Laos

Tubing the Vang Vieng river

A vacation is certainly not without its indulgences, and we have many.

Vang Vieng

This blog entry is a combination of all three destinations visited within Laos despite their hugely apparent differences. Our first stop was Vientiane, the sleepiest of all cities. With an 11:30pm curfew, the city did not fare better during the day. At least it allowed our bodies to refuel for our visit to Vang Vieng. In recent years, Vang Vieng has become a prime destination for young tourists. Imagine: floating down a river in a tube and being lured by bar patrons who hand operate ropes for pulleys. Once on deck, you are given bracelets and a shot of Lao Lao Whiskey. Even without tubes, we spent most of the days at the river sunbathing, drinking BeerLao and buckets, playing beersbie, sliding down large water slides, socializing, dancing, and playing with darts and oversized Jenga blocks. Our evenings consisted of restaurants which offered a menage et trois of luxury - pillowed beds for comfort seating, amazing food and an endless stream of 'Friends' episodes. Moreover, we frequented the hotspots for more buckets and ended the nights with roadside pancakes topped with Nutella and peanuts (Bee opted for banana). As if this tourist infested place does not already succeed at sucking you in, the scenery is also worth a visit - lush mountains, dark limestone caves, and a spectrum of oranges drip through the sky during sunset. Seriously, this is not real life (even though many tourists-turned-local-bar-staff have made it theirs). 

We left Vang Vieng and took a seven hour mini-bus ride up North to Luang Prabang. The influence of French Colonialism is apparent here at this UNESCO endowed World Heritage Site.  We visited Pak Ou Caves and the Kuang Si Waterfalls where we trekked to the top and then refreshed in the turquoise blue. Catapulting back into Night Market fervor, we also ate a buffet of street food, drank wine, played cards, and took part of Luang Prabang's most happening night activity: bowling. 

Pam  xx