On the two-day-long slow boat from northern Thailand to Luang Prabang in Laos, my friend Laura and I met six other backpackers. None of us had a definite itinerary for Laos, nor any specific time constraints, so we all decided to travel through Laos together. In Luang Prabang we welcomed a nice Swedish couple into the mix and were now a group of eight consisting of two Americans, one Brit, two Dutch, two Swedes, and one Canadian. We slowly traveled South from Luang Prabang, and after exploring the capital of Vientienne, we took the advice of the two Dutch members of group, and were now in the town of Thakek in central Laos specifically to do “the loop,” a five day motorbike trip through jungles, mountains, and small villages that they read about in a Lonely Planet guidebook. Half of the group had never driven motorbikes before, so in hindsight it was a rather bold decision to set off alone into the jungle with so little experience. Nonetheless, we rented bikes for about $8 USD per day, loaded up our backpacks and set off.
Unbeknownst to me in the states, tubing in Vang Vieng, Laos is a worldwide attraction. At least for backpackers in Southeast Asia. The closer we got to entering Laos, all we heard from fellow travelers was “have you been tubing? You have to go tubing in Vang Vieng!”
Let me explain what all the fuss was about: