A 'happy' town

One morning we awoke at 7am to a loud boom followed by a sudden tremor that rocked our whole bungalow. Five minutes later, it happened again this time followed by the sound of automatic gun fire. We looked out of the window, over the river to see people looking around warily. The boom and subsequent tremor was closer this time and the sound of gunfire worryingly loud.

Welcome to Vang Vieng! Apparently it wasn't a coup and Lao wasn't being invaded by an unknown enemy. The army were just practicing. An hour later all was calm. We rolled onto our hammocks, ordered a mulberry fruit shake and started the day again - the way all days should start.

Vang Vieng is party town. There is always something happening somewhere. Friends and the Simpsons are played constantly and you can get every type of food with a generous sprinkle of marijuana in/on it.

We have spent the past two days tubing down the river, stopping at the bars along the way. Today we have visited some caves and villages and had a BBQ by the river. We have made lots of friends here and had a great, fun time. Must get back to our hammocks and our Beer Laos...