Well we checked the box, we went tubing and lived to tell about it. The scene is crazy and even though I'd read about it and I've been tubing before this was something completely different. It might have started as a tubing event but these days it's clearly a drinking event. You can rent a tube in town and then take a tuk-tuk to the beginning, they say it takes about 3 hours but I doubt 80% of tubers actually make it to the end. Most people just take a tuk-tuk minus the tube and bar hop. There are places to cross the river on small foot bridges or you can swim although it's not recommended. During wet season it's moving fast and people drown, during dry season it's shallow and people get torn apart from the rocks.
We arrive, get a bracket and a free shot of local Tiger whiskey. It's 1500 which is late for tubing. There are about 100 people dancing with buckets of liquor or beers in hand on a platform over the river, everyone has designs and sayings drawn on their body in permanent marker. The most common theme is something about hating (add explicit language) Matt Bennett. It's immediately apparent that there are some westerns working at this place when they grab a microphone and start screaming something and then gathering buckets of water and throwing them on other party goers. Drunken shoeless dancing ensues and we move on to bar number two which is about a 30 second ride down the river. Repeat the same scenario as above over and over again adding more and more alcohol and possibly drugs and you have tubing in Vang Vieng!
We made it to three bars had about 3 drinks a piece. Michael did the zip line, waterside and an awesome water blob. The water blob was at the last bar, it was almost dark and some local kids were playing on it. They would jump on it and then slide to the end so that when Michael jumped they'd be throw in the air and then land in the water, they loved it. Our friends misplaced a pair of flips flops and a shirt along the way but otherwise we left unscathed. At around 1900 we got a tuk-tuk back to the tubing place after a down right battle with the driver. This happens all the time but we agreed on a price and right before we leave another driver comes over and doubles it, we stood our ground and finally got back. Stopped for dinner, took a quick shower and headed to the after party. Same people, same music, same promoters and a whole lotta dancing and a distinct smell of urine and vomit. Surrounding the dance floor are places to sit on the floor. There was a 71 year old man at the river that night and he was even at the bar! We had a drink and headed to bed around midnight but our friends didn't get home until 0500 and then they went back again the next day. It's seriously groundhogs day, they said they played the same exact music on day two.
We're glad we checked the box but we do wish we had gotten there a little earlier and actually tubed. We finally asked someone why everyone hated Matt Bennett and who he was. He's a journalist who recently wrote an article about tubing here and it outrages the drunks. I read it, everything he said was true and a lot of people he references and in the pictures we saw. Here's the link: http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/life/vang-vieng-backpacker-heaven-or-tourist-hell-994621
I know I'm too old to be here when all I could think of when we foot the river was how many brain cell were lost here and how many people get parasites or STDs? On a good note in our time here with sights of 100's of half naked drunk 20 year olds we didn't see one fight not even any yelling. There's no machismo or jealously, everyone is just here to have a good time.
Rebecca and I
Michael blinded by the flash at the after party
Clearly a novice with only a few bracelets
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