Chapter 17 - Vang Vieng, Laos

Quite possibly the greatest place on planet Earth...

It was a nasty night-time public bus out of Luang Prabang. They pack them so tight that people sit on little plastic chairs in the aisle. I had a guy falling asleep against my legs and could almost feel my muscle tissue dying from lack of blood. Therefore, I couldn't get any sleep. There was also the added stress of being on a road that is known for "bandit" attacks against tourists. Every time the bus stopped I was suspiciously looking for anyone with an AK-47. Thats no joke, I really had this on my mind for the entire bus ride. At three in the morning the bus arrived in Vang Vieng in darkness. I found a guest house and went to sleep. In the morning I looked out my window and saw these mountains.

Right away I knew I'd like it here. This town looks like a boomtown from the old west. There are people traveling through and those who don't want to leave (myself included). There is a sleepy laziness in town that keeps the daily agenda simple. Eat breakfast, go tubing on the river, watch the sunset, drink some beer, go to bed (repeat as necessary). I will give you all a "virtual" day in Vang Vieng.

Check in at the Riverside guest house. It is beside the river.

This is your bungalow. Its a little pricey at $5.80 a night, but go ahead, you're worth it.

For $3.50 you get this tube for the day. Included in the price is the Tuk Tuk ride upriver about two kilometers.

Hop in the water and don't worry about any rapids. This is the slowest river you will ever see.

Enjoy the scenery of the cliffs and trees that grow out of sheer rock faces. (This looks much better in person)

Although you are on a river in northern Laos, you hear loud music up ahead. Its reggae...Peter Tosh..."Legalize It". Hmmmm. Then you see people swinging in the air from a rope swing. You are now eagerly paddling your tube to get to the shore as quickly as possible.

You think to yourself "This place is why I bought a backpack!"

You climb the tree where the rope swings lauches and enjoy the view downstream.

Ahead of you is a young lady going down the zip line.

You watch the guy in front of you go on the rope swing which is much faster and allows a dismount at about 25 feet in the air. People who make bad landings are met with groans and applause. Misfortune for others is so much fun.Its your turn now, you grab the rope handlebar and and go to jump. Then you realize that you should not bring your digital camera along for the ride. You feel stupid. You are stupid. Climb back down and give your camera to someone else, then you go. Damn you look cool.

A short hike from the bar toward the mountain leads to a rocky path up to a cave entrance.
It looks spooky. You cry for a while. At least nobody back home will know.

Emboldened by others going into the tunnel you follow. The tunnel is huge. In some areas you could have a small football game. Other areas have a ceiling that is as high as a concert arena. To your dismay, none of the pictures you take come out. People will just have to trust you or come here themselves to see what you mean.

You find yourself envious of the employee of the bar. He works in paradise and seems happy, despite no health benefits or 401K plan.

When your tube finally gets back to town you rest by the river with a famous Beer Lao.


The sun is going down so you walk your tube back to the rental hut.

______________End of Virtual Vacation___________

Tubing was my routine for four of the days I was in Vang Vieng. It never gets old.

One of the days that I broke from routine was when myself, an Israeli girl, and a Dutch guy took 4-wheel ATVs out for the day. Check out this gas station. Instead of a pump, they flip a jar of gas upside down and gravity pours the gas into your tank. It looks like an I.V. bag for your vehicle.

This roadside sign is a cool relic of Cold-War propaganda. Proud soldiers protecting Laos from the capitalist pigs. Those days seem to be gone. Now, the name of the game for Laos is to learn English and emulate the capitalist pigs.

We drove the ATVs north along the road known for bandit attacks. (not my idea) We went about 20km to a town called Phatang. This was not a touristic town. From the looks we got, I think they rarely saw tourists and had never seen an ATV.

Leading the way, the Dutch guy pulled right up onto a elementary school grounds and every kid started to run out and look at the "Fa-Long" (foreigners) on their strange buggys. I tried to get them to have a sit, but they were too bashful.

Being a teacher myself, I undertood that the teachers at this school were probably not happy with our interuption. I doubt I'd appreciate a bunch of tourists showing up in San Diego and walking in the classrooms taking pictures. I snapped this one of the chalkboard before I went back outside feeling a little guilty. After about ten minutes we took off.

As we left I realized that a crowd had gathered and they were all laughing and delighted by our visit. The kids loved us. The teachers probably didn't. I caught a glimpse of one of the teachers and he seemed annoyed, but also understanding of the fact that we weren't the last "Fa-long" to wander into his classroom. ____________________________________

Additional shots from around Vang Vieng.

I've been here a week now and I could probably stay another month. However the mission must continue. Tomorrow I go to the capital of Laos, Vientiane.

-Thank you Vang Vieng-