Vangvieng is a tiny little town about 1/3 of the way between Vientiane and Luang Prabang. Its sole raison d'être is adventure trekking: I kayaked down the Mekong River, floated down it in an inner tube twice, and went whitewater rafting (all for the first time). Unfortunately, because water and digital cameras really don't mix, I only got to take photos from our stopping-points... (Needless to say, one cannot replace digital cameras in Laos!)
As usual, clicking on any thumbnail will get you to the larger photo.
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| The Mekong River in dry season. It runs broad, shallow, and slow...about walking pace, sometimes a slow jog. | Kayaks, with one of our crazy guides in the background. They were wildly entertaining--splashing us and everyone else on the river, and intentionally capsizing themselves every few minutes, to enjoy the cool water. | Man leaping off a cliff (top left) | Me leaping off a cliff. It was 15-18 feet high--just long enough to realize the full extent of your stupidity before you hit the water. Fun, though! |
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| Swimming under the cliff. The water was delightfully cool, rather like a heated pool. | A bridge across the Mekong. This is a "good"one; most were made of bamboo roped together. | Our guide, cooking lunch. | A fisherman bringing his boat in. Power boats are actually quite uncommon on the river--they're mostly rowed with bamboo poles. |
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| "Don't worry, we'll give you a torch," they said. I didn't realize they'd meant it literally...so I wound up exploring by flickering candlelight. | This was called the "sleeping cave". Take a closer look...the limestone was full of glittery crystals, very beautiful. | Another photo of the same cave | Closeup, with a good view of the glittering crystal. |
