Tubing in Laos can be a screamer

Vang Vieng
5.7
Today seemed like a good day for an afternoon tubing, so we searched the party street for a company renting the tubes. We found one soon. Before we were ready to go they asked us to sign waivers in case something happened on the river and marked our hands with numbers, probably to identify us in case we drowned or something. When you sign the waiver it means you're doing this at your own risk. They also asked us if we can swim and gave lifejackets to those who wanted them. Because there's been so many deaths and accidents on the Nam Song river it's no wonder they've taken these precautions. The company then drove us some 15 minutes away from town where the tubing, and supposedly relaxing floating, start was. The tubes were in good shape, so we trusted them to be ok. The river also seemed calm, so we didn't worry about that either. Some other things surprised us though...

Tubing number

The tubes are open from the bottom, so we had to rent a drybag for the camera etc and hold on to the bag through the whole tubing. We left our dive gear and drybag back in Lembongan, because we didn't plan to do any water sports here.
During the whole tubing time your butt is in the water. I imagined all kinds of creatures biting our butts, just hoping nothing happens. I wonder why the tubes aren't sealed. This wasn't a reason to worry either though.

The tubes

While tubing we saw some ferries cross the river and other people on boats and tubes. Some photographed and filmed us, even a film crew that was on a boat with a reporter talking to the camera. The first surprise on the river was a boat heading straight towards me with good speed. I had to yell to the captain so he would see me, as he was looking somewhere else. He got close enough to scare me a little before noticing me. This could've turned nasty. Who knows how often boats collide here with the tubesters. You can't escape a boat with a tube, maybe just dive into the water real fast before the boat hits you. But if you're too drunk, like some people here, you might not react soon enough.

As we continued floating along the river we suddenly heard a hysterical scream somewhere behind us. Our group was now scattered everywhere on the river in the slow current. Florrie had drifted into bushes near the river banks and she was screaming. A snake had slithered between her legs from the river. Anyone would've been in panic with a snake on their lap! Somehow the snake soon disappeared though and we thought now was a damn good time to have a break in the next bar.

One of the bar areas along the river

They have nice rest spots, some free drinks and games

For breaks there are bars along the river, who sell and even offer some free drinks. We'd managed to tube some twenty minutes before the first break. The bar crew throw you a rope and then pull you to shore. We were offered free Lao Lao shots (local whiskey) and we had just one, although it's a bit risky to drink those. They've sometimes caused blindness and even death. While the others also had beers I got myself a Breezer, since you can't find cider so easily in Asia. The bar area offered some games, but we only had a short break and watched some other tourists playing and even showering together outside. The mountains surrounded us again and the scenery was very beautiful everywhere. Florrie was still shaken from the snake experience, but was brave enough to continue tubing.

The busy river also had quiet places

We hadn't tubed for too long, when another surprise struck. This time Jemma was screaming. We thought there was another snake, but it was a big spider that had jumped on the tube. Kari was close enough to go and help her. Why was our group attracting the snakes and spiders everywhere?! We had already seen them in the jungles and caves before and not even the river kept them away from us. Luckily there were no other surprises left.

We couldn't stop for another bar anymore, as we had to rush to return the tubes for 6 p.m. or you lose some of your deposit. If you wonder where the last bar on the river is you'll see it. It has a huge sign screaming "Last Bar". A big group was just coming from there as we tubed past it.

Last Bar

Wet feet, relaxed soul

A small village at a river bend

You'll know when you've reached the end of tubing, as it's marked with a huge sign saying "stop tubing". Julie was probably aiming to reach the next city with a tube though, as she somehow managed to drift away from this spot and it took her a while to find us from the beach.
The sun was just going down, so we finished in a beautiful setting. The tubing took an hour and a half, but the times are different for each, depending how long you spend time at bars and how fast the currents are.

Don't tube any further.

Finished at sunset

We returned the tubes a bit late so we lost some of the deposits, which wasn't that much. Although we had some scares on the river we all still agreed tubing was a fun and "kinda" relaxing way to spend a few hours. I'll definitely do that again someday. Even Finland has its annual tubing events, but the scenery isn't as beautiful as in Laos. People are drawn to it in Finland only because of drinking and fun company.

Next blog takes us to the North of Laos; to Luang Prabang's Buddhist temples and monasteries, its old town centre (UNESCO World Heritage Site) and more.

Scenery on the road to Luang Prabang. It's heartbreaking
to see the massive deforestation with your own eyes.