Vang Vieng

The minibus continued its journey towards Vang Vieng at 9:00 a.m. The town of Vang Vieng is located between Luang Prabang and the capital city Vientiane. The Nam Xong River flows through Vang Vieng, and the city is surrounded by karst formations (forested hills several hundred meters high) and rainforest. In the past, Vang Vieng was known as a party destination, with parties mainly taking place on and along the river. People would float down the river on inflated car tires. Bars offering cheap alcoholic drinks and other "services" lined the river banks. Due to multiple annual deaths, including 22 tourists in 2011, the Laotian authorities closed around 24 bars in 2012.

Since 2012, there has been a major transformation. The tourism industry in Vang Vieng now focuses on nature and outdoor activities in the surrounding area. It is still possible to float down the river on a car tire, but safety is now given more emphasis by the providers. Thanks to this image change, the audience is more diverse. For example, many Korean tour groups come to the city.

The road from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng led through a mountainous road. Unlike in Switzerland, there were no guardrails or safety nets on the steep sides. Fortunately, our driver was driving slowly downhill. Along the way, we saw a truck that had probably taken the curve too fast. Its trailer was lying on its side. Accidents seem to be commonplace here. We arrived in the city early in the afternoon. We checked into our room at Army Baracs Guesthouse. The room was extremely basic and poorly insulated, but clean and equipped with a comfortable bed. We had lunch at a restaurant across from our accommodation and made plans to have dinner with Lucien, Maria, and Christian. After dinner, we went to the Sakura Club. The majority of the audience here was of Korean origin. Everyone sang along loudly to the Korean hits that we didn't know. The atmosphere was casual and relaxed. The club closed before midnight, and the crowd moved on to Viva Club. We didn't like the music or the somewhat shady characters hanging around here, so we soon headed home.

The next day, after breakfast, we went on a tubing tour. We took a pickup truck downstream to the starting point. The first bar was located here. We met some people that we had met in the minibus. Since the river had very little water and there was practically no current in the upper part, we were pulled by boat to the next bar. After a stopover, we could let ourselves float with the current. The trip reminded us of the summer "Aareböötlä," except that the river was not as cool and clean as our local Aare. The Nam Xong is a dark brown broth. At the last stop, there was a zip line into the water and a volleyball field. We played a game of volleyball and then were driven back to our hotel by pickup truck. The trip was relaxing. We ended the evening with Christian and Maria with a nice dinner.

The next day, we had arranged to meet Maria and Christian to visit Lagoon Number 2. It was about 45 minutes away from the city. If the road had been better, we probably would have reached it in 15 minutes. The road was more like a gravel road. There were many small and some large holes filled with water. For once, we were glad we hadn't come by scooter. The route was dirty and probably slippery. The lagoon itself was beautiful but not breathtaking. There were three swimming pools. The VIP pool, which was full of seaweed and really did not live up to its name. The pool with the diving tower was the most beautiful and probably the deepest. We spent the entire afternoon in and around the water, which was pleasantly cool. After returning, we had an early dinner.

The next day, we took a bus to Vientiane. The bus was spacious and modern but was about an hour late. After 4.5 hours on the bus, we arrived in the capital city of Vientiane. We met Maria and Christian for a farewell dinner at an Italian pizzeria. The food was incredibly delicious but a bit more expensive due to the ingredients. We said goodbye to them and went back to the hotel early.

The next morning, we left Laos and headed to Kuala Lumpur. There, we plan to explore the east coast and the island of Borneo. We are looking forward to returning to Malaysia.