Vang Vieng

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Our bus trip from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng was very scenic. To give you an indication of the type of terrain we were in, a 189km trip took 6 hours in the bus. The mountain ranges were absolutely magnificant but very slow going (to be honest I was quite fine with the slow ride - I have heard many horror stories of crazy bus drivers taking this route very quickly and I am not sure that my nerves could have handled this).

Vang Vieng is a little town nestled in amongst the limestone cliffs. I was determined to stay somewhere where we would have the limestone cliff as a backdrop and we ended up finding these really cute little bungalows right on the river with the big limestone cliffs just opposite us (the most expensive accommodation in town at $25US/night) .

There is very little to do or see in Vang Vieng. As you may be able to see from the construction site picture, they really haven't made it to the 21st century in this country. It really is just a backpackers haven where most come to do the tubing. There are also numerous TV bars (and yes it is true, they do play back to back eposides of Friends and the Simpsons) and bars selling all sorts of "happy" meals (meals served with the drug of your choice).

I am afraid to admit it but Lesley and I did get sucked in to the TV bars and found ourselves watching about 4 hours of Friends one day. We also participated in the infamous tubing, basically this involves someone driving you about 4 - 5 km's out of town and then you sit on a tractor tube floating down the river, stopping off at makeshift bars along the way to rehydrate (or dehydrate given that all you do is drink alcohol). It was loads of fun and the scenery, yes I did take this in, was just magic. Each of the "bars" that you stop off at along the way have a different kind of flying fox, swing, etc. These were all propped up by bamboo (very dodgy looking) and you couldn't see what was below the waters surface so there wasn't a hope in hell that I was jumping off one of these things (it was fun watching others though). We enjoyed it that much that once we returned to Vang Vieng we got them to drive us back and we did it all again. We probably should have stopped at one go as we had had plenty to drink already but it seemed like a good idea at the time. Unfortunately I don't have pic's to put up of the tubing as I took them using my good old fashioned camera (just in case things got wet which enivitably they did).

The next morning we had to be up early to catch a bus to Vientiane (trust me, it was at this point that I realised that it wasn't such a good idea to go tubing twice).

Next stop Vientiane!!!

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Photos

Vang Vieng
Centre of town

Comments

[GregS]

Cup of Tea
Are you sure that its only a cup of tea ;)

[Carol]

mmmm Happy Meal
Wow Nic. Sounds like you are having heaps of fun. I think I like the idea of that tubing - do they sell Chai tea though?? And Happy Meals, that would have been interesting. The view from your Bungalow is FANTASTIC. I don't think I'd leave there - but I suppose the river floods in the wet season? I'm looking forward to your next blog. Carol