Who in the world would have known it: the hottest travel destination for the sexy and un-attached university student is located in the remote jungles of north-central Laos, a little slice of heaven by the name of Vang Viene. Known primarily for its amazing limestone cliffs and enviable trading position on the banks of the Mekong, Vang Viene has suddenly become the hottest adventure travel destination in South East Asia... There's not really much to do here but go tubing in the river, spend the day climbing in and around the numerous caves, and chilling in the beer bars and Lao restaurants that line the town's main road. Even though if you are over 30 you might be mistaken for someone's Dad, the laid-back atmosphere and natural beauty of this place should place it high on the list of "must-see" destinations in Asia.
We rode yet another "chicken" bus into town in the heat of the mid-afternoon and quickly realized that there is not much to Vang Viene: the single strip of simple guesthouses and restaurants is about as long as 2 city blocks. Back in Vientiane, we discovered the the local currency, the Lao Kip, is definitely preferred (unlike Cambodia, where everything is quoted in US Dollars), so we immediately went in search of a bank... 70 bucks purchased an OBNOXIOUS amount of stained and tattered Lao currency; we spread it all out on the floor like criminals in a low-rent bank heist movie!
Aside from rolling around in filthy bank notes, the real action in Vang Viene takes place just outside of town. The following afternoon, we rented two mountain bikes and cycled through some of the most beautiful scenery I've ever witnessed: amazing mountains and dramatic rock formations, covered with dense jungle foliage, separated by bucolic green pastures complete with little goats and wandering water buffaloes. We rode along the dirt road, through a few little villages... At one point, I stopped and made silly faces at the little kids playing in the river; all the boys were taking turns jumping like monkeys off the bridge into the water below, making sure I was taking their photo.
We continued on towards the Pooh Kam Caves... The park surrounding the cave entrance was like something from an Asian-inspired Walt Disney movie... thousands of butterflies filled the air; a little bamboo bridge crossed a natural swimming lagoon of impossibly blue water; flowers and plants of every imaginable shape and color. We had to just sit and take it all in for about an hour before attempting to navigate the steep rocky path towards the cave entrance... Once inside, we discovered a beautiful golden Buddha shrine and the first cool temperatures I've experienced in what feels like months... It was hard to leave!
Aside from rolling around in filthy bank notes, the real action in Vang Viene takes place just outside of town. The following afternoon, we rented two mountain bikes and cycled through some of the most beautiful scenery I've ever witnessed: amazing mountains and dramatic rock formations, covered with dense jungle foliage, separated by bucolic green pastures complete with little goats and wandering water buffaloes. We rode along the dirt road, through a few little villages... At one point, I stopped and made silly faces at the little kids playing in the river; all the boys were taking turns jumping like monkeys off the bridge into the water below, making sure I was taking their photo.
We continued on towards the Pooh Kam Caves... The park surrounding the cave entrance was like something from an Asian-inspired Walt Disney movie... thousands of butterflies filled the air; a little bamboo bridge crossed a natural swimming lagoon of impossibly blue water; flowers and plants of every imaginable shape and color. We had to just sit and take it all in for about an hour before attempting to navigate the steep rocky path towards the cave entrance... Once inside, we discovered a beautiful golden Buddha shrine and the first cool temperatures I've experienced in what feels like months... It was hard to leave!
Back in town, the road-hardened beautiful people swapped stories about their adventures while swilling down dangerously huge cocktails made from questionable Lao spirits, before not-so-discreetly hooking up and stumbling off into the night... We vicariously enjoyed this "coming of age" experience and sipped our modest light beers, reminiscing about our 20's when destinations like Mykonos were still considered to be far-flung adventure destinations.
Next Stop: Luang Prabang
More soon! x Jason
No comments:
Post a Comment