In order: Scooting around Vang Vien (l to r Curtis, Brooke, Gabe, Skye, NZ Nick); reclining Buddha in the Tham Poukham cave; Tham Poukham cave entrance; sunset along the Nam Song;
providing alms to the monks in Luang Prabang.
We have been here in Vang Vieng for the past three days but let me press the rewind and tell how we got here....
Our second to last night in Luang Prabang we bowled. But prior to bowling we sunsetted. The sunsets along the Mekong are astonishing with the sun dipping behind jungle limestone peaks and reflecting off the river - better than a postcard. All bars in Luang Prabang close at 11:30PM for a midnight curfew (so the townfolk can give alms to the monks at 6AM) except one place - the bowling alley. So we bowled! Pretty nice place for the middle of nowhere and as the only establishment serving alcohol pass 11:30, it was PACKED - with eager if not more drunken - bowlers. We played two games with the ten of us and I managed to win both but the second game was neck and neck with Gabe until the last frame. Then bowling turned into tackle bowling and we left.
Our last full day in Luang Prabang saw the departure of Ash, Izzie, Dougie, Andy and Cam to Hanoi and Vietnam adventures. The team is a much more manageable five people but we were sorry to say goodbye and wished them well on their travels. We went to bed early the final night - after carousing the night markets for trinkets for the umpteenth time and dining at a nice side street buffet of vegetarian Laos cuisine - so we could give alms to the monks in the early the next morning.
We awoke t0 a surprisingly cold 5:30AM and made out way into the town main street where the monks make the rounds for their daily alms. This apparently is the only way the monks receive food and the whole town turns out for this daily event (and plenty of tourists). After taking our spots on the sidewalk (looked more like waiting for the Rose Parade to stroll by), four tuk-tuks full of Japanese tourists unloaded practically on top of us and we were immediately the center of their photography. There were at least 10-15 people snapping pictures like this was the last opportunity for a photo - some even came to within one foot with their giant lens to my face to snap a photo. We packed up and went back to our guesthouse were we sat alone on the street with the local elderly ladies and gave our alms to the hundreds of orange clothed monks parading through....
We mini-bussed from Luan Prabang to Vang Vien or more like torture-bussed - picture an average minivan an average soccer mom would drive and through in 12 full grown adults and all their luggage. Not very comfy especially for a tall person. After six hours we made town and settled into Nine Noi's Gusthouse. Noi is the man and nine is his lucky number and his son is named Jimi Hendrix - no joke.
This town is built only for tubing and drinking - both are taking to extremes. One has to rent a tube from the town co-op to actually tube down the river - almost a tube mafia that charges an astounding 50,000 kip ($5.50) for a days tubing and will try to steal your deposit upon return. But we went around town and inquired about purchasing our own tubes - liken this to purchasing drugs across the street from a police station. After many inquiries Gabe found the black market of tubers on the other side of town where we all purchased inflatable children tubes - mine is pink and cost only 30,000 kip.
Along the Nam Song river, upstream from town amid a valley of limestone peaks similar to that of the Grand Tetons, lies a meandering river with crazy bars, huge trapeze like swings from the bars into the river, zip lines that sent people flying into the river, waterslides and bar promoters throwing ropes to tubers to pull them into bars. And somewhere along the permanent marker was brought out to draw all over everyone. We spent a full day on the river and managed to only tube about 100 yards to three bars - this might have been the funnest day of the trip. We will return tomorrow and post pictures of the craziness soon.
Today we, along with new friends Curtis and his girlfriend from Oz, rented motorscooters and took a journey about 7KM away to the Tham Poukam cave and blue swimming lagoon. The drive through the country side was something of a Discovery Channel documentary through jagged limestome peaks, jungles, ricefields and tiny foot bridge river crossings.
Tomorrow, tubing.
