Vang Vien & Vietiane, Laos, SE Asia
5 hours South of Luang Prabang through winding roads in & around the beautiful limestone peaks of Laos, stands a small town called Vang Vien. Vang Vien has been put on the backpacker trail but the numerous activities surrounding the town - kayaking, mountain climbing, cycling, tubing etc....
The main strip is filled with internet cafes, restaurants and travel shops. The Lonely Planet says that you will either love it or loathe it, but in my case I loved it. After walking around Luang Prabang for days soaking wet, we needed a few days of relaxation to get over coughs & colds and the fact that we had run around every day like loonies. So, restaurants that constantly showed Friends repeats with comfy seats was a blessing in disguise. When we had had enough of Friends episodes, hammocks along the river with refreshing fruit shakes was an excellent alternative.
There is no way you can come to Vang Vien and not experience the new sporting phenomenon of tubing. We booked a trip that first took us to 4 caves which were pitch black (we had head torches but most of them didn't work!), but had cool stalactites and stalagmites all around the caves, sparkling with salt crystals. The 4th cave was filled with water so we got to hop into a tube (big rubber ring) and glide through the cave which was a great way to cool down from the stinking heat.
After a short trek we reached Organic Farm, the launch pad for the tubing. Tubing basically means floating downstream for 2 to 3 hours and stopping off and the various makeshift bars for a Beer Lao or 2, and swinging from ropes and landing in the river. There are loads of people tubing down the river with music booming from the various bars. So much fun, if you are in this part of the world with beautiful scenery to stare at whilst lazily making your way downstream. Lots of fun, and yet again, you get very, very wet.
After 4 days in Vang Vien (extended from 2 days - it's too relaxing!), we caught the bus to Vietiane, the capital of Laos. Only 1 night planned for here because it's not a place people tend to rave about, and oh my Buddha, were they correct! This place is dead, there's hardly any traffic on the streets (and for an Asian capital city this is a rarity), no sites worth seeing, except the Pha That Luang (the most important monument in Laos), and the main street was a building site with half the road dug up! It was without a doubt the dullest place I have been to in 7 months, thankfuly, we only had 1 morning here before flying to Hanoi, Vietnam...
The main strip is filled with internet cafes, restaurants and travel shops. The Lonely Planet says that you will either love it or loathe it, but in my case I loved it. After walking around Luang Prabang for days soaking wet, we needed a few days of relaxation to get over coughs & colds and the fact that we had run around every day like loonies. So, restaurants that constantly showed Friends repeats with comfy seats was a blessing in disguise. When we had had enough of Friends episodes, hammocks along the river with refreshing fruit shakes was an excellent alternative.
There is no way you can come to Vang Vien and not experience the new sporting phenomenon of tubing. We booked a trip that first took us to 4 caves which were pitch black (we had head torches but most of them didn't work!), but had cool stalactites and stalagmites all around the caves, sparkling with salt crystals. The 4th cave was filled with water so we got to hop into a tube (big rubber ring) and glide through the cave which was a great way to cool down from the stinking heat.
After a short trek we reached Organic Farm, the launch pad for the tubing. Tubing basically means floating downstream for 2 to 3 hours and stopping off and the various makeshift bars for a Beer Lao or 2, and swinging from ropes and landing in the river. There are loads of people tubing down the river with music booming from the various bars. So much fun, if you are in this part of the world with beautiful scenery to stare at whilst lazily making your way downstream. Lots of fun, and yet again, you get very, very wet.
After 4 days in Vang Vien (extended from 2 days - it's too relaxing!), we caught the bus to Vietiane, the capital of Laos. Only 1 night planned for here because it's not a place people tend to rave about, and oh my Buddha, were they correct! This place is dead, there's hardly any traffic on the streets (and for an Asian capital city this is a rarity), no sites worth seeing, except the Pha That Luang (the most important monument in Laos), and the main street was a building site with half the road dug up! It was without a doubt the dullest place I have been to in 7 months, thankfuly, we only had 1 morning here before flying to Hanoi, Vietnam...
posted by Lou @ 7:59 am
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