An impulse moment this morning meant I found myself on the back of motorbike again, heading off the dirt tracks for the famous Blue Lagoon. This was not the original plan. I have now been in Vang Vieng long enough to know that it is well nigh impossible to cycle in comfort so set off on foot to explore the nearby caves.
Padding along through the riverbank villages, a local family stopped to chat, seeing an opportunity to offer a lift (helmet included). Now I knew and they knew that this was not official, as the only formal service here is by tuk tuk, but it takes so long to get anywhere here given the terrain, so after much negotiation a price was fixed for the return journey and on I hopped.
Luckily I made it both ways without mishap and it was worth the impulse. I won’t hire a motorbike to drive myself as the town is full of walking wounded/or broke due to costs incurred, but the tuk tuks are just too expensive for one person!
The Blue Lagoon is actually the pool at the foot of Phu Kham cave; full of carp fish which swim around you in the turquoise waters. The cave itself is 200 metres steep rock climbing but I don’t like to be beaten, clambering up without putting too much strain on the makeshift bamboo rails! But once inside and crawling through the hole, the cavern opens out to reveal the Sleeping Golden Buddha dating from the 11th century, surrounded by glimmering limestone stalactites.
By the time I’d arrived back here at the riverside hut I was brown with mud dust, caked from head to foot from the ride. A swim and a sit down was not enough, a massage was required!
This too turned out to be not as expected. The traditional Laos massage is not standard across the country as it depends on the ancestry of the masseur. A high proportion of the population are Thai. So this afternoon I had the full works Thai style. Everything was stretched, pulled, pummelled, trodden on, kneaded….my head was yanked back so far at one point I thought it was about to be disconnected. I can now see bruises on my arms and legs from the pressure! Will it help the stiffness? In fairness, I feel more limber this evening despite the bruising.
In dire need of sit down, I staggered into the nearest beauty salon to have a manicure (£1, honestly, with polish, and my nails were ragged from the rock climbing, swimming) where again the family were Thai, the nail technician being a truly gorgeous lady boy. Bless him/her, he asked my age, and when I replied he looked genuinely stunned and said I was ‘beautiful’ –a balm to the soul as much as the massage was balm to the body!
Off tomorrow on the bus for Vientiane; I shall be sorry to leave Vang Vieng. There are very few tourists/backpackers here at present as the river levels are too low for tubing/kayaking; there is a laid back ‘vibe’ here, between noon and 3pm nothing moves, the slow pace of life has seeped into me sweeping away the English rush and allowing me to relax into a contemplative peace. For however long it lasts, thank you Vang Vieng!
Padding along through the riverbank villages, a local family stopped to chat, seeing an opportunity to offer a lift (helmet included). Now I knew and they knew that this was not official, as the only formal service here is by tuk tuk, but it takes so long to get anywhere here given the terrain, so after much negotiation a price was fixed for the return journey and on I hopped.
Luckily I made it both ways without mishap and it was worth the impulse. I won’t hire a motorbike to drive myself as the town is full of walking wounded/or broke due to costs incurred, but the tuk tuks are just too expensive for one person!
The Blue Lagoon is actually the pool at the foot of Phu Kham cave; full of carp fish which swim around you in the turquoise waters. The cave itself is 200 metres steep rock climbing but I don’t like to be beaten, clambering up without putting too much strain on the makeshift bamboo rails! But once inside and crawling through the hole, the cavern opens out to reveal the Sleeping Golden Buddha dating from the 11th century, surrounded by glimmering limestone stalactites.
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| Sleeping Golden Buddha |
This too turned out to be not as expected. The traditional Laos massage is not standard across the country as it depends on the ancestry of the masseur. A high proportion of the population are Thai. So this afternoon I had the full works Thai style. Everything was stretched, pulled, pummelled, trodden on, kneaded….my head was yanked back so far at one point I thought it was about to be disconnected. I can now see bruises on my arms and legs from the pressure! Will it help the stiffness? In fairness, I feel more limber this evening despite the bruising.
In dire need of sit down, I staggered into the nearest beauty salon to have a manicure (£1, honestly, with polish, and my nails were ragged from the rock climbing, swimming) where again the family were Thai, the nail technician being a truly gorgeous lady boy. Bless him/her, he asked my age, and when I replied he looked genuinely stunned and said I was ‘beautiful’ –a balm to the soul as much as the massage was balm to the body!
Off tomorrow on the bus for Vientiane; I shall be sorry to leave Vang Vieng. There are very few tourists/backpackers here at present as the river levels are too low for tubing/kayaking; there is a laid back ‘vibe’ here, between noon and 3pm nothing moves, the slow pace of life has seeped into me sweeping away the English rush and allowing me to relax into a contemplative peace. For however long it lasts, thank you Vang Vieng!
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| Sunset by the River |
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