The long hard road to Vang Vieng

So I jumped on the late bus at Pak Beng to Vang Vieng since it was so little to do in Pak Beng. The bus was supposed to leave at 15.00 but it wasn’t enough of people so it left at 16.00 instead but as soon as the bus started rolling we stopped and waited for another twenty minutes outside the bus stop and a monk suddenly jumped on.
The bus ride would take eight hours and I got the privilege of having a seat on top of one of the back tires so there if there usually is little leg room there was an almost non existent one now. It could have been a problem if I haven’t watched all those old ninja movies and I instantly assumed lotus position and were actually quite comfortable.
The bus stopped a couple of times, nothing major though, people with hens in cages and stuff like that. If you ever wondered how the aviation spread you have your answer right there.
Eventually got to Viang Vieng at twelve in the evening. I had met a really nice American couple (Don & Rebecca) on the bus to Phansavan and we stood there bewildered wondering if they had decided to pull a fast one on us and dropped us off in the middle of nowhere but we soon heard some bass blaring out of a night club in the distance and knew we had come to the right town.
Vang Vieng has gained a reputation for being a place where tourists hang out and just get drunk and high and getting there at night it seemed to be correct. I wasn’t too fussy with where I was staying that night and pretty much walked straight into the first place that said guesthouse and it was pretty good since it had both polyester pillow and blankets and both stalactites and stalagmites in the bathroom. I slept like a little baby though and woke up feeling happy I wasn’t on the bus.
Hooked up with Don and Rebecca, hired some bikes and cycled out the cave with the Buddha. We had been told that there was a great place to swim there as well and it was so warm that it was the only thing I could think about.
Eventually got there after cycling 6 kilometers (which felt like 600, reminder to get in better shape soon) and immediately jumped into the little pool before checking out the caves. I had only brought a little torch and I soon realized that it was insufficient for the caves. I got the first one with the Buddha which was fantastic but couldn’t get any further and decided to turn back where I chatted to two little boys who were guides which took pity on me and feed me some fruit.
Don and Rebecca got out a few minutes later and we went down for another dip before heading back where it turned out there was a local rocket festival. What it entailed was a competition where gangs of locals had rockets which they fired off into the sky (to promote the rain of coming) and the reaching highest won. Haven’t got a clue how they measured it and I’m pretty sure the locals didn’t care either because they were all cheering regardless of how high the rocket got. I guess the severe amount of Beer Lao (the local brand) being consumed had something to do with it. Went for some food and then early to bed since I had to get up early to get the bus to Vientienne.