The Drive from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang

It was supposed to be a short and quick drive from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang. So after taking time for breakfast in the morning we set off.

The landscape is very nice so it's definitely worth taking some time while driving to enjoy and take in the views.

It's easy to get distracted when the journey seems short and you have enough time for the drive. So instead of driving, we stopped to wash the motorbikes and change oil and generally took it easy.

This was good but we also missed the turn to take the shorter way so we ended up doing some extra km, the road was great as were the views so it wasn't too bad.

I've done this road about 2 years ago in a bus but it's much nicer on a motorbike than being stuck inside a bus without being able to stop and take photos or just take in the views.

With all the breaks and the detour it started to get late and there was still quite a way to Luang Prabang.

The up and downs and corners along the mountain road were great and it was very surreal at times with hardly any noises and the fading light also making everything seem very calm.

Although there was still quite a way to go, we decided to stop for a beer on a bridge in a small village and it was fantastic. It was really calm, relaxed and the locals came to say hi.

If there would have been a guesthouse the journey would have stopped here for the day. Since there wasn't a guesthouse, it meant continuing on in the dark till we made it to Luang Prabang, where a power outage made for a interesting experience.

Vang Vieng Views

The initial idea was to go for a longer drive around Vang Vien and also check out some of the caves and other sights.

Well, we made it all the way to the Thom Phi Khan cave and the blue lagoon, where we ended up spending most of the day instead.

The cave is very nice and it's good that you can just go and explore it yourself however you like.

There's not that much to see in the cave but it's till nice to explore on your own and be in the darkness with just a small torch.

The blue lagoon is a nice refreshing stop after visiting the cave although it can get a bit crowded with all the tourists. Still, it was fun to go for a swim and take some more underwater photos with my Olympus camera.

Since it started to get late, we decided to head back and get a beer while watching the sunset but not before taking some photos of the motorbikes in front of the mountains.

The evening was just spent wandering around the town for a bit and enjoying a beer.

Walking in Vang Vieng

I wanted to go for a drive around Vang Vieng today, instead I ended up being lazy and just going for a walk instead.

It was good to walk a bit and get some exercise although it turned out too hot for walking.

The walk was still nice despite the heat but I didn't get very far overall.

After the walk, I ended up enjoying a cold beer and took it easy in the evening until I met u with a friend who drive all the way from Chiang Mai and we ended up having some drinks till late.

To Vang Vieng

Vang Vieng was not really my favorite place in Laos the first time round but I remembered the landscape being nice.

So instead of staying another day in Vientiane, I set off for the relatively short drive to Vang Vieng.

The roads were mostly good but some were under construction and about halfway through or 80km before Vang Vieng the potholes started to become bigger until there wasn't much road left in places.

While I didn't think much of Vang Vieng itself, the landscape was great and I did see one of the most impressive sunsets here last time round.

Well, the city itself is still nothing to write home about and it's full of tourists and places catering for them, all looking almost identical with identical places.

The landscape around however is still fantastic and makes suffering through some backpackers worth it.

If you're a Friends fan, you're in luck as there still are some bars/restaurants playing Friends episodes all day long in front of lethargic backpackers.
While I don't mind friends, I didn't think much of the crowd and instead had my beer at a bar overlooking the river instead.