The Sober Side of Vang Vieng

At the risk of sounding old and not very hip: NO, I did not get drunk tubing down the Nam Sang River or rave all night long at the river-front bars high on shrooms or pot. Famous for shoe-string backpackers who can get there on a bus from Vientiane for 40,000 kip ($5), rent a room for next to nothing, eat on even less, and risk getting doped up drinking exotic concoctions, THAT is not the Vang Vieng we experienced. It’s unfortunate how sometimes the sordid reputation of a travel destination can obscure the natural surrounding beauty of a place, much worse how often Vang Vieng appears in the headlines because of drowned drunk tourist.

Not all hope is lost, however, since the government has been cracking down on establishments that have been a bit too liberal with their mushroom and weed pizzas, and recently, some up-scale establishments have popped up hoping to bring in bigger tourist dollars so that the community doesn’t have to rely solely on the $5 bus passengers for their livelihood. I personally hope (beg) that someone will also open a restaurant worthy of bigger dollars for discerning palates that are a little more particular about our meals than stuffing my face with anything lumpy and greasy on a hungover morning. We found the food to be terrible except for Nazim’s Indian restaurant, which also had much faster service, critical when dining out with toddlers.

There is SO much more to Vang Vieng worth doing and seeing than what it’s famous for. The views are stunning and there is so much nature and outdoor sports to explore. There is rock climbing, caving (even on an inner-tube or kayak), mountain biking and four-wheeling in the countryside, and going down the river (sober) just to enjoy the view, or simply hanging out at the pool and relax which is exactly what we did and we loved it…

View of the Nam Sang River and karst hills from our hotel our first evening.

The same view the next morning courtesy of two kids who woke up at 6am excited and declaring, “Look! Mountains and a river! Let’s go to the pool!!!”

Boats preparing for early morning excursions on the river.

This footbridge is also next to the hotel.

I can just sit and watch people and kids and tractors and motorbikes go by here all day long. There were also lots of kids playing in the river under the bridge on the weekend. Their bubbly laughter and frolic was so fun to listen to.

OK, so this is mostly how we spent most of our time but the kids loved the pool and with these stunning views right in front of me how could I complain? (We booked the Riverside Boutique Resort through Agoda.com)

Our one outing, crossing the Nam Song River to Tham Chang and Tham Jang caves.

G&M on their way to Tham Chang cave. This natural spring water pool is the entrance to explore the cave while floating on an inner-tube.

Like a mini-Golden Gate Bridge in the middle of Laos.

All good things must come to an end but at least we were treated to this gorgeous misty view at breakfast the morning before we left.

 

You might also enjoy On the Road to Vang Vieng.

 

Follow me on Facebook:
Wanderlustress | Promote Your Page Too

About these ads