Vang ving
There isn't a lot to write about this one, we went for two reasons and they where to go tubing and to party!
We stayed 2 nights at a nice little hostel nowhere near the clubs and pubs because we do need to sleep too!
But I should start by saying the palaver we had to get here.....we took the bus from Vientiane and it broke down half way, after an hour sat in the middle of nowhere waiting for the engine to cool down off we went again, until another hour down the road we stopped again, a few people stopped other buses to take them as they had planes to catch. But we are on a budget and cannot afford to pay for two bus rides today so we sat and waited. We had some fruit and a drink from the market and again an hour later the engine cooled and we where off. Only to stop a few miles up the road we knew we where not that far now so we thought it would be just a case of cooling the engine but no a Laos guy tells us that the driver has called for a replacement bus to come and get us so we unfortunately need to just sit and wait. We had stopped literally in the middle of nowhere surrounded by houses and obviously everyone came out to stare at the bus load of westerners! The driver was filling bottles with water for the engine and 5 mins later he was gone that was the last we saw of him and we all sat there like muppetts for 2 hours and still no bus. The Lao guy who had interpreted earlier called his friend in Vang Ving to find out if anyone was coming for us turned out no one was coming to get us. So we all got our bags out of the coach and sat by the side of the road waiting for any vehicle to pass, we didn't have long to wait as there was 2 of us and most people where travelling in groups. The Lao guy did all the talking with the drivers to get it as cheap as possible in the end we paid £2 for the extra journey. We where in an open tuk tuk full of locals doing there shopping as well as a couple from Italy, he was a real poser and had an ancient camcorder which is actually very cool but he was filing the locals without there consent which I find a bit horrible, we have taken pictures off the locals but we always ask first and normally end up posing for lots as they like to see them!
We got to Vang Ving early evening and again had not booked anywhere but we are equipped with our travel guide and knew a few places to try.
Once we had accommodation sorted we went in search of the famous party scene!
It was pretty early when we got to the main part of town and the kids (seriously most where around 18 or19, Herman and I must have been the oldest people in town!) where wasted already - there was vomit and god knows what in the road. When we sat for dinner a guy went passed stood on the roof of a tuk tuk and another guy walked past us covered in some serious cuts and grasses obviously from the tubing.I think it may be impossible to buy a drink in a glass here they only seem to come in a bucket, which is very cool, we had a few vodka and cokes and a reasonably early night.
Next day after breakfast we walked along the river checking how fast tye water was Herman debated if it was too expensive to go, I didn't want to go as epilepsy, alcohol and fast moving water are not a good mix! In the end he went he left at 2pm and they say 2-3 hours down the route stopping at the bars on the way is plenty of time, so by 10pm I was starting to stress that something had happened. As I was getting ready to go down to the tubing office in he walks absolutely soaking wet and absolutely paralytic and minus his t shirt! (sorry Corrie) Talking the most amazing amount of gibberish ever spoken he tries to tell me about his adventures, first how he made 2 new friends then lost one when she went off with other people never too be seen again, between him and the other guy they lost a tube, fell over numerous times (with cuts to prove it) and rescued a naked teenager! Then on the way back they stole someone else's tube as they didn't want to loose the deposit, but the tubes should have been back before 6pm so the shop was giving them grief but Herman with his alcohol bravery (!) was having none of it and him and the guy where arguing with them until they said the would call the police at which point they settled on half of the deposit money back and went to celebrate in the first bar they passed (never mind me expecting him back at least 4 hours ago?!) after a few beers he came back to tell me he was alive and did I want to go and meet his new just as drunk friends!!!
Sadly for Herman we had a very long bus journey the next morning so after waking at the crack of dawn as he thought he was going to die of thirst going to the shop across the road for water a bit more sleep and we waited for our pick up. (we did buy the obligatory 'I've been tubing in Vang Ving' t shirts - so if anyone asks if I had a good time I just tell them I cant remember it - just a little truth twisting!)