Laos: Vang Vieng

Wednesday morning, we took a morning bus out of Luang Prabang for a six-hour ride through winding Route 13, the most dangerous stretch of road in Laos, thanks to several ambushes and murders. I had my Swiss Army knife and some Tae Bo skills, so I had nothing to worry about. It was a relatively uneventful ride however, except for the lone "bathroom break," which consisted of the bus stopping for a few minutes so we could all drop trou on the side of the road to do our business. On the bus we met Aimee, an English girl traveling alone, so upon arriving in Vang Vieng, the three of us set off in search of a guesthouse.

View from our balcony.

As we walked through the dusty streets of Vang Vieng, I felt just like I was in a small version of Cozumel, Mexico, but with backpackers instead of cruise ship passengers. The town was hopping with tractors, cement mixers, and the sounds of drilling as the people were working to accomodate the increasing number of travelers. Fortunately, the building effort is in its infancy stage, but I cannot imagine how different this small town will be in a few years...glad I got the chance to see it now!

Once we checked into our room at the Saysong Guesthouse right on the river, we wandered down to one of the small thatched open-air bungalows by the river for a quick dip and cold drink. We ran into the Luang Prabang posse, Sarah, Tom, and Dom, and while I was relaxing, it came as no surprise to see my three American buddies I met in Thailand, Max, Mike, and Evan, climb out of the river after a day of tubing. I immediately ran to them, and after a round of hugs, they came over to join us.

Reunion!

That evening, we all went out for pizza before checking out the seedy Vang Vieng dance club. Eventually, we made our way back down to one of the bars by the river to chat around a large fire.