I survived tubing in Vang Vieng...phew!

There is only one word to describe Vang Vieng. Wild! This town is out of control on so many different levels.

We arrived here at about 7pm on the night of the 6th. After wondering around for a bit trying to find a guesthouse that was cheap and clean we were approached by a guy limpin with both feet bandaged up. He told us he was staying in a nice place with 3 beds (two of his friends left that day) and he wanted to see if we wanted to stay in the room. After debating for a minute we decided to at least check out the room. It was cramped! Smallest 3-bed room I have ever seen. So Heidi and I said thanks but no thanks and found a guesthouse just a few yards away. However, Jay, our injured friend told us what was up with the town, the parties, the tubing, and how to not get injured.

Tubing starts around 1 pm, most people don’t get a tube and they just swim bar crawl down the river. Also the party at night doesn’t end until around 4 am. If we were interested he told us where to get opium shakes, mushroom shakes, and anything else we wanted, but just be careful when buying weed off the street because undercover cops try to catch you and make you pay up to $700 on the spot, or be whisked off to a 3 month jail sentence. Well Mom and Dad, you would be glad to know that no opium, mushroom, or any other kind of drug shake was drank during my time here.

That night, we went to check out a bar called the Bucket Bar. It is exactly what it sounds like a bar that sells drinks in beach buckets. It got pretty crazy there. We only stayed until 11ish because I am sick, and Heidi doesn’t drink. We were both still a little tired from our 7 hour bus ride here from Vientiane. There were lots of people around who looked like our gimp friend Jay. Limping, bandaged arms, eyes, wrists, legs, etc. Shit what is this river going to be like???

Heidi and I decided to get a tube each, I don’t think either one of us was ready for an all day drinking binge. Once again, I am sick. She doesn’t drink. So we met a group of 6 people on our tuk tuk on the way to the start of the river and they were basically on the same page we were. Stop at a few bars along the way, have a couple of drinks, but not get too drunk, because let’s face it, (this may sound boring to all you young and crazies) I am far too old and know way better than to get completely shit faced and tube down a river for 4 hours. I think I would rather die a different death.

The river was INSANE. You get there and the first bar was PACKED full of people. There is a rope swing insanely high, and the drop off is really close to a huge boulder, thanks but I think ill wait for a smaller rope swing. We found it at bar number 4 along the river. I believe it was called Sunrise Bar. The bars are about 50 meters apart down the river for a good 500 meters or so. Rope Swings or zip lines were at most of the bars as well as free shots for going. As you are tubing along the guys who work the bars throw a rope out to your tube for them to reel you in with. A great system. People were flying off the zip lines, flipping off rope swings, landing on all parts of their body in all sorts of really painful positions. There was a slide that threw you off into the water from far too high that everyone said knocked the wind out of them when they landed. Ill pass. Wow- I sound like a lame granny huh?? However I will say that I came out injury free, which is more than a good 50% of the people who go can say.

After going all the way down the river (most people don’t attempt this) and running to the tube rental place to have it back by 6pm in order to get our deposit back we were absolutely exhausted. I felt like shit, was losing my voice, had a terrible cough and was sneezing up a storm yet still thought I would be good to go rock climbing outside the following day. WRONG. I woke up in the morning and thought I may or may not die, so I passed on the rock climbing, and while Heidi went on a Kayak day trip I stayed in bed and watched two bootleg movies I bought in Vietnam.

It is probably a great thing that I was not 100% while here. I may have gotten a bit out of control like every one else around me where the party is 24/7. I will say that this is by far the most chilled out place I have ever been. The restaurants all play Friends, The Simpsons, or Family Guy all day long from open to close. People gather at the restaurant, chill out, recover from their hangovers, or their day on the river, and prepare for another massive night ahead of them. Many of the people we talked to while here said they have been here for 2 weeks with no intentions of leaving. This town will trap you. Like I said really chilled out place.

Tomorrow we are heading to Luang Prabang on supposedly a 8 hour bus trip, however if it is anything like our other buses it will probably be more like 10 hours.