Vang Vieng, Laos

After a relatively painless 19 hour bus ride we arrived in one piece in Vang Vieng on the 17th. We have heard stories about Vang Vieng, but it's really a town that one must see to believe. The lazy Nam Song river snakes past the town, as giant limestone cliffs jut unexpectedly out of the landscape, overlooking the valley floor below. In stark contrast to the natural beauty of this place are the townspeople that inhabit Vang Vieng. Seemingly everyone who has "dropped out" of western society has managed to make there way into the heart of Laos and remained, which makes for some interesting interactions with slightly burnt-out--albeit friendly and peace-loving--hippies.

 View from a riverside restaurant our first night.

Upon arriving, we scouted out a clean, safe looking guest house. We found a peaceful place beside the river, however after a 90 degree night with no air conditioning, we opted to move into a slightly more expensive ($6 vs $12/night) place that had more desirable amenities, ie. a running toilet and AC.

From our new guesthouse, we decided to hit up the inner-tube scene that defines the Vang Vieng experience. The general premise is that you rent a tube, take a taxi a few miles up-stream, and float back down to town, stopping at various riverside bars along the way. This made for a fun day, that included exploring an enormous cave that sits beside the river. We made it back to town around dinnertime, got some pizza, and retired to our room to watch a movie and get some rest.

Branded by the "tubing mafia"

The first 100 yards of river is packed with makeshift bars, as well as scary looking ropeswings.

Preston the spelunker.

Not a bad day at all.

The sunset over Vang Vieng

Our peaceful night was interrupted by one of the most violent storms either of us has witnessed. Around midnight the gusting winds knocked out the power, rendering us AC and fan-less. An intense lighting storm soon followed, with lightening striking at 5 second intervals for hours, all accompanied by monsoon rainfall.

A relatively sleepless night last night has made for a lazy day today. We have been checking out the town, which only has one main road. We also booked the next leg of our trip, a 6 hour bus ride to Luang Prabang in Northern Laos, which starts tomorrow morning.

All in all, Vang Vieng has been fun, albeit hot and muggy, and we have our fingers crossed that the electricity will come back on before bed tonight!