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  Wednesday 31st of December 2014 I woke up around 9 o'clock, my first day in Laos without I having asked for a wake-up call. I went for breakfast and I brought my lap top to connect to the internet. The  internet at Riverside Bungalows are not working.
Out of order for two days and they tell me it is something wrong with my computer. I told him that I have been on hotels all over the world with my computer and there is nothing wrong with the computer. Yes, it was problem with my computer and they have many foreign guests that cannot connect to the internet. Yea, what a good and comfortable life we're living. No need to get your arse out of the chair. It is not any problem on my side, everything is their problems and I can sit on my arse. Exactly the spirit that will take you nowhere! You will never learn anything. Well, this kind of people don't want to learn or do anything. Hell, most of the time they don't even know anything. I went to a restaurant run by 2 French guys and I was soon connected to the internet. I asked  for omelette and a baguette with a cup of tea. The tea was, well, not what I was used to so I asked for hot chocolate instead. I enjoyed my breakfast while uploading my web page.
I stopped at the shop across the street to buy a hangover pack consisting of water, Minute Maid and two bottles of M-150. And of course a few cans of diet drinks. I left my stuff in my hut and I spoke with the management about the internet again. Now it turns out that they have a router in the garden as well. I turned off and on again and the internet worked in my cabin. 
I walked back to the tube shop to rent a tube and to get to the first bar where they tubing started. I was shocked, millions of people outside the tube shop. I was disappointed, I had expected, or well, I had been hoping  to be almost alone in the shop.
And the TUK TUKs taking the tubes and people to the first bar a full. I decided to wait for a while, maybe I would be lucky and most of the people would be on their way to the Nam Song River. Yeah, this is typical, Aladdin decide to go tubing and the shop is full, it looked like the whole Vang Vieng was in the shop. And the queue didn't seem to move, at least not very quickly.  I started to get worried, if it would take much longer it would be cold to do the tubing.
I came up with an  idea, yet another super idea. I will take a TUK TUK to the first bar, maybe they have a tube lying around there.
I had found the famous Vang Vieng sign while waiting for the tube shop to become empty. Well, I have not seen any half naked people walking around in Vang Vieng. Because of the sign or because of the new kind of tourists they get here in Vang Vieng? I don't think it is because of the sign.  I found the famous sign while waiting for the tube shop
I changed money and while doing this there was a TUK TUK passing us and I stopped him. He would  take me to the first bar on the tubing trail for 40000 Kip and we were soon on our way.
Took us 10 to 15 minutes to get there, but it could have taken much longer. I was not impressed by the safety futures in the TUK TUK when I got in to it. It was only a windshield between me and the road so if we hit something we will pretty much be dead. I asked the driver to drive slowly. And he did, actually so slow I had to ask him to speed up a wee bit or I could as well be walking. Well, better safe than sorry. We arrived and I could hear the music from the bar and there were maybe 30 persons in the bar. And there were people taking off with their tubes down at the river.  Starting point for the tubing down the Nam Song River
 Starting point for thetubing down the Nam Song River
 Starting point for the tubing down the Nam Song River
 Starting point for the tubing down the Nam Song River
 Starting point for the tubing down the Nam Song River
 A farmer crossing the river when a group of canoes passing
 A farmer crossing the river when a group of canoes passing
I walked up the rickety stairs to the bar. The music was OK and I asked for a bottle of Beer Lao. They only had big bottles so I got a big bottle and this was 20000 Kip, about 2 and a half US  Dollars. I had 3 bottles and they were out of bottles and I had to start to drink Beer Lao from cans.
I made an investigation about the tubes but they didn't had any tubes here. I asked one of the TUK TUKs if they could go to town and get ne a tube. But this was not possible as I needed a number and to sign a disclaimer. So this was not possible. And well, by then I was a wee bit tipsy and it was too late for the tubing. I don't want to fall off the tube halfway down to the next bar drowning myself. But there were three of the staff and we would walk down the river stopping at the bars  on the way. Tubing by foot as we call it, or tubing the safe way.
Suddenly they were calling for a shotgun or whatever they called it. They take a beer can and they make a hole in the bottom. Well, on the side of the can on the bottom end. You suck on the hole to create a vacuum in the can and then you open the can and the beer goes down double quick. I remember that this was something we did around the water tower in Mölle some 35 years ago. We should drink twelve or twenty 45 cl cans of beer and then jump like a frog around  the water tower.
Well, as they guy said when they were ready, 80% of the participants didn't know how to do it. They never opened the beer can and when they threw the can the beer was still full. The guy in charge for the beer shooting were pulling out a can of General Snus. I had just started with my first beer when I realised that I had forgot my snus in my cabin. He used bagged snus and I took double bags. Turned out his girlfriend was from Sweden and they lived in Stockholm. The worked during the summer and they  stayed here during the winter working in the bar.
We were playing something called beer ping pong and, well, I got it all wrong. They threw the ping pong ball and they missed. I downed one beer. - WHOA WHOA!! You only need to drink if they get the ball in to the cup - So if you lose you drink? - Right - Well, that was strange. So we want to lose? - Well... They got my point, but this was not how we played this game. Me and my new friend lost and we had to drink  his girlfriend and the other new friend's beers as well.
We didn't complain as we were here to drink beer so we were happy. 
My new friend stepped right through the wooden floor. The wood around here, well, I don't think they check the wood in their constructions. And I'm always scared when crossing a bridge, walking up and down stairs or walking on a wooden terrace. And at some places it is a several meters fall. And only God knows what else living under the terraces in the area. 
I started with big bottles of Beer Lao and when they  ran out of the big bottles I swapped to small cans.
Didn't take long before they ran out of small cans as well. Then the only option was big cans. And yes, we were drunk like sailors coming ashore after months on the ocean. I think the bar closed around 3 o’clock, by then we were alone as all the people had left on their tubes. My new friend and his Swedish girlfriend took a TUK TUK back to Vang Vieng. They were  going to prepare for the party at VIVA tonight
There were two parties tonight, at VIVA and at Sakura or whatever the name was. Well, VIVA was the place where all the staff working here lived at. I think it is the same owner. The French girl from the adventure with the new born cow came up to me. At first I didn't recognised her because of her hat. 3 of the staff members and I left for the next bar on the tubing trail. We walked along the river for a few minutes and we reached a ferry crossing. Well, ferry crossing is too much to call it, they came to pick us up when they saw us on the other side of the river. New customers are always welcome and they come to pick us up.  Walking to the next bar, the lens on my waterproof camera is covered in some shit
 We reach the bar and we only need to cross the Nam Song River
 We reach the bar and we only need to cross the Nam Song River
 The “ferry” arrives to pick us up
 We can see the first bar and all the tubes at the second bar
 We load beer and ice before we left
 We can see the first bar and all the tubes at the second bar
   People leaving the second bar
We got on the boat and they loaded the boat with beer and ice as they were running out of beer and ice at the bar. Sober and it is hard enough to walking in the Lao boats. And it was not easier  after a few bottles of Beer Lao. But I made it on board and I made it off the boat on the other side without any incidents.
The water was full of people tubing and on the river bank there was also a big pile of tubes belonging to the people drinking in the bar. We asked for 4 big bottles of Beer Lao and this was obviously the last beer. Well, they should make sure they have enough beer if they want to make any money. When I asked for my second bottle they pointed  to the other side of the Nam Song River.
There were some people busy carrying cases of Beer Lao to the boat. They brought 2 cases with the boat we crossed the river with. 2 cases, don't take much of imagination to imagine that 2 cases won’t last long. I got a lukewarm beer when they brought the cases and we were soon off to the third bar on the tubing trail. And to reach this one we had to cross a rickety bridge. And according to my new friends this was a bridge that would fall apart any minute. I was not looking forward to cross the bridge, but the Beer Lao contain a whole lot of courage so it was no problems. This time we walked in a forest along the river.  We walk through a forest
 Taking the tubes between the bars
 We reach the bridge
 We reach the bridge
 Plenty tubes at the third bar
 Plenty tubes at the third bar
        Playing beer ping pong
 My hat
 We arrived to the third bar and the place was full. We could hear the music as soon as we left the  second bar. Well, it was only a 3 minutes’ walk between the bars, including crossing the bridge.
I have seen that they are selling balloons at the bars. Who wants to buy a balloon? Well, at the third bar I discovered that the balloons were filled with laughing gas, the happy balloon. I bought one to try, no effect at all. What a pointless exercise that turned out to be. But the Beer Lao is a very good beer so I drank beer instead of wasting any more money on the stupid “happy balloons” I ran in to the French girl again and now she was on the table dancing. Well, a few  beers can make such a difference. No beer and no talking hiding in a corner.
A few beers later and it is dancing on the table screaming and shouting. We spent a few hour at the third bar. It was time to leave and we decided to skip the fourth bar. Time to return to Vang Vieng and put the tubing adventure behind us. But first of all we need to cross the Nam Song River again, and I was not looking forward to getting in to the small boat again. The wood boats are very slippery when a little bit wet.  We're getting on board the boat again
 We're crossing the river
 We're reaching the other side
 We're walking along the river
 We're passing the fourth bar
 In the TUK TUK on the way back to Vang Vieng
I went back to my room to pick up my snus, 2 cans and I took the TUK TUK to some bar in town. I  don't remember the name of the place. But there was a beautiful girl from Korea and she told me that she was going to Sakura and that we would meet there.
Well, I was not back home until after 3 o'clock in the morning. Not bad for an old fart  like me. First beer at 13 thirty and up and about like a teenager until 3 o'clock in the morning.
When I asked for my first beer at the river I expected to be in bed way before midnight. But it must be the healthy Lao food that keeps me going. Well, 2014 has come to an end and we will find our self in the year of 2015 just by clicking HERE ! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! 
    
  You are visitor no.
To www.aladdin.st since December 2005
Visitors from different countries since 26th of September 2011
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