily 3 Norwegians drove by and offered to give me a ride, leaving the other passangers of my van behind. It took them 12 hours to make the journey, while I got there in 6. few!!!
Found a lovely room with a bathroom for 4 dollars and then went to go check out the town. Now I'd heard the rumors about the restaurants with movies playing constantly as well as the 2 or 3 restaurants the only play "Friends" and the other restaurants that play "family guy" and "Simpsons." I thought it would be really cool. Thuogh it was pretty cool and when I sat down at one of these restaurants for a "quick" bite to eat. That quick bite to eat turned into a tv marathon. I found myself saying "just one more episode" well that on more episode would turn into 2 then 3 then 4 and pretty soon I had been sitting at this restaurant for 2 and a half hours...whilst my life flew by. I figure I'm in Laos I should be enjoying myself and I can watch friends anywhere so I decided get off me bumb and check out som nature. peace out mother nature!!!! Word
My first full day I decided to go on a kayaking trip. We kayaked down the beautiful river in Vang Vien, stopped to see some amazing caves, that we had to take tubes about 300 meters over water to get there, thus i didn't bring my camera. We kayaked about 12km, stopped at a cool little bar along the river but I wished I had gone tubing instead cuz my sholders and lower back were so sore from the kayaking.Boy am I out of shape.
Spent another day just lying on a hamock reading Lance Armstrong Biorgraphy "It's not about the bike." I knew his story was ispirational but wow. I suggest it to anybody.
I met a really cool group of Americans (Minesota), English girls (Liverpool), and two germans (Berlin) . WE went tubbing down the river, and we might have stopped two three of four times for beer. I don't remember.
Side Note. I also me some idiot from Mendicion California who made me embarassed to say that I was from California. He was extremely innebriated and just was a poor representation of America in general. Though most fo the Americans I have met along my travels have made me proud to be an American I have to sadly say that this guy did not. But on a happier note he tried to do fire dancing it was pertty funny to see him hit him self with the fire and laugh at how ridiculious he was.
Vang Vien is an extremely touristy town in the middly of Laos. Some people love others hate it. I think I liked it thought it sort of made me feel weird. It felt like a camp for big kids. Bars, kayaking, drinking, smoking, swimming. If you can sit back and really enjoy it for it's magical surroundings of limestone mountains, caves and beautiful river you can get away from the weird twilight feeling of TV Street. I decided I'd had enough R and R from my R and R so I headed back To Luang Prabang to do some Hill Tribe Trekking, and really try and understand the different clutures of Lao

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