Vang Vieng, Laos: Tubes, tourists and TV bars.

Vang Vieng, the most touristy spot in Laos, is famed for its tubing - you float down river on a massive inner tube from the drop-off point 4km north of town, stopping at as many of the makeshift bars on route as you deem necessary. There are also all manner of rope swings and zip wires that you can brave before plummeting into the river below. This is all fine and good fun, but some people looked a bit too tipsy to be partaking in the jumps if you ask me. There's no lifeguards around as far as I could tell - so if you get into trouble you're relying on the actions of other tourists, many of whom are inebriated. Not to be a killjoy, it just riled me slightly that I had to climb down a wooden ladder to help a girl who'd bashed her chest as she came off a slide, despite there being a guy in the water right next to her. I'd called out to him, pointed at the girl (who was clearly in pain) and he'd just looked gormlessly at her and then turned away again. The girl was ok after a minute or two fortunately. I'll get off my soapbox now. My one tip for would-be Vang Vieng visitors though would be to save the heavy drinking for after you've tackled the swings and slides. Do that, and you're sure to have a great laugh.

Vang Vieng appears to be the kind of place a young man can get stuck for a while - as proven by the number of Western bar staff and tourist reps in town, who apparently work for little more than their keep and their fill of buckets of Lao Lao rice whisky with Coke/Sprite/Red Bull. The 'cool thing' to do if you're an experienced Vang Vienger is to daub yourself in marker pen before you hit the river. Although those who'd gotten their mates to write on their backs were generally daubed in messages to potential suitors on what to expect: eg, "I will ignore you in the morning" was written in big letters on the back of a posey-looking guy with a bad moustache.

Anyway, once you've had your fill of all the tomfoolery at the bars, you can set off in your tube down the river. With fairly minimal paddling, it took us just under three hours to drift lazily back towards the town. One entrepreneurial soul was stood at the riverside selling cold Beerlao, with a buddy posted about 40 minutes down river collecting the empties. Good thinking, as it can get roastingly hot with the sun reflecting off the water.

The scenery as you bob along is breathtaking. Many of Laos' rivers are surrounded by beautiful karsts that tower above you - its about as picturesque as you can get while sipping a cold one. Perhaps the highlight of the tubing though was about 15 minutes before the end, when we gently floated by a herd of water buffalo who were keeping cool by staying 90 percent submerged in the water, poking their heads out while they snorted and masticated on their cud. Jacqui found their rhythmic chewing a bit freaky and kept her distance, while I paddled a little closer for a better look and the chance to get a couple of decent photos.

Once you're done with tubing, people generally wander back into the town and lie, semi comatose, in one of the many TV bars that show episodes of Friends, Family Guy and The Simpsons endlessly until you eventually tire of guffawing morons and manage to haul yourself off to bed. This is a fun town, but its hardly authentic Laos. We're glad we came but a couple of days was enough. Onward to Vientiane for Laos New Year and the enormous water fight that comes with it.