Vang Vieng is a village only a few hours drive (on the most pot-holed road imaginable) from the capital and is a hot spot for backpackers where they can try a few of the local activities; tubing down the Mekong, caving and trekking; just a few of the excitements on offer. However, by the time we were on the road there was a turn in the weather and the rain set in for the next 3 days - that horrible, cold and grey rain that is constant though not torrential and soaks everything it touches. Unfortunately it made VV a bit of a literal washout. According to one of the locals there has been a real change in the weather ever since the tsunami earlier ths year. Just 2 weeks ago the town experienced its first ever hail storm and was pounded by pieces of ice weighing 2kg's. As a result all the palm roofs of the buildings have now been replaced with corrugated iron - spoiling the overall rural effect but a little safer. VV itself was something of a surprise to us - this is the Laos version of Benidorm on the Mekong! There can't be more than a 1000 local people living in this far flung village but each and every one of them is dedicated to the tourist trade. The town is no more than 2 streets by 2 streets in size but each is filled with bars and restaurants brightly decorated with neon lights. Seen as the relaxation point of Laos they have taken this to the limit and each of the restaurants has employed Chris's philosophy on a good meal "you should always be able to have a lie down afterwards" - there are raised platforms big enough for you to stretch out and covered in pillows and cushions for you to lie on and a small table just about tall enough to cover your knees. As the weather was bad we were happy to lay out for the day and watch almost the entire series of Friends which every restaurant seemed to be playing and the occasional movie or two. Overall though the weather has preventented us from doing anything for a couple of days and so VV has been a bit of a disappointment but thankfully not typical of Laos. We plan to head further north to Luang Prabang, the second city of Laos.