Day Twenty-Nine.

Don't get to close. It may bite.

Skye and I decided to spend our one day in Vang Vieng doing a tour. We could have rented a motorbike and used that to explore, but a tour seemed to be the better option (especially aftet yesterday when we found a mountain and half way up climbing it realized this is really not the best thing to climb in flip flops and a dress).

Vang Vieng used to be known among backpackers as a river town where they could float down the river on innertubes and get pulled into bars where they could get tons of free shots of alcohol. Rope and tire swings could be used to fly into the water. Sounds like good fum right? Well... if you consider endless young adults with endless alcohol near water safe, we may have to have a discussion. The government finally cracked down and closed most of the river bars. The town is still a stop for backpackers, but it is now closer to the quieter town Vangvieng used to be.

I love the slow and quiet feel that seems to be a part of Lao life. It is a huge change to the neverending stream of people and cars that you can never seem to escape in China.

Today my friend and I went on a tour. We did go tubing, inside a cave where you had to pull yourself along using a single rope which had been strung up. At the end of the cave, our guide had everyone turn off their headlamps and I can say, I don't think I've ever seen anything as dark. After tubing in the cave, we had lunch and then spent two hours kayaking down the river which was surrounded by mountains and trees.

I am not looking forward to the sore muscles which I know will come tomorrow, but today, it was definitely worth it.