We boarded a bus early in the morning and embarked on another uncomfortable drive through the mountains to the quaint little town, Vang Vieng. The town is kind of like Lake Taupo in that it is a tourist hub full of backpackers looking to do many of its outdoor pursuits. It is also swarming with Korean Tourists who we partied with – they take dancing to a new level and have no awareness or shame. Very Funny… Anyway, Vang Vieng provided one of the more memorable days for us. We visited a waterfall, walked through villages and its rice paddies, tubed through a cave and kayaked down the river. We both loved this, and our group also managed not to sink any kayaks this time round. It was in Vang Vieng that I also realised that I had actually not had a bad coffee yet. Turns out Laos grows their own Arabica Coffee in the mountainous South of the country. To be honest the coffee here seems like more of a thing than in Vietnam and it may even be better as Vietnamese coffee is made from the Robusta plant and they put a lot of sugar and condensed milk in everything, unlike in Laos. It was also in Vang Vieng that Danielle had her first rice pancake which literally made her cry with joy. They were sold from little carts on the side of the street and very popular with local people and tourists.
- Kyle