VIENTIANE – VANG VIENG

The main danger on the roads of Laos are these crazy moped drivers who are able to do anything and move anywhere at the moment you least expect it. Since 2005 the is a law that prohibits importing bikes larger than 150 cm3 – tiny Lao are not yet ready for bigger motors and higher speed. However, I’ve seen some places in Vientiane one can hire some ten years old Yamaha or Honda Enduro bikes with 250 cm3 large motors in good condition. It costs about $20 per day but it’s definitely worth it: it’s a good way to get to know the country within two weeks and also get some fling with the bike. 

In the afternoon we arrive to Vang Vieng, a place quite famous among bagpackers. 

The place is located at a very beautiful place at the river, at the foot of a cliff covered with the jungle. We’ve found a nice guesthouse named “The Elephant Crossing Hotel” at the very river shore. For $5 we managed to get a boat and there we go for a river tour. On the border of the village there is some funky sort of entertainment: a bamboo rope one can use to fly around in a radius of fifty meters and then jump into the river from the height of approximately fifteen meters. It’s definitely better than jumping with the elastics, plus, it doesn’t cost a single cent, if only one has to buy few beers in a next bar. However, it’s getting dark at 5AM and our junk captain is asking us to restrain from fun and come back before the dark. Local restaurants have weird interiors made of bamboo and wooden bunks covered with pillows and mattress. I must say they have weird menus, too: first of all we receive a “regular” one, then a “special” one, containing hallucinogenic mushrooms and all sorts of smoking grass. They even offer to make pizza with these mushrooms. We ask if it’s possible to get a pizza with mushrooms and grass together, a waitress laughs: that would be too crazy!