Laos: Vang Vieng

Before we could reach Laos, Liv and I had to complete The Journey of Doom. This was 24 hours of travel consisting of: a minibus ride from Sapa to the train station (during which the driver played one and a half songs from some 80s Australian pop band on repeat – we almost went mad), a night train to Hanoi, a taxi to the airport, a plane to Laos, a taxi to the “bus station” then a five-hour minibus ride from Vientiane to Vang Vieng. Never again!

The official "bus station" of Vientaine (the capital city of Laos). Note the yellow plastic bag of beersies - here we see drivers and supervisors in the middle of an afternoon session.

Laos is comparative to New Zealand in that it is sparsely populated, very green and has cool mountains and rivers. Our first stop, Vang Vieng, reminded me of the movie The Beach, in which a group of young people live in isolated paradise until two get fatally bitten by a shark and ruin the fun. Vang Vieng gained notoriety in 2011/12 when there was a government crackdown following the river-tubing related deaths of 27 tourists in a single year. We’ll get to river tubing soon. Despite the crackdown, there still seemed to be absolutely no rules. You are responsible for staying alive in Vang Vieng; no one is going to stop you from doing the many fun (and dangerous) things that may be outside of your capabilities.

A fun swing bridge.

Vang Vieng is the kind of place young people go to for a few days, then end up staying for a few years, emerging at the age of 30 with dreadlocks, tattoos, a peaceful aura and no memories (there were a lot of drugs - openly available from bar menus). Located within the mountains, Vang Vieng also offers an array of super cheap outdoor activities including hiking, motorbiking, kayaking, tubing, swimming and caving. I would expect it to develop into a more well-known tourist destination in the next ten years.

The Blue Lagoon - where people who can't swim are rescued by those who can. No one can resist a rope swing.

On our first night, Liv and I tested out the party scene, including the infamous Sakura Bar. Sakura is pretty much the worst place in the world to be if you are sober, but one of the best places to be if you are not. It is crammed full of young people of various nationalities wearing singlets and glitter, jumping up and down on a rickety wooden stage in the centre of the bar. Weirdly, there was one rule that required Sakura to close at 12pm, but this was OK because other bars down the street were, for some inexplicable reason, allowed to stay open. Most bars in Vang Vieng, including Sakura, gave out singlets when you purchased a certain number of drinks (one or two), so for the rest of your travels you can let everyone around you know where you've been (others can then make an informed decision as to whether to give you a fist bump or avoid you). 

Our favourite restaurant was home to a group of mangy cats, effectively making it a cat cafe. Here, sensing my desperation for their attention, the kittens opt to sit next to Liv. 

On our second day in Laos, Liv and I went river tubing. This extremely fun activity involves getting in a tube wearing a barely functional life jacket (I swear every single life jacket in Asia is broken) and floating down a river for a few hours with a group. We were with a group of guys from Japan who couldn’t swim. Our guide was 15. As you float down the river, bars (read, wooden decks over the river with plastic tables, cocktails and beer) throw out ropes and pull you in, because floating is thirsty work.

Our river tubing crew. We all survived.

There were only two bars left on the river. Presumably the others had been removed during the great government crackdown. The second bar was equipped with a volleyball court and a zipline that went right across the river. We were taught how to zipline by a group of small boys (~7-12) who then joined us for a game of volleyball. After a while, they got tired and went for a cigarette break. Did you read that correctly? Yes. A group of tiny kids went for a smoke, enabled by the adult at the bar who gave them a pack. In an act of innocence and generosity, one kid offered us his cigarettes. No, thank you. 

  

That evening, we met up with Eric and his friends on their Contiki tour for a second night of party scene investigation and singlet collecting. This severely  impacted our experience the next day in a very negative way, as Liv and I attempted to participate in a full day tour of kayaking, cave tubing, hiking and swimming.

Provided you can swim, I would definitely recommend visiting Vang Vieng. 

Next stop, Vientiane! 

Bonus scenic river shot.