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Published: January 10th 2011
The drive from Luang Prabang was pretty rough as we were warned. On the way there, we stopped for some lunch overlooking some of the most beautiful views. I was green at this point and drank so much salty soup with seaweed and tea that I could have floated away.
Vang Vieng is backpacker’s paradise for all ages. The younger generation goes tubing. This is pretty famous internationally. I didn’t know anything about it until this trip. Basically you rent a tube and stroll down the river. Along the river there are 50 or so bars. The bars have ropes that pull you in. You can spend anywhere from 5 minutes to hours at any one bar. Some bars have huge waterslides while others have swinging Tarzan type ropes. Reminder, this river is gross and there is a strong tide – no one should be swimming in it, especially under the influence. These bars give out jugs which are strong alcohol content. Some bars even give out joints (as they pay the local officials to turn a blind eye). There are pizzas, special pizzas; extra special pizza’s… the amount of shrooms is what makes it special. OYE.
The result
of the days of tubing is sometimes death as tourists die every year. Other results include many cuts, scrapes, alcohol poisoning, etc… The first night we got there, a tourist was walking alone with blood gushing from his head. Four of the girls on my trip saw him and got concerned so they insisted they bring him to the Hopital (yes, the Hopital). The boy was Australian. A local broke a bottle over his head (reason unknown) and he needed some stitches. The doctor was the receptionist, the nurse, the pharmacist, etc… There were only 2 people running the entire hospital. This is NOT the place where you want to get in trouble.
Besides tubing, there is caving, rock climbing, kayaking, etc… most of the older backpackers come here to do activities. I on the other hand, took the day to relax and get a massage. I am not physically fit enough to do these adventure activities. My friend Nicole did a bike ride from 9am until 5pm. Some others went caving (where you literally had to crawl in freezing waters)… The rest of the group went tubing. Only 3 others didn’t partake in activities. This is mainly because
they didn’t know how to swim. If you don’t know how to swim you can’t go tubing unless you have a death sentence!
At the end of the day, like a worried parent you want to make sure your group survived. There are some young and naïve idiots on my tour – I was hoping they looked out for each other. Besides 2 of the people in the group (one of the Americans) had to be put to sleep around 6pm (as tubing ends before sundown or else you really turn up dead)… He slept for 14 hours and had no idea what happened. I met up with some of the good witches of the east and they were so happy and had the best day ever. I was happy to see this crew as they said for the most part the entire group did look out for one another. There were some bloody body parts and bruises, but nothing too serious.
My party days for the most part are over. I have been downing my mango daiquiris on a daily basis, but that is the extent of my alcohol consumption. I found my new love – MANGOS!
I never knew how wonderful a good mango is.
Overall, Vang Vieng was a relaxing time for me. The place we stayed allowed me to chill out and have a few frozen beverages. There were lounge chairs and an oversized kiddie pool that I was able to dunk in as the temperature was in the 90’s. Unless I decide to become a fitness buff, I see no reason to ever come back to this area. It wasn’t for me. I witnessed a lot of people on the streets ½ naked following their day on the river. People were being carried; people looked scared, some people vomiting…
I was happy my group was safe, but parents of the world beware – if you or anyone you know wants to go to Vang Vieng to party… know the risks.
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Cara
non-member comment
Is transport easy to organize?
Hey!! Thanks for sharing your experiences! I'm traveling to Laos next weekend, for about 9 days. I'm so excited...but have to admit that I haven't done much research! :) We will be four girls traveling to Luang Prabang, via Chiang Rai - Houi Xai...and then down from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng - Vientiane and then fly back from Udon Thani. I would like to know how much time we must put aside to travel from Vang Vieng to Udon Thani? I've been reading some blogs and it seems that it is possible to travel from Vang Vieng all the way to Udon Thani in one day? We don't necessarily want to spend much time in Vientiane..so I guess what I want to know is will it be possible to catch an early bus out of Vang Vieng, to be on time in Udon Thani to catch a 18h00 plane to Bangkok? Thank you very much!!