lethargy and debauchery

Someone on wikitravel describes Vang Vieng as "lethargy by day and debauchery by night." This isn't completely true. I'm not sure how to describe this place. On one hand it's nestled in a beautiful valley along a river in what would be a very serene setting if not for the hordes of backpackers that have turned this place into a bizarre world where watching endless American sitcoms and tubing down a river with a bucket of alcohol in hand seem perfectly logical. So first the town. It's two main streets are lined with restaurant/bars where no one talks. Why don't they talk? Cause all the bars show reruns of Friends, The Family Guy, and The Simpsons all day, every day. So basically everyone picks a bar based on what season is showing from one of those three shows (and only those three shows), and just sits around and watches as much as their little hearts desire. Of course they're all drinking large Beer Lao's, but really alcohol is an afterthought here.

On the other hand, along the river, alcohol appears to be a priority. Backpackers have managed to turn this tranquil spot spot into a year round spring break party - you might as well be in Cancun in March. Besides drinking, the activity of choice is tubing. You rent a tube in town and then get dropped off upriver, and proceed to slowly float back south into town, stopping at one of the many bars that line the river. Each bar obviously has various drink specials, but they also have swings, zip-lines, slides and other dangerous ways to launch yourself back into the river. Needless to say, safety does not appear to be anyone's primary concern.

I wish I could tell you I took part in this debauchery, but alas, we were content just tubing down the river watching the 18 year olds doing belly flops and giving themselves whiplash. It was remarkably amusing and just floating didn't wear us out too much - so that we could join them afterward for half a season of friends. One day of all this was enough for me however, so I left Neha, John, Kimberly and Connie behind, and moved north to Luang Prabang. The eight-hour mini-bus ride was, well... long, but certainly worth it. Traveling up Highway 13 in Laos has got to be one of the most picturesque trips you can take. The road is lined with schools, villages and people going about their daily routines. It was surely a fascinating way to see the country. Unfortunately as I was sitting in the middle of the bus, no pictures were taken. Hopefully I'll take some as I continue to travel north. (btw picture uploads are coming... just some minor technical difficulties)