Monday, August 6, 2007

The One Floating Down the River

We followed the tourist trail down to Vang Vieng (Sour Puss and Co in hot pursuit, although thankfully NOT in the same cramped minibus!)

Feeling a little jaded, I had a very uncomfortable encounter with a group of small children at a drinks stop on the way. Armed with my refreshing can of Coca Cola (I can not praise Coke enough these days), I look up to find myself surrounded by small children, who make it clear in a manner of grunts and points that they want my can when I'm finished for recycling.

I agree, but then feel under pressure to finish said can when all I want to do is savour every blessed mouthful, which brings me sip by sip, back to a human form. It does not help that one of the girls has a really angry face... she will have a wrinkly forehead by the time she's ten, mark my words. The picture does look like I'm giving evils back, but to be honest the group were getting closer and closer to me, and I was beginning to feel under pressure!

With said can finished, I hold it out to have it snatched by one girl, and the others all gave me a look of "You cow!... I can't believe you gave it to her and not me" and then they all ran off. Charming!
Vang Vieng is a small but incredibly touristy town. Every restaurant shows Friends or Family Guy, and to be honest nearing the end of my trip, this actually feels like a little taste of heaven. Don't get me wrong... I still love the Asian culture. I think Watford will be very dull without passing monks every five minutes, or without 10 people on a moped, or a car made out of a tractor front and a wooden frame - for these reasons I adore Asia... but a little taste of home can go a long way when you're shattered! I'm not sure I'd have liked Vang Vieng so much if this was one of my first stops from home instead of one of my last!

Anyway... the main reason for coming here is the river. You float down the river in tractor inner tubes, and get hauled in by aid of a bamboo pole at many makeshift bars en route to drink buckets of whiskey redbull and to swing into the river.

This would never happen in europe. It broke so many health and safety rules it was unbelievable - but I guess that is partly why it was so much fun.
Being the big fat scaredy cat I am, I only went on one "swing"and that was really a zip line that flung you off the end so you landed gracefully head first legs akimboo in the water. I climbed up the ricketty bamboo scaffold... changed my mind and climbed down, and eventually made it up again and off the edge - and yes it was fun.

At subsequent bars there were trapeze style swings and Sam and Carrie swang back and forth - Sam hanging upside down by his legs the big showoff!... I was chief photographer.

All in all a fantastic day... if a little on the crazy side!

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