Kayaking in Vang Vieng, Laos

Another scenic, but speedy bus journey down the hillside landed us in Vang Vieng. This place is on the backpackers trail for being a place to relax and chill on the river. Tons of people float in tubes down the river, stopping at various bamboo contraptions to buy their BeerLao, and continue to float. Since the river was pretty low, we found out that this could take hours and hours in the hot sun. So, after meeting up with some friends yet again, we now had a good group to organize a trip.
Seven of us signed up for a kayaking/caving trip (as it would be faster than tubing). Michelle and Earl (the organizers) were a little drunk, so we were not sure what to expect for the next day. Our day started with a stop at a cave, where we strapped on a scary looking battery with headlamp, hopped on an innertube, and pulled ourselves into the cave. A pretty neat experience in the dark. We also "beached" at the far end, and explored the cave a little on foot.
Next, after minimal instruction, we were on the water in our kayaks passing locals fishing, farming and hanging around. The locals had some great set-ups for the tubers/kayakers to stop and party at. Huge bamboo chill out areas, with massive bamboo swings and ziplines. Julia, Earl and I took a turn at the Big Swing - probably about a 30 ft platform to start, which means almost 30 ft drop into the water at the other end! Some guys were doing flips off the far side. Many BeerLaos later, we manouevred some rapids, and arrived in Vang Vieng as the sun was setting over the beautiful limestone mountains surrounding us. A very cool day and all for only $8 each. Loving Laos!*Stub