Things on our travels don't always go well and here is my story of how NOT to go tubing in Vang Vieng in Laos - yes it's a great place but there are dangers and things can just go horribly wrong...I'm advising travellers to stay safe and 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.
What followed was just an awesome few hours. I met tons of new people and we were having fun, "tubing" but hold on...we weren't really tubing yet. We had played mud volleyball, danced away and thrown frisbees at cans. It was time to go tubing. You might have heard that "tubing" is really just drinking, and that proved to be the case. You will spend more time in the bars than on the tubes.
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 Chaz bought me a drink in that next bar as did an Irish girl and then I drank water, grasping a pair of flip flops and my travelling Northern Ireland flag. It was odd to me.
I then picked up an ear infection from swimming in the Nam Song. The only saving grace being that my passport was back at the hostel safe and that I was well.
By the time I was in the third bar I wanted just to go home, I had lost everything and couldn't even pay for a ride home. It was now almost dark.
A local girl called Mickey saved the day, popping over with a scooter asking me to jump on and giving me a ride through the pouring rain back to the town of Vang Vieng. Pure madness. I was safe and well, but the tubing experience had been a bad one.
In Vang Vieng you can get all sort of drinks and drugs. Mushroom and Opium shakes are the buzz. I met loads of people off their heads on drugs.
Lessons to learn about the dangers of tubing in Vang Vieng, LAOS:
- Take only money with you - trust me.
- DON'T take - a camera, keys to hostel rooms, wallets, credit cards, passports (as you can see I still have photos of the tubing experience thanks to Chaz and friends so a camera is not an essential - leave it behind and enjoy the party)
- NEVER buy or take a useless waterproof bag!
- Don't drink too much
- Avoid drugs
In closing - head to the town of Vang Vieng and go tubing but be very careful - it's dangerous, people die tubing every year.
The town of Vang Vieng is still excellent though!
Enjoy your trips!
Have fun checking out 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.
What followed was just an awesome few hours. I met tons of new people and we were having fun, "tubing" but hold on...we weren't really tubing yet. We had played mud volleyball, danced away and thrown frisbees at cans. It was time to go tubing. You might have heard that "tubing" is really just drinking, and that proved to be the case. You will spend more time in the bars than on the tubes.
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 Chaz bought me a drink in that next bar as did an Irish girl and then I drank water, grasping a pair of flip flops and my travelling Northern Ireland flag. It was odd to me.
I then picked up an ear infection from swimming in the Nam Song. The only saving grace being that my passport was back at the hostel safe and that I was well.
By the time I was in the third bar I wanted just to go home, I had lost everything and couldn't even pay for a ride home. It was now almost dark.
A local girl called Mickey saved the day, popping over with a scooter asking me to jump on and giving me a ride through the pouring rain back to the town of Vang Vieng. Pure madness. I was safe and well, but the tubing experience had been a bad one.
In Vang Vieng you can get all sort of drinks and drugs. Mushroom and Opium shakes are the buzz. I met loads of people off their heads on drugs.
Lessons to learn about the dangers of tubing in Vang Vieng, LAOS:
- Take only money with you - trust me.
- DON'T take - a camera, keys to hostel rooms, wallets, credit cards, passports (as you can see I still have photos of the tubing experience thanks to Chaz and friends so a camera is not an essential - leave it behind and enjoy the party)
- NEVER buy or take a useless waterproof bag!
- Don't drink too much
- Avoid drugs
In closing - head to the town of Vang Vieng and go tubing but be very careful - it's dangerous, people die tubing every year.
The town of Vang Vieng is still excellent though!
Enjoy your trips!
Have fun checking out 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 extremely recommended website A Lifestyle of adventure.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire