Tubing

Trip Start Jan 02, 2008
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Trip End Jun 17, 2008


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Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Spent another day cycling around, but this time had no real destination and aimlessly cycled along the main road out of town. I've no idea where I ended up...the middle of nowhere. Just mountains and the occasional hut. I stopped for a drink in a tiny village and sat with the family in their hut, watching the women prepare food and licking raw meat. They couldn't speak of word of English, so alot of sign language. I wished I could say more than just "hello" (sabadi).

I've spent 2 days alone, which I've really enjoyed...lots of reading, sketching and sleeping in cafes. I feel like it's been a break from travelling. Pure laziness!...apart from all the cycling. But I started to get a bit sick of my own company and wanted to go tubing which would be more fun with a friend. In the queue to get my tube I was standing behind 2 British boys, Richard and Ed, who I met in Hoi An a few weeks ago. So it didn't take me long to find tubing friends for the day.

The tuck-tuck dropped us off 5km upstream from Vang Vieng. We floated down the river on our tubes for about 20 meters before hitting the first bar. Stopped here for a beer and shots of Lao Lao. Then back on tubes for a few more meters until next bar...and so on. There are diving boards and swings, all them shoddily built and completely unstable, but after a few drinks no-one cares! Obviously no health and safety here! The river is really slow moving (probably a good thing since everyone is pissed), but it means you have to paddle and it's quite difficult with a beer in one hand...I just kept spinning round in circles. Tubing was lots of fun and I ended the day partying with tons of backpackers and making some new friends.

Woke up with a hangover. Torrential rain outside, so booked bus ticket to Luang Prabang.
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