The view from our room.

When people first told me about Vang Vieng, back in December 2015, it sounded like my worst nightmare.

A bunch of drunk tourists taking trips down the river in tractor inner tubes…? Not my thing.

But, I was going through Laos again, on my way to Vietnam from Thailand, and I didn’t want to see nothing, so I thought, why not…

As it turns out, there is much more to Vang Vieng than this, and it is a beautiful place! We stayed on the quieter side of the river, in “Otherside Bungalows” and our views of the mountains beside us were spectacular.

Thunderstorms every evening meant that the clouds were dramatic and beautiful, and the sunsets were stunning.

The rock climbing nearby is fun, but nothing particularly special (especially compared to the beautiful climbing we have done in Thakek and Thailand). However, the place is amazing. It has a lot of atmosphere, being a short motorbike ride away, a boat ride across the river and then climbing in a gorge. It is definitely worth visiting for a couple of days.

Every time I go to Laos, I fall in love with it a little more. It is a beautiful country, with some truly unspoilt areas. The people are perhaps not as smiley as people in Thailand, but once you start to talk to them, they are incredibly friendly and fun. My heart definitely wants to spend more time in Laos!