Vang Vieng

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March 14th 2007

Published: August 8th 2007

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Parksy

Zip Slide

One of the tamer ones, hadnt found the big boys yet!

We headed north for a 3 hour problem free bus trip to Vang Vieng and checked into the first bungalow we saw which was a nice setting right on the river.

Now even though there wasn’t all that much to do in Vang Vieng, what there was to do involved the river and was brilliant fun.

We only intended on staying here for a couple of days but ended up staying a week, this was the busiest concentration of backpackers we had come across and if you fancied the nightlife it was only a few minutes away and as busy as it was, was also such a chill out place with everywhere showing the latest films and things like friends which is nice when you have hardly seen TV for 2 months.

We had heard so much about “Tubing” and can see why, you literally pay peanuts and hire the inner tube of a tractor tyre for the day, they take you in a tuk-tuk about 15 mins up the road and you jump in the river and slowly float down to get to the bottom would take about 4 hours (we never made it past the last

View from our room

A nice riverside bungalow

bar and always got a tuk tuk back), getting called into bars all along the sides who pass you a stick of bamboo and pull you in, where the majority have some sort of swing or zip slide into the river.

We did this trip about 3 times and apart from one time got pretty drunk every time, everywhere has cheap bars and one place is packed and has volleyball courts, loads of huts to sit in and a massive rope swing from 7 metres which I stacked on and had bruised ribs for days!

One time we were there the biggest storm came out of nowhere and we couldn’t go in the river so everyone was stranded and getting drunk, someone had a marker pen and we all got drawn on, names of bars in the area and “cheers” in varying languages, our hut was a laugh, had people from about 6 different countries in there, from Scotland to Bermuda!

Had a day Caving and Kayaking too, got to a tiny cave opening and on a tube again had to haul yourself in using overhead ropes and then paddle along wearing stupid headlamps, which mine didn’t

Tuk-Tuk

Loaded up to take us tubing

work for most of the time! Wires everywhere too, was a bit worried about getting the battery hanging round my neck wet! Went a good half an hour into the pitch black, crystal clear water before turning around and heading back out, quite claustrophobic but a good laugh all the same.

We then got given Kayaks, there were 2 single ones which Dave and I opted for as we thought we could mess around more and have more fun in the rapids, a decision we both regretted after 10km when we were shattered! Rapids were a laugh though, I continuously hit the rocks and got stuck, highlight of everyone else on the trip was when we stopped after about 3km and I had pins and needles, I announced rather loudly that I couldn’t feel my feet but stood up anyways and collapsed backwards into the water!

Apart from tubing we spent loads of time chilling at the hotel watching episodes of the office, forgot how funny Brent is! And found a football which I haven’t done in months, touch is non-existent (more so than before!) get that in before anyone comments!

After a week or so of