71: Vang Vieng to Vientiane

Trip Start Sep 21, 2006
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Trip End Jun 01, 2007


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Flag of Lao Peoples Dem Rep  ,
Friday, December 1, 2006

Rather than take the 'VIP' minibus to the Laos capital, I booked myself onto a kayaking trip heading that way. Our group of 11 (I'm the odd one out, but get my own kayak as a result) head south in a sãwngthãew (pick-up truck with benches at the back) for 90 bumpy minutes first, past Ang Nam Ngum lake and Houay Mo where all the stalls sell smoked fish, gathering dust from the road. We stop to pick up food and watch food sellers pour out when a local bus passes, to sell sticks of eggs, grilled chicken and smaller birds to the passengers.
The kayaking is in open kayaks, so no-one has to learn the 'eskimo roll' (which is fortunate as several of the group are suffering stomach bugs or are hungover). The rapids we pass are moderate so long after the rainy season, but fun enough to deal with. A few couples capsize.
After lunch, we pause by a 10m-high cliff popular for leaping into the river. Only two people attempt it. I'm detered by the slippery ledge you need to cross to reach the platform, not wanting an early plunge onto the rocks. I wasn't trying to impress anyone in any case. Part of the thrill of travelling through South-East Asia is the lack of safety concerns on adventure trips.
Another hour's kayaking proves fairly exhausting and two more hours cramped in a sãwngthãew help not.
We know we're approaching Vientiane when we enter a cloud of traffic pollution and red dust from the unsealed roads. All the pavements are in mid-repair, too often with open drains a step away. I move into a typically squalid hotel a short walk away from the Mekong where an evening aerobics class is underway. Food carts and tables lit by plastic-bottle lamps are lined up along the dark riverbank.
I follow the sound of music and come across a Vietnam-Laos trade show at the National Cultural Centre and watch a Vietnamese variety show - a dodgy magician, some fun dance routines and chanteurs. No smutty comedians.
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