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Day 20- The bus to Vang Vieng
Warned that this was a 'hairy trip' by some fellow Aussies we loaded up on some Kwell before changing mini bus three times and finally setting off. The five or so hour trip was windy but very scenic, with a couple pit stops for necessities such a pringles! The four of us searched the town for cheap but clean rooms and funnily ended back where we started at Thavisouk Guest House.
We headed out for lunch guided by the lonely planet to Nokeo and Jez who was adamant to avoid every 'Friends" bar/cafe. Where people happily order "happy"pizza's and shakes and watch re-runs of friends for hours on end!!Unfortunately the grilled fish wasn't as good as described..
After we sussed out the tubing and caves, and moto hire for the next day.
After a couple games of pool, beer lao and lao lao shots (on the house) we ventured across the bridge to Smile Bar. What can only be described as happy land.. bars laden with hammocks, cruisy music and 'happy' menus where your choice of weed, opium or mushrooms via shake, pizza, garlic bread etc. After some interesting conversations with the regulars we
returned to the 'mainland' for a regular pizza and viewing of Saving Private Ryan.
Day 21- Caves and Tubing
After an early morning wakening by the motels owners screaming child at 6am. We hired some moto's with Carl and Martha and headed for the Tham Sang Triangle. First cave the Élephant'' (Tham Sang) cave which has a stalagmite/tite formation surprisingly does resemble an elephant amazing even with the odd concrete looking tusk. On the entrance Jez decided to "dong" the bell just a little too hard and sent our ringing for the next 5 minutes! Next stop the Tham Loup cave which a local guided us through it carrys on for a few km's before becoming a small river who our guide kindly offered to take us down not expecting us to oblidge, when Jez said sure he wasn't so keen! Then to Tham Hoi a smaller and less impressive cave but with a few obstacles to climb and no guide it was great fun.
We arrived at the "water cave" Tham Nam just as another group set off looking like fun, we paid for some tubes and miners style lights and headed into the cave with the instructions
to pull ourselves along the rope and we would have to walk for a bit. The made our way along for about 10 minutes before the rope ran out and neither the other group or anyone else in sight, seeing a junction at the rope and a small opening we figured that must have been the way so back we went tubes in hand to the land, just as we began venturing into the dark we spotted the other group floating past where we had come from we asked is the right way after being reassured, we continued on. As we walked along our path got increasingly narrower to the point were crawling along in the mud hands and knees, we reached another opening and continued on until we reached another point were this time we were forced nearly to elbows for a good 50m thinking this was a little strange and some debate not wanting to me meters from the end, we headed back. Confused by our dead end and dejected after our failed trip we asked the other group how long they had to crawl on their hands and knees (thinking maybe we'd wussed out!) "Crawled" in disbelief
we were told you guys were heading to the "ghost cave", we were kinda jealous, all we did was walked! So we left feeling pretty chuffed after our self guided adventure, to the normally unvisited part of the cave.
Back on the bike, through a few villages we arrived back at Vang Vieng and hired tubes then got dropped off by tuk tuk at the launching point. Barely 20m along was the first bar, we naturally had to stop, but wrongly advised there were bars all the way down and not wanting to waste all our time at the start we quickly headed off skipping a few bars before our next pit stop were Jez and Carl hit the swings!
Back on the tube again we soon realised our mistake in haste the bars (and more importantly to the thrills seekers swings) thinned out. Desperate to make the next bar on the curve of the river in fear of dehydration Jez and Carly headed across only for Carl and Martha to require a desperate rescue mission from the barman! (see pic)
Only shortly after refueling we decided to wait for the others by a fallen tree who somehow had been
caught in a slow current, however despite Jez's repeated instructions Carly let go a little too slowly and was quickly dragged under the tree, beer and sunnies lost and tube rapidly floating down the river! Carly stumbled along in only foot high water (but fast current!!) in fits of giggles trying to rescue her tube, eventually caught by Jez naturally another stop was required to restock. A rendition of Roxanne played loudly over the speakers, naturally forced us into some roxanne redlight drinking game with a few other tubers we inticed.
Unfortunately the bars had dried up and bridge was insight meaning we had to derail... easier said then done. Jez managed to reef himself onto the bridge, Martha burst her tube at the bridge and I lost my thong (flip-flop for the poms) but otherwise we made it to land safely.
After a shower and dinner we settled in at the big screen again and relaxed on the bamboo beds and watched "Wild Hog".
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