A world of its own...

As I sit here in the town of Vang Vieng, on the side of the main road, in a small restaurant drinking the best lemon shake in Laos, I can't help but ponder the workings of this small town, and the craziness that goes on here every day.

Let me paint you a picture of it.

First, take a small, and at one time sleepy town, add busloads of eager foreigners, tons of small restaurants playing reruns of Friends and Family Guy, the usual tourist shops and guesthouses, and a beautiful river in the middle of this landlocked country.

This is what you see when you first arrive in this dusty little town, and then you go tubing, and your whole idea of this peaceful little slice of heaven is shattered in seconds.

The calm river has been taken over by makeshift bars that line the banks, and hundreds of drunk foreigners cram on wooden decks, with drinks in hand, swaying to the loud music. There are rope and bungee swings, mud wrestling, and a huge slide. It is one big party, and it goes on everyday from around noon to 6pm. Even now, as I sit here writing this, I can see the tubers getting back from a big day of drinking and drifting down the river. Skinny girls in bikinis (which would look out of place in this small town if it were not for the hundreds of Westerners wearing the same outfit), drunk tattooed guys trying to look sober, and tired tuk tuk drivers dropping them all off back in town. Mixed in with this odd sight is the locals of Laos; grandmothers with babies in their arms, young girls on bicycles, food stall owners yelling at passing tourists for their business, and a few stray dogs here and there to remind you that you really are still in Asia.

As one of the few sober people in this whole town, my day of tubing was drastically different than most. I went with a big group, and came back with the only other sober guy at the party. After a couple hours of enduring the bars and laughing with my drunk friends, I got tired of it all and spent an hour and a half tubing down the peaceful, calm river. The scenery was beautiful, the sun was setting, and the drunks were far away.

I have been here now for about four days, having come down from Luang Prabang on a car-sick inducing five hour ride in a crowded minivan, through the windy and hilly roads of Laos. And as much as I don't really fit in with the partying vibe here, I still love it. The people (locals and foreigners alike) are super friendly, and you can't help but get sucked in to the happiness that is apparant every day.

The food is delicious and cheap, the guesthouse is only dollars a day, and the town is small enough to explore by foot.

Yesterday me and a guy I have been hanging out with since leaving Thailand, (Aaron, a New Zealander), rented a motorbike and road out to some caves not far from town. There in the pitch black, with the only light shining from our small flashlights, we explored the empty and beautiful (if not a bit creepy) caves. It was great fun, until I fell down a mudslide in one of the smaller parts of the cave. Only after regaining my footing, laughing hysterically, and finally getting pulled out by Aaron, I climbed out of the cave covered in sticky mud. Luckily I escaped unharmed.

Tomorrow me and Aaron are leaving this small town, and have chosen not to take another annoying minivan ride to the next city. Instead, we are going on a kayaking trip that will start at 9am and end at around 4pm. We will be kayaking from Vang Vieng to the capital city of Vientiene, and will have the opportunity to kayak through some small rapids, and will be able to stop for lunch and a small swim along the way. Although this option is a bit more expensive than the bus, it is definitely going to be much more fun and exciting!

We plan on staying in the capital for one night, and then taking an overnight bus back to Bangkok. It is here that my trip will end.

In less than one week I will be boarding the plane that will eventually take me back to Maryland. And as sad as I am for it all to be ending, I guess I am ready to come home, in some small way. My body sure is ready for some normalcy. My legs are covered in bug bits (one of them having become infected and disgusting in the last two days), and my eating habits change from day to day.

Adjusting to life back home will be hard though, as I have come to thoroughly enjoy the lifestyle of a backpacker. The newness that each day brings will be one of the things that I miss the most, and the new friends that I've met along the way have been amazing.

But, I'm looking forward to seeing the familiar faces of my friends and family back home, and can't wait until the second I land safely at BWI airport, where my parents and sister will be eagerly waiting for me!

For now, I'm going to enjoy my last night and the next 2 days in Laos, and the remaining time in the now familiar city of Bangkok. I will be home soon...can't wait to see you all. Miss you. Much love.