Nam Song Tubing Roundup
I'm also going to try something a bit different for this post. Instead of my usual bunched up pictures I'll try posting them with a description to the side. This will make for a very long post but gives me space to say more about some of the pics. Any feedback on this style is welcome.
You may notice the colors of the tubes change from picture to picture. There are two tubing groups in Vang Vieng that take turns as the tubing operators for the day. In general, the guys with the orange tubes were efficient but the tubes were old, well patched, and often leaked. On the other hand the white tubes were in much better shape (mostly - see the very last picture) but the operators were extremely slow about getting you signed in and out to the put in.
Starting Out
Right after the put in are a short set of rapids followed by two river bars with ziplines, rope swings, and jumps. Unfortunately I failed to take any pictures of the put in or first bar. During my time in Vang Vieng a third bar with another zipline was built and enjoyed a whole 2 days of activity before being abandoned.
Your blogger sets out for a day on the Nam Song. In the background is the second of the river bars that you pass. I normally swung by here for a Beerlao to start the trip properly but rarely bothered to get out of my tube.
Giant Rope Swings
After another short set of rapids you arrive at the biggest and most popular river bars. Each of them has a giant rope swing and zip line. On weekends these places were loaded with Lao people up from Vientiane. It was kind of nice to see that some places don't solely cater to foreign tourists any more.
Lao woman arriving at Thamlom bar. This is one of the few places I never stopped in all my many trips down the river as I preferred the even bigger rope swing at the next stop.
Wanaxay river bar. During the last two weeks in Vang Vieng I started making regular stops here for the huge rope swing. This swing is so high that if you let go at the end of the arc you are still 20-25 feet in the air.
Tubes stacked at Wanaxay river bar.
After the Thamlom and Wanaxay bars are a couple of smaller stops - just platforms over the river where people set up shop to sell Beerlao and soda but have no activities.
Midday
For the next hour or so there are few stops but some of the most dramatic scenery of the day as you pass close by huge cliffs and rock outcroppings that seem to loom over the river. Unfortunately I never managed to get any good pictures of the mountains at this point as the lighting was always lousy during the early afternoon.
Interestingly shaped tree in the mountains over the Nam Song river. This was taken on my last day on the river immediately after I got caught in a major downpour. After the rain stopped the mist sprung up for the next hour or so and made for one of the prettiest of all my days on the river.
About one hour after leaving the big river bars there are a series of places to stop near where the river makes a dramatic bend away from the mountains. These make good places to break for lunch (tuna or egg sandwiches) and pick up another Beerlao.
Another of the few places I never stopped this year. Shortly after this are the most interesting rapids of the day as the river flows through and around and over numerous rocky outcroppings that rise from the riverbed.
After the rapids came my usual lunch stop. After my first couple days the old couple who ran it always gave me a big grin and wave when they saw me coming. Ultimately my frequent stops earned me a free tube repair one day when after my tube (an orange one of course) had sprung a worse-than-normal leak first thing in the morning.
Closeup of the nameless river bar where I usually stopped for lunch.
One half of the couple who runs my usual midday stop. Two years ago this woman and her husband ran a different stop much further up the river where you used to swing from a bunch of bicycle tires that had been tied together and hung from a tree. At the time it was one of the biggest stops on the river - you can still see the old tree standing forlorn next to Thamlom bar.
Leaving the lunch stop. The platform in the foreground was the original eating area but over the course of one week they built a whole new covered seeting area higher up and started tearing the old one down.
Immediately after that restaurant is another place to stop and eat. This is one of the few places that is mostly unchanged from my 2003/2004 trip. On that trip this was a regular stop but for some reason I didn't stop here much until my final week.
The Nam Song bends away from the mountain at the midday river stops. The red bungalows in the background are part of a huge resort that appears to have been abandoned before it was ever completed. The rope swing here is pretty fun but that jumping ramp is pretty much pointless.
Closeup of the bar at the second midday stopping point. Interesting menu if you look closely enough.
Stop! Jumping! Beerlao!
After the lunch stop you pass a long series of gentle rapids followed by a slow float onward towards my favorite stop of the day.
One of the smaller platforms where locals set up to sell beer and soda. Unfortunately it seemed to have shut down operations by the time I started carrying my camera.
Closeup of the Jumping Beerlao platform. This had been extended since my previous visit to make it easier to clear the river bank when you jump. Interestingly this extension was something that Derek and I had suggested to the family that runs it on my previous visit. Seems they recognize a good idea when they hear it.
The Jumping Beerlao mascot. He *really* didn't like my camera.
The Long Lazy Drift
Next we enter the slowest and most peaceful part of the day as the river widens and passes around lots of tiny islands formed by rock outcroppings sticking up from the river bed. This section of the river is less than a kilometer long and usually took me well over 1 1/2 hours to cover. Typically this was my favorite part of the day except on the one or two occasions when I had a particularly uncomfortable tube.
Kids on a footbridge. Note the Beerlao bottle the girl has very conveniently collected from a passing tuber.
The first wave of Kayakers of the day arrives.
Dragonfly sunning on a rock. This is actually one of the less colorful types you see on the Nam Song. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get one of the shocking red ones to sit still for a good picture, even though they were often willing to catch long rides on my knees or toes.
The very last operating riverbar of the day. I stopped here about half the time.
Tuk-Tuks waiting to take people who have had enough back to town. From here it's only about another hour back to Vang Vieng but many people who start late or spend too long at the river bars get out here and pay for a ride back. Personally, I don't understand.
A motorized plow pulling a farm cart across the Nam Song. In addition to plowing these are used for (very slow) local transportation all over Laos. Up north entire vehicles built around them are common.
To Vang Vieng
The last hour or so isn't very interesting except for watching all the activity on the river banks as the local villagers come out to bathe and do their end-of-the-day chores. Unless you're in a hurry it's also important to dodge all the kids who want to drag you back to town for a small tip. Towards the end of the day the scenery gets pretty again as the mountains start appearing from behind the foliage that cloaks western bank of the river.
One of the abandoned riverbars from the last stretch of the river before reaching Vang Vieng. These aren't really good for anything other than a convenient place to stop and dump your used Beerlao.
Another abandoned river bar. This one was particularly poorly thought out as the water under the jumping platform is only about 6" deep.
River bank detail with boat and ladders.
Another river bank shot, with effects.
Day's End
At the end of the day I usually stopped at one of the riverfront bars where you have to stop tubing for a fruit shake or Beerlao.
Kids playing on a footbridge in Vang Vieng. This is the last bridge you pass before it's time to get out of the river.
On this day a rock popped the valve stem completely out of my tube, leaving a half inch diameter hole. Luckily I was only about 200 yards from the end of the trip so I just stuck my finger in the hole and kept going. I would not have been happy had this happened in the morning.
That's it for the Nam Song roundup. Hope the quantity makes up for the long delay.
In other new I fly to Istanbul tomorrow to continue my trip with a month or two in Turkey. Can't wait for something new.
