In the tuuuuuuuuubing!!

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On our second day in Laos our travelling crew departed for the journey north to Vang Vieng! This is a small town where most travelers rock up to participate in some much needed fun of Tubing! Tubing takes place on the Nam Song River which is lined with bars, ziplines, rivers jumps and chutes! This does sound like a recipe for disaster but it’s a big attraction that is unique to Laos and that all travelers must take in.

Tubing has been something we were all looking forward to before we left home, everyone who had been says it was a great experience! The night before our excitement took over and we all ended up buying ‘tubing vests’ for the occasion.

So our day started by hiring an ‘inner tube’ (which is a bright black and yellow tire) from the locals for 55,000 kip – everyone then jumped on to the back of a tuk-tuk for a 20 minute drive up to the start of the river! Or in Paul’s case hanging off the back of the tuk-tuk being the last one on! Once you reach the top of the river it is simply a case of getting on your tube and floating back down to the bottom of the river whilst stopping off at as many bars as you like or jumping off as many ziplines and chutes!

It didn’t take long for us all to have a couple of ‘buckets’ down us and then it was a case of try stopping us (especially for Paul and James). We even had one of the bars pumping out The Proclaimers ‘500 miles’ it was brilliant!! Another bar had a tug-o-war which was so muddy with a dirty lagoon in the middle that ended up in a boys versus girl’s tournament– which resulted in the boys going face-first into the muddy swamp!!

As we got more carried away Tina, Kate and James decided it would be a bright idea to do a ‘trebler’ down one of the chutes. They all came shooting out the end like a bullet with Tina at the back but also bizarrely completely horizontal (almost in a sitting position - the photo captures it brilliantly) which made for a painful landing in the river!

One of the best parts of tubing (apart from the brilliant jumps, chutes and zip-lines) is just slowly floating down the river. Drink in one hand, sitting in your tube in the sun with the amazing scenery around you is quite the life! Whoever invented tubing was firstly a genius but also must be raking it in.

By the end of the tubing we were drunk, soaked and muddy and we’d all had our adrenalin rush to last us the year! Tubing has definitely been one of our favourite days since we have left home, it was a brilliant laugh!! One of the best things about it was there was no health and safety regulations whatsoever!! (yet we have lived to tell the tale, apart from being a bit battered and bruised the next day!!)

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Comments

[rose]

[e-mail]
these are great guys!1 keeping me happy in hospital :) xx miss you's!

[Betty]

Tuuuubing!
Tubing is a big thing in Texas during the summer months. Been there, done that, only in a MUCH more sedate way! You all did it with style, I must say!

[mum]

[e-mail]
Well! All I can say is - thank goodness I didnt know about the "tubing" beforehand! Would have been worried sick! As if not dangerous enough - you's also added alcohol! At least now that I've seen the photos I know that you all survived. Have to say tho' - it looked great fun!....Mum x