Part 71 - Vang Vieng and the Homestay

Ratha (our guide), Tony, Fiona, Johannes, Me, Ems, Manuel, Tracy, Betty, Rhea, Charlotte, Tom

Whilst China is building roads and railways across Laos, sadly the road between Luang Prabang and our next destination, Vang Vieng, is a WIP so we were forced to take the bumpy and windy mountain road - a journey that took about 9 hours. I quite enjoyed it, mostly because unlike some of the bus journeys in Bolivia and Peru, this one felt quite safe (ignoring the jack-knifed lorry).

The town where we had an impromptu and a rather tasty lunch

A hoose in the middle of nowhere

Another nice hoose en route

Our accommodation for the first night was a wee bit different than normal. We had got somewhat used to staying in high-end hotels, so this time, we were staying with local families in a village near Vang Vieng. The village has been hosting tourists for more than 10 years, which has enabled them to install electricity and get paved roads.

Our group, our Laotian tour guide, and our hosts!

We were given a short tour of the village and met this wee chap ...

I've not added the video where he decided to carry out a wee bit of self-abuse

... and a shedload of ducks. 

We were all given traditional clothing to wear, and mine looked somewhat like a kilt. I tried to explain this to my host but I fear something got lost in translation.

 

How did they know I was Scottish?

That evening after dinner, some kids appeared and we naively assumed that they were going to do a wee turn for us. Then we found out that we WERE the entertainment for the evening. Still, the dances they showed us were pretty easy to follow and nobody's feet got trod on.

The next day, nearly everyone signed up for an "adrenalin sports" day, without any clue what it actually involved. It ended up involving a lot of kayaking and caves, so again, pictures are in short supply.

Despite being a grizzled veteran on the kayaking scene, I'd never kayaked down a river, and if I'm going to be brutally honest, they didn't really tell us what to do when we went down rapids. Tom and Tracy capsized (twice) and Ems and I ran aground on several occasions (and bickered like an old married couple).

My request for a left-handed paddle was treated with the contempt it deserved

The only point on the entire journey where she was paddling and I wasn't!

We also got several more soakings from kids and adults playing in the river (New Year seems to go on forever here), but eventually arrived at our destination unscathed, where we got to explore a couple of caves (one of which we navigated to on an inflatable tube).

A funky cave

After lunch and some more kayaking, we were bundled into a truck and taken to The Blue Lagoon, a pleasant place to swim and lie about.

These vehicles looked suspiciously like the US army vehicles they used in 'Nam

Mindful of my sunburnt trip to the waterpark in Gold Coast, I opted for a quick leap off the platform, then hiding from the sun again.

And that was Vang Vieng (apart from a trip to an Irish bar of all places). Next stop, the capital, Vientiane!