Time to get down wit da kids! We arrived into Vang Vieng on a bus with a load of young backpackers. We decided that a guest house a little of town might be advantageous so as to keep a distance from the neon wayfarer wearing party animals.
Our accommodation had a great view of the Mekong however the Mekong we saw was running rather fast and very deep. Three days prior to our arrival there had been a massive storm which had caused the river to swell considerably. I asked the guest house owner if it was safe to take part in the tubing. She said "no"! This was a slight concern, because as travellers to South East Asia will be aware the people of this region very rarely say "no".
We took her advice and the next day we rented bikes to explore the area. I was given a lovely little pink one with a basket on the front. Kate's was red. I was jealous. I wasn't really, I secretly loved my little pink bike but don't tell anyone.
We avoided the town centre full of pretty young things nursing monster hangovers crashed out in front of pirated episodes of Friends and instead headed out into the countryside. Vang Vieng gets a bad rap for being a place of drunken debauchery but once outside the town it is beautiful.
We made our way through perhaps the hottest part of the day to a place called the Blue Lagoon. After an hour of cycling we found it but were sad to see that it wasn't a lagoon and it wasn't blue. Before taking a dip we decided to explore a nearby cave. Once back down the very steep muddy steps we took a plunge in the stream. It was very refreshing and it was great to escape the oppressive heat.
On our route back to town we stopped at a small roadside stall for a drink. The owners were very friendly and gave us a huge plate of freshly picked pineapple for free. We then had a chat about the world cup and helped them fill in their wall chart. He explained that the recent storm had knocked out his satellite television so passers by were his only access to the scores.
The source of much envy
Once back in town and having dropped off the bikes I had a sudden urge to float down the river on an old tractor inner tube stopping at several riverside bars on the way and trying to injure myself on deathslides or a high trapeze. My mind was made up and we swiftly got changed and raced down to the tubing head quarters. We signed our lives away and had numbers written on our hands in indelible ink. Presumably to aid in the identification of the body after drowning. To be fair most accidents occur when there is a copious amount of alcohol consumed along the way. Due to my "expert" budgeting I only had enough kip left for 2 beers after I had paid for the tubes and the deposit. I looked on the brightside; atleast we wouldn't be hungover for the journey to Luang Prabang.
We rocked up at the entry point to the river. The place was heaving with kids getting smashed on buckets of happy whiskey or space mojitos. By chance we met up with a couple who were on our bus for the border crossing into Laos. They looked genuinely pleased to see us but they had been drinking for most of the day. Krystal (I think that is how she spells her name) took photo evidence of us with our tubes and in the water but we have since been unable to locate her on facebook. You will just have to take our word that we did it. I do have proof in the form of the obligatory singlet which nearly every traveller, worth their salt, owns (Sorry Paul).
We returned safely and even got our deposit back. As we handed our tubes in we bumped into a couple with whom we had watched the England match a couple of nights before. We had made rough plans to meet up but it couldn't have worked out any better. By chance they had booked into the same guest house and even had the room next door. After a very busy day we spent a while on our balcony catching up with our journals and the blog - not a bad office! We then joined our new friends (Paul and Hannah) for some beers and several games of tête de merde on their adjacent balcony.
Let's hope our offices when we return home have a view as good as this!
Our accommodation had a great view of the Mekong however the Mekong we saw was running rather fast and very deep. Three days prior to our arrival there had been a massive storm which had caused the river to swell considerably. I asked the guest house owner if it was safe to take part in the tubing. She said "no"! This was a slight concern, because as travellers to South East Asia will be aware the people of this region very rarely say "no".
We took her advice and the next day we rented bikes to explore the area. I was given a lovely little pink one with a basket on the front. Kate's was red. I was jealous. I wasn't really, I secretly loved my little pink bike but don't tell anyone.
We avoided the town centre full of pretty young things nursing monster hangovers crashed out in front of pirated episodes of Friends and instead headed out into the countryside. Vang Vieng gets a bad rap for being a place of drunken debauchery but once outside the town it is beautiful.
We made our way through perhaps the hottest part of the day to a place called the Blue Lagoon. After an hour of cycling we found it but were sad to see that it wasn't a lagoon and it wasn't blue. Before taking a dip we decided to explore a nearby cave. Once back down the very steep muddy steps we took a plunge in the stream. It was very refreshing and it was great to escape the oppressive heat.
On our route back to town we stopped at a small roadside stall for a drink. The owners were very friendly and gave us a huge plate of freshly picked pineapple for free. We then had a chat about the world cup and helped them fill in their wall chart. He explained that the recent storm had knocked out his satellite television so passers by were his only access to the scores.
The source of much envyOnce back in town and having dropped off the bikes I had a sudden urge to float down the river on an old tractor inner tube stopping at several riverside bars on the way and trying to injure myself on deathslides or a high trapeze. My mind was made up and we swiftly got changed and raced down to the tubing head quarters. We signed our lives away and had numbers written on our hands in indelible ink. Presumably to aid in the identification of the body after drowning. To be fair most accidents occur when there is a copious amount of alcohol consumed along the way. Due to my "expert" budgeting I only had enough kip left for 2 beers after I had paid for the tubes and the deposit. I looked on the brightside; atleast we wouldn't be hungover for the journey to Luang Prabang.
We rocked up at the entry point to the river. The place was heaving with kids getting smashed on buckets of happy whiskey or space mojitos. By chance we met up with a couple who were on our bus for the border crossing into Laos. They looked genuinely pleased to see us but they had been drinking for most of the day. Krystal (I think that is how she spells her name) took photo evidence of us with our tubes and in the water but we have since been unable to locate her on facebook. You will just have to take our word that we did it. I do have proof in the form of the obligatory singlet which nearly every traveller, worth their salt, owns (Sorry Paul).
We returned safely and even got our deposit back. As we handed our tubes in we bumped into a couple with whom we had watched the England match a couple of nights before. We had made rough plans to meet up but it couldn't have worked out any better. By chance they had booked into the same guest house and even had the room next door. After a very busy day we spent a while on our balcony catching up with our journals and the blog - not a bad office! We then joined our new friends (Paul and Hannah) for some beers and several games of tête de merde on their adjacent balcony.
Let's hope our offices when we return home have a view as good as this!
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