Friends Town

After our mighty Gibbon adventure it's time for me to catch up with my LaoCrew. The two Israeli, Germans and Poms went on the two day slowboat to Luang Prabang, so if I get there in one day I'm effectively only one day behind. Getting to Luang Prabang in one day from Houay Xai means either catching a bus for 14 hours or taking a speedboat down the Mekong for six hours. Tough choice, not really. Everyone in Laos is eager to tell you horror stories about the speedboats, Lonely Planet most of all. Stories about drownings, deaths, discussions of banning falang (westerners) from the speedboats, blahdiblahdiblah. Or as Niezsche once said: whatever. Handing out crash helmets and lifejackets does no good for the image, but my ride was absolutely safe. High speed racing over the Mekong, but with a skilled captain we were never in a dangerous situation.

No worries! Which doesn't mean speedboats are a nice way of transport by the way. It gets you to places fast alright, but you're completely folded up all that time. Sore legs, ass and back guarenteed. Also, bring earplugs if you reckon you need your hearing capabilities again, somewhere along the road of life (that's a nice one, no?)

A couple of days in Luang Prabang doesn't yield much. Some Wats to see, some caves, and a nightmarket is all there is. The Royal palace museum is mildly interesting for 45 minutes but after having seen that, all that lasts is going for (heavenly) massages at the Red Cross and watching Roland Garros in the Sports Bar.

So, time to move on. A minivan to Vang Vieng is easily organized and surprise, surprise, full with Dutchies.

Everywhere in Laos is packed with Dutchmen. Six out of nine passengers are from Holland, to illustrate my point. Where Vietnam was completely owned and operated by Canadians, Laos seems to be the new Dutch colony. Vang Vieng proves to be the same. Or maybe, more accurately, a joint venture between Holland and Israel. Nowhere a sign of the usual UK domination, which is great. Dutchies, Israeli, Germans and a couple of Ozzies on the menu here.

Vang Vieng feels like home. Not home home as in Amsterdam, but it feels like how a home could be. All the comforts are there, television, computers, western foods. Cultural value 0, chillaxing-party-take-a-breath-awesomeness value: a 100. After seven months travelling, having to make countless decisions and experiencing new stuff every day, it's wonderful to be able to go on auto pilot for a while.

Get up at eleven, stumble to 'your' restaurant, lie flat out on the couches, raise half an arm and mouth 'pine-apple-juice-thanks' to the waiter and just relax. Most bars are broadcasting the TV serie Friends, some play cartoons as the Simpsons or Family Guy and other play movies all day long. I never really followed Friends as a serie, I always saw episodes as one offs. Occasionally I would watch them as I came by them, but I would never plan to watch Friends on TV. After a week in Vang Vieng though, I'm a Friends expert. PhD. Sensei. Grandmaster. Okay maybe I'm exagerating just a bit, but boy, did I see a lot of Friends episodes!

It's totally awesome though. Everyone is so relaxed in Vang Vieng, I have yet to meet a person who didn't have a good time there.

Another important factor for that: tubing. Tubing, tubing, tubing, how I love thee. Tubing is probably the simplest activity where you can have so much fun. Tubing instructions:

1. Gather your friends
2. Hire a tube (a big rubber band)
3. Drive upstream
4. Float down the river in your tube
5. Check into random bars along the river
6. Have a great time! Use the swings and ropes, play music, drink beer, play games, sing, dance and laugh!

Let the guys reel you in, you buy beer, chill in the sun with the hottest babes, who also have beer, prove your manlyhood by jumping of insane bridges and jumps, swings and zips, drink another and move to the next bar. What a bliss. I miss tubing. Whoever invented tubing deserves the Nobel peace prize. It's absolutely brilliant, so much fun, yet so simple. One of the most fun activities on my trip. Don't miss out on tubing, Vang Vieng, and Laos in general. To quote Kanye West:

I think I died in an accident, 'cause this must be heaven!