Friends, Simpsons & Amphetamine Fuelled Bus Drivers

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The Bus Of Terror
Express bus, I was told, was the fastest way to publically get to Vang Vieng. And this turned out to be true. How was this achieved, I wondered? Perhaps fewer unecessary stops for snack breaks, picking up chickens and so on. This was not the case. It was the fastest way because the particular amphetamine laden driver they chose for this trip had no regard for safety whatsoever. Speed was the name of the game, and I doubt breaking even crossed the mind that lay behind his glazed, absent eyes. We narrowly avoided cows, chickens, pigs, small children and oncoming traffic. On two occasions we nearly had head on collisions, which rather than sobering the crazed driver meerly resulted in laughter and even faster subsequent driving. At least the stunning scenery gave us something to look at rather than the terrifying road ahead...

Friends or Simpsons? Pizza or Cornish Pasty?
Vang Vieng was a town I had heard much about, 50%!v(MISSING)ery good, 50%!v(MISSING)ery bad. So my impressions :-

Vang Vieng is a small riverside town with an absolutely stunning setting. It is surrounded by immense cliffs and rugged mountains which back a small plain of paddies and the sleepily winding river. Its good points are very very very good.

However.... the town itself is ugly, and the streets are filled with Pizzerias and shops selling everything from cornish pasties to marijuana and 'shroom milkshakes. But not much Lao food! Bars play episodes of Friends and The Simpsons on constant loop. In these places talking is antisocial - all seats face the TV set and conversation appears to be frowned upon. Its very strange town, that really wasnt for me. For someone travelling for a long time who is missing the comforts of home - familar tv shows, western faces and european food I can see there may be call to spend a short time here. And the phenomenom of tubing - floating down the river on an inflated tractor inner tube stopping at bars on the way - offers a novel way to kill a day. But personally I don't like it at all.

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