Erin's Southeast Asian Peregrination

Vang Vieng

Vang Vieng is a backpacker hole....meaning you don't see local food, local people and can easily forget you are in Laos. That being said, it is beautiful and I did have a pretty wicked time there on a kayaking/caving trip down the Nam Xong river. We piled into a truck and were driven 20 km north of the town, popped into the river and paddled down to two caves. The second one involved getting into inner tubes, donning headlamps and navigating through a water cave for about 30 minutes. It was really cool and rather small in spots! Then we continued down stream to town after BBQ lunch where the local cows came over and begged, complete with some drool. All along the river there are little bars to stop at for drinks and shenanigans like giant rope swings and diving boards (most people opt to simply drift down river in inner tubes for the day instead of doing a daytrip....but I was short on time and though it was then best way to cram all my activities in). At our first stop I went on a pretty high cable pully but didn't have the guts to do the rope swing after watching each girl who attempted it eat it and smash into the river. Safety first! There was a giant swing at our second stop which was pretty fun too! Anyways, it was a wicked day and to end it off we all enjoyed an English roast dinner as it was Sunday of course.

posted by Erin @ 5:08 AM