Tim’s Nomad Diaries

The life of a traveler isn’t as carefree and easy as most people think; difficult choices abound and few people really understand the critical notions of trade-offs and opportunity costs within the decision making process like that of the road-weary traveler.

“What to do today?”, asks the backpacker, who was planning to spend just a few nights in Vang Vien, but ended up spending ten of her allotted fourteen days in all of Laos there. “I could go trekking today, or maybe spelunking, or explore one of the neighboring villages that’s within a bike ride away.There are also some excellent limestone cliffs for rockclimbing, some white water rapids to satisfy any kayaker’s need for an adrenaline fix, and some scenic vistas that are so spectacular, they look like they’ve been computer generated.”

The backpacker sinks back into her cushion, takes another sip of her fruitshake, looks up to hear the ‘Friends’ theme song “I’ll be there for you” blaring from one of the several TVs, and finally comes to a decision. “Naaw, fuck it. I’ll just stay here, order another ‘Happy Shake’, watch a few more episodes, and take things from there.”

Nestled in the lush green mountains, between the capital of Laos, Vientiane, and the beguiling ancient royal city of Luang Pruabang, Vang Vien has a laid-back flavor that draws backpackers in cultural ‘time-out’ mode by the tuk-tuk load. A true hedonist’s paradise, unrivaled in all my travel experiences and one of the truly unique places in the world, Vang Vien has it all.

If you’re into the outdoor thing, your head will be spinning from options. If you want a break from the rugged traveler lifestyle, lounge back at one of the many bars/restaurants that exclusively play either ‘Friends’, ‘Simpsons’, or ‘Family Guy’ episodes. If you’re into escaping for a while via soft drugs, feel free to order a marijuanna ‘Happy Shake’, a magic mushroom ‘Happy Pizza’, or wind down a long day with some opium ‘Happy Tea’. If you’re into a thumping night scene, throw down some Lao Lao whiskey, or Beer Lao (the best beer in Asia in my opinion) for under a dollar while huddled around a bonfire with other party-goers. Or go lounge in your personal hut right next to the river and watch the sun set with that special someone. No matter what you’re into, Vang Vien has something for everyone (except, of course, any trace of traditional Lao culture, but details details folks).

The most popular activity in Vang Vien, however, is tubing. With a tuk-tuk dropping you off 3 KM down the river with your personal big black tube, one spends the full day floating down the river, meeting the occasional rapid and the very frequent bar blasting its own particular music. At each of the many of bars, you can ride a zipline or jump off one of the sky-high swings, free of charge, so long as you purchase one of the twenty-two ounce bottles of Beer Lao for the very affordable price of a dollar.

So by the end of the day, while seeing the sun start to set and drifting slowly down the river, one has a warm feeling within the depths of their belly–either from the close bonding that took place while chatting it up with all the other folks slowly passing down the river on their tubes, the memories of flying thirty feet high in the air swinging like a freakshow monkey acrobat in front of a cheering audience, the massive amounts of alcohol consumed throughout the day, or most probably a combination of all the above.

Stay tuned within the next few days, as I will be posting another entry contrasting the Southeast Asian countries that up to this point I have visited. I am also working on incorporating a video function into the site, so hopefully that will be soon to come also.