Laos Trip - Vang Vieng

Ok.. lets get back to our next destination from Luang Prabang..

Vang Vieng (Day 3)
After the ritual and breakfast. We head back to our hotel to pack up. It is time for us to move to another destination, Vang Vieng which is a 5 hours drive by a private van. If you opt to take a bus ride then it will be a 7 hours journey. So to save time we took a private van at 130,000 KIP per pax. The journey was still a long ride and not comfortable at all as the road was very bumpy. To make things worst it was a winding road. For 5 hours we went up hill, down hill, left and right turns. It was like riding a roller coaster as our body sways from left to right and vice versa. Finding a restroom on the way isn’t an easy task either. We have to hold on to our pee for almost an hour to reach our half way destination for lunch. The restaurant has quite some view actually and it made the journey a little worth it. How often you could have lunch with a spectacular mountain view with cold wind breezing through your hair. After 40 minutes stop, it is time to hit the roads again which took us another 1 and half hours drive to reach Vang Vieng.

Vang Vieng lies approximately 180km south of Luang Prabang. The town is nestled alongside the Nam Song River which winds its way through dramatic karsts of limestone mountain range. This is the place for adventurous tourist to stay as there were many activities you could choose from rock climbing to water rafting, jungle trekking to mountain caving and etc etc. As we reach the town we check into a guesthouse that costs 150,000 KIP per night. We are amazed that behind this guesthouse lies a wonderful limestone landscape with a river by the side. So cameras were pulled out and we start snapping away. As planned, we opt to stay here for a night before going to Vientiane city. Wasting no time we hit the town to see what it has. It was a quiet town. Not much tourist found. Not as happening and adventurous as we thought to ourselves.

We passes by a tour shop and ask what they could offer. Since it was late afternoon they say we could only take the river kayaking for 60,000 KIP. Manage to bargain till 50,000 KIP per pax. We will be kayaking for 8km downstream on the Nam Song River. This time the river flow will be calm with only a few minor rapid obstacles. We had to put away our cameras as we’re afraid we might fall into the river. Lucky for Ah Pao he has an underwater camera so he is the only one capturing the whole session and views. I was stunned by the landscape.

Half way through we suddenly hear loud music and people screaming. As we turn by the corner we’re amazed to see a lot of tourist partying by the riverside. Now we know where the tourists are. They were dancing and doing the Swing Jumping. It’s sort like bungee jumping but we’re suppose to let go ourselves and fall into the river. Very exciting indeed. As we move on I found that the kayak that Butt and I were riding is seeping in water. I think it got a crack when we bump into some rocks earlier on. We stop by the riverbanks to rest while the guide get it fixed. Butt and Pao wasted no time and do the Swing Jumping. They seem to enjoy it. Especially Ah Pao as he screams his lungs out. I did not try as I was afraid of the cold waters and I was already shivering. After 3 hours of kayaking we finally came to our last stop. By then it was already dark and we’re all exhausted.


After dinner we head back to our rooms to bath and rest. Since it was still early, a few of us went out to look for nightlife while Tracy and Sylvia went straight to sleep. As we walk, loud music could be heard. A western tourist highly recommended us to try out the Bucket Bar for a crazy night. So we did and hell it was packed. Think there were at least a hundred tourists partying in there and most of them are westerners. I think we’re the only Asian there. So the tourist only comes out in the night! We drank some whisky and beer while watching people dancing. Then we went to another bar called Q Bar. Not so happening as Bucket bar but still it played some good tunes. Getting late and slightly drunk we head back to sleep. We’ll need to head down to Vientiane city early next day. How we wish to stay another night here but too bad we had already purchase the bus tickets.

Stay tune for Vientiane city....