Hello All,

Vang Vieng is AMAZING!!! We have had brilliant time here and probably should have moved on a few days ago but we just couldn't bring ourselves to say goodbye!

Vang Vieng is a tiny town built on the banks of the Nam Song river. It is surrounded by huge Limestone cliffs and caves to explore. But the main attraction is TUBING! Because it is rainy season the river is flowing fast and full so hopping in a big rubber ring to float down the river is fun in itself. But the real party is on the banks on the Nam Song. Tubing is so popular here that bars and swings have been built on the banks. You get pulled in with big bamboo sticks by the barmen!

It is supposed to take about an hour to float downstream but after stopping to fly off the huge swings into the deep river time flies by and it becomes an all day event! My favourite bar was obviously the one with a 5 -a -side football pitch!! Made loads of new friends while tubing, its hard not to, so Lisa was entertained too.

As Laos isn't renowned for it's world class health and safety regulations, we tried to make sure we were back in Vang Vieng to vacate our tubes at the correct departure point before nightfall. Alas, we failed miserably! It was actually quite scary trying to fight our way through the current of the pitch black river to the tiny lights glinting from tiny ramshackle bars and bungalows on the river bank! We finally made it though - obviously the wrong place - and had to scramble up a steep, muddy river bank to safety! It's not really surprising that people miss the exit and float on downstream for miles - particularly after copious amounts of beer Laos!

Besides the tubing, all of the bars and restaurants in the town have low seats with loads of cushions while showing endless loops of Family Guy, Friends and The Simpsons. The perfect way to relax after one too many plunges in the river! We also found a really cool hotel with an awesome swimming pool on the banks of the Nam Song which was a great way to cool off!

The food has been really good too. A few great helpings of Laap, traditional sandwiches with chips, and then the famous Nisha! Nisha is an amazing Indian restaurant and we have eaten there 5 nights in a row! Aloo Tiki is our new favourite dish - spiced, fried potatoes with a spicy, minty sauce thing! Yum yum! We decided we should probably branch out a bit after a few nights there in a row, and decided on a nice steak. However, as nice as it was, it was no Nisha, so we went back there after our steak for our daily fix!

After coming to the realisation that we can't stay here forever we are leaving for Vientiene tomorrow. We will let you know how we deal with the withdrawal symptons of leaving our beloved Vang Vieng!

Bye for now!