Bus ride to Vang Vieng

We went out for breakfast at a cute little bakery nearby the hotel and had an "Aussie Breakfast" with Lao Style Coffee. Best coffee I've ever had!! It's so thick and so strong I absolutely love it. I will definitely be drinking lots of that while we're here!

After breakfast we boarded a bus and started the drive to Vang Vieng where we stay for 4 nights, apparently it's a very pretty place. It used to be known for being a party place but it's been tamed down a bit apparently. The drive there was fun and passed pretty quickly. The entire group joined in on signing songs like Sweet Caroline and Bohemian Rhapsody when they came on and when the fun of signing wore off the scenery was amazing. Reminded me a bit of Nepal actually, winding roads, mountains (Cambodia was pretty flat). The driver was a very happy person, always smiling and laughing at us (or with us?). I've noticed that the Laotian people are very friendly and very complimentary. I mean they were nice in Cambodia too, but here they seem almost flirty in a way. It's kind of nice actually, just genuinely happy people. I did find it funny on the drive how many people were freaking out and panicking with the road conditions and lane changing. I must have gotten accustomed to it in Nepal, because this seemed rather tame to me. Makes me wonder what kind of driver I'll be when I'm back... Probably out of practice after not being behind the wheel in 4 months.

When we arrived in Vang Vieng it was about 2pm and we wandered out to explore. It's a pretty city, pretty small but man the mountains are impressive! They're so jagged and protrude straight up, like they just extrude out of the ground, there's not gradual start to them like the mountains at home. Basically just like a rock planted in the ground. Our hotel is the Khampone Guest House and has a great view of the town. Sunset from the balcony was pretty unreal! Though the view is slightly marred from a tall building under construction. I can only imagine what it would have been like in prior years.

We went out for a "family dinner" at Peeping Som's Bar & Restaurant Lao BBQ which was absolutely fantastic! We shared a traditional Lao style BBQ between a few people. They brought a bucket of hot coals which they set in the middle of the table with a little grill on top. We poured soup broth into the base of the grill, put chunks of lard on top, marinated our meats in garlic, onions, peppers, and a sauce, and then cooked it on top of the grill. While the meat was cooking we put veggies, noodles, and eggs into the broth to cook. It was absolutely amazing. Might be the best meal I've eaten this trip! I would definitely recommend it.

After dinner we went as a group to a bar called Sakura which was very popular with the Korean tourists. There they had a dance floor, but also a fire pit out back and some beer pong tables. That's where I hung out with a few other group members. They also had an unlimited drink special... For the equivalent of about $9 CAD. Definitely took full advantage of that and got quite familiar with the local Whiskey. Eventually we moved on to another bar when this one closed, one that I wasn't all that into as it was more of a club. We stayed for a bit then went home at some point, couldn't even tell you what time!Read more