Spring Break

Vang Vieng is a young traveler's paradise. Endless opportunities for outdoor adventure, warm sunny days and a vibrant nightlife make for the ultimate party scene. Fortunately for us, our bungalow on the far side of the river provided a peaceful escape from the kids. But we took in more than our share of adventure while the sun was up. We spent a day climbing the vast limestone kirsts, hiked to a serene blue lagoon straight out of the movies, explored a truly massive cave -- where a nimble spider the size of a grapefruit made me think twice about where I put my hand -- and of course, did as everyone else and tubed down the river.
 
The tubing adventure totally blew away our expectations. The top half of the river is lined with makeshift bars that pump out music. Some have raging bonfires. Almost all of them have giant swings to launch you high over parts of the river that have been dredged deep. One even has a super water slide. It's a great recipe for whiplash. Heather drew some mighty applause with a head first slide that she skillfully converted into a near perfect dive, many others failed... painfully. At the very first stop we bumped into an Aussie couple we met in Muang Noi. We laughed our heads off and soaked up the sun all day long. They made sure we headed down the last stretch (90%) of the river in time to get our tube deposit back. But by then the water and air temperature was wreaking havoc on our bare skin. It was a chilly hour and a half we won't forget.
 
Every night we relaxed at the Organic Farm Cafe. Feasted on homemade mulberry wine, fresh spring rolls and a split pea soup that would make me slap my mum. 

         

Comments

[Sharon Martin]

Unbelievable water. I enjoyed tubing down the white river in Arkansas (similar to something in Deliverance). You experience out does mine.

Love,

Mom