Lao Part 3 – Tubing in Vang Vieng and elephant riding in Luang Prabang - english version

Vang Vieng

From Thakhek to the capital of Lao Vientiane was another six hour ride on the bus. From there we took the local bus to Vang Vieng, which took us yet another 3,5 hours. We were almost the only passengers on the bus except for a few local people were sitting in the front. The bus didn’t look very trustworthy but we didn’t expect too much for 5 USD. We even had air con – the open windows! :D

the local bus to Vang Vieng

The main attraction in Vang Vieng is the tubing that’s one big reason why every backpacker goes there. :) And of course of the beautiful nature! Unfortunately we had almost the whole week rain, so we didn’t do so much! :(

nature in Vang Vieng

Tubing

Of course we wanted to do the tubing as well! And for this special attraction we bought a completely new outfit for only 14 USD (together): Shorts, Tops and sun glasses – by the way, Fabio lost his sun glasses after a few SECONDS on the river! :D

“Our plan: Floating with tube on the river and a few beers from the bars next to the river.”

our tubing outfits! :)

the river

Our expectations were high, but at the end, we were a little bit disappointed. At 11 am we arrived at the location where the tubing should start. There were already a few backpackers and after a while there were around 100 of them. But before we went with our tubes on the river they played for the next three hours drinking games and you could have free shots, how many you wanted! They played party music and so everybody should get into party mode. There were three more bars next to the river. The same thing, music and a lot of beer! At the end, we only tubed for around 15 minutes.. :( The rest of the other time (around seven hours) we spend at the bars and drunk a few beers. At 7 pm we were back at the hotel. Yes, it was a funny thing and we had a great time, but actually we thought it would be (ONLY) a little bit more of tubing! :D

games to get drunk!

let´s go!

on the river

Drive around with the scooter :)

We planned to go to a waterfall and afterwards to the blue lagoon for swimming. But unfortunately the weather got worse so we had to back to the hotel after the waterfall.

waterfall in Vang Vieng

Driving with the Go-Kart

Fabio time/boys time! :)

Go-Kart

Chris and Fabio rented a Go-Kart for two hours. They had a great time. They drove around Vang Vieng and to the blue lagoon! But see for yourself!

Fabio at the blue lagoon

Chris at the blue lagoon

Unfortunately Marayna and Blaine had to leave us earlier! :( Marayna felt down the stairs in the hotel and hit her head badly! She had to go to the hospital straight away to get her head fixed! Lao is not the best place to stay in this case, so her insurance said, she had to go Bangkok right now! There journey was over and a great and funny time with them as well! :( We will see you again, for sure, sometimes!! ;) We will miss you or we already miss you both!!

In thoughts of Marayna and Blaine! THANKS for the wonderful time!!

Marayna and Blaine

Luang Prabang – elphant riding and the most beautiful waterfall!!

Luang Prabang 

Our journey from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang by “VIP” bus! :D

We already met Chris, the American guy, on Don Det. He came to Vang Vieng as well, he already knew Marayna and Blaine, so we hung around for a while in Vang Vieng. :) After our new Canadian friends left us, we created a new group, Chris, Fabio and Marleen! :) We decided to go to Luang Prabang together. We chose the “VIP” bus, but when we saw the bus, we couldn’t believe that this bus should be the VIP bus! :D actually we should have needed between 5-6 hours to Luang Prabang, but, after a 2/3 of the ride, our bus broke down! The transmission was broken! :D So we had to wait in the mountains that something would happen.  After a while the bus driver told us to get all our bags out of the bus, the next would come in 15 minutes. 30 minutes later the “new” bus arrived. Buut we weren’t the only one in the bus, the bus was already packed with people! We were lucky to get a free seat! :D We have this funny song in Germany (literal translation): “a bus ride is pretty, a bus ride is fun!” :D And fun, we had, for sure! At the end, we arrived after 9 hours in Luang Prabang! :D

broken bus

We almost spend a week in Luang Prabang, but we didn’t do so much! :D We don’t know why, but sometimes, we are just lazy Germans! :D and Chris almost turned into a lazy American guy, too! :D

One day we rented some bicycles and drove around. Another day we explored the small city by foot! Or, we just played cards “Rauf runter”, a german card game, and Fabio won almost every time!!!

bicycle riding

beer time! :)

Elephant riding and the Pak Ou Cave - Cave of 4000 Buddha’s

One highlight was the elephant riding. We booked two days and one night at an elephant camp. When we arrived at the camp we went directly on the elephant, but for the beginning on a chair! :) That was already very high and shaky and Marleen was a little bit afraid! :D Actually we wanted to do the elephant thing at a place, where they treat the elephants well, but this wasn’t the right place, we found out.. :( Because it´s not normal, that the elephants had to carry humans on a chair around. 

our accommodation

first ride on the elephant

Pak Ou Cave - Cave of 4000 Buddha´s

After the first ride we took the boat to the other side of the Mekong River to the cave of the 4000 Buddha’s! During the war, everybody brought his Buddha to this cave to protect them. There were big ones and small ones and some were made out of gold some of stone.

upper cave

Pak Ou Cave

lower cave

lower cave

After the temple we had a very good lunch and some hours to relax. In the late afternoon we could bath with the elephants. Actually we should receive some training: how to ride an elephant but they didn´t tell us anything. :D They said to Fabio in very poor English, that he should grab an ear and jump up the elephant! :D The elephant went down, so Fabio could climb up his leg and onto its neck. Fabio was so scared, because he didn’t really know, what to do. He held its ears and squeezed his legs around its neck. In the next second the elephant moved down some stairs to the river and right into the river - Fabio was still on his neck! :D The only word Fabio could find for this was “Unbelievable”. One of the trainer told Fabio to stand up on the elephant’s back, which Fabio did, than he commanded the elephant and the next second it launched Fabio off its back into the water! :D Fabio and Chris had a lot of fun, and it seemed the elephants did, too! :) Marleen was still scared and watched them from the land! :D

fun in the water

In the evening they brought the elephants in the jungle for sleeping – the next disappointment. They separated all the elephants from each other even the baby elephant. They chained them far away from each other to a tree. :( They even hit them… :(

on their way into the jungle

The next day Fabio and Chris brought them back to the camp where they chained them again, so they couldn´t walk around. Now, we could have taken a bath with them again, but nobody wanted to. That’s so crazy, the trainer thought, they do everything right with the elephants, they bath them, give them food and they can hang around in a jungle during the night – that’s Asia – different ways of doing the right thing, we would guess.

the next morning

After all we still would give them 3 of 5 stars. It was a great experience for all of us, we were so close to the elephants and had a good time. And almost every trainer was very nice to the elephants.

  

elephants like bananas! :)

Babiiiieee!!!

view from our camp

Kung Si waterfall – the most beautiful waterfall!!

This waterfall took our breath away!! The most beautiful waterfall we had seen on our whole journey!! His amazing crystal blue water and the fact you could go for a swim in a few different pools – just amazing!!! But see for yourself! :)

in front of the waterfall

Fabio and Chris in front of the waterfall

The different pools.

Some more impressions of Luang Prabang. By the way, we had a very cheap dinner at the night market. Take how much you can fit on your plate for 1,35 USD. :)

delicious choices