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  Vang vieng, Lao Peoples Dem Rep
Wednesday, December 19, 2007

We took an uneventful 3 ½ hour bus ride from Vientiane to Vang Vieng.  Once we arrived in Vang Vieng however, the scenery was stunning.  We stayed at a cute little bungalow near the river and walked around town, which really just catered to tourists. It was funny to see many of the restaurants playing 'Friends' re-runs, filled with zoned-out tourists lying down on cushy axe pillows, drinking Beerlao or maybe some other 'happy' drink.  This description came straight out of our LP guidebook, and it was funny that it was SO TRUE!

Laos is one of the poorest countries in the world and really doesn't produce or export much goods, but Beerlao is one of the few products (which they are very proud of), electricity, and some natural resources.  Another interesting factoid we learned is that Laos has roughly 5 million people and this past year they just hit 1 million visitors... one tourist for every 5 locals, which is crazy! The tourist industry has been exploding recently.

As a motorbike was needed to really escape the tourist scene, we rented a more reliable motorbike, and carefully drove 40k west.  There were hardly any tourists that we encountered, and the locals were really friendly, laid-back, and did not try to force-sell us anything.  Frank found a bunch of kids playing kataw and ended up joining them for a bit, which really made his day.  We also visited Tham Phu Kham cave.  Frank thought it was cool, but Shari didn't care for the hot, clammy, dark, slippery cave. The only annoying thing on the drive was locals charging a toll fee every small bridge, even those made out of bamboo poles patched together.

Unfortunately since we were still healing our wounds from the bike accident in Vientiene, we decided not to do any of the water sports that Vang Vieng is known for, like kayaking, rafting, or the popular touristy float down the river in an intertube, stopping by island bars along the way.

Upon leaving Vang Vieng, we spent extra money for a more comfy mini van ride to Luang Prabang, a 6 hour drive along a mountainous, windy road. Two hours into the drive, the minivan broke down!  The 8 of us sat by the end of the road.   A couple of large buses passed us by, too full to take any passengers. Finally a local pick-up truck-type bus pulled over, and since we weren't sure if we'd get another ride, we all hopped on.  It was still another 4 hours to Luang Prabang, but the bus was actually nice, airy, and we passed through nice scenery and some local villages. 

Post your own travel photos for friends and family Pictures

Our bungalow	Tents along the river	Stunning scenery of Vang Vieng	Riding through western Vang Vieng
Do I have to go in the cave?	Frank loves the cave	Buddha statue in Tham Phu Kham	Shari in the cave
Frank by the Blue Lagoon	Frank playing Kataw with kids	Stopping for a snack	Crazy bamboo bridge
Gorgeous views	Lost tuber	Crazy bridges across the Nam Song	Quiet street
Zoned out tourists	Yummy Mulberry Leaves	Frank helping to push our broken van	We are stranded!
Our new transport to Luang Prabang	3 more hours to Luang Prabang

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