Vang Vieng: Tubing

The scenery on the way from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng is incredible! My spirit is soaring and I’m having one of those moments of clear thought where I am able to make sense of it all for a minute or two. Breaking it down to the simplest of terms, do what makes you happy and avoid doing anything that doesn’t make you happy. Assuming man is inherently good, he can simply use his own happiness as a compass, directing him how to live. Could it be that simple? Damn, I lost it…this road is too windy, and I’m feeling ill.





Vang Vieng has a strange appeal. Initially you would think that people are here for the natural beauty of the place. Towering cliffs rise up above the dusty streets and picturesque rivers wind through the valleys. The truth is, most tourists are here to go tubing, party, or sit back and watch Friends reruns at one of several dozen cushioned restaurants. Very strange indeed...









In the evening, we walked around town and came across a big local festival. We felt like the only tourists there, which probably isn’t too far from the truth. Most everyone else is yucking it up at the Central Perk.



We decided to call it an early night and return to our room to watch some TV. I watched part of Transformers, and felt dumber for having done so. Hollywood has just about perfected the formula for the summer blockbuster mindsuck. I can’t wait to see what nuggets of genius they come up with next ;)

In the morning, we prepared for another grueling day of travel by checking our email and eating breakfast next to a cat basking in the sun.



Today is tubing day. We assembled our group of trekkers and began the long float. About 100 meters from the launch is the first bar, followed by another 10 or so bars every couple hundred meters…so much for tubing. This place looks more like spring break in Cancun. It just seems wrong to find this in the middle of Laos.







Even though we were all very cynical about the whole thing, we still partook in the activities to some extent and had a good time. The rope swings and slide were a little extreme for my liking, but Darcy enjoyed.









We floated on and took it all in…the undercurrents in the water, the detail of the cliffs above, the haze in the valleys, the sheen on the water, the light reflecting off cotton in the air. The whole environment is very surreal. I can hardly believe it is real. But then, off in the distance it can be heard…techno from the next bar. Grumble! This place has been ruined by tourists.





After returning our tubes, we parked at a bar next door and sipped Beer Lao while watching the injured return from battle. It would appear that the rocks, logs, or pure stupidity won this battle. These people are so out of it, they don’t even care. They just tie a plastic bag over their swollen, pussing ankle, limp back to the tube, and have one of their mates mark another notch on their tally of days tubing. Sad, but great entertainment for the peanut gallery…



The night ended with the guys trying to find a pint of Guinness (unsuccessfully) and the girls drinking a bucket of something around a campfire and dancing. What is it about women and dancing? It must be one of those universal female bonds.





According to our TAT itinerary, we are supposed to leave for Vientiane tomorrow, but we are having such a good time with Deirdre, John, Trevor, and Kelsey that I think we might stay another night.

See all our photos here.