After leaving Luang Prabang we made our way by bus (AC and quite comfortable) to Vang Vieng - known as the hard core party town of Laos. Most backpackers spend their days tubing down the river, with the tubing operators pulling the tubes in for temporary stops at bars on the riverside. Nights are spent sitting in restaurants and bars watching endless reruns of Friends, Family Guy and the Simpsons while enjoying countless Beerlao (a very good local beer) and in some places adding a side of marijuana or opium. Some restaurants list these on the menu, others offer “Happy” pizzas or meals.
If this isn’t your cup of tea (and it wasn’t mine), you can spend hours biking around the countryside exploring the caves and lagoons, relaxing with a massage and enjoying the endless reruns of Friends.
We stayed only a day in VV and then took a local bus (no AC and a little less comfortable) to Ventiene, the capital of Laos. Honestly, although the guidebooks suggest you can spend several days there, I thought that a day and a half was just right. Vientiene is a sleepy capital city and reminded me of Phnom Penh. The time we had there allowed us to take in the major sights, including walking along the riverside which splits Laos and Thailand, the Victory Monument reminiscent of the Arc de Triomphe, Phat Thra Luang (which required a 4 km walk/bike ride or tuk tuk to get to) - but it is the most important temple in Laos. Historic but not my favorite city in Laos.
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