Spring Break 2008, Vang Vieng!
Trip Start
Oct 15, 2008
1
15
41
Trip End
Ongoing
Vang Vieng,
Lao Peoples Dem Rep
Thursday, November 27, 2008
My first day in Vang Vieng I rented a bike and pedaled 16 kms to the nearby village of Tham Sang to explore the Tham Sang Triangle of caves. The first cave was called Tham Sang, meaning "Elephant Cave". After entering the cave I was approached by a young Laotian man who pointed out that one of the stalagmites looked just like an elephant. I thanked him, exited the cave, and began the 1 km walk through a rice patty to the next cave. At one point I turned around and found that the man was following me. I've become really sick of this sort of stalking situation so I not-so-politely told him to go away. He replied, "No guide, no cave." I was still a bit apprehensive, so I went back to the village and sought out the only English speaker who told me that without a guide I would die. His was a strong argument and I reluctantly followed the guide to the next cave, Tham Hoi. As it turns out, Tham Hoi continues for almost 3km through an underground lake. About 100 meters into the cave I had to concede that I definitely would have died without the guide. The third cave, Tham Nam, was my favorite. A tributary of the Nam Song River flows through the entrance and in order to explore the cave I had to sit in an inner tube and drag myself along a rope.
For most backpackers the main attraction in Vang Vieng is tubing down the Nam Song River and stopping at the many bars along the way. Each of the bars has one or more special attractions, including zip lines, rope swings, and mud wrestling...MTV Sprink Break meets Swiss Family Robinson. (Ok, I'm not exactly sure what Swiss Family Robinson is, but it sounds about right). On the tuk tuk to the tube launch point I was adopted by a group of 2 Brits, 1 Irishman, and 1 Zimbabwean. My original plan was to peacefully tube down the river, take in the idyllic scenery, and perhaps stop for a BeerLao at one of the riverside bars. My new friends had other plans in store. About an hour later I was covered from head to toe in mud, drinking Red Bull and Whiskey out of a bucket, and dancing to Cypress Hill's "Insane in the Membrane". It was at that point that I finally found myself.
Comments
go becky, go becky!
did you really do that?!
miss you!
Re: go becky, go becky!
Yup. I didn't have much of a choice regarding the mud wrestling...somebody threw me into the pit.