Just going with the flow...
Trip Start
Apr 01, 2008
1
10
20
Trip End
Jul 24, 2009
Vientiane,
Vientiane,
Lao Peoples Dem Rep
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Vang Vienng is place that you could love and/or hate. I know that's a rather broad description, but seriously we had heard mixed reports going in, and I came out with mixed feelings too. There is no doubt that it is backpackers central, and you could be forgiven for thinking that you were in the East Coast of Australia with the amount of British (drunken) backpackers you come across.
Tuesday we decided to take pretty low key due to our rather late (early?) and drenched arrival the night before. We decided to hire a motorbike and visit some of the local caves. Backpacker-overload or not, Vang Vienng is still set in some pretty awesome surroundings, nestled on the Nam Song River and surrounded by huge limestone cliffs. This was our second motorbike hire on this trip and things were going well for the first 90 seconds as we were scootering along, until a local decided to open their ute door right in the middle of our path! Thank god we weren't going too fast, and I actually managed to do a rather graceful tumble/jump off the bike and was unscathed whereas Paddy got some scrapes on his foot and hand
Another fine mode of transport
. The car door looked a bit worse for wear though. It was obvious that the driver (of the ute!) was in the wrong and we didn't want to stick around arguing the point in Lao (although the local didn't actually say anything as he knew who was at fault), so we basically made a run for it and counted our lucky stars that we weren't being airlifted to Bangkok hospital!Anyway, back to the scenery! We went and visited Tham Jang cave which was impressive enough for the 50 cent entry fee despite the countless numbers of stairs we had to climb to get there. The caves also provided a refuge from the heat which is probably the hottest we've encountered so far. Our torch was going a bit dim from it's overuse the night before (as we had been trying to show the tuk tuk driver where our guesthouse was...) so I wasn't too keen to spend too long in there, especially after Paddy had spotted a snake when he went ahead of me... no thanks!
We then headed to another cave, Lom Cave, which kinda sent us on a wild goose chase. Laos leaves a lot to be desired on their maps and signage, and although I'm sure we were in the right direction, we had to give up after climbing ladders and rocks through the bush, especially when wearing inappropriate attire of thongs and a dress! Still gave us some stunning scenery as well as another round of mosquito bites for me (I am basically a mosquito magnet no matter how many layers of insect repellant I put on...). We also got a preview of tubing as we had to walk past some of the riverside bars, which was an experience alright!
So Wednesday we went tubing
View from the cave
. As I say, love it or hate it, 99% of backpackers who go through Van Vienng will go tubing at least once (in fact we met some Irish guys who did it 5 days in a row... I have no idea how). Basically you float down the river in a tube, soaking up the 'atmosphere', and get pulled in by ropes/bamboosticks/little children to the riverside bars where most people proceed to get thoroughly intoxicated. Hmmm great combination: water + alcohol + drugs...safety first alright. Van Vienng is also famous for it's alternative menus with things like 'Happy Shakes', 'Magic Pizzas', and the like on the menu - it was pretty obvious what had been enhanced as the price was usually at least double. Anyhow, we started at about 12, with 11 people and 11 tubes jammed into a tuk tuk (that's one big squeeze), and our tuk tuk trip provided entertainment enough when one of the tubes fell off and one of the guys hanging on to the back decided to jump off a pretty fast moving vehicle to go after it???? Well it was his 3rd day tubing so go figure on the brain speed here... again, thankfully, uninjured but a little shaken up! It was a good day but like I say, but one day was enough for me! Maybe I'm a nana (Actually i know i am a nana!), but alcohol + heat + hangovers does not make for a happy camper! We finished about 7 and headed to one of the local restaurants, the majority of which play Friends non-stop every day. I'm not sure where the idea came from, but these restaurants are everywhere with tables designed so that you can lie down while you eat and watch Friends
Sunset in VV
. Somehow I managed to watch 3-4 episodes in a row over dinner and it was actually kinda relaxing! Everyone is in some sort of 'Friends-trance'. So yeah, Van Vienng was worth doing but nothing absoloutley amazing. One thing I definitely noticed was that the locals were a lot less friendly, and I would say that's because they're used to seeing half-naked Westerners boozed out of their brains - a massive stereotype sure, and the majority of visitors are respectful, but it was still a common enough sight. We headed to Vientienne Thursday morning for our last and of course unpleasant busride. Hungover, hot and no air-con for the beginning of the trip. Most guys had their shirts off and it was not pleasant at all! All the bags couldn't fit, so they were put in the aisles. When the aircon did start working, it dripped water on half of the bus (luckily not our half!). Vientienne is the capital city (more like a town though) and quite possibly our hottest city yet (I know I say that everytime!). To be honest, not much to say about the place as it has been a spot where we have had a bit of tourist fatigue and have taken a bit of a step back. I was actually sick for the first day and a half which made me really fun company - usually sleeping or complaining. We did manage to do a few things yday, including visiting Pha That Luang (the most important national monument for Laos) which actually looks better in photos than it did in person and Patuxasi which is supposed to be Vientiane's most prominent monument
Beer Laos
. It gave pretty good views of the city but was rather uninspiring, in fact this is what the information sign said to describe their own monument "From a closer distance, it appears even less impressive, like a monster of concrete". How's that for honesty!We also visited Talat Sao, the markets, which were your run-of-the-mill markets. More DVDs added to the collection! Highlight of the day was visiting COPE, which stands for the Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise, a not for profit organisation providing prostethics to UXO victims (Unexploded Ordinance). We watched an informative and interesting documentary about UXOs in Laos as well as talked to the British project coordinator. 500,000 bombing missions occured in Laos throughout the Vietnam War in order to destroy North Vietnam supply lines and hideouts. Laos is the most heavily bombed country in the world, in fact more bombs were dropped on Laos than by the entire Allied Forces during the whole of World War II. People, especially children, are still being maimed/killed by these UXOs today. Because 80% of Laos people are living a subsistence lifestyle, the sad fact is that they are often seeking these devices so that they can sell the metal for scrap. The cost of prostethics and medical care means that often many victims die (because no blood or oxygen is available at the hospitals) or have to make their own prostethics. It was a pretty thought-provoking excursion. I was surprised too to hear that the Laos people hold little animosity or ill sentiment towards the Americans for their indiscriminate and senseless bombing campaign, this could also be due to the Buddhist beliefs of letting go of the past and bearing no grudges.
And on that note, last day in Laos today. It has rained non-stop for the past 6 hours although the consolation is that we have a respite from the heat. Indoor activities are pretty limited so may have to head to the French cinema or the bowling centre. Off to Cambodia tomorrow for a whirlwind 2 day visit to Angkor Wat.
