Laos: Kayaking to Vientiane
This morning we awoke bright and early and met at the rafting store for breakfast. We decided to forego the ordinary bus transit to Vientiane in favor of a one-day kayak trip south. After a hearty breakfast of eggs and toast, about fifteen of us crammed into two large trucks (I was the last one out, so was forced to sit in the front with the driver) and made our way to the Nam Ngum River.
White Water Kayaking
Once we were dressed in our lifejackets and helmets, we hopped into kayaks (Aimee and I shared) and began the paddle session. After about ten minutes, I was completely bored. Soon enough, however, we hit some small rapids, but that only kept me interested for a few seconds. Just when I thought my shoulders had had enough, we were ushered out of the water to scope out the daddy of the day's rapids.
Our guide told us how to get through the rapids without flipping over. I took one look at Aimee, saying, "I kinda want to flip," followed by her excited agreement. A few minutes later, we were paddling toward the large rapids, taking all our power to turn our kayak sideways...sure enough, next thing I knew I was getting banged in the face with my kayak while spurting water out of my nose. Extreme beginner kayaking at its finest.
Site of kayak flip-tation.
We settled down for lunch, after which I could not resist suiting up and jumping off the rock right into the rapids for a little "how does it feel to drown?" experience. We then climbed back into our kayaks for more serious paddle action, interrupted by a quick stop at a large cliff for some jumping. Aimee and I were equally bored with traditional paddling, so we did everything we could to make it more fun, from paddling with our hands to getting in the water and kicking with our feet, to standing and paddling...our personal favorite.
Showing off Aimee's motorbike injury.
Finally, we made it to the end of our kayaking adventure and boarded trucks bound for Vientiane. An hour later we arrived, and Erin, Aimee, and I found a nice room with three beds and A/C for $8. We then imbibed in an Indian dinner with our English friends Tom and Dom (who also happened to do the kayak trip with us).
White Water Kayaking
Once we were dressed in our lifejackets and helmets, we hopped into kayaks (Aimee and I shared) and began the paddle session. After about ten minutes, I was completely bored. Soon enough, however, we hit some small rapids, but that only kept me interested for a few seconds. Just when I thought my shoulders had had enough, we were ushered out of the water to scope out the daddy of the day's rapids.
Our guide told us how to get through the rapids without flipping over. I took one look at Aimee, saying, "I kinda want to flip," followed by her excited agreement. A few minutes later, we were paddling toward the large rapids, taking all our power to turn our kayak sideways...sure enough, next thing I knew I was getting banged in the face with my kayak while spurting water out of my nose. Extreme beginner kayaking at its finest.
Site of kayak flip-tation.
We settled down for lunch, after which I could not resist suiting up and jumping off the rock right into the rapids for a little "how does it feel to drown?" experience. We then climbed back into our kayaks for more serious paddle action, interrupted by a quick stop at a large cliff for some jumping. Aimee and I were equally bored with traditional paddling, so we did everything we could to make it more fun, from paddling with our hands to getting in the water and kicking with our feet, to standing and paddling...our personal favorite.
Showing off Aimee's motorbike injury.
Finally, we made it to the end of our kayaking adventure and boarded trucks bound for Vientiane. An hour later we arrived, and Erin, Aimee, and I found a nice room with three beds and A/C for $8. We then imbibed in an Indian dinner with our English friends Tom and Dom (who also happened to do the kayak trip with us).
posted by Tiffany Joiner at 9:03 AM
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