There is a place along the Nam Song River in central Laos where the sun drops behind ragged mountains and the days lazily pass in relaxing bliss. Vang Vieng is part of the foreigner consciousness due to its popularity as a party town and its absurd tradition of tubing down the river while intoxicated. It was originally just a stopping point between Vientaine and Luang Prabang. In the 90’s a guesthouse owner loaned a few inner tubes to his guests and inadvertently began what would become a craze. People in their early twenties began coming to Vang Vieng in hordes. The ritual was to float for a bit, get out of the water to spend some time at one of the many bars along the river, and to re-enter the water via rope swing. Unfortunately and obviously, this led to many deaths. A 60 Minutes episode highlighted the danger of this activity and placed a spotlight on the area’s rampant drug use. The government had no choice but to step in. Almost all the bars were closed (except 4) and all the rope swings were taken down. There are still large groups of absurd twenty-somethings floating down the river, but things are much tamer now. The tourism boom is a double edged sword for the locals. On one hand this small fishing village now has a lot of tourism dollars coming in each year. On the other the sacredness of the river has greatly been tarnished. Laotians have a strong belief in the fact that everything in nature has a spirit. The deaths in the river have brought bad spirits and many locals no longer feel comfortable bathing in the river’s water. The river’s importance in the locals’ daily lives was very evident. I saw scores of young boys in their briefs with goggles, baskets, and spears fishing. I also saw several families washing their clothes and bodies along the river bank.
Regardless of why others go to Vang Vieng, my experience was peaceful and involved zero drunken river time. The first aspect of my time in Vang Vieng that I loved was my guesthouse. Jammee Guesthouse is on the outskirts of town and is far from the inebriated cohorts of foreigners. Every morning we sat out on a veranda watching the neighboring farmer work hard to keep the birds away from her crops. Breakfast was included and consisted of a fresh baguette, scrambled eggs, tomatoes, and cucumber. I had several moments looking out at the mountains, my local cow, and the old woman’s makeshift scarecrows made from mannequin torsos where I just felt a wave of gratefulness. I am grateful my life path has led me to this place where I get to explore the world. Especially before globalization makes even further drastic changes. For example, China is supposedly planning to finish in 2019 a railroad that goes from China all the way to Singapore right through the center of Laos. If this is completed, Laos will be completely changed. If you want to experience this beautiful rural country, do it NOW!
The guesthouse was enhanced by its friendly Australian manager, Lyle. He is spending his retirement in Vang Vieng and I understand why! From the first moment we arrived he was very helpful and shared his wealth of knowledge of Southeast Asia. He even wrote out an itinerary for Malaysia for me. He is definitely the hidden gem of the place!
My first day was spent floating down the river. Tim and I were dropped off at the beginning of the tubing route which coincides with the first bar. A curly haired bro approached and gave us each free bracelets and free shots of whiskey. When we turned down the alcohol he was very confused. I told him all we wanted was to float down the river. His response was, “If you float now, there will be no one! Everyone hangs here and parties and then floats in a couple hours. Only lazy people float this early.” I guess I am lazy then. The only people we saw in tubes were two men from Vancouver, Canada. We floated along and chatted with them about the one’s business and the other’s retirement. Clean water, beautiful views, and peacefulness made up our day. We finished it off with a delicious cheap meal at “our” restaurant, AMD. We had dinner there all four nights.
To Be Continued…
Regardless of why others go to Vang Vieng, my experience was peaceful and involved zero drunken river time. The first aspect of my time in Vang Vieng that I loved was my guesthouse. Jammee Guesthouse is on the outskirts of town and is far from the inebriated cohorts of foreigners. Every morning we sat out on a veranda watching the neighboring farmer work hard to keep the birds away from her crops. Breakfast was included and consisted of a fresh baguette, scrambled eggs, tomatoes, and cucumber. I had several moments looking out at the mountains, my local cow, and the old woman’s makeshift scarecrows made from mannequin torsos where I just felt a wave of gratefulness. I am grateful my life path has led me to this place where I get to explore the world. Especially before globalization makes even further drastic changes. For example, China is supposedly planning to finish in 2019 a railroad that goes from China all the way to Singapore right through the center of Laos. If this is completed, Laos will be completely changed. If you want to experience this beautiful rural country, do it NOW!
The guesthouse was enhanced by its friendly Australian manager, Lyle. He is spending his retirement in Vang Vieng and I understand why! From the first moment we arrived he was very helpful and shared his wealth of knowledge of Southeast Asia. He even wrote out an itinerary for Malaysia for me. He is definitely the hidden gem of the place!
My first day was spent floating down the river. Tim and I were dropped off at the beginning of the tubing route which coincides with the first bar. A curly haired bro approached and gave us each free bracelets and free shots of whiskey. When we turned down the alcohol he was very confused. I told him all we wanted was to float down the river. His response was, “If you float now, there will be no one! Everyone hangs here and parties and then floats in a couple hours. Only lazy people float this early.” I guess I am lazy then. The only people we saw in tubes were two men from Vancouver, Canada. We floated along and chatted with them about the one’s business and the other’s retirement. Clean water, beautiful views, and peacefulness made up our day. We finished it off with a delicious cheap meal at “our” restaurant, AMD. We had dinner there all four nights.
To Be Continued…
