8 hour bus ride from Phonsovan to Vang Vieng, some of it above the clouds as we drive through the mountains. Apart from the magnificent views the journey memorable for the landslides and a huge boulder on the road – the product of three days monsoon rain. Oh and the co-pilot who hawked and gobbed continuously and displayed his roadie's arse at unscheduled comfort breaks by the roadside.
Our first sight of Vang Vieng not promising. We toured the few streets and found bar after bar full of listless young Western backpackers stretched out on mangey cushions watching Friends on continuous loop. Just about everyone we saw that night looked stoned or dealing. Found out later from a restaurant owner that VV came to notice from a piece in the Times when a travel writer reported the ready availability of opium. Bars quickly cashed in, offering 'happy menus' and 'happy shakes'. The river gangsters – as we came to see them – opened up makeshift bars along the banks of the Nam Song and rented out tyre inner tubes at extortionate prices so that kids could drift along the fast current topping up on booze and happy stuff along the way.
Spirits lift the next day. Breakfasted by the river under glorious sun over the awesome limestone karsts. Fantastic setting (see pic). Across the river the mountains, caves and immaculately tended paddy fields drew us in. We soon met some lovely people here. a young Lao, name charmingly pronounced Annoy, guided us on a 16km kayak ride down the river, told us his life story, his ambitions for university, and dazzled us with his athleticism as he somersaulted into the water off a high trapeze at a riverside bar. Also got friendly with a restaurant owner who served great food and was one of the few with no TV. amazing guy. Had lived in Bromley for 20 or so years before returning to Lao. Politically sharp, seemed to know everything that was going on in the town and supplied ad hoc medical care to the young Westerners who limped in with scrapes and bruises from the river tubing.
We ended up staying five days. Rented out scratchy old town bikes with no gears nor brakes and went touring through the rice fields to the caves. Jenks sure I was trying to kill her as of course we did this in the heat of the mid-day sun. The tubing looked so tempting at the end of that day. Had we stayed another day...well I'm sure we'd have gone tubing, and maybe slurping happy shakes and watching Friends with the best of them.
On our way out of our Guest House – the Elephant Crossing – bumped into Ivor Gaber and his wife Jane, touring S.East Asia for a few weeks. Small world.
Next stop – the capital Vientiane.
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