Vang Vieng

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The notorious main Street of Vang Vieng at night.  Known for it's bars full of backpackers watching re-runs of Friends and for Magic Mushroom Pizza.

When the bus driver dropped us off after dark, at the side of a desolate stretch of highway, we wondered if we were in the right place and if not what on earth we could do about it.  To our relief accommodation scouts soon appeared and we realised the town and guesthouses were just across what turned out to be an abandoned airstrip

Despite it's young & reckless vibe we older and wiser loved it

 

Down the path from the main street,  past the children looking for someone to take an elephant ride, over several 'interesting' foot bridges, all promising you would eventually reach 'Smile Bar' and we did.   You could spend quite some time here whiling away the hours.  The drinks are good and cheap,  sandwiches on fresh baguettes are tasty and the young owner has a delightful sense of humour

Sun or Shade, wet or dry the choice is yours with plenty of activity all around.   Man and beast, all love the Nam Song River

         Evening on the Nam Song                                                         

How romantic is this?

One day we managed to tear ourselves away from 'Smile' and rented bicycles to explore.   We rode over bridges through beautiful countryside, forded a river, climbed to a beautiful cave system, swam in a blue lagoon, and checked out a market and a cemetery

The ferry cost $1 per person per trip, as our lovely new guesthouse only costs $4 per night we thought we would wade over

       

Tham Phu Kham Cave

The steep climb was well worth the effort when we got inside and saw the bronze Buddha reclining in a shaft of sunlight

 

What is it about rope swings over water and boys?  There was a group of local teens swimming here when we arrived.  We left on our clunky bicycles they roared away on brand new motor bikes

 

           Tony & Italian boys frolic in the lagoon

Our overnight had turned into 4 and we would have stayed longer but on checking our passports we realised the Lao consulate in Yangon had charged us for 30 day visa's and stamped our passports for only 15.  So, no tubing for us we had to return to Vientiane to sort it out

 MORE PHOTOS OF  VIENTIANE  AND LUANG PRABANG 2007

Laos Map | 2007/08 Asia Trip Itinerary | Home Page 2 of 11 | Page Up | Page Down