Laos began in delirium.
After more than 24 hours of travel, (which included a bus breakdown, a game of Takraw with some locals, and outdoor pee breaks) I dragged my tired and sweaty body through the Vang Vieng streets with a couple of others to do some shopping. We didn’t want the first day in Laos to be a complete write off. However, my usual ability to shop under all circumstances was severely hampered and I could not commit to buying anything.
The delirium continued the next day when I dragged myself out of bed minutes before 9 am to meet everyone at Banana Bar for some early morning Absinthe shots. It was tubing day, which meant we started with multiple shots, continued the morning party with a Texas mickey of Smirnoff and then headed to the famed Nam Song river around noon. After an entire afternoon of floating lazily along on a tube among many tubes like some kind of rubber amoeba, I called it a night. Some champs in the group were somehow able to muster the energy to go out.
Now, contrary to various internet sources, Vang Vieng is far from a backpacker party haven where spoiled teens go to get high on magic mushroom pizza and drown in the river. (This reputation made me dread leaving Singburi). Maybe that was true before, but recently the Laotian government brought down it’s heavy hand, and now there are few bars open around the river, no ziplines and no swing ropes. In fact, the entire town is pretty quiet, with most bars closing around midnight and only the abundance of hotels, and occasional “happy menu” hinting at a wild party past.
Vang Vieng’s’ lack of Thailand’s staple 7/11s, (replaced by sad little storefronts attached to people’s houses), rows of corrugated tin roof homes, abundance of roaming Laotian kids, and obscenely worthless currency tell the story of a nation that’s much less developed than Thailand, rather than a bustling party mecca.
Another thing that’s not mentioned anywhere: how unbelievably stunning the landscape is with mountains shrouded in a misty fog enclosing Vang Vieng like a fortress, the river flowing lazily along, numerous ornate temples, and of course the Blue Lagoon.
The afternoon we spent at the Blue Lagoon, with it’s turquoise, goose-bump inducing water complete with a swing rope and swings, caving, and cute little sitting areas, was incredibly charming. It also included my favourite activity: eating. Mama Lao (our Laotian go-to known only by this decidedly mysterious monicker), prepared pumpkin soup, tomato soup, her famed heart-attack inducing hash browns and the best chicken wings ever. It was the perfect way to spend the day after a night of delicious Beerlao, cheap, flat champagne and trying to perfect the Dirty Dancing lift on a random sidewalk.
Blue Lagoon
Caving at the Blue Lagoon
After exploring both markets, and walking around town a fair amount in search of designer knock-offs and roasted purple yams, I found out that due to its ghost town qualities and natural beauty, there is something unmistakeably romantic about Vang Vieng; one only has to venture away from the river to see it.
