Laos: Born to Be Wild

Well, today I wanted to head out of Vang Vieng, but everyone else wanted another day and influenced me to stick around to ride bicycles. I am sure glad I stayed! I was not too keen on riding bicycles through the dusty town, but once someone mentioned motorbikes, I was ready to go!

Ain't Skeered!

Yep, believe it or not, yours truly hopped on a real, live motorbike and sped through the streets of Laos! Frightening idea, I know, but what can I say...I was born to ride! Erin and I shared a bike, and after figuring out how to do the clutch, we were off! Dom and Aimee shared a bike, as did Tom and Sarah. We first headed down the road until we reached our first destination... Tham Phu Kham, a massive cave. We climbed up a steep entrance before entering the cave, which was the largest thing I have ever seen. we wandered through for a bit before meeting the disappointing end and turning around.

The cave entrance just happened to be near one of the riverside bars, and we felt we needed another day of some rope swinging attempts. The real excitement of the day, however, happened as we were leaving the parking spot. I was chatting to Tom and Sarah on their bike, Erin was sitting on our bike, digging through her bag, and out of nowhere, Dom was screaming, "Brake! Brake!" The next thing we knew, Erin and Aimee were a mass of flailing arms, legs, and one motorbike.

All fun and games till someone gets hurt...

It was the funniest thing I have ever seen (always my reaction to scary situations), so as soon as I made sure everyone was okay, I, along with the others, laughed our heads off. Fortunately, Aimee's crazy driving skills only gave her a huge bruise on her leg, as well as a crushed basket, for which she had to dole out $10.

After the mishap, we ate a quick lunch before speeding around the outskirts of Vang Vieng for a bit. It was so thrilling, and I am now deadset on buying a motorbike when I finish traveling! Once back in town, I said goodbye to my American pals and settled in for a quiet night of watching some soccer on T.V. Sadly, tomorrow morning we leave for Vientiane. I am really regretting not buying a 30-day visa!


Hanging out by the river.