Vang Vieng - Outdoor Paradise

We traveled by train (speed train financed by the Chinese Friends of Laos) from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng. Nouth, our Bungalow Landlord picked us up in her a Toyota Hilux. Such a car is seriously a good choice here as the roads were full of potholes and driving is not an amusement here. The roads are heavily damaged by the weather and the Chinese trucks which are passing by.
We rented a scooter in the afternoon and took a nice long ride along the rice fields towards the Blue Lagoon Nr. 3. It was nice place to have fun in the water but as well to explore the nearby cave or walking up to a viewing point.
The town itself is nothing special, mainly Restaurants, Hostels, Outdoor Shops and Scooter Shops. But we did find Gary’s Irish Bar which then required a fresh pint of Guinness for me. Was tasty!
Our place Lao Valhalla was 1.5km outside the Centre embedded into a nice green piece of land looking towards the mountains.
Next day we did a 8km Kayaking Tour which was nice because we were mostly alone with our guide. Silence, Water, Nature! Part of the tour was also a short tour moving along in a very dark cave sitting in tubes. Also no other people.
On our last day we took the chance to do a 30 mins hot air balloon ride to see the sunrise. Overall a nice experience and landscape.
Finally we got dropped again at the train station by our host Nouth. Only then I found out that her cousin lived many years in Berlin. They left Laos at the end of the Vietnam war in 1975.Read more