9
November, Ban Namon to Vang Vieng, 28km
Mountain Riverview Guest House 100,000LAK
We began this day with 3-in-1 Nescafe bought at the
store across the road from our guest house and grapes bought last night at a
small food market from which I would be incapable of producing a meal. Before
leaving the village we succumbed to temptation and bought a small packet of
tiny dried fish, salted and delicious, eyes ’n all. We had our first puncture before
reaching Vang Vieng on the Nam Song river, despite which we arrived in plenty
of time to make a careful selection of a guest house. Our first couple of
choices were fully booked, but we were thrilled with our slightly more
expensive end result as the view from our balcony was stupendous. Vang Vieng is
the playground of the young, with hot air ballooning, tubing and zip lining and
kayaking, hiking and swimming ... and lots of cheap beer at lots of pubs. The
town has grown dramatically since I first visited it in 2002, now offering a
large range of restaurants serving both Asian and “western” cuisine. We have
met a few cyclists on the road and in town, some having entered Laos from China
in the north.
Between Ban Namon and Vang Vieng
Between Ban Namon and Vang Vieng
Between Ban Namon and Vang Vieng
View from our Vang Vieng hotel room
View from our Vang Vieng hotel room