Yesterday we rented tubes (old tractor tire inner-tubes) and took a tuk tuk a few kilometres up the main river. Tubing is the main attraction in Vang Vieng. By the time we were all organized and the morning rain had stopped, it was about noon by the time we arrived at the start point of the river. We got dropped off at the first restaurant/bar, where they had a zip-line set up that you could ride into the water. The river was moving quite fast because it is the rainy season right now which made me a bit apprehensive at first. After a few people went before me allowing me to see their safe recovery from the water, I decided to do it. I forgot to let go and got a bit of whip-lash, but it was a lot of fun and I managed to catch the tube and multiple water bottles filled with water (attached to ropes) that were thrown at me to bring me back to shore. We also played a game where you have 3 shots to knock down cans and despite being unable to knock them all down, we all got free shots of tiger whiskey and bananas. After that we decided to get into our tubes and head out to the next bar not far down the river. As you pass by they hurl water bottles and tubes at you to bring you in. We did this a few times, stopping at bars to enjoy their massive swings or ziplines into the river. There was even a giant mud pit and a huge mud-volleyball court at one bar. It was unlike anything I have ever seen!
It was so nice floating down the river. The weather was gorgeous and the view was amazing - there was beautiful limestone peaks covered in lush green jungle and mist. It was just breath-taking… I wish I could have brought my camera! The river sometimes got a bit rough, but nothing dangerous. Just enough to keep it interesting… The river eventually brought us back to Vang Vieng, and after having a quick lunch at a riverside restaurant we decided to take a tuk-tuk back up and tube down again. It was about 3 and the weather was kind of taking a turn for the worse, but we decided to go anyways. By the time we reached the drop off point it was pouring rain and it was completely PACKED full of people. We eventually decided that the rain had let up enough to start our ride down. We stopped at a bar we hadn’t stopped at on our first run, and it was so full you could hardly move! There were just so many people, all of them completely wasted. We all agreed that it was no surprise that people drown frequently doing this. At one point on the way down the river it just opened up! It was pouring so hard that we could barely see Ryan 50 feet behind us! It was crazy! Anyways, we arrived back just in time to bring our tubes back to avoid the late fine of 20,000 kip (about $3 CAD) and made a B-line for our hotel to clean up. We were just filthy, as the river is quite muddy and kind of cold from the rain.
Tubing was such a fun experience and I would definitely come back! We all really enjoyed it and I am glad the weather semi-cooperated and that I decided to go.
Today is our last day in Vang Vieng. We are renting some scooters and heading out to explore some caves outside of town. Tomorrow we are catching a bus to Vientiane, where we will spend a day and after that we are heading back into Thailand!
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