Sometimes, the best adventures aren’t the ones you plan yourself. In Vang Vieng, we handed the reins to a local tour company. While things didn’t all go to plan, it was still an unforgettable day.
We had to book our tour a day in advance. Luckily it was low season, so nowhere was fully booked. We picked one of the tour companies near our hotel and went to check out the tours. We picked a tour that included kayaking and a couple of other things that interested us. We were able to negotiate a cheaper price for ourselves, but even if we hadn’t it was already pretty cheap.
Despite it being a short tour it was packed with activities. First we would visit the Elephant Cave, a holy site with rocks shaped like an elephant. Then we would kayak downstream on a river. After that we would go rubber tubing through some caves, and end the day with a visit to one of the many blue lagoons in the area.
We made sure to be up bright and early the next day so we could catch our bus. Other members of the group were already on board when it arrived. We boarded the bus and we were off on our way to the first stop.
Elephant Cave
Our first stop was Tham Xang, also known as the Elephant Cave. It is named for the stalactite inside that has formed the shape of an elephant. The cave has many other stalactites and stalagmites, and has been decorated with many Buddha statues.
In the center of the cave is a large Buddha’s footprint, pointing toward a Buddhist shrine. It was an interesting site to visit, but we only had the time to take a few pictures before moving on. On our way out I spotted the aged bell, which I would later learn was made from the remains of a UXO1. Converting these weapons intended to kill and destroy to useful tools and art is an important part of Laos culture.
Kayaking
Next we were driven to the north on the Nam Song River, where we would take up kayaking. We strapped on our life vests and were given one kayak for every two people. Each kayak had a tour guide join them to steer, except for ours. I’m not sure why, since I never told them that I knew how to kayak. Perhaps they meant to, but I was too eager to get on the water and they never had a chance.
The kayaks were beginner kayaks – the kind you just sit on top of. This makes it safer, since if you capsize you don’t need to know how to pull yourself out. It does make them less maneuverable, but for a tour group taking out mostly amateurs that’s not really a concern.
It had been over ten years since I had kayaked in a river, and I had forgotten how exciting it is to be on the water. Weaving our way through eddies and currents, and picking up speed was invigorating. It was an extra challenge since it started raining and the river started to rise and flow more chaotically.
I also had to teach my wife how to kayak as she was a complete amateur, but she picked it up fairly quickly. I was at the back since I was already used to kayaking, so I was able to take control when I needed to. I showed her the basics and called out time to her so that we were in sync. I was happy to learn that I could pass on a skill I hadn’t used since I was in air cadets as a teenager.
This was probably the most fun I had the entire time I was in Vang Vieng.
Once we reached a bend in the river we were directed by a tour guide on another kayak to come into the river bank. We were far ahead of the others – I guess I had a Need for Speed. We pulled in and waited for the rest of the group to arrive.
It turned out that one of the group had gotten stuck at the edge of a river, so it took a while for the rest to arrive. We sat under shelter from the rain, smoking while we waited for the rest. We took some time to get to know our tour guides. Eventually everyone was back on land, and it was time for our next stop: rubber tubing through some caves.
“Tubing”
The place we had landed was the Tham None Cave, a site with underground rivers where you could go tubing through the caves. Our tour guides led us across the bridge to the caves themselves. There were plenty of restaurants and gift shops on our way to the cave entrance. Rain pelted us as we walked by.
When we got to the cave we were met with disappointment. Due to the rain, the water inside the caves had ridden considerably. This meant it would be too dangerous to go tubing, as we would be too close to the rocks and stalactites at the top of the cave. Even with helmets we would be bouncing our heads against rocks all the way down.
It was disappointing, but understandable. At least we could have more time at our final stop. We went back across the river and waited for the bus to pick us up.
Brown Lagoon
It took us a while to get to our destination: Blue Lagoon 2. There are so many lagoons around here that they have numbers assigned to them. We dried off a little, though rain battered the roof of our van. It was getting heavier, and we knew this probably wasn’t a good day to visit the lagoon.
When we arrived we were given a time to leave and left to our own devices. We made our way to the lagoon and sure enough it wasn’t quite as blue as advertised. If you’re wondering just how ‘blue’ the Blue Lagoon was that day… well, I’ll let this video speak for itself.
Despite this, people were still having a good time. There was a platform in the middle of the lagoon where people could jump in. I enjoyed a few beers while I watched the brave and the not-so-brave climb the platform and jump into the water. Unfortunately I wasn’t one of the brave on this day. Next time. Next time I’ll jump.
Cut Slices Into Pizza
It was a short drive back along the country roads to Vang Vieng. Along the way we took in the views of the mountains in the distance. After the rain the clouds had descended, making them look like a traditional painting.
When we got back to our hotel we decided to go to a nearby pizza place for food. We order the four-cheese pizza, and talked about the day we just had. The kayaking, the caves, the rain-soaked lagoon – it had been a day full of surprises. So when the pizza arrived with a pair of scissors instead of a pizza slicer, we just laughed. Vang Vieng had kept us on our toes all day, why should dinner be any different?
All in all it was a good day, and I’d recommend these small tours to anyone, despite some of the setbacks we experienced. The tours are inexpensive, you get to experience a few different activities, and it saves you a lot of planning.
