After a six hour mini-van journey from hell (winding mountain roads, pot holes, landslides & mud tracks!) we arrived at the bus station on the outskirts of Vang Vieng – well, we hoped it was the out skirts as it was deserted! A short tuk tuk ride into town and we found a number of hostels to choose between – I & Adam found one, the girls another – we stayed at the later (this point is important) – life is easier that way.
The only reason people visit Vang Vieng is to tube. So that evening we heard and saw from people their stories and injuries as to the pain that could ensue. The tubing is basically a drift down the river, some small rapids, but the main danger is….drink. Yupp, there are a hat full of riverside bars which serve beer & buckets, give away free rice wine and best of all – have huge rope swings into the river! Olly would be in heaven!
So the next day we paid our money and set off tubing, with only our swimming clothes and money in our possession – so no photo’s unfortunately 
The day was awesome (yupp – awesome!) the sun was hot and the beer cold! At the first bar I took to the high platform and swung into the river – quite un-eventful. A beer later I did it again. Now the platform must be 40 feet in the air and the rope 30 feet in length, so at the height of the opposite side I released and smashed 10 litres of river water up through my nose and seemingly (from the pain) out through my ears! I came to the surface of the river and swam in circles! Doh! It was only just noon!
I recovered enough (of course) to drink on and tame down my river activities. We all did the fox wire, Karen included, which was fun, but I concluded my frolics by coming down a huge slide and smashing the side of my face (yupp – my ear again) into the river and was in some pain again. Still, I was in better shape than Vinney who had smashed his face into the river and gave himself a bloodshot eye! I for once was quite restrained with the drink (maybe my bleeding ears played a part) as I was by no means a million miles as close as Adam as being the most pissed. He was that pissed at one part he could not stand (on dry land) but kept falling into, over, out of and through his tube (on dry land!). He definitely takes the award!
That night I slipped into a drunken sleep to be awoken at 1am by the sound of Niagara falls. No, I had not travelled several thousand miles, but the flexi pipe on the bathroom sink had split and water was escaping at high pressure! With no stop cock, I awoke the night porter who attempted to replace our hose with the one from his bathroom (in doing so turning of the water to the entire hostel). When this failed, he simply tied a knot in the pipe and left us to listen to dripping water until we went back to sleep – it was like being tortured! But, at least I didn’t choose the hostel!!!!
The day was much fun, so much that we should have stayed for another day and done it again! Vang Vieng is definitely recommended to everyone in the area! Next stop Vientiene.
