my wand3rlust: Day 50 - Biking around Vang Vieng, Laos

We decided to rent some bicycles to acclimate ourselves to the city, and rode down the main road for about a couple hours. There were a couple caves that were said to be worth seeing, and we set out looking for them. The Lonely Planet guide says that Vang Vieng is known for more adventurous activities like exploring caves, rock climbing, kayaking (along with tubing drunk down the river).

It was extremely hot today and biking was tough because I was sweating profusely the whole time!

We weren't able to find any caves today, but explored some of the local villages by wandering through some of the minor streets. It's always good to get away from the main tourist draws in the city and just see the villages and the people who live here.

On our way back, we stumbled upon an organic farm that make its own goat cheese and grew its own mulberries. I ordered a mulberry shake and goat cheese with a baguette. Too bad the goat cheese smelled like fertilizer, or I probably would have enjoyed it much more.

Across the river from the organic farm was the starting point for people who wanted to tube down the river. “Tubing” refers to using a lifesaver to float down the river, stopping at various bars along the way to grab drinks, listen to music, dance, play mud volleyball, and party. It's like a non-stop Spring Break vacation for college students every day. There are also slides and ziplines that people can use to lauch themselves into the river. There have been many accidents and deaths from dumb people who drank too much, but people also injure themselves floating down the river because it can be shallow and rocky at the bottom.

Agus and I decided that we probably wouldn't partake in the “tubing” since we both didn't know how to swim very well. We decided instead to book a tour tomorrow that included exploring the caves and kayaking down the river, joining the barhopping with our kayaks instead.