Vientiane and Vang Vieng

Our bus journey from Hanoi to Vientiane was long and tiresome (24hours) ...... however it gave us plenty of time to make some new friends.....
Jay and Kimmy, Anna and Max, Wade and Tyler, (and Elle and Rob - not in the photo)!!

In Vientiane, we all bundled into the same hostel, where the lovely staff didn't have enough rooms for us all but put us up in the movie room!! After a couple of big drinking nights (free rice wine at the hostel) and loosing pool against the locals we travelled as a group to Vang Vieng. There was only one thing on everyone's minds..... TUBING!!!!

With tubing in the morning we were suppose to had a light night... but 'killer pool' was on the cards and the boys fancied their chances!!!

As it turns out - the boys pool skills failed them the more alcohol they drank, and Becs beat them all but only came 4th!! Tyler actually came first - winning 12 bottles of beer to add to our beer tower!! Oh Dear!!

So Vang Vieng town lies on the Nam Song river, surrounded by lush green hills and mountains.

The locals have turned this cute little town into a major tourist attraction - using the river to their full advantage! Unfortunately in recent years tourists have become stupid... drinking way too much whilst floating down the river in their tubes, jumping off ropes and many deaths have been recorded. Now the drinking has been toned down and only 3 bars remain. Despite this many people still come here to TUBE and we still have a fantastic day!!

TUBING.... (unfortunately the waterproof disposal camera didn't produce any photos - gutted)

We set off from the tubing office around midday - giving ourselves plenty of time to stop off at the 3 bars along the river.
The first bar is literally a stones through away - not giving much time for floating - but enough to wet your appetite!

At each bar you get a free shot and a bracelet. The first bar was playing loud house music, the sun was out so the girls sat around and chatted whilst the boys got hot and sweaty on the volleyball court! After an hour or so our little army headed back to the river to cool off and head for the 2nd bar.

Bar 2 is by far the coolest bar.

If we try to describe it, it wont do it justice but we will try. First of all you had spiderman serving drinks, hula hooping and dancing the macarena! There was a small basketball court with a water sprinkler through the middle, Limbo, dancing tables and lots of wooden chill out loungers. The music was pumping and everyone dancing and just having a good time together.
Spiderman the waiter!

We literally dragged ourselves away from bar 2 - as we were running out of time to make it down the river before sunset. Bar 3 wasn't too far away. after a drink or two we have to make a decision... it was getting dark and we still had at least an hour of river left.... we chanced it.... floating down the river in a tube, in the dark, hand in hand with everyone was awesome!!!
What a brilliant day!

Next day with slightly fusses heads we had breakfast and our little gang left for Luang Prabang in a private minibus.