Travelling takes us to incredible places such as Vang Vieng in Laos - sadly my time in Laos wasn't much fun and I want to warn other travellers of the dangers of Vang Vieng and how not to go tubing. What went wrong for me can go wrong for anyone so really - be careful!
After arriving in Vang Vieng you will meet a host of new friends to party the night away with in the many bars there. Enjoy yourself but remember not to drink too much - as the next day you are probably going tubing!
It was an early start to move hostels and enjoy a French baguette and Irish Coffee breakfast to get ready for the day of tubing! A truck picked us up after a spot of poll playing in a local pub. We didn't pay a penny so far and had arrived at the first bar of the tubing. Free shot on arrival. Too good to be true really, we still hadn't paid anything but I got on the beer at this bar, which is when I first bought a drink.
I loved the next few hours as the tubing began. Everyone started dancing, drinking, partying and just having a great time. It was fun and all was good!
First up - don't buy one of those waterproof tubing bags. They are useless. I made the mistake of buying one and taking my camera and wallet with me into the tubing. Big mistake. After partying in the first two bars I made it to the tube but couldn't grab the rope for the next bar, as they pulled me in I got tangled up and lost my green waterproof bag. My entire wallet and camera had now made their way into the Nam Song river and were gone forever...
Going with it was my entire money and credit cards for the entire trip, plus 3 other ID cards and my camera full of memories of photos and videos. Oh dear! And I was now stranded in a bar in Vang Vieng. With other people of course. I met up with my mate Chaz again in the bar and he too had lost his wallet but kept his phone. He luckily didn't bring all his cards with him and I still have no idea why I risked taking everything into the river that day. Maybe to teach myself a lesson and realise I was wrong. I trusted myself more than I trusted the hostel, and I was wrong to do that.
My mate kindly bought me a drink but I wasn't in the mood anymore. I still had my flip flops and my Northern Ireland flag but I had lost my wallet and camera. Crazy.
I then picked up an ear infection from swimming in the Nam Song. The only saving grace being that my passport was back at the hostel safe and that I was well.
After the third bar and with no money or anything, I walked along looking in vain for a clue as to where my wallet had gone. I was in the middle of nowhere and it was getting dark.
A local Laos girl called Micky runs over to me and asks what the problem is. "I have nothing left here - any chance of a lift back to Vang Vieng?" I said and the heroine that she was she headed over to a remote garage, pulled out a scooter, told her friends she was giving me a lift and on the back of the scooter I went, flying through the rainy, wet, drizzly Laos countryside wondering what the hell I had done today. I wanted to give up travel in an instant. That was it - I was done with travel. I didn't even have any money now - to pay the hostel or to get out of Vang Vieng. A popular Norwegian, Arnie's Hostel Nam Song Gardens was next door to mine and I sat with him, he gave me a free beer and listened to my story. We'll end things there, how did I recover and ever want to travel again after this? And how did I get money to stay the night and continue my trip? A story for another day, my friends...
In Vang Vieng you can get all sort of drinks and drugs. Mushroom and Opium shakes are the buzz. I met loads of people off their heads on drugs.
So a few lessons to be learned from tubing at Vang Vieng in Laos:
- ONLY take money with you. BELIEVE ME - that's all you need!!
- DON'T take - a camera, keys to hostel rooms, wallets, credit cards, passports (as you can see I still have photos of the tubing experience thanks to Chaz and friends so a camera is not an essential - leave it behind and enjoy the party)
- Make sure you don't use or take one of those waterproof bags in with you
- Try not to drink too much alcohol (easier said than done)
- Avoid drugs
So in closing, head to Vang Vieng and enjoy it, but BE CAREFUL! People die in the river ever year, at least I survived, at the end of the day, it's only money...
It's still a great town though!
Happy travels!
Have fun checking out Vang Vieng...
Tubing in Vang Vieng Laos - oh the madness...
After arriving in Vang Vieng you will meet a host of new friends to party the night away with in the many bars there. Enjoy yourself but remember not to drink too much - as the next day you are probably going tubing!
It was an early start to move hostels and enjoy a French baguette and Irish Coffee breakfast to get ready for the day of tubing! A truck picked us up after a spot of poll playing in a local pub. We didn't pay a penny so far and had arrived at the first bar of the tubing. Free shot on arrival. Too good to be true really, we still hadn't paid anything but I got on the beer at this bar, which is when I first bought a drink.
I loved the next few hours as the tubing began. Everyone started dancing, drinking, partying and just having a great time. It was fun and all was good!
First up - don't buy one of those waterproof tubing bags. They are useless. I made the mistake of buying one and taking my camera and wallet with me into the tubing. Big mistake. After partying in the first two bars I made it to the tube but couldn't grab the rope for the next bar, as they pulled me in I got tangled up and lost my green waterproof bag. My entire wallet and camera had now made their way into the Nam Song river and were gone forever...
Going with it was my entire money and credit cards for the entire trip, plus 3 other ID cards and my camera full of memories of photos and videos. Oh dear! And I was now stranded in a bar in Vang Vieng. With other people of course. I met up with my mate Chaz again in the bar and he too had lost his wallet but kept his phone. He luckily didn't bring all his cards with him and I still have no idea why I risked taking everything into the river that day. Maybe to teach myself a lesson and realise I was wrong. I trusted myself more than I trusted the hostel, and I was wrong to do that.
My mate kindly bought me a drink but I wasn't in the mood anymore. I still had my flip flops and my Northern Ireland flag but I had lost my wallet and camera. Crazy.
I then picked up an ear infection from swimming in the Nam Song. The only saving grace being that my passport was back at the hostel safe and that I was well.
After the third bar and with no money or anything, I walked along looking in vain for a clue as to where my wallet had gone. I was in the middle of nowhere and it was getting dark.
A local Laos girl called Micky runs over to me and asks what the problem is. "I have nothing left here - any chance of a lift back to Vang Vieng?" I said and the heroine that she was she headed over to a remote garage, pulled out a scooter, told her friends she was giving me a lift and on the back of the scooter I went, flying through the rainy, wet, drizzly Laos countryside wondering what the hell I had done today. I wanted to give up travel in an instant. That was it - I was done with travel. I didn't even have any money now - to pay the hostel or to get out of Vang Vieng. A popular Norwegian, Arnie's Hostel Nam Song Gardens was next door to mine and I sat with him, he gave me a free beer and listened to my story. We'll end things there, how did I recover and ever want to travel again after this? And how did I get money to stay the night and continue my trip? A story for another day, my friends...
In Vang Vieng you can get all sort of drinks and drugs. Mushroom and Opium shakes are the buzz. I met loads of people off their heads on drugs.
So a few lessons to be learned from tubing at Vang Vieng in Laos:
- ONLY take money with you. BELIEVE ME - that's all you need!!
- DON'T take - a camera, keys to hostel rooms, wallets, credit cards, passports (as you can see I still have photos of the tubing experience thanks to Chaz and friends so a camera is not an essential - leave it behind and enjoy the party)
- Make sure you don't use or take one of those waterproof bags in with you
- Try not to drink too much alcohol (easier said than done)
- Avoid drugs
So in closing, head to Vang Vieng and enjoy it, but BE CAREFUL! People die in the river ever year, at least I survived, at the end of the day, it's only money...
It's still a great town though!
Happy travels!
Have fun checking out Vang Vieng...
Tubing in Vang Vieng Laos - oh the madness...
About the Author:
For more funny travel stories and tips like Tubing Going Wrong in Vang Vieng head to Jonny Blair's extremely global site A Lifestyle of Travel.
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