The Whiskey River in Vangvieng

Right now I am in Vangvieng, which is a town that really has made me think about the reasons that I'm traveling. Of course that's only in the downtime away from the madness and drinking stupor that this river town sucks you into...

I hadn't really any idea what I was getting into, as I just went with the flow and joined a group of good British gent's leaving from Luang Prabang. All I heard was river tubing and I was sold as I imagined being surrounded by limestone karst's as I floated downriver. Well there was some of that, once you dig past the tourist mess that has grown here.

Laos people, as with Thai people are generally very good-natured, easy-going people, with a mindset clearly rooted in Buddhist beliefs. They generally aren't confrontational, and in this case perhaps they are taken advantage of. It seems that this town is owned mostly by foreigners (Australians, and English) that found a beautiful thing and quickly took advantage of it. If I didn't take a moment now and then to gaze at the jagged mountains I would think I was in some Aussie college spring break scene. People seem to come here more to forget where they are, or where they're from with a flow of alcohol as consistent as the river (they put whiskey in buckets here if that says anything). TV is the main draw for people recovering at the restaurants - Friends and Family Guy run 24/7 throughout. Each Bar tries to blast their music enough to drown out the one's next door. It's actually very difficult to find some peace and quiet here to enjoy the otherwise beautiful natural scenery. It's all very disconcerting...

I won't lie though, it's good fun in small amounts, but after a few days of this scene, I'm ready to escape and see more of the real Laos. Fortunately the mountains aren't too far off, and I'm going for a trek tomorrow.