Hey everyone, Lucy here. Firstly, sorry we have been somewhat behind in updating the blog, something I thought I could quickly do now, but I seem to have selected a computer with the worst keyboard ever!

So, back to March 24th, when we left Vientiane and travelled about three/four hours by bus to the small town of Vang Vieng. It is a strange place, as it is surrounded by mountains and stunning countryside, yet the town itself is soo touristy, developed simply for travellers who go there to go tubing. It's a very simple activity, you sit in the inner tyre tube of a tractor and float down the river, stopping from time to time when people throw out a length of bamboo and pull you into their riverside bar, complete with loud music and various rope swings. We settled into a guesthouse and went for some food in one of the numerous bars which have raised platforms to sit on with cushions while they show episodes of Friends on repeat. Sophie, you would love it! We went to a riverside bar and went back there later via a pretty precarious wooden bridge.

Next day we did an organised group trip to some caves, one of which we tubed inside. All good until I lost my flip flop and had the whole group looking for it in the dark...next time will but a brighter colour than brown. Luckily it floated through the cave and I found it further up. After a good lunch we went kayaking, which was really cool. Not exactly an extreme sport version, as it's dry season and it was very shallow, but it was really nice to float through down the river and enjoy the scenery. We then went through the tubing part of the river and Ben did a rope swing. I was less worried about his safety than whether I managed to capture a photo of it, having had Ben's sarcastic comments about the likelihood of me achieving it, and how he wouldn't do it again if I failed....blah blah blah. That night we went back to Smile bar and met up with an Irish guy from our trip, and two Irish girls, Lisa and Karen. To cut a long story short, after much deliberation we had decided to leave the next morning rather than stay a whole extra day just to go tubing. However, we then drank some buckets and chatted to the Irish people and next thing we knew we'd decided to stay and Ben had thrown our bus ticket on the bonfire we were conveniently stood right next to. Good one.

This is turning into a long entry considering we did hardly anything! On Wednesday we met Lisa and Karen and went tubing all afternoon. Got pretty drunk, was home by 6 and didn't go out for dinner...Though I've decided that at least having an evening hangover meant I was ok for the journey the next morning!

And that's Vang Vieng, a thriving tourist attraction thanks to someone realising the fun combination of alcohol and a lazy river.

Next stop Luang Phabang! x x