Travelling takes us to incredible places such as Vang Vieng in Laos - sadly my time in Laos wasn't much fun and I want to warn other travellers of the dangers of Vang Vieng and how not to go tubing. What went wrong for me can go wrong for anyone so really - be careful!
Vang Vieng is a party town so head there, meet new friends and party the night away without a care in the world. Just be aware that you are going tubing the next day and you want to be in a fit and able state for that!
It was an early start to move hostels and enjoy a French baguette and Irish Coffee breakfast to get ready for the day of tubing! A truck picked us up after a spot of poll playing in a local pub. We didn't pay a penny so far and had arrived at the first bar of the tubing. Free shot on arrival. Too good to be true really, we still hadn't paid anything but I got on the beer at this bar, which is when I first bought a drink.
The next few hours were crazy and amazing - meeting new people, drinking, partying, dancing and singing. It was all good fun!!
First up - don't buy one of those waterproof tubing bags. They are useless. I made the mistake of buying one and taking my camera and wallet with me into the tubing. Big mistake. After partying in the first two bars I made it to the tube but couldn't grab the rope for the next bar, as they pulled me in I got tangled up and lost my green waterproof bag. My entire wallet and camera had now made their way into the Nam Song river and were gone forever...
Going with it was my entire money and credit cards for the entire trip, plus 3 other ID cards and my camera full of memories of photos and videos. Oh dear! And I was now stranded in a bar in Vang Vieng. With other people of course. I met up with my mate Chaz again in the bar and he too had lost his wallet but kept his phone. He luckily didn't bring all his cards with him and I still have no idea why I risked taking everything into the river that day. Maybe to teach myself a lesson and realise I was wrong. I trusted myself more than I trusted the hostel, and I was wrong to do that.
My mate kindly bought me a drink but I wasn't in the mood anymore. I still had my flip flops and my Northern Ireland flag but I had lost my wallet and camera. Crazy.
While my camera and wallet were busy floating away on the Nam Song, I managed to grasp on and keep a flag (my travelling Northern Ireland flag) and a pair of flip flops. I didn't even want the flip flops. Later I would learn I also picked up an ear infection from swimming in vain after a wallet I couldn't even see. I had lost my entire money for this trip. I was lucky my passport was back at the hostel and that I was safe and well.
After the third bar and with no money or anything, I walked along looking in vain for a clue as to where my wallet had gone. I was in the middle of nowhere and it was getting dark.
A local Laos girl called Micky runs over to me and asks what the problem is. "I have nothing left here - any chance of a lift back to Vang Vieng?" I said and the heroine that she was she headed over to a remote garage, pulled out a scooter, told her friends she was giving me a lift and on the back of the scooter I went, flying through the rainy, wet, drizzly Laos countryside wondering what the hell I had done today. I wanted to give up travel in an instant. That was it - I was done with travel. I didn't even have any money now - to pay the hostel or to get out of Vang Vieng. A popular Norwegian, Arnie's Hostel Nam Song Gardens was next door to mine and I sat with him, he gave me a free beer and listened to my story. We'll end things there, how did I recover and ever want to travel again after this? And how did I get money to stay the night and continue my trip? A story for another day, my friends...
By the way you can get all sorts of drinks and drugs in Vang Vieng and on the tubing. People walk around drinking mushroom shakes and are off their heads on drugs.
Here's the lessons I learnt from the horrible tubing experience in Vang Vieng, Laos:
- ONLY take money with you. BELIEVE ME - that's all you need!!
- Make sure you don't take a camera - you will lose it or it will get broken. Borrow photos from others.
- NEVER buy or take a useless waterproof bag!
- Don't drink too much
- Try not to take drugs (there are lots available)
In closing - head to the town of Vang Vieng and go tubing but be very careful - it's dangerous, people die tubing every year.
You will still enjoy the town of Vang Vieng!
Happy travels!
Living the tubing dream in Vang Vieng...
Jonny Blair
Vang Vieng is a party town so head there, meet new friends and party the night away without a care in the world. Just be aware that you are going tubing the next day and you want to be in a fit and able state for that!
It was an early start to move hostels and enjoy a French baguette and Irish Coffee breakfast to get ready for the day of tubing! A truck picked us up after a spot of poll playing in a local pub. We didn't pay a penny so far and had arrived at the first bar of the tubing. Free shot on arrival. Too good to be true really, we still hadn't paid anything but I got on the beer at this bar, which is when I first bought a drink.
The next few hours were crazy and amazing - meeting new people, drinking, partying, dancing and singing. It was all good fun!!
First up - don't buy one of those waterproof tubing bags. They are useless. I made the mistake of buying one and taking my camera and wallet with me into the tubing. Big mistake. After partying in the first two bars I made it to the tube but couldn't grab the rope for the next bar, as they pulled me in I got tangled up and lost my green waterproof bag. My entire wallet and camera had now made their way into the Nam Song river and were gone forever...
Going with it was my entire money and credit cards for the entire trip, plus 3 other ID cards and my camera full of memories of photos and videos. Oh dear! And I was now stranded in a bar in Vang Vieng. With other people of course. I met up with my mate Chaz again in the bar and he too had lost his wallet but kept his phone. He luckily didn't bring all his cards with him and I still have no idea why I risked taking everything into the river that day. Maybe to teach myself a lesson and realise I was wrong. I trusted myself more than I trusted the hostel, and I was wrong to do that.
My mate kindly bought me a drink but I wasn't in the mood anymore. I still had my flip flops and my Northern Ireland flag but I had lost my wallet and camera. Crazy.
While my camera and wallet were busy floating away on the Nam Song, I managed to grasp on and keep a flag (my travelling Northern Ireland flag) and a pair of flip flops. I didn't even want the flip flops. Later I would learn I also picked up an ear infection from swimming in vain after a wallet I couldn't even see. I had lost my entire money for this trip. I was lucky my passport was back at the hostel and that I was safe and well.
After the third bar and with no money or anything, I walked along looking in vain for a clue as to where my wallet had gone. I was in the middle of nowhere and it was getting dark.
A local Laos girl called Micky runs over to me and asks what the problem is. "I have nothing left here - any chance of a lift back to Vang Vieng?" I said and the heroine that she was she headed over to a remote garage, pulled out a scooter, told her friends she was giving me a lift and on the back of the scooter I went, flying through the rainy, wet, drizzly Laos countryside wondering what the hell I had done today. I wanted to give up travel in an instant. That was it - I was done with travel. I didn't even have any money now - to pay the hostel or to get out of Vang Vieng. A popular Norwegian, Arnie's Hostel Nam Song Gardens was next door to mine and I sat with him, he gave me a free beer and listened to my story. We'll end things there, how did I recover and ever want to travel again after this? And how did I get money to stay the night and continue my trip? A story for another day, my friends...
By the way you can get all sorts of drinks and drugs in Vang Vieng and on the tubing. People walk around drinking mushroom shakes and are off their heads on drugs.
Here's the lessons I learnt from the horrible tubing experience in Vang Vieng, Laos:
- ONLY take money with you. BELIEVE ME - that's all you need!!
- Make sure you don't take a camera - you will lose it or it will get broken. Borrow photos from others.
- NEVER buy or take a useless waterproof bag!
- Don't drink too much
- Try not to take drugs (there are lots available)
In closing - head to the town of Vang Vieng and go tubing but be very careful - it's dangerous, people die tubing every year.
You will still enjoy the town of Vang Vieng!
Happy travels!
Living the tubing dream in Vang Vieng...
Jonny Blair
About the Author:
For more amusing adventure stories and tips like Tubing Going Wrong in Vang Vieng head to Jonny Blair's immensely popular site A Lifestyle of adventure.. Check here for free reprint license: Dangers of Tubing in Vang Vieng.
No comments:
Post a Comment