Laos in a flash

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I know I mentioned that Vang Vieng was known for its tubing (drinking), but I only participated 1 out of my 5 days there sans tube. It was incredibly fun, but far from the safest place on earth (made clear by the countless bruises and bandages you see around town). There is a bar about every 100 m, each equipped with its own device to jettison you into the river. There were water slides, zip lines, platform jumps, and a trapeze-like swing that is about 25 ft high. The biggest problem is that most people there have been drinking all day, and there is no one to stop idiots from getting on or tell them where the water might be too shallow. Anyhow, everyone in our group made it down unscathed.

Vang Vieng was an interesting combination of natural beauty mixed with unnatural obnoxiousness. We rented bikes a couple of days in search of 2 different lagoons the guy from our guest house recommended. The first was more like a small pool formed by a river coming out of the mountain. What the hell...we swam around the corner and it turned into a river in a cave. With one headlight for the four of us, we explored for a bit. Someone had just told us that the largest spider in the world (some 36 cm across) lives in caves in Laos, and being in a cave with no guide or real experience made it a bit unnerving, but we pushed on and it was definitely worth it. If you ever get a chance to swim in a cave...do it! The other lagoon also proved a disappointment, but a nearby cave more than made up for it. The obnoxiousness lay mostly in town, where every other restaurant felt the need to blast "Friends" all day. Luckily we found a great fried rice and noodle lady out of the way, and I usually ate there at least twice a day. All in all, I really enjoyed this town.

From there I spent a couple uneventful days in Vientiane (capitol of Laos). Also saw l'arch de triomphe (deux).

Then I took an overnight bus ride to Pakse (10 hours) with beds (which were really about a 5 foot single bed) that I got to share with a Lao man in camo...I got to be the small spoon. Yesterday I rented a little motorbike and cruised the Bolevan Palteau (lots of coffee plantations and waterfalls). I also caught a soccer match between Vientiane and Pakse (judging from all the head turns, laughs, and smiles, I might have stuck out a bit, but it was a good match). Today I head south to Don Det in search of some Irrawady dolphins.

It might be a bit before I post again, but I'll be heading into Cambodia soon for short while and than Vietnam. Next chance I get, I'll try and add some more photos!

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Comments

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Weee!
So glad to hear you are safe and sound. It is amazing reading about all your experiences! So just how tan are you now? Love you/miss you... Bring me back an elephant, Buddy needs a playmate. :)