A brilliant sunset. The towering karst mountains that wouldn't look out of place in a traditional Chinese painting, the seas of paddy fields, and the flow of the Nam Song making for an extremely picturesque sunset.
Almost everyone was gathered in town after the sunset, from the day's activities, swapping tales of tubing, caving, rock climbing, trekking etc, the whole host of activities that Vang Vieng provides a perfect setting for.
Lively atmosphere, the town, with the ubiquitous pancake stalls less than 10 meters apart on the main streets, music blaring out of the bars, and endless reruns of Friends playing at the TV bars, the huddle of backpackers typing away silently in internet cafes updating family and friends and uploading their photos, which to me really is part of the travel experience, keeping in touch with the people at home, checking travel forums and maps, and burning CDs of all the photos I have taken on the road, freeing up the limited space i have on my memory card. Using a foreign keyboard can also be a fun (or frustrating) experience - some dont have roman alphabets labelled on them, resulting in much guesswork and gibberish like posts, some with faulty space bars so emails end up looking like telegrams, some with some seriously stubborn keys that have to be pressed upon with a force of a few megatonnes, and some that have a broken leg which hampers typing speed until an innovative solution can be thought of. (hint lonely planet hint).
But yet, while lively and in its own right a backpackers haven in itself, Muang Vang Vieng certainly wasn't Khao San Road - quiet spots for a contemplative drink remain to be found (some bars/fruit shake houses further away from the centre), cheap Lao food available (outside the temples), and some amazing scenery that surrounds the small town. In short, I found Muang Vang Vieng charming. Despite the influx of foreigners and silly people (like us) gliding down on tubes down the Nam Song, the locals are as welcoming and friendly as ever, and local life still remains largely unchanged in Muang Vang Vieng, once outside the few main drags. Outside of town, i watched a few cock fights with the locals, walked down the local markets, cycled through residential areas, all without seeing too many foreigners.
The Nam Song at the evening also comes alive as locals cook, wash and bathe on the pebbled banks of the river. Local boys spearfishing with a harpoon and snorkelling masks, fishermen setting out nets from boats rowed to quieter spots on the river can also be seen in evenings, as the day cools and the sun sets into those magnificent karst moutains that inspire awe and wanderlust, especially when glimpsed across the sea of rice paddy fields, swaving gently in the evening breeze at sunset.
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