There are lessons to learn on our travels and no matter how much travel experience we have, we are always prone to make mistakes. So here is where travel went badly wrong for me, and I'm warning you to be careful too! I'm not proud of my horrendous time in the wonderful town of Vang Vieng! Things all went wrong for in Vang Vieng and for this reason my memories of Laos are rather negative and jaded, apart from the fact that I was there with a top mate of mine. I'm not going to tell you how to go tubing, I'm going to tell you my story and how NOT to go tubing in Vang Vieng Laos...
After arriving in Vang Vieng you will meet a host of new friends to party the night away with in the many bars there. Enjoy yourself but remember not to drink too much - as the next day you are probably going tubing!
I woke up, moved hostels and got ready for the day of tubing that lay ahead. It was some experience being in Vang Vieng to start with. Great town. We arrived at the first bar for tubing.
I loved the next few hours as the tubing began. Everyone started dancing, drinking, partying and just having a great time. It was fun and all was good!
Earlier in the day I had bought a green waterproof "Tubing Bag" for my wallet and my camera (plus one spare memory card). That was all I needed for the day - wallet and camera. The stupidest thing I did was I brought ALL my cards and money with me (including my Hong Kong ID card and my currency in HK Dollars, US Dollars and Laos Kipp). The reason I brought it all was I didn't trust leaving it in the hostel. First mistake was bringing it all with me. Second mistake was buying that green bag. By the time bar four arrived, as I was reeling myself in on the tube, I got distracted by a stupid green bottle on a rope which I thought was my waterproof bag. As I reached for it, I lost my way into the bar and turned round to swim across. It all happened very quick and the currents on the stream are fast, believe me. Once something disappears down the river, it's gone. My green waterproof bag (which was attached round my neck) had disappeared forever.
Going with it was my entire money and credit cards for the entire trip, plus 3 other ID cards and my camera full of memories of photos and videos. Oh dear! And I was now stranded in a bar in Vang Vieng. With other people of course. I met up with my mate Chaz again in the bar and he too had lost his wallet but kept his phone. He luckily didn't bring all his cards with him and I still have no idea why I risked taking everything into the river that day. Maybe to teach myself a lesson and realise I was wrong. I trusted myself more than I trusted the hostel, and I was wrong to do that.
My mate kindly bought me a drink but I wasn't in the mood anymore. I still had my flip flops and my Northern Ireland flag but I had lost my wallet and camera. Crazy.
While my camera and wallet were busy floating away on the Nam Song, I managed to grasp on and keep a flag (my travelling Northern Ireland flag) and a pair of flip flops. I didn't even want the flip flops. Later I would learn I also picked up an ear infection from swimming in vain after a wallet I couldn't even see. I had lost my entire money for this trip. I was lucky my passport was back at the hostel and that I was safe and well.
By the time I was in the third bar I wanted just to go home, I had lost everything and couldn't even pay for a ride home. It was now almost dark.
By chance I came across a local Laos girl with a motorbike. Her name was Mickey and she gave me a lift back to the hostel in the town called Vang Vieng. I was actually safe and healthy, but gutted to lose the wallet and camera. I hadn't had fun tubing the way most people do.
By the way you can get all sorts of drinks and drugs in Vang Vieng and on the tubing. People walk around drinking mushroom shakes and are off their heads on drugs.
So a few lessons to be learned from tubing at Vang Vieng in Laos:
- The only thing you need to take tubing is money. You could even do it naked as long as you have money!
- NEVER take a camera (it will either get destroyed or lost. Others will have cameras - ask for their photos.
- Make sure you don't use or take one of those waterproof bags in with you
- Go easy on the alcohol consumption
- Don't take drugs
So in closing, head to Vang Vieng and enjoy it, but BE CAREFUL! People die in the river ever year, at least I survived, at the end of the day, it's only money...
You will still enjoy the town of Vang Vieng!
Enjoy your trips!
Have fun checking out Vang Vieng...
Tubing in Vang Vieng Laos - oh the madness...
After arriving in Vang Vieng you will meet a host of new friends to party the night away with in the many bars there. Enjoy yourself but remember not to drink too much - as the next day you are probably going tubing!
I woke up, moved hostels and got ready for the day of tubing that lay ahead. It was some experience being in Vang Vieng to start with. Great town. We arrived at the first bar for tubing.
I loved the next few hours as the tubing began. Everyone started dancing, drinking, partying and just having a great time. It was fun and all was good!
Earlier in the day I had bought a green waterproof "Tubing Bag" for my wallet and my camera (plus one spare memory card). That was all I needed for the day - wallet and camera. The stupidest thing I did was I brought ALL my cards and money with me (including my Hong Kong ID card and my currency in HK Dollars, US Dollars and Laos Kipp). The reason I brought it all was I didn't trust leaving it in the hostel. First mistake was bringing it all with me. Second mistake was buying that green bag. By the time bar four arrived, as I was reeling myself in on the tube, I got distracted by a stupid green bottle on a rope which I thought was my waterproof bag. As I reached for it, I lost my way into the bar and turned round to swim across. It all happened very quick and the currents on the stream are fast, believe me. Once something disappears down the river, it's gone. My green waterproof bag (which was attached round my neck) had disappeared forever.
Going with it was my entire money and credit cards for the entire trip, plus 3 other ID cards and my camera full of memories of photos and videos. Oh dear! And I was now stranded in a bar in Vang Vieng. With other people of course. I met up with my mate Chaz again in the bar and he too had lost his wallet but kept his phone. He luckily didn't bring all his cards with him and I still have no idea why I risked taking everything into the river that day. Maybe to teach myself a lesson and realise I was wrong. I trusted myself more than I trusted the hostel, and I was wrong to do that.
My mate kindly bought me a drink but I wasn't in the mood anymore. I still had my flip flops and my Northern Ireland flag but I had lost my wallet and camera. Crazy.
While my camera and wallet were busy floating away on the Nam Song, I managed to grasp on and keep a flag (my travelling Northern Ireland flag) and a pair of flip flops. I didn't even want the flip flops. Later I would learn I also picked up an ear infection from swimming in vain after a wallet I couldn't even see. I had lost my entire money for this trip. I was lucky my passport was back at the hostel and that I was safe and well.
By the time I was in the third bar I wanted just to go home, I had lost everything and couldn't even pay for a ride home. It was now almost dark.
By chance I came across a local Laos girl with a motorbike. Her name was Mickey and she gave me a lift back to the hostel in the town called Vang Vieng. I was actually safe and healthy, but gutted to lose the wallet and camera. I hadn't had fun tubing the way most people do.
By the way you can get all sorts of drinks and drugs in Vang Vieng and on the tubing. People walk around drinking mushroom shakes and are off their heads on drugs.
So a few lessons to be learned from tubing at Vang Vieng in Laos:
- The only thing you need to take tubing is money. You could even do it naked as long as you have money!
- NEVER take a camera (it will either get destroyed or lost. Others will have cameras - ask for their photos.
- Make sure you don't use or take one of those waterproof bags in with you
- Go easy on the alcohol consumption
- Don't take drugs
So in closing, head to Vang Vieng and enjoy it, but BE CAREFUL! People die in the river ever year, at least I survived, at the end of the day, it's only money...
You will still enjoy the town of Vang Vieng!
Enjoy your trips!
Have fun checking out Vang Vieng...
Tubing in Vang Vieng Laos - oh the madness...
About the Author:
For more funny travel stories and tips like Tubing Going Wrong in Vang Vieng head to Jonny Blair's immensely recommended site A Lifestyle of Travel.
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