The backpacker retreat known as Vang Vieng

Vang Vieng seems to be custom built for the entertainment of backpackers. As I understand this was the opium den capitol of Laos back in the day. Now the opium dens have been shut, but for anyone interested it is quite easy to find other recreational drugs. These are most often found in the form of Happy Pizzas and Banana Shakes. I heard one person describe it as a town for potheads built by potheads. But for those, like myself, not interested in such pursuits there is a multitude of other amusing and cheap activities around Vang Vieng

When we arrived in Vang Vieng we immediately ran into Ben, Paul and Dave lounging in a restaurant across from our guesthouse. The town was teeming with others from our slow boat voyage. Since Kirsten and I had not traveled directly to Vang Vieng from Luang Phabeng we were officially dubbed the "Phonsaven Girls".

The day after arriving in Vang Vieng we ganged up with some of the others from the slow boat and drifted down the river on tubes. I didn't take my camera out that day but I found this picture of other travelers doing the exact same thing. Along the banks of the river are make shift bars. Sometimes it is only a man and a cooler of Beer Lao but some of the places included cliff jumping and snacks. The whole experience could be best described as a river pub crawl on a tube.

On Sunday it was kayaking. We drove further up the river this time. After a short paddle we stopped to visit some caves. At the first, we entered through a deep stream at the mouth of the cave. We swam the first 10 metres through the cave before the water became shallow enough to stand. Our only light came from the small white candles that we were each given. Of course being that we were swimming and trying to hold a candle they went out frequently. We proceeded through the cave exploring the many passages sometimes wading, sometimes swimming and sometimes nearly crawling to get through the smaller spaces. Overall I was excessively proud of myself since I am generally quite adverse to caves of any sort.

After caving we enjoyed a delicious lunch of fried rice and BBQed skewers. We then we paddled leisurely down the river. Kirsten and I often found ourselves at the front of the pack so there were many opportunities for resting. Until some of the Israeli guys in our group would catch up and proceed to perfect their paddle splashing technique on us. Even with all the resting by the end of the day I was beat and shocked at how dramatically my fitness level has dropped since arriving in Asia.

Our third day in Vang Vieng was spent enjoying the comforts that the town provides to backpackers. Cheap laundry, banana shakes, email and DVDs. We met some great people through our kayaking trip and hung out with them at one of the many sunset bars on the banks of the river. It was nice to enjoy some easy going conversation that didn't hinge upon the wonders of the Laos drug scene.

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