Having decided not to pack on Monday night, I woke up early to throw some stuff into a bag and head to the office. When I arrived I was told we weren't leaving until 11, so I got on the computer and served as Mark's witness for his presidential ballot.
By the time 11:40 rolled around, we packed up the car and went to pick up Bounsong's friend Phet, who was joining us on our trip. Phet works at UNICEF and had extra vacation time to take before November, so a couple days on the road was just what she was looking for. We stopped for lunch before starting the journey to Vang Vieng, the halfway point to Luang Prabang and our pit stop for the night.
| The view: Vang Vieng's main attraction |
The ride to Vang Vieng was only three hours and we arrived just in time to catch a beautiful sunset. The city is known for its amazing scenery and flourishing backpacker culture. While everyone else headed back to the guest house for dinner, I decided to explore the city and picked a restaurant called "the other side."
The other side jets out over the river and is composed of cushion lined open air tatami areas. Noticing that I was alone, a waiter came over to talk to me and was impressed by my very rough Lao. When he left, four guys at the "booth" next door invited me to come join them and thats when my night with Aaron, Dylan, Matt and Danny began.
Having met at UCLA and worked at the same summer camp, these best friends were thoroughly enjoying their first trip to South East Asia. We ended up hijacking the stereo system and dancing to all the camp favorites. Camp people never change!
Buckets of mysterious drinks were brought to our table and we finally left after the place had closed. Being gentlemen, I was walked home to prepare for the 5 hour drive to Luang Prabang in the morning.
Between the laid back atmosphere and the opportunities to rock climb, kayak and tube, Vang Vieng will certainly be seeing my face again!
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