Heading further up to the north

After driving the Thakhek Loop, I continued to Vang Vieng. However, there were no direct buses from Thakhek to Vang Vieng, only to Vientiane, where I then had to change busses. Since the drive from Thakhek to Vientiane was already supposed to take 8-9 hours, I decided to stay one night in Vientiane and then drive on to Vang Vieng the next morning. Vientiane is the capital of Laos. Everyone who was already there told me that I shouldn’t stay there longer than one night because there was nothing interesting to do in the city.

In the morning after breakfast I was picked up by the TukTuk and taken to the bus station in Thakhek. I was dropped off right in front of the bus and was able to get on. This time it wasn’t a mini van I was driving, but actually a real coach. Since I was the first on the bus, I was able to choose a seat and of course secured the best seat by the stairs where I had enough legroom. Since this was the VIP bus, I had hopes that the coming hours would be a relaxing bus ride.

Another adventures drive in southeastasia

However, I should have known better… The bus filled up over time and a backpacker from Canada sat down next to me. He immediately started talking to me and quickly told me that he had lost his phone a few days ago on a drunk night out. At that moment I realized that without a phone he would probably be very bored on the long bus ride and he would probably talk to me the whole time.

In the meantime the bus became more and more full. There were no longer any free seats, which is why stools were set up in the aisle for people to sit on. Some also sat on the lower floor where luggage is stowed on the floor. The reason why the bus ride took so long was that the road really wasn’t the best. Partly this was not developed at all and full of potholes and mud, which is why the bus only made slow progress.

I eventually put my headphones in because it was pretty loud on the bus and I also wanted to avoid the conversations with the canadian guy. During the bus ride we talked every now and then. He quickly asked me whether I was married, whether I would like to get married and whether I would like to have children. He also confessed to me that he gets bored traveling solo and is therefore looking for a travel buddy. The guy also said that he would always find himself in bad situations alone. None of this would happen to him with friends.

He was also completely disorganized. He kept asking me where we were going, what kind of city it was and so on. Since he didn’t has a phone, he couldn’t book any accommodation yet and therefore didn’t know where he would spend the next night. He hadn’t eaten anything before the bus ride and hadn’t packed anything either. So he finally asked me if I could give him some of my food.

Long conversations with the strange canadian guy

We talked again and again during the bus ride and he asked me questions like whether I could imagine being with someone who wasn’t from Germany. Finally he also confessed to me that he is looking for a girlfriend who could take care of him. Then he would no longer lose his money and phone. It was definitely noticeable that he was looking quite desperately. With me, however, he was at the wrong address… Finally, he also told me that he really wanted to get rich. I don’t think he understood that you have to work hard for it and that the money doesn’t just fall out of the sky.

After a nine hour bus ride we finally arrived in Vientiane. During the drive I kept putting my headphones in my ears to get away from the hustle and bustle around me. It was now six o’clock in the evening when we arrived at the bus stop. Since the Canadian guy didn’t have any accommodation, he wanted to go to the same hostel as me. So we could at least share the cost of the TukTuk to the hostel. During the 30 minute drive he kept talking to me and was asking the most random questions.

When we finally arrived, I checked into the hostel. In the course of the evening I didn’t see the Canadian guy anymore, for which I was quite grateful. I had dinner at the hostel and then went to sleep.

Heading further to Vang Vieng

I didn’t explore Vientiane. There weren’t more than a few temples to see and the city didn’t look particularly beautiful either. So I set off for Vang Vieng the next morning. I had heard so many good things about this place, so I was extremely excited to go.

After breakfast in the hostel, which was really tiny, I was picked up by the mini van. Beforehand, I had a quick chat with the Canadian guy who also wanted to go to Vang Vieng. At that point he hadn’t booked a bus yet and didn’t seem like he would book one it in the foreseeable future. Luckily he didn’t end up on the same bus as me.

The mini van bus ride to Vang Vieng was actually one of my best bus rides in Asia. The bus wasn’t overbooked, I had a seat right next to the door and therefore plenty of legroom and the road was also very pleasant.

Visiting temples in Vang Vieng

At three o’clock I arrived in Vang Vieng. It was 500 meters from the bus stop to the hostel, which is why I walked. When we arrived at the hostel, it seemed very quiet and I didn’t see anyone else there. The facilities were all quite simple and not really nice. In the room I saw that there had to be two other people there.

After checking in, I set off to explore Vang Vieng. Since it was already late afternoon, it was no longer worth renting a scooter, so I set off on foot. First I went to Wat Kang Temple. But it looked very desolate from the outside and it wasn’t pretty either. So I didn’t even go in but continued to the next temple. This was the Wat That temple. This looked a bit nicer and busier, but it wasn’t a really spectacular temple that was worth visiting.

Watching the sunset over Vang Vieng

So I made my way back to the hostel and stayed there for an hour. But still nobody was there. Around half past five I set out again for a sunset viewpoint, which was not far from the hostel.

On the way there someone suddenly stopped next to me on the scooter and I recognized Carsten. One of the guys I made the Thakhek Loop with. We chatted a bit about our last days since we split up. He was on his way to the viewpoint and then drove up on his scooter. We met again at the viewpoint. This was not a real viewpoint, just a road leading out of Vang Vieng, from which one could watch the sunset over the landscape.

I really liked this place. The sunset over the mountains was really beautiful and it was also an experience for me to watch the cows in the meadow and the locals who brought them in.

After sunset I made my way back to the hostel. There I came across two girls in my room. After I asked them, they also agreed that there was absolutely nothing going on in this hostel. I then decided to change hostels the next day. I had already met the owner of the Mad Monkey Hostel while visiting the temple. He had told me that there would be around 25 people at his hostel that night. I then decided to go there the following morning.

I hadn’t booked the Mad Monkey Hostel as it’s known as a Party Hostel. But if nothing is going on in your own hostel, then a party hostel is still the better alternative. In the evening I went to eat in a nice restaurant by the river.

Moving to another hostel

The next morning I went to the gym first. After that I went back to the hostel, packed all my things, got ready and then walked to the Mad Monkey Hostel. The hostel was only 600 meters away, but with the heat and all the luggage I arrived at the hostel 10 minutes later, totally sweaty. But there I was warmly welcomed and I was already able to check into my room. The hostel was much better than my previous one. The facilities were extremely modern and everything was extremely clean. In addition, there were already a few more people in the hostel than in the hostel before.

After checking in, I first went to have breakfast in the restaurant where I had been the night before. After that I went back to the hostel and rented a scooter for the day. This scooter was a bit older and shakier than the scooters I had ridden before. I rode the scooter around Vang Vieng for a bit, but on the bad roads in Laos I didn’t really feel safe with this scooter. So I drove back to the hostel and asked if it was possible to get another scooter. Unfortunately this was not possible. So I had to deal with this scooter. However, I got used to it pretty quickly.

A day trip to Pha Tang

In the heat I made my way to Pha Tang. This is a small town, 18 kilometers north of Vang Vieng. The road that leads there was the main road that the buses and trucks also use. So I figured the road couldn’t be that bad. However, the road was full of potholes and every 100 meters there was a long piece of gravel that I had to drive over. Because of the constant braking and driving slowly, it took me an hour to finally arrive in Pha Tang.

The first place I stopped was at a bridge that is very famous because it offers a beautiful view of nature and the river. Behind the bridge was a temple, Wat Pho Karm Chai Mong Kol. I also looked at this. With it‘s many bright colors, it looked very impressive, but I have seen much more beautiful and spectacular temples on my trip.

After visiting the bridge and the temple, I drove around the town a bit in the hope of finding a nice corner. However, there wasn’t much going on there and the town ended after a few hundred meters. So I made my way back to Vang Vieng. I now felt a little more confident on the uneven road, but it took me an hour to get back.

On the way, among other things, a mini van overtook me. He passed me extremely closely, which is why I narrowly avoided an accident. The bus and van drivers in Asia don’t really pay any attention to the scooter drivers.

Getting ready for the famous Lagoons

Back in Vang Vieng, I took a break in the hostel. I was completely exhausted and sweaty from the heat. Then I went back to my old hostel and picked up my laundry there. I had to wash my shoes after the Thakhek Loop, which I now got back clean and dry. Since I didn’t have any decent shoes in the morning, I couldn’t visit the lagoons and view points yet.

As soon as I had my shoes in the afternoon, I made my way to Blue Lagoon 1. The road there was pretty easy to drive. Only once I had to cross two bridges one behind the other with the scooter, which seemed very unstable.

As I drove to Blue Lagoon 1, I could already see the sky getting tighter and it was already raining in the distance. But I still wanted to be deterred and therefore drove on. After all, you never know in Asia whether the rain might not pass.

Exploring the Tham Poukham Cave

Arrived at the Lagoone, I parked my scooter and bought a ticket for 20K Kip. I actually wanted to go swimming in the Lagoone, but the Lagoone wasn’t as beautiful as I had expected. So I walked a little further and found a cave behind the Lagoone. There I had to pay another 10K Kip entrance fee and then walk 120 meters up slippery and wet steps. On the steep way up it finally started to rain. Since I had almost reached the cave, I was able to shelter there.

The cave looked really impressive. There was also a path that led further inside the cave. I could already see from above where the path would lead and it looked really beautiful. However, the route wasn’t all that safe. There were slippery stones everywhere. However, it was too dangerous for me to go there alone. There weren’t any people there that I could at least follow.

So I turned around again and left the cave. Meanwhile the heavy rain had also subsided. But the way down wasn’t that easy to manage. I had to be extremely careful not to slip. Luckily, I reached the bottom safely again a few minutes later. In the meantime the sun came out again, so I stayed at the lagoon for a while. Finally I made my way back to my scooter.

Since it was now late afternoon, I decided to drive back to the hostel. On the way back I stopped every now and then because the view of nature, the mountains and the rice fields was incredibly beautiful. Back at the hostel, I sat on the terrace and enjoyed the view of nature. In the evening, when it was already dark, I went back to the Green Restaurant and had dinner there.

Exploring the Lagoons

My next morning started similar to the day before. I went to the gym, then showered at the hostel and then went to have breakfast at the Green Restaurant. After breakfast I rented a scooter from the hostel and then headed to the lagoons. I wanted to visit Lagoone 2 and 3 that day. Unfortunately it was quite cloudy and therefore not the right day to go swimming, but I went anyway.

To get to Blue Lagoone 3, I first had to pass Blue Lagoon 1 and 2. As soon as I had to turn at Blue Lagoon 1, there was only a gravel road in front of me. From there it was another 6 kilometers to Blue Lagoon 2. I was a little hopeful that only the first part would be a little bumpy, but the rest would be back to normal later. Unfortunately, the path remained 6 kilometers only gravel. So of course my progress was extremely slow.

When I got to the Lagoone, I had to admit that I didn’t like it that much. A few people were swimming in the water but the lagoon was not full. Suddenly I met two girls that I had already met in Thakhek. We started talking and they invited me to come with them to a restaurant in the afternoon where you can see the sunset and the hot air balloons.

They were traveling by tuk tuk and then made their way to Blue Lagoon 3. I was originally supposed to go there, but this would have been another 10 kilometers down the gravel road. And I definitely didn’t want to do that. So I turned back and drove the 6 kilometers back. Instead of visiting Lagoone 3, I decided to go to the Phapoungkham viewpoint.

On the way up to the Phapoungkham viewpoint

When I was two kilometers before the viewpoint, the road started to get rocky again. My motivation was pretty low by now. Until now I hadn’t seen the most beautiful corners of Vang Vieng (apart from the sunsets) and the bad roads just really annoyed me.

After a while on this bumpy road, I finally arrived at the viewpoint. Surprisingly there were no other tourists besides me. I paid 20000 Kip entry and bought a water bottle and then made my way to the viewpoint.

After a while on this bumpy road, I finally arrived at the viewpoint. Surprisingly there were no other tourists besides me. I paid 20000 Kip entry and bought a water bottle and then made my way to the viewpoint.

The walk up should take 15 minutes. I walked relatively quickly, only stopping for a drink every now and then. The trail was a bit dangerous as it went over some rocks and roots, all of which were wet and slippery. On the way up, only one other person came towards me. Especially towards the end the path became a bit confusing and more and more dangerous. 20 minutes later I arrived at the viewpoint. There was nobody there but me.

Enjoying the incredible view over vang Vieng

An airplane set up by the locals was placed at the viewpoint. At each viewpoint in Vang Vieng there is at least one Laos flag and an object, like the plane, that tourists can use to take pictures. The view of nature was incredible, I really enjoyed the sight. It was also worth the strenuous climb up and the bumpy roads to get to the viewpoint.

After a little over half an hour I made my way back. The way down was not that strenuous, but of course much more dangerous, which is why I walked extremely slowly. Luckily I met a few people on the way. If I had fallen on the way, nobody else would have noticed it so quickly.

When I got back down safely, I made my way back to the hostel. But I just parked my scooter and my things there and then made my way to the restaurant the two girls had invited me to. There I met the two of them and two other backpackers. The cafe was a bit pricey compared to other restaurants in Laos but the view was really nice. You can usually watch the hot air balloons from this restaurant in the evenings. However, none were there that afternoon.

Then we made our way to the hostel. There we booked a tipsy tubing tour for the next day. You go swimming in the river in swimming rings and stop at bars from time to time. Since I wanted to go to the famous Nam Xay Viewpoint by motorbike before the Tipsy Tubing Tour, I went to bed early that evening. I had extended my scooter until the next noon for 50 000 Kip.

Heavy rain that stops me from visiting the famous viewpoint

The next morning I woke up early and immediately checked what the weather was like. It was a bit cloudy, but that shouldn’t stop me from visiting the viewpoint. So I got ready and when I finally came out of the bathroom, I could already hear it pouring rain. So first I decided to wait. But it didn’t really get any better, so I decided to do the viewpoint the next morning. Instead, I went to the gym. There I met a backpacker who also wanted to go to the viewpoint, but couldn’t because of the rain.

It rained the entire time I was at the gym. It wasn’t until around 10 am. that it stopped and the sun slowly came out. I then went back to have breakfast at the Green Restaurant. At lunchtime everyone met at the reception of the hostel for the Tipsy Tubing Trip. In fact, there were a lot more people of us than I expected. I think about half of the people in the hostel were there.

We were then picked up by a large TukTuk, but not all of us could fit in it. Therefore, a few people had to stand on a platform outside the vehicle. In general, the journey wasn’t ideal, of course, because there were so many potholes. After about 10 minutes we arrived at our tubing spot. We were a little surprised at how strong the current was that we were supposed to swim down.

Floating down the River

Each of us was given a swimming ring and then, after a short introduction, we went into the water. The water was quite cold, but we quickly got used to it. I then sat in the tire with the two girls and off we went. It was actually quite fun and thankfully didn’t feel that fast.

After only a few minutes we arrived at the first bar. This was accessible directly from the river. However, we now had to manage to get out of the current of the river. That was absolutely not easy. We were thrown ropes with water bottles tied to them, which were used to pull us ashore. Luckily, I managed to grab one of those ropes pretty quickly, so I was out of the water pretty quickly. But since two other people were holding on to the same rope, I had to exert a lot of strength not to let go again.

One of the girls I was tubing with got stuck in the river and arrived a while later. And the other hadn’t managed to grab the rope in time, so she kept drifting down the river. Ultimately, she had to be fetched by boat.

The bar we went to was really nice. We had a really nice view of the river and in general the bar in the forest felt very cosy. We all bought a drink and then played beer pong. After a while, another group arrived as well. These people came from another hostel.

Another adventures way to get out of the water

After half an hour we are all on together. Together with the two girls, I decided that we would hold hands the whole time so that none of us could get lost. The nearest bar was only a few hundred meters down the river. Getting out of the water was again a challenge.

Just before we had to get out of the water, we headed straight for a bush that was in the middle of the water. We couldn’t hold on to each other anymore. While one of the two girls managed to get out of the water, I and the other girl continued to float down the river. One of the locals then jumped into the water and swam after us. He then managed to grab us and pull us ashore.

Now we had to walk through the mud to the bar. Such things had never happened to anyone other than the three of us before when getting out of the water. It was as if everyone else were professionals and we were the biggest amateurs. The bar we were in wasn’t as nice as the bar before. We drank again and talked. After a while we went back into the swimming rings.

Floating down in a big group

We all held on to each other again. On the way down the river, a larger group of people formed, all holding on to each other. We then streamed down the river together. The view was really beautiful. Temperatures were comfortable and everyone enjoyed the tube swim and the view of the river and nature.

Suddenly we all headed straight for several bushes. As a group we tried to avoid them, but it was impossible. We also broke away from each other again. I could only hold on to one of the girls. Together we streamed straight through the bushes. Nothing happened to us and actually it was quite funny. So we lost the rest of the group and only the two of us drove on. The next bar wasn’t far away either.

Everyone managed to get out of the water safely, but we had problems again. Although I grabbed the rope with the bottle a few times, it was impossible to hold it. So we kept streaming. Again and again we tried to hold on to the shore, but it was impossible. Eventually, however, we headed for a wall where we finally stopped. We were now in a kind of lagoon not far from the bar. The girl I floated there with paddled to the other side of the Lagoone while I held on to her. With a lot of effort we made it out of the water and finally made it.

The bar was our last stop from which we could walk back to the hostel on our own. I stayed there for another half hour before heading back. The tubing was extremely fun and beautiful. I’m grateful that I happened to meet the two girls the day before otherwise I would definitely have missed this great experience.

In the evening I went back to the Green Restaurant for dinner and then went to bed. I wanted to try again the next morning to get up to the viewpoint.

Another day in pouring rain

The next morning when I woke up I immediately looked at what the weather was like. It wasn’t raining but it was very cloudy and all the mountains were covered in clouds. The risk that it would soon start raining was too high for me. So I decided to go to the gym first and hope that things get better after that. I actually wanted to go to Luang Prabang that day. However, the last train left at four o’clock, which is why I wanted to have visited the viewpoint by then.

While I was at the gym it started to rain and I was glad I didn’t go to Viewpoint. When I got back to the hostel I got ready and had breakfast at the Green Restaurant. However, it kept raining all the time. But since I didn’t want to leave Vang Vieng without having sat on the famous motorbike at Nam Xay Viewpoint, I extended my stay by one night and simply hoped that it would be better in the afternoon.

I spent the whole morning in the hostel waiting for better weather. However, it just didn’t stop raining. It didn’t stop until around half past two and the sun slowly came out. Together with the two girls, with whom I did the tubing the day before, and two other girls, we made our way to the Nam Xay Viewpoint in the late afternoon by TukTuk. It was still quite cloudy and some clouds were moving over the mountains. We hoped that when we got to the top we wouldn’t be shrouded in clouds.

Hiking up to the famous Nam Xay Viewpoint

We started the hike at half past four. The walk up should take 30 minutes. Since it had rained so much before, we thought that we might need a little longer. The first few meters of the trail weren’t much of a problem, just a little slippery. Eventually, however, the ascent became steeper and steeper. In contrast to the viewpoint I went two days earlier, it was just extremely dangerous and I was glad that I didn’t walk the path alone.

We made it to the viewpoint in 45 minutes. The last few meters up in particular were extremely dangerous as there were many large and sharp stones going up. When we got to the top, we were all completely sweaty and dirty. But the view was worth the difficult climb. To get to the famous motorbike, we had to climb over a few stones again. Finally we stood in front of the motorbike and could look over the breathtaking nature of Vang Vieng. It was cloudy but we still had a good view and we were completely alone at the viewpoint.

A really special moment up on the Nam Xay Viewpoint

Of course we all climbed straight to the motorbike and took the famous photo there, with the flag in our hands. This moment felt totally surreal to me. It was the place I always pictured when I thought of Laos and now I was sitting on this motorbike with the flag in my hand.

At a quarter to six we set off down the steep path again. We all dreaded this dangerous descent because we were all afraid of slipping and falling. But we definitely wanted to make it before the sun went down.

Very slowly and carefully we ventured the most dangerous part over the many stones. In order to have more stability, we often sat down and then slid a little further over the stones and mud. There wasn’t as much light coming through the trees anymore, so it was pretty dark. We felt a bit like we were in a movie, exploring an unknown jungle. After more than 45 minutes we finally all arrived safely at the bottom. None of us had fallen or slipped, but we were all covered in mud.

Relieved that we had completed the hard route and seen the viewpoint, we drove back to the hostel. Now that I had seen the famous Nam Xay Viewpoint and taken the photo on the motorbike, I could also book the train ticket to Luang Prabang. If you would like to know what I experienced during my time in Luang Prabang, please read my next blog post The town Luang Prabang with the french influnence – Laos Travel Diary.