Laos

Out of the 5 Communist countries in the world I have already been to 2, and in a few days I will have gone to a third. I just thought that was pretty funny. Currently I am in Laos (China was the first) and Vietnam will be the third. Honestly, I cannot tell the difference. But anyways, Laos is bananas. I know I say that essentially about every place I go, and they are all insane in their own ways, but there really is no other way to describe this place. After a fourteen hour bus ride from Bangkok we finally got to the capital, Vientiane. Vientiane is more a transit city for tourists going to other areas of Laos, but I enjoyed it because not many westerners stay in the city overnight. Myself and some of my travel partners needed to get our Visas for Vietnam, so we had to stay overnight. Essentially Vientiane is like any other capital city of a third world country. Dirty, cheap, and not somewhere you want to spend too much time, so the next day we hopped on another bus to Vang Vien after we got our Visas (this one only 5 hours long). Vang Vien is a small city that is dominated by tourism. The city itself is lined all along a river, so it is quite beautiful. It is nothing but westerners trying to party and Laosians (not sure if that is a correct term) trying to take your money. Almost everyone speaks English, which is usually a bad sign. The main thing that the place is known for is tubing, which is essentially a huge party on the river (youtube Laos tubing to see it). Makeshift bars have been set up all along the river and you float down on an inner tube going from bar to bar and buying ridiculous cocktails that are served in the same plastic buckets you used as a kid at the beach for 50,000 kip (around 4 USD). The real fun part is that they have all set up water slides, trapezes, and rope swings at each bar to entice you to come. While floating down they just simply throw a rope to you and reel you in. There are essentially no rules on the river. No safety regulations. Even when the water is low, they will allow you to jump on things almost 30 feet in the air. Every year, multiple people die from getting too drunk and stupid. With that being said, it was a great experience. Something that I did once and totally had my fill. Usually by the time it is dark, the parties end and everyone buys Tuk Tuks (the taxi of Southeastern Asia) and stumbles back to the town. The town literally dies around 10 PM because everyone is so exhausted from drinking out in the hot sun all day. While I did enjoy tubing, yesterday was a lot more fun for me. Myself and two others rented motorbikes for around 5 USD the entire day and drove them into the countryside of Laos. No paved roads, cows everywhere, and tiny shanties set up along the dirt roads. The funny thing is that once again, there were no rules and regulations. I had never ridden a motorbike before, and the guy just took my money and gave me a manual bike and let me have at it. Took some getting used to, but it was a breeze after a few minutes. I have been to some destitute parts of Nicaragua (the poorest place in the western hemisphere) and this place was right up there with it. It was crazy because we were seeing what Laos was really like. We were in the areas that the people lived that commuted by bicycle and motorbike to the town everyday. We spent a few hours riding towards this place called the Blue Lagoon. It was essentially a little tourist spot set up in the middle of nowhere, where crystal clear blue water collected in pools and they had set up huts to relax in and after you go swimming. It was really beautiful and much more relaxing then tubing the previous day. The ride back was very fun because we were riding down the roads as the children were getting out of school. Every one of them road a bicycle, and the weirdest part was, none of them carried books. They all carried a farm tool of some sort. You could tell what their priorities were in school. After getting back we hit the bar scene of Vang Vien, which is actually hilarious. Every bar either plays Family Guy or Friends on repeat all day and night long. You have to pick which one you want to watch. People just sit there and watch episodes over and over. Pretty lively bar scene. Anyways, there is talk about the group I am with going to Vietnam tomorrow on a 30 hour bus ride or I might possibly go up to a city in the north of Laos called Luangprebong (not sure on the spelling). If I choose to go to Vietnam then my next blog will be from Hanoi.