Vang Vieng - Si Phan Don

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Me, Sean and Stan made the trip up to Vang Vieng some last week not sure eactly when. This was a pretty simple 4 hours bus journey from Vientiane and was not overly expensive. We shared a room again and this worked out as a couple of pounds each per night and we had our own bathroom etc. I also managed to watch the Man Utd v Inter game live at about 3 in the morning with the owner!

Vang Vieng is a pretty weird place as until a few years ago it was just a small village but has rapidly grown with backpackers and other tourists. This means that food is generally targeted at yourists so burgers, pizzas etc are the norm and the food isn't really up to much. The main reason we went to Vang Vieng was for the tubing. Basically you get given a large rubber ring and float down the Mekong River. You then get pulled in by bars or just stop and have a drink. There are rope swings and zip-lines into the water at every bar and there is also volleyball and mudfighting along the way. The mudfighting was a hoot, even if t was slightly homoerotic. You can expect to pay about 10000 KIP for a 630ml bottle of BeerLaos, which works out at about 80p, or you can go for a bucket, which is just a bucket filled with spirits and mixers. They had Jim Beam.

Although it is lacking in the 'real Laos' culture that you see on many journeys through Laos, you now what you are getting with Vang Vieng and it is still really fun. The people were friendly and there are bars dedicated to showing the Simpsons 24/7. If you don't fancy the Simpsons then there are Friends bars or veen Family Guy bars if you are inclined that way. The main thing we learned from our first day of tubing is not to rent a tube! They are a hassle to get back before 6 o'clock and are pretty unnecessary as you can just swim to most bars and float own the river in the currents anyway. Most people who had been there a whle told us not to get a tube but we ignored them on the first day. It is much more convenient just to do it your own way and ignore the tube!

We then took a bus journey down to Si Phan Don, which took about 12 hours by night bus. This is similar to the night train only you share your bunkbed. Luckily I had Sean but some people were cuddled up to complete strangers. This was also time to say goodbye to Stan in Vang Vieng as he was staying with a friend. It was great to meet people in Vang Vieng and Stan was a great guy.

When we got to Si Phan Don we had our pick of the islands, Don Det or Don Khong. We opted for Don Det which is a tiny island right at the south of Laos. We found a bungalow that was about 2.50 pounds for a night and was right over the water. I think I have some photos of the sunset across the river but again this computer is rubbish and won't let me put them up. We didn't do a lot in Don Det but that is pretty much the point, it is the most chilled out place I have ever been to. You can just it around with a coconut shake and meet the locals, all of whom are lovely and really happy to meet you. We also made a friend called Sam here and spent a few days hanging out with him.

After Si Phan Don it was time to get to Cambodia but I will right about that another day as these two entries have taken me ages! I will also upload photos as soon as I can.

Love xx

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