With a day of tubing planned with everyone last night, we presumed everyone would have a different idea today. But we all pulled together and set off to the tubing station. After we had signed away any right to sue we were boarded onto a tuk tuk and taken to the first bar. You may have heard about tubing in Vang Vieng, it is the main attraction for travelers in Laos.... And how 21 people died in 2012. Since then it is much more regulated and the bars have calmed down (we can't imagine what they were like before if this was calm). The main aim of the day is a 4 bar crawl but instead of walking between bars, you float down river on a tractor inner tube. When you get to the bar, they throw you out a rope and drag you in. The first bar greeted us with whiskey shots and a game of musical tubes. The first beer was a struggle but after two we were all well oiled. The next three bars amused us all with beer pong, basketball, a football match and dancing until dark. The atmosphere was awesome and nobody wanted to leave until the end, meaning that you would not get back your full deposit as you have to be back by 6pm....so planned. The one rule of tubing is to not tube in the dark, so tuk tuks are there ready and waiting at bar 4 at around 7pm. After the final bar, there is about an hour of tubing to complete but not many people do this.
One thing we have to mention about Vang Vieng is the sandwich situation. Anything you like in a warm baguette, the daily staple. Matt's favourite...bacon, ham, cheese, chicken, salad, chilli and mayo. Just what a beer belly needs.
Back at the hostel, everybody planned to go out....nobody made it.
We love Vang Vieng!
M & C xxxx