Category: Van Vieng

Got up and had some breakfast (with “Friends”), then headed to the tour spot (still proudly displaying my sign) to depart for rock climbing. There were only two others in the group, Stefan and Magnus from Sweden, and our guide, Apple. Like me, Stefan and Magnus had tried climbing for the first time at Railay Beach, and loved it.

We took a tuktuk to the river, then crossed the river by boat to the climbing spot, None Cave – or, more precisely, the crevasse leading to the cave. We did four climbs there, then took a break for lunch. Stefan and Magnus were both pretty good at climbing, so we didn’t spend a lot of time waiting.

We had lunch next, at a bar near the river. Toobing is very popular in Van Vieng, and tourists float down the river, stopping at the bars (where kids throw ropes to pull them ashore) there for a drink, before heading onward. After lunch we headed to another section, to do more climbing. This one was not very high, but quite difficult – with one part that proved especially difficult. Magnus went first, and got stuck, then I had a go, and after a bit of difficulty, managed to get my way to the top. Stefan didn’t get past the difficult point either, and Magnus failed to complete on his second try either.

Our last climb was a doozy. An overhang, that might have been possible if it was at the beginning of the day, but by this point our muscles were exhausted from the previous climb. I had no delusions that I’d be able to do it, but I gave it a try.  We all took a couple of stabs at it, but none of us finished. Maybe in a few years, after some practice, I’ll go back and tackle it again. I think I may have stood a better chance in January, but having not been to the gym in months can’t help.

I met Magnus and Stefan for dinner later (“Friends”, but a different bar this time), but we were all pretty exhausted from our climbing, and decided to head to bed fairly early.

In the morning I headed, with the owner of the guesthouse, to the Ponsovanh police station. I figured there’d be at least one person who spoke english, but sadly there wasn’t. Using the guesthouse owner (whose english was pretty bad) as an interpreter, I worked my way through filling out an Incident Report.

Headed back to the guesthouse after that, and then immediately to the bus station to get a bus to Van Vieng. My luggage has been reduced to a small backpack, and some plastic bags for my shoes, and my remaining clothes. Pathetic looking, I am sure. The trip to Van Vieng was not as windy as the one from Luang Prabang, and pretty much without incident. There was a young Lao boy in front of me who seemed quite content to spend a few hours playing peekaboo with me.

I checked into the guesthouse, and then went in search of some clothes and a new bag. Not much luck in either department, but I did buy a small lock, which will be handy on the rooms in Laos that can take a padlock.

As I was checking out rock climbing trips for the morning, two owners of a travel agency asked me to write their sign for them. I implored them to use someone else, as my handwriting is terrible, but they insisted. I thought the sign looked awful, but they seemed to think it was fine.

Van Vieng is 95% tourists, and this is reflected most clearly in the restaurants and bars that play either Friends (mostly Friends) or Family Guy all day. It’s actually not a bad idea, as you can sit and enjoy your meal while watching some tv. I’m just surprised no other shows are represented. The Simpsons or Seinfeld would do well, I think. I had dinner and watched a couple of episodes of Family Guy, then tried to upload some pictures, but the internet was far too slow. Eventually I gave up and did some reading, before heading to bed.