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In contrast to its dubious distinction as the most heavily bombed country in the world, (between 1964 and 1973 the U.S. dropped two million tons of bombs on Laos, roughly 30% of which failed to detonate and remain dangerous today), my experience of Laos was of a peaceful, extremely laidback and very beautiful place. Rugged limestone cliffs, emerald-green forests, pristine jungle waterfalls, friendly people, a relaxed atmosphere everywhere you go, and all to be enjoyed with what is probably South East Asia's best beer... What more can one ask for?

Kayaks, Caves & Waterfalls - A Week in Laos

Michael Meadows
2006-09-26 16:37:25

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of various combinations - opium tea, mushroom shakes, space cakes, and so on. I'd read in LP that there'd been some recent crack-downs by the government... Makes you wonder what it was like before?

As well as the easy availability of drugs, many travellers come to Vang Vieng for the tubing. All guesthouses and travel agencies offer this - they drive you upstream, give you a big inner tube, and then you float back into town, stopping off at the many river-side bars along the way. We decided to do it a little differently, joining a kayaking trip instead. This meant we started a bit further upstream, taking in some fairly decent rapids, visiting a couple of
caves along the way, and generally having a more active day than those lazy, good-for-nothing tubers. =P

The caving was quite an experience, mainly because it was unbelievably slippery and the thongs, ('flip-flops', for any American readers =P), we were all wearing weren't really up to the task. We were all given head-lamps, slinging batteries almost the size of those in cars around our necks, and then we slithered down some rocks to the mouth of the cave and into the inky blackness within. With only our (totally inadequate) lamps to light the mud-slick floor, it took a lot of concentration and balance just to stay upright and avoid the numerous holes and crevices. Definitely made the whole experience a lot more interesting than it would otherwise have been. There were some beautiful sections to the cave though, particularly the deepest caverns, in which the guide banged out a tune on the huge & seemingly hollow stalagtites and pointed out other odd rock formations.

Back on the river, we decided to stop and spend some time at the biggest & most popular river-bar of all. The main reason for its popularity was the huge rope swing that provided
Beer Lao, generally acknowledged as the best beer in SE Asia
Beer Lao, generally acknowledged as the best beer ...