After a 5hour twisty minibus journey over the mountains we arrived in Vang Vieng. As Lauren had already been a couple of years ago she knew what to expect. Not that it really took much getting used to! There was one main street with a number of bars and restaurants. Even better, many of these bars and restaurants showed reruns of the comedy Friends! They had lots of comfy chairs and cushions so you could lounge around for hours watching Friends. What more could we ask for for a few days of relaxation!

The best thing about Vang Vieng had definitely got to be the tubing. Now let me explain - tubing is where you rent a rubber ring for the day, you float down the river in so ring getting hauled into bars along the way. On finishing the drink you get back into your ring and float merrily down the river on to the next bar. Along the way are various death slides and swings going out accross the water. We started the tubing off with a nice organic mojito - thats got to be healthy right? Its organic! They even put it in a plastic bag for you with a straw so you can drink as you float. Now thats practical! At the begining I must admit I was slightly wary of the death defying swings out across the river, however, after a few buckets for dutch courage I was jumping of that swing and soaring across the sky! It was so much fun!

Anyway we must have got a bit caught up at the bars because before we knew it it was 6 o clock (when our rings were due back) and we were still floating down the river miles from the end. It was getting dark and beginning to rain. Aha. We scrambled to the edge of the river, retrieved our rings and went in search of a tuk tuk to take us back to the ring rental store. At the begining of the day we had to give a note of all our details and given a number. I'm sure this must be to identify passed out/drowned tubers. Who knows eh? Anyway we made it back safely and good news for us, we didn't even get fined for bringing our tubes back late.

The next few days were pretty much the same. We ended up organising our visas for Vietnam through an office in Vang Vieng which meant we had to stick around until they were ready. As it decided to rain constantly we spent a lot of time in the Friends cafes. I did not mind this at all. I can happily sit watching Friends for hours on end! We planned to go tubing again 3days in a row but each time it rained so those plans were scrapped.

On our last day we decided to try out a traditional Thai massage. I had no idea what to expect! It was quite an experience, not quite like mum's massages at home. First we were given bright hawaain shorts to wear. We were then bundled into a room with everyone else receiving massages. I lay down on the mattress on the floor and the guy got to work. All the masseurs were constantly talking amongst themselves and giggling, I hate to think what about?! There were a lot of funny moves in there and weird stretches too. He would bend my legs and arms into positions I'm not quite sure they're supposed to go in. The man next to me was fast asleep and snoring really loudly. He then farted and they all giggled furiously for the next 20mins! I thought massages were supposed to be peaceful! Anyway it was a pretty strange massage, even more so for Lauren who kept getting kissed on the forehead by her woman?! Funnily enough I came away from the massage feeling really relaxed.

Now out of all the places we've visited I would never have thought we would meet the most people in Laos, let alone a small place called Vang Vieng in Laos. It was madness, there were so many people travelling. This was great as we got to meet new friends. Learnt a number of new drinking games too which will always come in handy! At night everyone would head to the Smile Bar. Here there was bonfires, music and dancing and was a lot of fun.

We had a great time in Vang Vieng. Fair enough it was not the most cultural place we have been, but it was great for a few days to completely chill out, meet lots of people and have a good time. I love Vang Vieng!