3rd November

Van Vieng Buggy car fun

The karst hills all around Vang Vieng are incredible, reminiscent of China’s Guilin or Vientnam’s Halong Bay, but as you head deeper into the Laotion countryside,  despite the very real smiles from the village people you pass, one gets a sense this is a place that is undergoing a dramatic rush to get upmarket from the back packer image it has been having for the last 10 years.

At Vang Vieng, there is a great sense of relief and adventure as you’re able to safely explore.  We hired ourselves an ATV Buggy, head over the river, and took the west loop – along the way we find a multitude of caves, villages and the superb scernery.  A small spattering of hippies glide past on their way back from tubing (sitting in an old rubber tyre and floating down the river whil gulping beear at stations along the way).

With a mask over our nose and mouth, and a camera for the views, David drives the buggy at a speed where he hopes the potholes will not be so violent  - not always the case – and seriously bumpy as a result! First us and then  Judy and John get swamped by the dust if they drive too close behind – our guide takes it more seriously, and doesn’t follow us until we are at least 500 metres in front!

A steep climb up to the caves, for an inside view of the lying Buddha, headlights are best, as it’s seriously slippery and dark getting there!