Chichi vs. The River

On the right hand corner: Chichi - Asian backpacker measuring 5'5" in height, weighing 120 lbs. and wearing a rainbow-bright bikini. Ex-party girl/shopaholic who still loves to dance.

On the left hand corner: Vang Vieng - Party central stop-over for any backpacker in Laos, located 4 hours from Luang Prabang, where you rent a tube and ride down the Nam Song river. 23 bars along the river,a dozen zip lines, swings and slides.

1 girl. 1 river. Who will win in this face-off?

Let's get ready to rumble!

Round 1: River Tubing

Tubing originally meant renting a tube for 55,000 LAK (6.90 USD) and going down the Nam Song for 3 hours. Nowadays, tubing means just going down the river and drinking your way through the bars that surround it.

I opted out of actual tubing because of several reasons:

1 Two words. Ex and pensive.
2 The water level was low and riding the tube meant your bum will inevitably hit sharp rocks that dot the river bed. I like my bum just the way it is, thank you very much.
3 River current is quite strong and I preferred lounging around rather than work my upper body.

Chichi-0, Vang Vieng-1


Round 2: The First Bar on the River

Someone's already handing you a free shot of local Lao whiskey (a bottle of which costs less than a soda!) and yet you haven't even crossed the bridge to get to the first bar! On the other side of the bridge, another person ties a blue friendship bracelet around your wrist that will give you unlimited free shots from the bar throughout the day. Welcome to the insane world of Vang Vieng tubing!

I said 'No' to the free whiskey shots and religiously stuck with my Beer Lao for the next 2 hours.

Chichi-1, Vang Vieng-1


Round 3: You Tarzan, Me Jane

In order to attract more people, each bar is in serious competition with each other on who can invent the most deadliest and gravity-defying attraction known to man.

Before the first bucket/Beer Lao, most people say 'I am never doing that crazy stunt! I'll be an adult about this.'After the 2nd one, most would start to think 'Hey, that looks easy. I think I can do that.' After the 3rd 4th 5th, most become like Superman and fly.

My first encounter was actually with the easiest rope swing along the river. A straight-forward swing from a rope into the river.

My second encounter was higher and even more deadly. The third one wasn't a swing but a huge, kick-ass slide that shot you straight into the currents.

Sadly, I chickened out on all swings and slides. I don't have great upper body strength which I found out when I tried swinging from the tree in Kuang Si Waterfalls, Luang Prabang. I was certain I would fall flat on my face upon hitting the water. Or worse, injure myself. No, thanks.

Chichi-1, Vang Vieng-4

Warning: A lot of people have died on the swings and slides in Vang Vieng. While I was there, I heard from other travellers that 1 person died and another had to be flown to Vientianne because his head was split open upon hitting a rock. Please be responsible if you're planning to do this. Read Adventurous Kate's Warnings on the Dangers of Vang Vieng.

Round 4: Beer Pong on the 2nd Bar

I've read about it, I've seen it in movies but I've never actually played the game. So when we saw these Israeli dudes were starting a game, Roxanne and I immediately joined in.

Fill up your cups with beer, arrange them in a pyramid. Grab a ping pong ball and aim for one of your opponent's cup. If you hit it, they have to down the cup. Easy enough, right?

Wrong. It's harder than it looks but it is one helluva lot of FUN!

Chichi-2, Vang Vieng-4


Round 5: River Jumping

Yes, I chickened out on the swings and ropes. But when it comes to jumping off things, I'm your girl. My Canadian friend, Mario, and I owned that 2nd bar right after we jumped from the platform we were dancing on straight to the river below.

Chichi-3, Vang Vieng-4


Round 6: Let's Paint!

Do you know how long it takes to remove spray paint from your skin?

A week. That's how long it took to get rid of each and every red mark on my body.

Chichi-3, Vang Vieng-4


Round 7: 4th, 5th...23rd Bar on the River

We only made it until the 3rd bar (like most first-time tubers in Vang Vieng). We didn't get to the Flying Fox swing or the mud volleyball court.

It was alright though because it was already dark when we got into the tuk-tuk to get back to the main city. Everyone was wet, happy, a little bit tipsy and amped up.

Chichi-3, Vang Vieng-24

Finally on the 3rd day, Chichi rested. With a fruit milkshake in hand, sunglasses on and The Family Guy (Star Wars parody) playing on the t.v. screen in one of Vang Vieng's restaurants specifically made for this, I recuperated from the mayhem of the past 2 days

In the tubing,
Sole Sister Chichi

Photo Credits: 1 Main photo by bitslice 2 tubing by jonas photos 3Adrenaline by medeny 4 slide 5 mud fighters! by bert ng 6 vang vieng by rtw08

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