'Glory days' long gone - Tubing in Vang Vieng

  As late as last year, Vang Vieng was a party destination for the mostly youth-centered travelers in Laos. Alcohol flowed freely (sometimes literally), drug use was rampant and, combined with the number one activity in town – tubing on the river (think booze shacks, water slides and zip lines)– the results were disastrous. People died – sure, mostly out of sheer imbibed stupidity (but then who hasn't had a stupid moment), and the authorities and a curfew cracked down on the party scene. Less partying meant less interested tourists, so businesses suffered.

  Some of the vivacious atmosphere remains, although on a pretty limited scale. Biggest reminder of the past just may be the bars with Friends reruns on TV. But we heard that the appealing beauty of the area now draws a somewhat more reasonable crowd, and decided it worthwhile to stop in for a day or two, on our way south.

Bungalow with a view

  I've described Laos as gorgeous but the landscapes here are almost uncontested. The clear waters of the river (not the standard brown) in a superb setting and the muggy heat invite to spend time in the water. So... we went tubing. 

 Mostly responsible tubing, as there are still a few bar stops on the way as you leisurely flow with the current. We checked one out (as well as a random grandma & grandpa place), purely out of curiosity, of course. And... people still seem to go crazy. Maybe just not as many of them and not to the same extent. 

Bar on the river

In case you need to refuel

 After half a day of baking in the sun, we joined a group of some of those more reasonable travelers for a late dinner. Great conversation, some surprisingly good pasta and an even surprisingly better mojito later, we called it a night. A spectacular storm then lulled us to sleep.

  After a long, overnight bus journey, we reached Pakse amid torrents of rain. Weather permitting, stayed tuned for scooter diaries part 2.

Lil rickety bridge