Day 26 - Tubing :)

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So finally we are back in the game, we both woke up early enough and went for breakfast as we planned to go tubing today!

We were just finished breakfast when this bloke come over and asks us are we going tubing today? So anyway we get chatting to him (Lloyd) and his 3 mates come along they are all from Malahide and they had just arrived and were planning on going tubing today too so we all decided to go together. There are 6 of us altogether me, G, Lloyd, Stefan, Eoin and Johnny.

So the way tubing works is you go rent a tube and that includes a tuk tuk about 10 mins out of town to where the 1st bar is. To rent the tube it is 55,000 kip + 60,000 deposit which you get back in full if you return by 6pm.

So we rented 4 tubes between the 6 of us as Stefan and Eoin were just doing to swim. We get to the top of the hill and we have to get this boat across the river to the other side to the 1st bar except the boat goes and leaves me behind and G doesn't even notice! it only goes back and forth so I was only waiting a min.

So we get to the 1st bar where we stayed way too long there were 4 other people with us from the hotel that the boys got taking to that morning Nia and Terry from Wales and 2 girls from the UK. So after a couple of hours we head to the second bar this involves crossing the river which has a pretty strong current! Needless to say after almost drowning I missed the bar and ended up 3 bars down and had to walk back to the rest of them, G almost died too but made it to the bar we aimed for!

Anyway I swore blind I wasn't getting into the water again so I was handed another beer to calm my nerves and we stayed at that bar for a while, they had a swing you could wing over the river and drop in everyone did this but me then to the next bar, I walked as it was on the same side the rest of them jumped in the river. We stayed there for awhile and then onto the next bar which was on the other side of the river....it was fine though as Stefan said he would swim me over woop woop so this time I got to sit back on the tube while Stefan did all the hard work 😊 Stayed there for a while there was a slide this time again everyone but me went on it!

We went to the next bar but realised it was getting dark so we were back in the water again as quick as we got out! So back in the river to get back to the other side so we could get out! Sounds easy but oh no.... we missed the last bar :s

So now we are floating down the river Eoin it swimming me and G and Lloyd is just behind us we can see the rest of the guys but we think we can hear them. Then Lloyd decides to tell Eoin there is a waterfall coming up (there wasn't we knew that he didn't) so beings the panic. There are loads of reeds to one side so we end up stuck in them for a min then carry on down the river at this stage we have been floating for 10 - 20 mins in the dark and have passed no life. I am like right we need to get over to the left side of the river and find somewhere to get out but the banks are really high. Then all of a sudden we see a ladder and a sign saying tuk tuk (Only in Laos) so we manage to get over to that side of the river and get out back on terra firma phew... and the tuk tuk was ready and waiting on us! However in the process we had lost Lloyd, Stefan, Terry and Alexa. So we were all a bit worried but got the tuk tuk back to the rental place in the hope everyone else would be there.

When we got back, everyone but Lloyd was accounted for (and we got 40,000 kip back it was 7.30). The boys were like "Lloyd always lands on his feet so he will be grand". We planned on going for dinner at 8.30 in the hope Lloyd was back by then. So shower and change and we were just waiting in the reception of the hotel at about 8.40 when who rock up only Lloyd as if nothing ever happened!!!

So we are all delighted he is ok and can happily go for dinner. We go to the Arena which is like a glass box and it looks like the poshest place in VV (not hard) so we have dinner but we are all wrecked so head back to bed after, the boys stayed out for awhile but once G and I got back our heads hit the pillow and we were out cold.

Laters 😊

Rosie xxx

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