Our journey in was on the back of a pick up van style tuk tuk (I love the way that Asian countries have their own style of Tuk Tuk! I think Bmth should invent the convertible Tuk Tuk! It would be a hit for journeys back after a night out..) We unsurprisingly get dropped at a holiday resort that wanted our business, but it's expensive and we know that Vang Vieng is really cheap so we trudge wearily towards town in search of our own accommodation. We go on for what seems like ages in an unlit residential area thinking that we have been royally stitched up as there is absolutely no-one about, until....... we turn a corner and there are loads of really drunk people staggering out of the back of tuk tuk's wearing bikini's/shorts and covered in luminous highlighter and mud.....this must be what they call tubing! This pretty much sets the scene for our stay here but we will tell you our own little stories from here on in!

Carrie

The first night we head out to find Viv who flew lo Laos so is a few days ahead of us (very sensible) and end up being drawn into a bar playing loud cheesy music, Sakura. We get introduced to Samsong Whiskey buckets. Sharon gets employed and I'll let her tell you the rest. The next day slightly jaded we head out for a bike ride. A nice relaxing day meandering through the countryside, but as we cross the toll bridge behind our guesthouse we quickly realise it's going to be anything but! Which nutter decided that bike riding was a good idea here?? and how are the bikes for hire still in one piece?? Sharon turns back for fear of never having children but through sheer determination or more probably plain stupidity me and Steve soldier on. It's beautiful here though and just about away from the Benidorm style party strip very tranquil. We decide to head out and explore some of the local caves not very successfully. The 1st cave we don't even make it to as the road gets more and more unrideable and we wind up pushing our bikes through giant pebbles, the track seems to go on forever and there are no signs encouraging us that we are even going in the right direction, then we come across a deserted moto and not wanting staring roles in the next travellers gone missing film we head back to the main road. The 2nd cave i realise yet again that flip flops weren't the best choice of footwear as we embark on a rock climbing exercise to get to the entrance of the cave, my foot continually sliding out of the side of my trusty flip flop. They eventually give up and break which makes the job of balancing even more difficult (and as Sharon I'm sure would tell you my balance is rubbish at the best of times!). We finally reach the cave and realise that our efforts were wasted as the caves are very similar to Chu Chi tunnels, too small for us to get into! A scrapped back, broken flip flops and grazed foot later we start the decent, brave the gauntlet through the field of cows and saw bottomed and tired admit defeat and head home. That night I go along to support Sharon in her 1st shift and take some action shots of barmaid Shazza, but unable to cope with her boss for long periods of time (I'm sure Sharon will fill you in) I retreat to the internet cafe. That was atleast the plan, enroute I get accosted by 5 irish girls and end up dancing the night away in Smile bar complete with a big open fire, hammocks and cushions to sit on and whiskey buckets for 10,000 kip (less than 1 pound) need i say anymore!

The next day is our day of fun, tubing! Armed with a bottle of whiskey and sprite (the sprite being the most expensive!) we head out on a tuk tuk can complete with rubber rings strapped to the top and our numbers for the day 135 and 136 stamped on our hands. It becomes immediately apparent that the day is more about drinking than tubing as the 1st bar is less than 100m down the river! It's absolute carnage and each bar brings with it a new kid guiding us in by throwing plastic bottles attached to string into the river for us to catch and a different zip wire, water slide or mud bath to play in/on. The water slide shaped like a tick threw me u into the air so far that I had time to do some serious leg and arm waving (terror enduced!) before I hit the water with an almighty slap. With the wind sucked out of me and with a stinging leg I grab onto the side of the river bank with the other recent casualties all using colourful language and holding bruised body parts! At this point I was vey grateful for my whiskey bottle consumption as it had to have gone some way to numbing the pain! My 3rd encounter in as many months of mud baths was by far the most amusing, basically a large muddy clearing sprayed with water and 2 large pits dug out. It was impossible to leave once you had arrived as if you didn't fall over you were pulled back in and in the end I resorted to crawling out on my hands and knees, not glamorous but successful! Now it was our turn to be covered in permanent marker and one girl who grabbed us turned out to be a good artist, Sharon's back design and my shoulder were brilliant. Sadly I also got grabbed by an Irish guy who claimed he was the next big thing in the art world, sucked in by the acent I trusted him.....fool! I got left with a monster on my belly with a big mouth and teeth over my tummy button which a 5 year old could probably have done a better job of. I spent the next 1/2 hour trying to scrub it off which just made it worse! Still in bikinis and streaked in mud and marker pen very drunk and past our full deposit curfew of 6pm we head back to town in our tuk tuk and laugh as we see lots of new tourists arriving staring open mouthed at us as we had done a few nights before - they'll be sucked in.... A quick shower, costume change and sustenance in the form of a tuna baguette (from one of the 100 stals that sell them here) we head back out to join the party. Sharon with the worst whiskey hangover known to man lasts a few hours so I head out with Mike and Mo whom we met on the tuk tuk on the way to sample the Bucket bar. So a repeat of last night and random drinking and dancing followed.

The next day I joined Sharon in the officially broken status and circame to the mindless sitting around on cushions and watching friends (they loop here 24 hours in every bar), very bizarre but I can see why it is popular with a hangover! Sad to leave but very aware that otherwise we could get stuck in a tubing and drinking cycle we book a bus out for the next day. We buy a vest top each to remind us of the good times "Tubing in the Vang Vieng" and threw in our tubes for now at least........

Sharon:

The thing I love about Vang Vieng is that is just a massive playgournd for grown ups. It's the most fun place we've found on our route so far, which is strange seeing as it's in Laos which is only been on the tourist map for a few years. I think this is because the Laos authorities here had seen the mess us westerners cause to other S E Asian countries, so decided rather than us ruin their whole country, they would build a place for us all to go so we could just cause havoc in one area and leave the other bits relatvely unspoiled. As sad as this seems, selfishly I'm glad they did, as it's great!

Our first night in VV I get offered a job behind a bar, promising me free drink, food and accommodation, so of course I agree. I turn up next day after the hideous bike ride barely able to walk but after a few free drinks the pain is worn away and the bar work is pretty easy - whiskey buckets and beer is all that is really on offer! The boys from our 24 hour bus come in and were pretty amazed by the speed of my employment. Thankfully they did turn up as my boss, Dan, was a bit of an idiot who, being 21 (he is just a traveller who had got asked a week ago to work there) was on a rather large power trip and loved the fact that he was younger than me and my boss. Anyway, he had arranged a group of us to go tubing the next day, so I couldnt really walk out so I just put up with him until the shift ended. Next day we arrive for our tubing and Jason, the actual owner of my bar was coming along to take pictures of the day (obviously none of us could take cameras as they would get trashed). We met up with him again the next day and he gave us some copies of the photo's so I will let these do the talking of the tubing, but it was so much fun. Anyone who is reading this who is thinking of travelling S E Asia must go to Vang Vieng tubing.

It's also a strange place as every bar - not just a few, every bar - has these bed type seats in the restaurants and they all show Friends. It's bizarre, but actually perfect with a hangover. I really think they should do this back home as you can spend the whole day there 'just one more episode..'

On our final day, we go for breakfast and say goodbye to Steve who is staying behind (he's not stuck in the tubing cycle, he's just wanting to go rock climbing etc), unfortunately I had to go on a flip flop mission as mine had been nicked from outside the hotel, but we make our bus to Loung Probang in time and set off as a twosome once more.