Northern Laos is beautiful, and after riding on a shaky "VIP" bus for 4 hours, we came to the stunning town of Vang Vieng. The roads in Laos are a lot better than I had imagined, but they still are very windy. Taking them seems to be worth it though because the roads lead to the unexpected beauty of a wonderful country.
We were excited about heading North of Vientiane, and we became even more excited when we actually arrived in Vang Vieng. The beautiful little town sits right on a river, and it overlooks an area of of limestone mountains. From our hotel we experienced some of the best views of our trip so far, and the natural area that surrounded us was mesmerizing. We immediately grew fond of Vang Vieng because it was relaxing and very convenient. There were countless restaurants and the people were very friendly. The people of Laos seem to be much more laid back than any place we have been so far, and it is so refreshing as everyone appears to be so happy.
During our time in Vang Vieng we rested, relaxed, and enjoyed the outdoors. We spent mornings on a little porch overlooking the beautiful mountains and evenings walking through the small town. On our second day in Vang Vieng we went out with our guide named Kham. Kham is around our age, so he became more of a friend than a guide, and we had a lot of fun as he took us around the surrounding area of Vang Vieng.
First, Kham took us to four caves within the limestone mountains. Tola and I had a unique experience because it was the two of us and Kham and our torch lights. The three of us went into the caves and our small lights guided us through the pitch black corridors within the limestone mountains. At times the darkness felt a bit eerie, and I was thankful that we didn't stay in the caves for too long. During the Vietnam War the people of Laos often hid in caves, and today one can see the names of people written on the cave walls. People hid in two of the caves that we visited, so we saw hundreds of names written on the cave walls. It was amazing to think that hundreds of people spent time hiding in the caves, and it really wasn't that long ago.
My favorite cave of the day was the "water cave." It is a cave filled with water, but one can sit on a tube and float through the cave. Once in the cave, Tola and I pulled ourselves along a rope and we floated along the water. At one point our guide led us through an area where we waded through the water and it was quite the cave experience. It was amazing to think that there are hundreds of caves in the Vang Vieng area today, and the formations inside of them are beautiful.
After the caves, we visited a Hmong Village located outside of Vang Vieng. Kham was able to tell us many stories about the Hmong people, and it wasinteresting getting first hand information. Kham told us that about ten years ago the Hmong people and the Laos people did not get along, and they would fight each other right outside of Vang Vieng. Kham told us how he was a scared 10 year old during this time, and how he has a lot of bad memories from the time of unrest. He was happy to tell us that everything has been resolved for now, and the Laos and Hmong people have a good relationship today.
Our final activity of the day was tubing on the Vang Vieng. Every year thousands of foreigners travel to Vang Vieng for tubing, and this really means for "partying" along the beautiful riverside. As we got into our tubes we could see the gorgeous limestone mountains on one side and numerous riverside bars on the other side. Tola and I stopped twice to experience what the fuss was about, but I mostly enjoyed taking in the amazing scenery.
I was happy to find that the bars haven't taken over the entire riverside yet, and one can enjoy a quite ride down most of the Vang Vieng River. I still find it a bit weird that foreigners travel across continents to party in another man's land, but perhaps I am just getting a little too old, haha. :) Kham told us that the people who reak benefits love when foreigners come to Vang Vieng, but others prefer when foreigners are not so obnoxious. Tubing down the Vang Vieng ended up taking over 3 hours. It was a wonderful way to enjoy the area of Vang Vieng, and I am happy that we were able to experience the amazing river and mountains.
Vang Vieng has been a great stop. Tola and I are now excited about heading to Luang Prabang, but it will be difficult to give up the views of the limestone cliffs. We have heard from many that Luang Prabang is one of Southeast Asia's best cities, so we are really looking forward to it!
Northern Laos is beautiful, and after riding on a shaky "VIP" bus for 4 hours, we came to the stunning town of Vang Vieng. The roads in Laos are a lot better than I had imagined, but they still are very windy. Taking them seems to be worth it though because the roads lead to the unexpected beauty of a wonderful country.
We were excited about heading North of Vientiane, and we became even more excited when we actually arrived in Vang Vieng. The beautiful little town sits right on a river, and it overlooks an area of of limestone mountains. From our hotel we experienced some of the best views of our trip so far, and the natural area that surrounded us was mesmerizing. We immediately grew fond of Vang Vieng because it was relaxing and very convenient. There were countless restaurants and the people were very friendly. The people of Laos seem to be much more laid back than any place we have been so far, and it is so refreshing as everyone appears to be so happy.
During our time in Vang Vieng we rested, relaxed, and enjoyed the outdoors. We spent mornings on a little porch overlooking the beautiful mountains and evenings walking through the small town. On our second day in Vang Vieng we went out with our guide named Kham. Kham is around our age, so he became more of a friend than a guide, and we had a lot of fun as he took us around the surrounding area of Vang Vieng.
First, Kham took us to four caves within the limestone mountains. Tola and I had a unique experience because it was the two of us and Kham and our torch lights. The three of us went into the caves and our small lights guided us through the pitch black corridors within the limestone mountains. At times the darkness felt a bit eerie, and I was thankful that we didn't stay in the caves for too long. During the Vietnam War the people of Laos often hid in caves, and today one can see the names of people written on the cave walls. People hid in two of the caves that we visited, so we saw hundreds of names written on the cave walls. It was amazing to think that hundreds of people spent time hiding in the caves, and it really wasn't that long ago.
My favorite cave of the day was the "water cave." It is a cave filled with water, but one can sit on a tube and float through the cave. Once in the cave, Tola and I pulled ourselves along a rope and we floated along the water. At one point our guide led us through an area where we waded through the water and it was quite the cave experience. It was amazing to think that there are hundreds of caves in the Vang Vieng area today, and the formations inside of them are beautiful.
After the caves, we visited a Hmong Village located outside of Vang Vieng. Kham was able to tell us many stories about the Hmong people, and it wasinteresting getting first hand information. Kham told us that about ten years ago the Hmong people and the Laos people did not get along, and they would fight each other right outside of Vang Vieng. Kham told us how he was a scared 10 year old during this time, and how he has a lot of bad memories from the time of unrest. He was happy to tell us that everything has been resolved for now, and the Laos and Hmong people have a good relationship today.
Our final activity of the day was tubing on the Vang Vieng. Every year thousands of foreigners travel to Vang Vieng for tubing, and this really means for "partying" along the beautiful riverside. As we got into our tubes we could see the gorgeous limestone mountains on one side and numerous riverside bars on the other side. Tola and I stopped twice to experience what the fuss was about, but I mostly enjoyed taking in the amazing scenery.
I was happy to find that the bars haven't taken over the entire riverside yet, and one can enjoy a quite ride down most of the Vang Vieng River. I still find it a bit weird that foreigners travel across continents to party in another man's land, but perhaps I am just getting a little too old, haha. :) Kham told us that the people who reak benefits love when foreigners come to Vang Vieng, but others prefer when foreigners are not so obnoxious. Tubing down the Vang Vieng ended up taking over 3 hours. It was a wonderful way to enjoy the area of Vang Vieng, and I am happy that we were able to experience the amazing river and mountains.
Vang Vieng has been a great stop. Tola and I are now excited about heading to Luang Prabang, but it will be difficult to give up the views of the limestone cliffs. We have heard from many that Luang Prabang is one of Southeast Asia's best cities, so we are really looking forward to it!
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