Land of multiple menus
Trip Start
Apr 23, 2007
1
49
56
Trip End
Ongoing
Vang viang, Australia
Saturday, September 15, 2007
We check into an amazing river side hostel. the rooms of which were all detached en-suite cabins, looking out over the rive, and its amazing mountainous backdrop. we spend the eveing rallying a crew up for our tubing expeince the following day. That eveing we met some wicked people, a few ozzys and a couple from sweden. Group sorted, time for bed.
had i know what funny was about to follow, i would have gotten up at 6am to start the tubing trip. however i didnt, so i laid in till 11.lol. we finally got everyone organised and headed 5 kms upstream in a tuk tuk, loaded with 10 tracker inner tubes on its roof, which alone is a sight to make you laugh. we get dropped off and thrown the tubes by the driver, with nmo words of advice, or even direction to the waters edge. luckily nic and nina, the swedish guy, are veterans in the tubing game,a nd lead the way. the momeny were in the water i know what treats were in for, as 50 metres down stream i spot the first bar. Now when i say 'Bar' i use the term in the loosest sense possible, as shoddy gazibo with a cool box benieth. however for the moment my attention in draw away from the alocohol and is focused on the small asain boy doin backflips from a rope swing suspended 15 foot in the air. I dont even realise im paddling, in an attmpt to get there quicker.
well all stop off for a beer, few goes on the swing, and the complementary shot of Laos Laos (some horrible spirit main from sticky rice, normally around 70% alcohol.yum). as we move down the river, teh bar and the swings get bigger and bigger. after a couple more stops. we arrive at the daddy of all swings, peaking at about 25 foot at maximum hight. i mean this thing is high. even with half a stomach of dutch courage in me, it still took we 5minutes to get tehe balls to do it. but jesus when i did, was it fun. we ended up staying here for a few hours, drinking and swing. and of course watchingthe poor soles who get it totally wrong, and use their faces as crash mats. nothing draws a croud like personal misery/injury. it was getting dark so we moved onto one last bar, in a hope to get a couple of drinks in and home, before it gets dark. as traveling down a river with no clue where to get off in the dark is not a good plan. the last bar was equally as amusing as the last, as it gave us our first glimps out what we'd come to epect as the normal menu layout in Vang Vien. and by normal i mean, you are always served two menus where ever you go, one for food and drink, and the other for 'Special' food and drink. the specail menu consisting of normally three headings, Weeds, Mushrooms, and Opium. each heading them followed by a number of may to consume the sunstance, pizza, tea, cake etc. funny time.
we spend a few dyas here,and got really close with ther guys we met. the tubing was done once more before we left. but i woudl ahve loved to stay longer if time would have permitted. Vang Vien is another truely beautifu town and well worth a visit. even if just for teh ubing :-).
