The city was very underwhelming and didn't even feel like much of a city. Besides a few banks, a shopping mall and a river there really wasn't much to see. The one thing that we did want to visit was a museum/non profit organization called the COPE Foundation which provides rehabilitation services for Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) survivors and other people with disabilities across Laos. The craziest part was learning that during the Vietnam war, Laos became the most heavily bombed country in the world per capita in history (by American troops). The fact that myself and most Americans don't know this is terribly disturbing.
While walking around the museum a young man named Peterkim walked into the room and started saying "hello"-- at first we couldn't tell who he was talking to. We soon realized that he had no arms from the elbows down and was blind and we started having a conversation with him. We spent the next hour learning his story, helping him read his Facebook and email messages and watching videos of him breakdancing and meeting Hillary Clinton. His story is very upsetting but also quite remarkable--he seems to be one of the faces of the COPE foundation. We learned that 5 years ago when he was just a teenager he was leaving school after taking an exam and he and a friend saw a peice of metal which he picked up out of curiosity. This metal ended up being a cluster bomb and he doesn't remember much after that (and we don't know what happened to the friend). Since then, with the help of the COPE foundation, he has become a break dancer, a voice for the victims of UXO survivors and is learning to "cope" with his disabilities. Even though his accident is due American bombs, he has aspirations to move to America. Meeting him was way more impactful than any museum or documentary could be.
Later that night after dinner we went to take money out and the ATM never gave our card back (note that this is the same card that I lost my first day in the Bangkok airport and jumped through hoops to get back). The bank was already closed that night but luckily the bank's main headquarters was right in the center of Vientiane. The next morning we were the first ones at the bank and miraculously, contrary to Laos' typical lackadaisical pace, we got the card back within the hour.
We made the 10am bus to Vang Vieng, a city that was once the party Mecca of Southeast Asia but has recently chilled out due to the Laos government clamping down at the beginning of the year. Apparently stupid tourists were getting too drunk and trying dangerous activities involving zip lines which led to some injuries and deaths. The city itself is pretty touristy and run down looking. Most guesthouses have restaurants in front selling western food. Many of the restaurants also have lounge chairs facing flat screen tvs either playing episodes of friends, family guy or how I met your mother (I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it for a few days). The best part about Vang Vieng, however, is the river and limestone mountains surrounding the entire city making the dusty town more appealing. We also were able to meet up with our friends Kate, Alex an Ryan who we spent a lot of time with in Cambodia. We were really lucky to meet such great people and be on the same general route as them.
Our first day was spent walking around the town and ending the night with some of the fun bars that haven't been closed down. The best bar gives you a free tshirt when you buy either two mixed drinks or a bucket. Andrew drank the bucket but i was lucky enough to get the shirt since that night's color was hot pink :). The bars were definitely not as crazy as they used to be but still a good time. Our guesthouse was also nice because it had an area in the back with hammocks (Andrew obviously loved) so we could relax on those with some of the other guests at the end of the night.
The next day we took advantage the natural surroundings and went rock climbing for half of the day. The views were spectacular and they had climbs that ranged from easy to difficult. I of course found the easy climbs very challenging but Andrew and the guides pushed me and I completed three. Andrew was an all star completing some of the more challenging routes and he was also excellent atbelaying the guide who had to lead the ropes. I find the actual climbing very difficult but the feeling of accomplishment afterwards is a wonderful.
The next day was the Fourth of July so we decided to do the main attraction of Vang Vieng: tubing down the River. Luckily, our three friends are also American so we had a crew of 6 to show our American pride. I found cheap "USA" boxer briefs which Andrew pulled off quite nicely. The tubing itself is pretty relaxing but the excitement comes from the three bars that you stop at while tubing down the river. The first bar you could tell used to be crazy spring break type before the crack down but now it was very empty and unexciting. The second bar was the best one with the most people, a few ping pong tables and good music. We spent an hour or two there and decided to skip the third bar which we heard was a bust. Overall the day was very fun BUT did not really feel like the 4th of July since we only met one other American the whole day. The day drinking was the only similarity to the holiday at home.
The following day we went tubing again but this time trough a cave. The caves were more like tunnels with water in it and you needed a headlamp to get through. Afterwards, Kate, Alex Ryan and myself went to one of the luxury hotels and spent 3 dollars to spend the afternoon at the pool. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking and we enjoyed a nice sunset.
We spent the rest of our free time in Vang Vieng taking advantage of the wifi, reading,watching friends and enjoying what was left of the bar scene.
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