After leaving the slow pace, quite streets, and solemn monks of Luang Prabang, Shaina and I bussed 200km south to the party central of Laos: Vang Vieng. This town is enthralling, disappointing, fun, pathetic, and exciting all wrapped up in one.
The best part of this town is its location. It is set in a valley in the middle of a huge range of karst mountain peaks, which is criss-crossed by rivers of smoothly flowing warm water. These conditions have lead to a burgeoning tourist industry focused on tubing, kayaking, white water rafting (wet season only), rock climbing, and river rope swings; ziplines; and slides. We indulged in the climbing, tubing, and river rope swings and it was fantastic!
Shaina and me on the "sleeping wall" just outside Vang Vieng.
Short clip of our amusing time on the river in Vang Vieng.
The worst part of this town is all the tourists who overindulge in copious amounts of drugs and alcohol and end up stumbling, falling, vomiting, and pissing themselves through the streets. According to Lonely Planet, the main attractions for Vang Vieng have traditionally been the aforementioned outdoor awesomeness, but in the last ten years the popularity of these activities has been eclipsed by a huge growth of ramshackle bars that blast music as loud as can be and pride themselves on their "happy food". (Happy food being anything from fruit shakes to pizza laced with any combination of drugs ranging from opium to methamphetamines).
As bad as this is, it has led to one thing Shaina absolutely loves: endless repeats of the show "Friends". The connection might not be immediately evident, but if you think about it, it makes perfect sense. What would you rather do the morning after an all-night drunken whacked-out raver than lounge around in comfy recliners, eating super tasty fried food, and watching a show that is so mindless and funny that even one who is totally hungover from last night's bender can giggle at it?!
After three days in the craziness that is Vang Vieng we decided it was time to boogie out of there and grace the capital of Laos, Vientiane, with our presence. Our hopes for Vientiane were really not that high, and the reality of it was not that different: a big hot city without a whole lot to do.
Shaina and me in front of the Lao Arc de Triumph!
A view of the Arc Plaza.
The only highlight we had in Vientiane was our dinner at a fabulous French restaurant called L'Address de Tinay. Everything from our starter made from seven varietals of organic goat cheese to our confit de canard served with Toulouse sausage and sweet garlic cream were absolutely stunning.
Our goat cheese starter and confit de canard.
Next, we will be heading south of Vientiane. See you then!
Cheers!
Maxell
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Location:Vang Vieng, Laos
3 comments:
Gee, glad to see you can find a little fun along the way! The juxtaposition of the sublime and the pathetic is amazing however. Just stay away from the laced pizzas and stick with les Canards du Toulouse. You both look simpy marhvalous! A bientot.
Vang Vieng is all about the company you keep ;) great to read that the dinner lived up to expectations. Enjoy the trip south! Looking forward to read the next post. N&A
The fun abounds here in Laos, and the company we have kept certainly plays a lage part of that!
@ desert rat: the juxtapositions never end in a land that is developing as fast as Laos. The old and the new, the conservative and the free spirit, and the slow and the fast are always competing with each other. I think that is what makes this place so cool.
@ die smirfs: you two are awesome company! We hope to cross paths again in Siem Reap, but if not we hope that the rest of your travels go splendidly!
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