the next chapter: Australia: Vang Vieng, Laos

Why go to Vang Vieng? To go tubing, of course! It's sort of a southeast Asia backpacking traveler's right of passage. Basically, you float down the Nam Song River in rubber tubes... oh, but it is so much more than that! All along the Nam Song River tubing stretch (if you never get off, about a straight one hours float), there are bars that throw ropes with plastic bottles tied to the ends at you. If you want to pull into the bar, you grab on, and they pull you in. You chill out with a few beers, climb up bamboo ladders to fling yourself into the river off of crazy high tree swings, and maybe play some mud tug-o-war and mud volleyball along the way. Then, you grab a tube, get back into the river, and float until you want to stop again - usually only a few feet away, there's another bar with ropers waiting to pull you in. It's definitely for the younger, partying crowd, but nonetheless totally worth it if you're up for it! Just don't be still in your tube when it gets dark (like we were)... or you can't see where to get off!

The town of Vang Vieng has even catered to the party-going tourist crowds by having a main street full of bars and restaurants (with all menus in English), most of which have those delicious fruit shakes and continuously play Friends and The Family Guy re-runs - for those hungover afternoons. I must admit: when we first arrived in Vang Vieng, we mocked the tourists lazily slumping over their western meals and fruit shakes, sitting on cushions watching Friends all afternoon... only to become those very people ourselves the day after tubing!

However, there are more reasons to come to Vang Vieng than just drink yourself silly... such as the stunning limestone-karst formations that surround the town. In fact, when we first pulled into Vang Vieng, after hearing all about the tubing adventures of others, we were shocked to be in such an undeveloped area where cows roamed the streets. Our incredulous reaction went something like this: "THIS is Vang Vieng???" And then there was the issue of the two bridges.

Through another MediaKids English teacher who had traveled to Laos in May, we set out to stay at Maylyn Guest House. We took a sawngtao to the bridge, and paused in debate for about 15 minutes over the 4,000 kip roundtrip bridge-crossing fee. While this is cents in US currency, it was more of an issue that went something like this: "Do we really want to pay 4,000 kip every time just to get to town or to the guest house? How many times do we plan on going back and forth? Do we really want to think about crossing into town and packing for the day?" And so on and so on. In addition to the annoying fee, it would be a good 15-20 minutes walk into town. And the town itself is jampacked full of guesthouse options. Well, we crossed the bridge, and then another bridge (included in the fee), walked through some local farmland, and finally reached the lovely Maylyn guesthouse - so worth it! The teacher, Lauren, who had come before, had told us that once you paid the initial 4,000 kip, there was another walking bridge, mostly used by locals, that you could cross for free, albeit quite rickety. When we inquired about this rickety, free walking bridge at the guesthouse, we were told that it was washed away by all the rains, due to a heavy rainy season. So, we paid the 4,000 kip and it was well worth it considering out bungalow rooms were only costing us 15,000 kip each! Although the bathrooms were separate, as in downstairs (and were in every bungalow/ guesthouse we stayed in), we had two nice rooms, ours with a balcony, that came together in a large living room area... just for the five of us! Quite perfect, really.

In addition to tubing, travelers can go caving, rock climbing, kayaking, rafting and trekking. Our last full day in Vang Vieng, we went for a sun-searing walk down the dirt path away from town, on our side of the bridge. We walked about 6 km to Tham Phu Kham (Blue Lagoon) cave. It was here that I had my first caving experience, with head flashlights and a very necessary Laotian guide. At one point, he asked Kelly and I (the two cavers) to turn off the head flashlights. We obeyed. But, I quickly asked, "Why are we doing this? I don't get it? Can we turn them back on now?" He just wanted to show us how dark the cave actually was. Well, I got it, and I got it before we turned the lights out... so, um, let's not do that again! Oh, and the blue lagoon really is blue, and perfect for swimming after a sweaty cave adventure.

The following morning, I left the group of girls to continue on down south to Ban Nahin (also known as Ban Khoun Kham) to see Tham Kong Lo - an all natural 7 km pitch-black cave running through the limsteone mountains of Phu Hin Bun NPA (National Protected Areas). The girls - J, Georgeanna, Bridget and Kelly were about to get on a 20 hour bus journey to Hanoi, Vietnam.

Let me just say here, before my next post: trying to see Tham Kong Lo cave turned out to be an unexpected, frustrating, annoying, scary - and ultimately one of the best adventure highlights of all my travels ever - 4 days.

J, Georgeanna and Bridget crossing the second bridge, on our way to Maylyn Guesthouse