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March 12, 2008 Vang Vieng (LAOS) Tubing Vang Vieng with Bob Marley Singing the Whole Way As if my heartbeat could not slow down any further in Laos, the extent of my labor for the day was climbing in and out of an inflated tube on a lazy-river ride - and half the time it was with a beer in hand. A little explanation is obviously needed... Southeast Asia has, in many was, become the destination to which my generation escapes in a bid to "discover themselves and the world." Whether it is for a so-called "gap year," representing a break between high school and university, or whether one is simply taking an extended leave from work, there is an eclectic group of travelers plying the "Southeast Asia Circuit," consisting primarily of Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia. This influx of foreign travelers is both good and bad for local communities: they earn valuable tourist dollars, which creates a booming economy that may not have existed before, but it also ruins much of the cultural heritage as communities do whatever it takes to earn a spot on the backpacking radar. Vang Vieng fits in the latter category, and the main draw for coming here is to go tubing on a river that is lined with shabbily constructed "bars." The way tubing in Vang Vieng works is the following: local proprietors along the river hold out bamboo poles so that foreign customers can pull themselves ashore and buy a few drinks, perhaps jumping from a diving deck to keep things interesting (oblivious to the rocks below during the dry season), and then continue down the river more inebriated than before. It has become one of the commonly touted rights of passage for travelers in Southeast Asia, and after two years of avoiding the backpacker hang-out in Northern Laos it was time I saw what all the fuss was about. Sadly, it was not my cup of tea. (It is sad not because I condemn others who have enjoyed themselves here, but rather because I knew in advance this kind of thing would not interest me and yet I still felt the need to give it a try.) Just in case someone else out there is captivated by the idea - and many are - I will recount how the day went for future reference... I spent the morning at the lone cafe in town advertising wi-fi access (I am desperate to keep the webpage going while I travel), but unsurprisingly the entire morning was a bust as the connection made a 56k dial-up look like mankind's greatest achievement. Thinking back, even the food was rubbish, so steer clear of the Babylon Cafe. Afterward, I woke David and Neil - two people who can sleep indefinitely if there is nothing (or no one) to wake them up - and at around 10:30 am we set off to rent inflated tubes for a lazy-river ride. The $4 cost included transport upriver in the back of a rickety truck, and by around 11:00 am we were down to only bathing suits (with pockets stuffed full of money) and t-shirts slung over the side of our tubes. It is currently the dry-season in this part of the world, so the river was only about six inches deep at parts, meaning we had to navigate (paddle) away from the rocks jutting out of the 25 meter wide river. The first bar was only 150 meters downriver, and with 15 people hanging out there it was easily the busiest we would encounter for the day. The alcohol wasn't as cheap as in town, but at only $1.50 for 660ml (roughly two cans) of beerLao, who am I to complain? We chatted with several of the other groups, but most of the people were already well-smashed and were daring each other to do various jumps off the 15 meter (nearly 50 feet) high platform. We saw a few close-calls as the rocks were plainly visible, but fortunately there were no shattered skulls while we were around. The rest of the afternoon was pleasant, although not nearly as exciting or thrilling as one might expect. Whereas most lazy river rides involve relaxing while the water carries you along, often we would hardly move were it not for paddling. Also, the bars quickly got old as none were as crowded as the first, and even then I couldn't understand the draw - I would rather float down the river drinking beer than constantly get in and get out. The ubiquitous Bob Marley songs certainly didn't help matters either as seemingly every place was playing the soundtrack - African Herbsman, I Shot the Sheriff, Buffalo Soldier, and so on... I tried my best to spice things up as every time I had to urinate I would hop out of my tube and swim closer to Neil or David, but I don't think they were as enthusiastic as I was about this. We reached Vang Vieng by around 16:00 and at that point we were all more than ready for it to be over. My suggestion for anyone hoping to experience tubing in Vang Vieng is to plan your trip so that it coincides with the rainy season, thereby sparing you the need to paddle your way to the finish. |
