I first travelled Laos in 1997. Vang Vieng hardly existed, rice fields and fisherman; an airstrip.  It was hard to get there, a tiring bus ride, dirt roads.   But the Nam Song really made the trip worth it.  Untouched, Gorgeous. Back in 2004, the travel was easier, the river was still pristine.  Tubing down the Nam Song was already a backpacker rite of passage.  There were exactly 3 stops/bars with a swing or a jump, beers were cheap and the scent of marijuana hung in the air.   It was gloriously fun, yet the river, framed by magnificent karst limestone mountains, was the chief draw.

It was like paddling in your own Lao secret garden of Eden. Well, the secret is out.

Now, sad to say, that 4 km stretch of river has turned into a waterpark. Every 100 meters there is a bar with a zip line or slide.   Simple bamboo platforms have given way to semi-private resting huts, equipped with mats and hammocks.  Music blasting.  And if I didn’t actually see it, I wouldn’t of believed it–European women “promoters” calling you in.

The Lao have become very savvy in catering to just what kind of experience you want…check this out, it really happened–I was at one of the bars enjoying the view and the hip hop music when someone lit their spliff, about 30 seconds later the music morphed into Bob Marley.  Like changing skins!

And EXPENSIVE! I remember picking up my inner tube at my guest house for a dollar.  Now, it’s about 6 dollars. And they can hook you too.  Don’t linger at the last bar too long– a late turn-in after six will cost you another 2.50.  A beer was 20 cents, now 1.50.

This is not just a morose lamentation to days gone by.  A great thing has died.  But the changes were inevitable.

Laos was a backpacker little darling for a long time and with more exposure to the west the Lao people were bound to figure out they had a good thing going.  The inflation and wear and tear on the environment were bound to happen.  It’a pathetic that we are the ones that made it happen. Tubing the Nam Song in Vang Vieng;  R.I.P.  It’s been beaten down by endless Friends episodes and mud wrestling.

But, if you’re still reading, if you can get past the most culturally insensitive thing you could do, or the enormous carbon footprint you will leave behind; a carousing, liquor laden romp awaits you.

Look for quiet, peaceful Lao scenery and culture in other parts of Laos.

Watch the video of me ripping a zipline.