There are lessons to learn on our travels and no matter how much travel experience we have, we are always prone to make mistakes. So here is where travel went badly wrong for me, and I'm warning you to be careful too! I'm not proud of my horrendous time in the wonderful town of Vang Vieng! Things all went wrong for in Vang Vieng and for this reason my memories of Laos are rather negative and jaded, apart from the fact that I was there with a top mate of mine. I'm not going to tell you how to go tubing, I'm going to tell you my story and how NOT to go tubing in Vang Vieng Laos...
Arriving in Vang Vieng you can feel the buzz about the place - it's a mad place to party. You will meet new friends and drink and party the night away in the many bars there. But be aware that you will be wakening up the next morning to go tubing - know your limits!
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.
The next few hours were crazy and amazing - meeting new people, drinking, partying, dancing and singing. It was all good fun!!
Before starting the tubing I bought one of those tubing waterproof bags. Big mistake by the way - they are not safe or secure in any way. I shouldn't have bought one and I shouldn't have brought it with me. After getting in my tube at the second bar, I struggled in the fast waters and didn't make it over to the next bar. In amidst the struggle I lost my wallet and camera and my green waterproof bag in the madness of it all. It was gone forever.
I lost my money, credit cards and ID cards as well as my camera, all in the quest to reach another bar to drink more alcohol. Crazy. I met my mate Chaz again though but it was a bad idea taking the green waterproof bag with me.
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.
As everyone else partied in the fourth or fifth bar, I simply walked alone alongside the river looking in vain for my wallet and camera. I knew it was gone forever. Travelling on a budget, I had blown the lot on one day of tubing. After walking for a while I realised I was in the middle of nowhere and it was getting 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.
By the way you can get all sorts of drinks and drugs in Vang Vieng and on the tubing. People walk around drinking mushroom shakes and are off their heads on drugs.
So a few lessons to be learned from tubing at Vang Vieng in Laos:
- ONLY take money with you. BELIEVE ME - that's all you need!!
- Make sure you don't take a camera - you will lose it or it will get broken. Borrow photos from others.
- DON'T take a waterproof bag - they are useless!
- Don't drink too much
- Avoid drugs
So to conclude - go to Vang Vieng and enjoy yourself but be aware of the dangers of tubing. People die there.
It's still a great town though!
Enjoy your trips!
Living the tubing dream in Vang Vieng...
Jonny Blair
Arriving in Vang Vieng you can feel the buzz about the place - it's a mad place to party. You will meet new friends and drink and party the night away in the many bars there. But be aware that you will be wakening up the next morning to go tubing - know your limits!
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.
The next few hours were crazy and amazing - meeting new people, drinking, partying, dancing and singing. It was all good fun!!
Before starting the tubing I bought one of those tubing waterproof bags. Big mistake by the way - they are not safe or secure in any way. I shouldn't have bought one and I shouldn't have brought it with me. After getting in my tube at the second bar, I struggled in the fast waters and didn't make it over to the next bar. In amidst the struggle I lost my wallet and camera and my green waterproof bag in the madness of it all. It was gone forever.
I lost my money, credit cards and ID cards as well as my camera, all in the quest to reach another bar to drink more alcohol. Crazy. I met my mate Chaz again though but it was a bad idea taking the green waterproof bag with me.
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.
As everyone else partied in the fourth or fifth bar, I simply walked alone alongside the river looking in vain for my wallet and camera. I knew it was gone forever. Travelling on a budget, I had blown the lot on one day of tubing. After walking for a while I realised I was in the middle of nowhere and it was getting 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.
By the way you can get all sorts of drinks and drugs in Vang Vieng and on the tubing. People walk around drinking mushroom shakes and are off their heads on drugs.
So a few lessons to be learned from tubing at Vang Vieng in Laos:
- ONLY take money with you. BELIEVE ME - that's all you need!!
- Make sure you don't take a camera - you will lose it or it will get broken. Borrow photos from others.
- DON'T take a waterproof bag - they are useless!
- Don't drink too much
- Avoid drugs
So to conclude - go to Vang Vieng and enjoy yourself but be aware of the dangers of tubing. People die there.
It's still a great town though!
Enjoy your trips!
Living the tubing dream in Vang Vieng...
Jonny Blair
About the Author:
For more quirky travel stories and tips like Tubing Going Wrong in Vang Vieng head to Jonny Blair's extremely recommended website A Lifestyle of Travel.