See You at the Simpsons Restaurant

  Vang Vieng, Lao Peoples Dem Rep
Saturday, December 9, 2006

After three great days in Luang Prabang, our group started to break apart.  The majority of us (including two more Irish: Owen and Aine and a fellow Floridian: Burns) headed south to Vang Vieng, along the typical tourist track.  Vang Vieng, like Pai, is a place that has come to be completely dominated by tourists and is undeniably enjoyable because of it.  The main activity in town is a tubing trip down the Nam Song River.  This isn't any normal tubing trip however, as every hundred meters or so along the way is a bar with rope swings and zip lines.  Imagine spring break in a landlocked tropical communist country, and you've got the general idea.  While river tubing and alcohol are undeniably a bad combination, I did enjoy the swings and especially the beach volleyball (like I said, spring break).

Aside from tubing (which I did twice), we also took a trip to a cave and lagoon for more swimming and rope swings.  Exploring the cave was good fun, especially since it was something I hadn't done yet on this trip.  We managed not to fall down any bottomless pits or get attacked by bats.

11 On the Island

Aside from these outdoorsy adventures, Vang Vieng's other attraction is a very odd collection of TV themed restaurants.  There's the Friends Restaurant, the Simpsons Restaurant, Family Guy, Futurama, etc.  Each one has a name, but they're referred to by the TV show screening non-stop on three to five sets throughout the place.  So you say things like "See you at the Family Guy Restaurant around seven o'clock", at which point everyone lounges on pillow around low tables, zoning out on good 'ol American TV.  Strange stuff, and shamefully pleasurable.  Later in the evening, everyone heads out to the island on the river, which contains half a dozen laid-back outdoor bars with bonfires, hammocks, and yes, occasionally reggae.  I managed to dominate the bocci ball court for an hour or so one night at Smile Bar.  In case you just can't wait to findout, yes, I did eventually get out of Vang Vieng.

Again, Flickr photos are coming soon.  I just spent like half an hour showing my photos here in the internet cafe to a very impressed photgrapher from South Korea.  Hope you all appreciate them as much as he did.