Laos: A Debriefing
Luke and Russia at the bar
Luke The Saviour!
Our good friend Luke joined us on our second or third night there and was heartily welcomed by all. By which I mean he saved all our asses. He brought Ryker his Selsun Blue, he brought Gatty a new underwater camera, HE BROUGHT ME MY CREDIT CARD!!! God was I ever happy about that. Oh, I guess he didn’t bring Rush anything. Rush was all good. But still, what a life saver. And he made a good impression on the girls too. We were all very happy to see him. Plus he’s a total gem.
Hostel Food Briefing
- Apple, banana, pineapple, coconut shakes: 5,000 kips (60 cents)
- Watermelon, mango, orange, others: 6,000 kips (92 cents)
- Veggie sandwich: 1 dollar
- Burger: $2.50
- Pizza: $3-$4
We loved eating here. Great food and super cheap. Not just our hostel, but everywhere in Vang Vieng. Street vendors make a mean Vieng sub for $2.50. I have to say, probably my all-time favourite street vendor meal. I think the boys would agree.
A Little Exercise
Gorgeous view of the river
Ryker was going for a run one late afternoon and gave me enough warning (2-3 minutes) so I went with him. We ended up running to the river (5km) then floating down the river to see the suicide slide. Then it got dark so we ran back home. En route home, Ryker came up with the brilliant idea to jump on the back of a tuk-tuk as it passed. I don’t even know if I’m being sarcastic when I say ‘brilliant idea’. But I’ll say right now, I didn’t actually expect to attempt it before we made it back home. But sure enough one came by that looked like we could do it. Keep in mind, this is the end of a 10km run. Obviously, I ninja’d my ass up there like a boss. Ryker was close, but he cut his hand in the process and had to bail out. So I ordered two beer and ran back to meet up with him before he arrived. It was a good run and my Crocs held up nicely. Wouldn’t have minded a nice pair of runners though.
A lot of Family Guy…
TV Entertainment
All the TV’s in the village show either Friends, Family Guy, South Park or funny movies. Funny movies we saw were Bruno, Zoolander and Jackass 3D.
I really liked Laos, or at least Vang Vieng. It’s so crazy rowdy every day, but it’s also so relaxed and laid back. Whatever you’re in the mood for, it caters to you. Tons of tourists, lots of people to meet, food is cheap, accommodation is cheap… Life’s good! Made a lot of friends here and played lots of drinking games.
Last Few Days of Laos
Naturally the last few days of Laos were about the same as the first few. Wake up at noon, grab some breakfast, watch Friends or Family Guy, then head to the river for cheap, dirty alcohol and heavy partying. There honestly isn’t much more to say about the place. After about a week, we were spent. Ready to move on to the next place, ready to say goodbye to Vang Vieng. So we booked our bus ride out, back to Bangkok, Thailand.