Extreme Vang Vieng!

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Yes all you extreme fans out there - Vang Vieng was a place to venture beyond the seeds we'd sewn Rafting down the Mae taeng and take to the river in tyre inner tubes, climb rocks, go caving (without torches) and go mountain biking in the mud and rain. Alternatively there were endless cafe's all showing dubbed copies of simpsons, friends, family guy and other western movies all day long which many others chose in preference of getting wet - but we were hardcore.

And for all you that prefer looking at pictures - we'll try to keep it reasonably brief (yeah right) - or alternatively you can just look at the pics and move on with your busy lives... 😉

DAY 1
Took a long bus ride down from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng, passing through Kasi and over some misty mountains, which involved slowing to a crawl through most of it to avoid falling off the edge.

An amusing moment occurred when a short American girl (who had assumed one of the sacred tall people's seats and refused to move when other bigger fellas joined the bus) needed to go to the toilet. She told the bus driver and he pulled over immediately but her prudishness prevented her from going on the side of the road, as EVERYONE else had to (due to UXO (unexploded ordinance) and a lack of western toilets...). I will wait for a toilet she said. 40 villages later she had her legs crossed and pillow between her legs ready to burst. "OK OK just find me a tree" she said bruskly to the driver. He kept driving saying the toilet was close, and 15 - 20 mins later we made it to the village over especially bumpy roads. I could only compare her agony with those of the tall people crammed behind (Does this make me a scheudenflower (aka Hoffen schloffer Christophe?).

Finally got to V.V. at about 3pm and let the girls ie. Michelle and Kristophe go looking for hotels while I stayed back at the point where I was dropped off and ran into (would you believe it) one of the ladyboys we had met on Ko Samet. Was she/he stalking us?? "Is your girlfriend here?", "Yes, she's looking for hotels" "Well I'm just going for a beer" she/he said - "Sorry I've got to stay here and mind the bags" I replied. Phew got out of that one.

They finally returned after finding a hotel (or three) and we moved down to the river to a nice place that overlooked a bamboo bridge where all the tubers finished their trips. Looking down as dusk fell we noticed a bit of commotion as some rowdy scots emerged from the water beneath us - who would have picked it it was Lyn and Jonny from the hiking crew in Chiang Mai. Well it looked like Vang Vieng was going to be quite the school reunion - it was to be their last night in V.V so we agreed to head out for dinner and a few drinks.

Decided to head across to the island after dinner where we'd heard some rather loud music coming from earlier (the type Mum wouldn't like) so we ventured across the little bamboo bridge to kick back in one of the huts when down it came, buckets of it, and unlike previous downpours it didn't stop either from 10pm until 6am - torrential rain. Squealing with each muddy puddle we made a hasty retreat back to our hotels for a shower and bed.

DAY 2

Got up early to notice a lack of a front yard in front of our hotel and people now waist deep and fishing from the swollen river. With every intention of going caving rockclimbing and tubing that day, but the rain was still falling and with massive logs floating down the river - looked a bit dangerous (but fun).

So we sat in cafe's for a while before Andrew and Chris got restless (meanwhile Michelle was engrossed in Team America) and sipping Lao coffees with condensed milk. We finally got her off the cushions and decided that we'd hire out mountain bikes and check out some of the nearby caves. Heading across the big bridge and out into the rice fields on some undersized kids mountain bikes that I was sure were going to come unstuck in the conditions.

After traversing several quagmires we parked next to a sign saying Jinnali Cave 500m. Refusing the kind offer of a tour guide for the occasion off some bloke who appeared as if by magic, and deciding on the DIY approach. After all Nunny did have a torch, right?

After trapsing across a thin track of ankle deep mud through the rice fields we came to chckpoint charlie where we had to pay the ferryman who would take us across the river - minus boat of course. Wading in he promptly sunk up to above his waist and held out his hand for Michelle to cross - you gotta be joking right? Apparently not. We all made it across before he pointed to the limestone cliffs and said up there!

The rest of the track was pretty much underwater and then concluded by climbing some very slippery and sharp rocks, interspersed with slippery clay, up about 20m to the caves entrance. Nunny proudly produced her ($1.50) torch and switched on her new batteries only to find that there was no light coming out of it. All was not lost however as Chris and Michelle both had their cameras, and complete with intermittent flashes we made our way slowly into the cave taking one step every 2 minutes as the flashes reloaded. Took some great photos though and this was the easiest way of seeing the cave formations with only a brief bit of light which was mostly used to check the uneven floor in front of us.

10 metres later it was pitch black and we decided to beat a retreat as the floor sloped away heavily. Luckily some French guys appeared near the entrance with head torches and we were able to borrow one and explore the cave fully (one of there colleagues didn't want to climb the rocks). This was pretty damn cool as the cave went into the mountain about 50m before taking a sharp turn and heading about another 30m further to the right. Apparently all the Laos villagers hid here during the war as the bombs rained down on Vang Vieng and beyond. Some nasty sink holes too - luck we didn't continue in the dark!

Back to the bikes - not before Ricko fell in the river camera and all (no guide on the way back), and Michelle and Chris who had laughed earlier got a fair share of leaches (Ricko got none) and we were off again up the road. Getting the hang of the dodgy pieces of machinery it was off to another cave and to see if we could ride the bikes all the way across the next river, it appeared that despite several attempts we could not. So back to V.V. it was, muddy, wet and cold - much to the amusement of many of the villagers we passed who were used to the falang sitting watching TV when it rained.

DAY 3.

Got up early and actually made it on our respective activities for the day. Michelle and Chris were checking out other caves while Ricko headed to the limestone peaks for some rockclimbing.

Rockclimbing was great, starting off on an easy route and getting progressively harder I did about 3 x 20m climbs before everything started shaking and had given up the ghost. Despite a lack of helmet (obviously no safety concerns here???) and a bit of dislodged rock missing me by a few metres the day was pretty damn good. The guide who weighed a damn sight less than me even had to make a string of carabeeners which he attached to the rocks at the bottom to save him flying in the air (I haven't lost too much weight, Mum) There were some awesome views of Vang Vieng from the top. And the second trip across the rice paddies in 2 days was priceless.

It was tubing in the afternoon which took the cake though. Meeting the others at 3pm we set off down the river to the first bar (they have bars that you float past and they throw you out a life ring or piece of bamboo and drag you in for a few beerlao). The first bar we encountered proudly boasted a trapeze swing 10m up over the Mekong which you could climb the rickety ladder, hold on for dear life and swing out over the river having to keep you legs tucked in high to prevent them pulling yopu into the river as the water was now in super high season. While myself and Christopher took it in turns to out-do one another with a number of tricks (mine ultimately landing in a great head plant after coming out of a triple-backwards-summie-half-turn-pike) Extreme Nunny had a crack at it, and after making it to the top, declaring it was ridiculously high, proceeded to hang on and fell along the swing's projectory, screaming the entire way, and completing her trip with a face plant into the water. "Once was enough for me" she said.

After playing some volley ball in the mud and rain with 3 young squeeling Laos girls we embarked on the river once more as night was starting to impede on our fun, and it wouldn't be right not to squeeze in one more bar. 8 of us grabbed our tubes, and headed into the water, getting pulled into the next bar - a very small establishment with two long tressle tables and filled with foreign travellers all doing the same thing, declaring how fantastic Laos was, how wonderful tubing is, and how many of them can't seem to leave Van Vieng (Apparently you were able to surf on the Mekong River there too - we learnt later).

But alas, our own time was starting to come to an end and we float down the swollen banks of the Mekong, limestone mountains rise up on one side, and rice paddy fields on the other, our guide on a Kayak ready to catch us if we float the wrong direction, and arrive safely near our hotels. At least, Michelle and Christopher did, I took a slight wrong turn (some would say right) at one point, ending up on the other side of an island where a young boy about 10 years old swam out into the lively river to bring me in (it did seem however like I saved him though). Ain't that nice? And all he wanted in return was for me to come into his mum's bar and have a beer. "No can do, the missus has all the money and has gone the other way down the river, sorry mate"

We meet up, dried off and found probably the best food in town, on the way booking our ticket out of Van Vieng......... kayaking all the way.

PS. for those of you that were asking about the tiger photos they are now up on our Katchinaburi blog - a big thanks to Roy and Joyce!!! Tiger Temple

PPS. Cant take credit for the photos on the Luang Prabang page either - this must go to Skipper Prince Kristophe II - you know who you are (& so do the swedish & dutch ladies)

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Photos

Vang Vieng
The karst scenery and the limestone face Andrew climbed

Vang Vieng
Rope head looking luuurvely

Vang Vieng
Jonny in the hut just before the downpour

Vang Vieng
The swollen mekong after the rain note the fishermen in our front yard

Vang Vieng
The intrepid explorers

Vang Vieng
crossing the river on the way to the cave

Vang Vieng
Andrew at the entrance to the cave

Vang Vieng
Chris Nunny and Ricko post caving looking out over Vang Vieng

Vang Vieng
Nunny stuck in the mud

Vang Vieng
Ricko just hanging around

Vang Vieng
looking up at the cliff face