Vang Vieng

Vang Vieng once held the reputation as Asia's party town where backpackers died at the rate of 20 per year from heart attacks, broken necks and drowning. Nestled on the side of the river, tourists would rent old tractor inner-tubes, plop in the river and bar hop down the shores to makeshift parties where opium and mushrooms were favored to beer Lao. In 2012, the government cleaned things up and most of the bars closed. Well, it's been three years and five of them have snuck back on the scene at a more mellowed-out scale. Tubing is still hot, but it reminds me more of tubing down the Guadalupe outside San Marcos than legends of the past. Trade the Jell-O shots famous in Texas for Malibu and pineapple slushies and you've got the scene I encountered in Vang Vieng. The day was loads of fun and I survived it with little more than a bruised foot and a hangover. 

Aside from tubing, Vang Vieng is known for endless options for outdoor adventure. Traveling in Southeast Asia is a bit like summer camp for grownups. My favorite activities at camp were usually those that involved a harness or a gun, but since I think the idea of an American shooting a rifle is a bit of a sensitive subject in these parts, rock climbing sounded like a fun option. I booked a full-day rock climbing tour to Sleeping Rock, just 15 minutes from town. My muscles haven't been this sore in years! It was an awesome day that ended with a completely unsafe climb to the top of a peak that I rapelled down landing on the banks of the river. The scenery from the top was gorgeous, like the rest of Laos. This place is seriously the adventurer's paradise.