Vang Vieng is a town with a split personality.

The bus ride there was great, as the scenery was so dramatic: lush trees and huge towering mountains. As we arrived at the edge of town, there was a dusty road with a few hotels and restaurants leading to town. The bus stopped at a resort we had been recommended to stay at, so we checked in. Unfortunately all of their bungalows were full, so we took a huge room in the hotel for one night and then would move to a bungalow the next day, as these were a little cheaper and you got your own balcony.

The resort was next to the Nam Song River, so we went in for a swim. The current was really strong, but the local fishermen and children made it look easy! There was a bridge near our resort, which you had to pay to cross, but on the other side you had the choice of various caves and lagoons to visit.

It would be quite possible to visit Vang Vieng, stay where we stayed, visit the caves and lagoons, take days trips to do kayaking or rock climbing, and never know that this town had another personality. For once you walk further into town, you start to see the masses of hung over teenagers (not so many at the moment, as it's off season) lounging in bars watching 'Friends' or 'Family Guy' and you realise they have been partying hard somewhere nearby.....

As it was Graham's Birthday whilst we were there, we had arranged to meet some friends (Lorna and Blair). They were arriving on the afternoon on Graham's birthday, so we decided to save the 'tubing' (will explain later for those of you confused) for the next day, so all 4 of us could go. So, we went to the Aussie Bar for breakfast and met a well seasoned 'tuber' who was eager to go again with us tomorrow and show us the ropes. We then hired a motorbike for the day and tried all of the free bridges, but got lost, so paid to go over the main bridge and headed for the Tham Phu Kham cave and Blue Lagoon. We stopped to get petrol, from a lady selling it on the side of the road from an optix (see photo's) and eventually arrived. I have never seen fresh water so crystal clear in my life before. You could see hundreds of fish swimming around and ir was so inviting. It was fairly early, so few people were there, so we could play on the swings and jump from the tree with only 4 other people there. The water was freezing, which was just what we needed in the heat. Later, we went into the cave. I love the lack of health and safety here - we just hired a torch and went climbing and exploring bu ourselves. It was such an amazing day.

Later, we met up with our friends and with some others we had met during the day, for drinks for Graham's Birthday. We had all good intentions of getting home at a reasonable hour and in a reasonable state, but in Vang Vieng it's easy to get side tracked. Lorna and Blair bought Graham a Vietnamese hat and wrote 'Birthday Boy' on it, and I brought some balloons along, so this caused some attention and lots of free shots for Graham! The cocktail buckets (yes, like oyu get at the seaside) are really cheap here and the alcoholic content creeps up on you suddenly - needless to say we left the Aussie Bar at closing, ad then went to a further 3 outdoor bars/nightclubs on the other side of the river, including the 'Limbo Bar' where they set on fire the limbo pole! (The last thing you need when everyone's drunk!) Don't worry, we didn't have a go - I wouldn't let Graham do it! All night we kept having strong, sharp, short showers, but most people didn't seem to care. We managed to stay dry until the last bar. We did find shelter, but then the power went off, so eventually me and Graham decided to brave the rain and walk home. We got drenched, but it was still so warm!

The next morning we felt rough, but made it to meet our friends in town. Unfortunately Blair was really ill, so we changed our onward bus ticket to the day later, planned to go tubing the next day, and just went back to bed! The next day, however, Lorna was really ill, so we headed off tubing by ourselves. You pay for a very large rubber ring (tube) and a tuk tuk takes you and many others a few miles up stream to the starting point. You then float down river, stopping at bars along the way. (They throw you a rope to drag you in!) Most bars have some kind of big swing, slide or zipwire, that you can use if you buy a drink. We met another guy, Ben, who floated along with us and took photos and videos of Graham on the slides etc, so hopefully we shall get some of these from him, as we didn't take our camera. I didn't go on any as they are all so high up and I didn't fancy plunging head first into dirty river water! I did join in the mud volleyball though, and the mud fight which we had afterwards. Eventually we got to the end, withour tubes (you have to be careful of people stealing them, as you loose a huge deposit) but we were after 6pm so had to pay a 'late' fine. (Theey really know how to make money out of tourists here). Saying that though, we did have a very nive experience in one of the restaurants, when the owner only charged us for our steaks and said we could have our starter and drinks for free!

I'd love to have seen this town a few years ago, but you've gotta hand it to them - they've given Laos something to be famous for!

Maggie x