Things on our travels don't always go well and here is my story of how NOT to go tubing in Vang Vieng in Laos - yes it's a great place but there are dangers and things can just go horribly wrong...I'm advising travellers to stay safe and careful!
Arriving in Vang Vieng you can feel the buzz about the place - it's a mad place to party. You will meet new friends and drink and party the night away in the many bars there. But be aware that you will be wakening up the next morning to go tubing - know your limits!
I woke up, moved hostels and got ready for the day of tubing that lay ahead. It was some experience being in Vang Vieng to start with. Great town. We arrived at the first bar for tubing.
The next few hours were crazy and amazing - meeting new people, drinking, partying, dancing and singing. It was all good fun!!
Before starting the tubing I bought one of those tubing waterproof bags. Big mistake by the way - they are not safe or secure in any way. I shouldn't have bought one and I shouldn't have brought it with me. After getting in my tube at the second bar, I struggled in the fast waters and didn't make it over to the next bar. In amidst the struggle I lost my wallet and camera and my green waterproof bag in the madness of it all. It was gone forever.
Going with it was my entire money and credit cards for the entire trip, plus 3 other ID cards and my camera full of memories of photos and videos. Oh dear! And I was now stranded in a bar in Vang Vieng. With other people of course. I met up with my mate Chaz again in the bar and he too had lost his wallet but kept his phone. He luckily didn't bring all his cards with him and I still have no idea why I risked taking everything into the river that day. Maybe to teach myself a lesson and realise I was wrong. I trusted myself more than I trusted the hostel, and I was wrong to do that.
I got a drink off my mate and managed to still have my flip flops and my travelling Northern Ireland flag. But I had lost the more important things - camera and wallet.
Later on it was obvious that I also had an ear infection from the swimming in the Nam Song river. The only good thing was my passport was back at the hostel and that I was healthy and safe!
By the time I was in the third bar I wanted just to go home, I had lost everything and couldn't even pay for a ride home. It was now almost dark.
A local girl called Mickey saved the day, popping over with a scooter asking me to jump on and giving me a ride through the pouring rain back to the town of Vang Vieng. Pure madness. I was safe and well, but the tubing experience had been a bad one.
Drugs and alcohol are readily available in Vang Vieng and in the tubing. Be careful and watch out for the countless people on magic mushrooms and opium!
Here's the lessons I learnt from the horrible tubing experience in Vang Vieng, Laos:
- The only thing you need to take tubing is money. You could even do it naked as long as you have money!
- DON'T take - a camera, keys to hostel rooms, wallets, credit cards, passports (as you can see I still have photos of the tubing experience thanks to Chaz and friends so a camera is not an essential - leave it behind and enjoy the party)
- DON'T take a waterproof bag - they are useless!
- Go easy on the alcohol consumption
- Try not to take drugs (there are lots available)
In closing - head to the town of Vang Vieng and go tubing but be very careful - it's dangerous, people die tubing every year.
You will still enjoy the town of Vang Vieng!
Happy travels!
Have fun checking out Vang Vieng...
Don't Stop Living!
Arriving in Vang Vieng you can feel the buzz about the place - it's a mad place to party. You will meet new friends and drink and party the night away in the many bars there. But be aware that you will be wakening up the next morning to go tubing - know your limits!
I woke up, moved hostels and got ready for the day of tubing that lay ahead. It was some experience being in Vang Vieng to start with. Great town. We arrived at the first bar for tubing.
The next few hours were crazy and amazing - meeting new people, drinking, partying, dancing and singing. It was all good fun!!
Before starting the tubing I bought one of those tubing waterproof bags. Big mistake by the way - they are not safe or secure in any way. I shouldn't have bought one and I shouldn't have brought it with me. After getting in my tube at the second bar, I struggled in the fast waters and didn't make it over to the next bar. In amidst the struggle I lost my wallet and camera and my green waterproof bag in the madness of it all. It was gone forever.
Going with it was my entire money and credit cards for the entire trip, plus 3 other ID cards and my camera full of memories of photos and videos. Oh dear! And I was now stranded in a bar in Vang Vieng. With other people of course. I met up with my mate Chaz again in the bar and he too had lost his wallet but kept his phone. He luckily didn't bring all his cards with him and I still have no idea why I risked taking everything into the river that day. Maybe to teach myself a lesson and realise I was wrong. I trusted myself more than I trusted the hostel, and I was wrong to do that.
I got a drink off my mate and managed to still have my flip flops and my travelling Northern Ireland flag. But I had lost the more important things - camera and wallet.
Later on it was obvious that I also had an ear infection from the swimming in the Nam Song river. The only good thing was my passport was back at the hostel and that I was healthy and safe!
By the time I was in the third bar I wanted just to go home, I had lost everything and couldn't even pay for a ride home. It was now almost dark.
A local girl called Mickey saved the day, popping over with a scooter asking me to jump on and giving me a ride through the pouring rain back to the town of Vang Vieng. Pure madness. I was safe and well, but the tubing experience had been a bad one.
Drugs and alcohol are readily available in Vang Vieng and in the tubing. Be careful and watch out for the countless people on magic mushrooms and opium!
Here's the lessons I learnt from the horrible tubing experience in Vang Vieng, Laos:
- The only thing you need to take tubing is money. You could even do it naked as long as you have money!
- DON'T take - a camera, keys to hostel rooms, wallets, credit cards, passports (as you can see I still have photos of the tubing experience thanks to Chaz and friends so a camera is not an essential - leave it behind and enjoy the party)
- DON'T take a waterproof bag - they are useless!
- Go easy on the alcohol consumption
- Try not to take drugs (there are lots available)
In closing - head to the town of Vang Vieng and go tubing but be very careful - it's dangerous, people die tubing every year.
You will still enjoy the town of Vang Vieng!
Happy travels!
Have fun checking out Vang Vieng...
Don't Stop Living!
About the Author:
For more funny travel stories and tips like Tubing Going Wrong in Vang Vieng head to Jonny Blair's immensely recommended website A Lifestyle of Travel.
