What is Vang Vieng?

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Vang Vieng is a beautiful province in Laos. The city of that province is located in a valley with a beautiful stream flowing through it. There are mountains all around. Not all of the most beautiful caves, landscapes, and waterways in Laos are in Vang Vieng. But there are many interesting places such as viewpoints, waterfalls, landscapes, caves, and blue water ponds in one location around Vang Vieng. Besides, Vang Vieng is not that far from the capital of Laos, Vientiane, and the main tourist city, Luang Prabang. It is only 160 kilometers from Vientiane. It takes about an hour by train. Tourists who come to see the beauty and relax also come to Vang Vieng in significant numbers. If we look at the Ella View Point from the Sri Lankan perspective, there are two to three hundred beautiful view points in Laos. There are seven or eight in Van Vieng itself. Some of them are really beautiful view points with 360-degree views.

Getting off Van Vieng
We got off the train. When we got out, taxi guys from all over the world came to give us offers. In between, there were some nice little buses. We had about a 5-kilometer journey. The Sisawan Guest House, which we booked through Booking, is located in the center of Van Vieng. They asked for one and a half hundred thousand kip for the bus. About two thousand in Sri Lankan money. We were the only ones on the bus. When we looked later, there were taxis cheaper than E. Then we decided to take the bus. Anyway, those bus services have fixed prices. One advantage of choosing the bus instead of the taxis outside is that they are building the road in Van Vien. The dust is heavy.

When we went to the hotel, the receptionist said that we couldn't check in right away because the others who were waiting there hadn't checked out yet. So we ate at the shop in front. After drinking, we walked around a bit and left our bags at the hotel reception. A colleague of ours, who wanted to do a gimmick with Google Translator, went to speak to the receptionist in Lao. Unfortunately, she doesn't speak Lao. She is a Vietnamese girl.

In tourist hotspots like this, there are many advantages to booking a place as close to the center as possible. When you go out at night, there are clubs, massage parlors, and other immoral things nearby. When we went out during the day, there were water activities, bike rides, balloon rides, bike rentals, etc. We could easily touch anything at any time. So we bought masks from the shop in front of the accommodation. While buying masks, we saw that there were electric scooters for rent near the market. Lao kip 150,000 per day. We didn't even need gasoline. We bought two. We took them to the hotel, dropped our bags in the room, checked in, and started riding our bikes.

First, we went to see a balloon ride. It was a place nearby, as shown on the map. There were balloons and small aircraft that could fly. I don't know the name of it. We went at noon. It was closed at that time. There were only a few other people who had come to see the place like us.

Then I followed the map to see a rock cave. Google Maps doesn't work well in Laos. It's hard to imagine that a map wouldn't work well in a very popular place with thousands of tourists. Along the way, we crossed a wooden bridge. After crossing it, we had to come back to the river and cross another suspension bridge. Then we came back to the same place we started from. So, we decided to leave the butterfly hut and go see another viewpoint.

 

Lao China Rail From Vientiane

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Today we are going to see the most beautiful region called Van Vieng. In fact, Vientiane is just like green. Even if you think that there is nothing missing, there is nothing to do to see how valuable it is.

We went to a nearby shop on both bikes and ate something like sandwiches and had a coffee. Although the journey was long, the train was high-speed, so we postponed the journey for an hour, so we postponed some more food.

Vientiane Station
Developing countries have one of the biggest advantages. That is, they don’t have to renovate old things. They don’t have to think about things step by step in the old way. They can unload the bog system and things at once. For our passengers, the smallest station on the China-Lao Railway has better facilities than the Colombo Fort Station, which is hot in the middle of the sea without a single tear. It has air conditioning.

When we got to the station, They checked our tickets and passports and went inside. The common area was a large hall without pillars. There were chairs and air conditioning in that hall, and there were a few shops and so on. We didn't have to wait in the heat and sweat until the train arrived.

The first train
We had booked a low-speed train called K12. Although it is called low-speed, it is a regular Chinese train. It travels at a speed of 120 kilometers per hour. It has a separate engine box. It pulls many separate boxes. The other high-speed train travels at a speed of 160 kilometers per hour. I think each box has an engine part. All of these trains are powered by electricity. The long-distance trains from Colombo Fort are very noisy and when you pick up the engine, you have to go to Maradana to get up to speed. But these trains pick up at  a very short time and reach maximum speed. That's the technology.

Passenger convenience
The gates open 5-10 minutes before the train arrives and allow passengers to go to the platform. Our tickets are scanned there too. After that, we can check the place where the train compartment will stop from the advertisements posted on the platform. The train compartment will stop exactly where it says. In this train, there is a separate plate on the train to be placed on the footboard. When the train stops, the door is opened and the relevant plate is placed and an employee allows those who are getting on and off to get off.

When the elderly come with their bags, the employees there help the passengers. We took the cheapest train on that route, and we bought a third-class ticket. However, that class is also air-conditioned and has a water filter for drinking.

Travel Siri..
No matter how advanced the Chinese are, when a group gathers, they sometimes shout like Indians.. and laugh loudly, which is a nuisance to others. There were no such people in the compartment we went to at that time. But later on in the train, we encountered such people.

Details about the train
This train connects China and Laos by land, so security is a little higher. The bags we carry are checked at the airport. Weapons and things that are not allowed to be carried at the airport are not allowed to be carried through here either. Other than that, there is no major problem.

Searching Massage at vientiane

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That night, we went to look for massage spots in Vientiane. When we came back from looking at Buddha Park, we saw that there were several suspicious massage pots. We went back and looked and couldn't find them. While we were looking for them, the monument in the main city center of Vientiane had been decorated with lights and water lilies. We took a little detour and parked our bikes on the side and set off to see it. Many local and foreign tourists were there. At that time, there was also an ASEAN summit in Vientiane. I don't know if that's why or if they always turn on the lights and turn on the water lilies. It was a great water lily and light show.

Night Market
Night markets are a popular feature in Thailand and this region. Not only in tourist areas where white people go, but in Thailand, there are night markets in provinces where ordinary people live. So we went back to the night market. That night market is all about food. There are fifty to sixty stalls with different types of food. We can take and eat as we like. There were meats like crocodile meat, fish meat, etc. There were also fish dishes like shrimp. There were many types that were barbecued and smoked. We cleaned our system and drank juices like mango and mango. We also took barbecued meat and ate.

Different areas
There were many Korean restaurants in the area where we were staying. As I said before, for some reason, there were many Koreans who came to Laos. We went one way and the Korean restaurants were full. Even the bar massages in it were targeted at Koreans.

There was an area that we had not seen yet in Vientiane. There aren't many large buildings in the city. But the area that belongs to the city is vast. We stayed in the city center. That's where we were, there were more tourists. We missed the area where the locals live and the fun there.

The bar
Since alcohol was cheap, we went to a bar at night. There were a few white people there, some Laotians, drinking. They were eating at the bar. In between, a white man would come in and out. Are they going to have fun with the women or are they going to drink harmful drugs like marijuana? Oh my god.. It can't be possible when you go to pee on the way.

I bought soju. The soju was a bit sweet. Since there are Koreans in the area where we were, there must be soju. When you open half of the soju and open it, it gives you a certain amount of energy. I didn't go for a massage that day. I went for a massage on other days. Our first massage was in Pakse. There, there were no fat, heavy-set women doing the massages like in Thailand. The Lao massage place was filled with young girls who looked like they were in the ninth, tenth, or tenth grades in School. They didn't give Thai massages, they gave a different kind of Lao massage. That was in Pakse in the southern province. It's the same in Vientiane. The people who do Lao massages are usually young girls.

 

at Vientiane

There are hotels around the place where we got off, a little far away. There was a shop that had pork for breakfast right where we got off. They served pork soup. One of our friends had a case of pork. But what could we do? We drank two pork noodle soups. After drinking, we paid the bill and started searching for a hotel to stay in. We saw a Chinese hotel. It seemed a bit more expensive than we expected. That time we looked for two hostels, but neither of them were full. After that, we walked a little more and settled in. We found a room on the fourth floor where we had to walk. It was like climbing a ladder.

Cement Statue Park

There is a Buddha Park in Vientiane. There is also one in Nong Khai, a few steps away. When I was in Thailand in 2017, I went to this Nong Khai city without any reason. I met a sister there and we had a little story. So that time, I visited the Buddha Park called Sala Ku Ku on the Thai side. The sculptures there are the same as those in the Buddha Park on the Laos side. They are both considered to be the work of the same artist.
On the way to the Buddha Park from Vientiane, we stopped at a place to eat. There was a chicken dish that was good for our friend. We also bought something to eat. When you get to the food stalls in this country, you are given a glass with ice on top. People drink with ice cubes on top. Usually, drinks are kept in the fridge like here and they take it and put the drink on top of the ice cubes themselves. I saw this in Malaysia too. It keeps the water cold for a long time.

Booking tickets
Laos Vientiane is not a place to go. We didn't find any bad massage parlors with Chinese people. Food and drinks are easy. Ethanol is cheap anyway. There are temples. But we didn't have much interest in temple tours. So we decided to go to the next destination. We chose the China Lao Railway. We saw that there was a ticket counter in the shopping mall in the city center. That's when we set out to find it.

Missing a friend
We went on two bikes. Although we had SIM cards for communication between us, there was no connectivity between one of our friends because the phone's battery was dead. At one point in the town, we missed our friend. He came right after us. But when we turned around, he had changed. Not only that, the fight went somewhere and there was a small accident. After about thirty minutes of wandering around, we finally reached the junction or city center, where we stayed for about half an hour. After that, the other friend who went on our bike had already caught up with him. If the fight had really happened, it would have been a lot of fun.

City Center
The shopping mall called Center in the city center of Vientiane, the capital of Laos, has a parking lot underneath, like the shopping malls in Sri Lanka. There was no place for us to park our bikes in that basement park. We could have parked our bikes right in front of the mall. But we decided to park our bikes under the mall and go inside. We went inside and found the rail ticket counter there.

What is that counter?
Usually, you can only buy train tickets in Sri Lanka from the station. But in Laos, the station is a little far from the city. Sometimes you have to walk 10-15 kilometers to the station. Therefore, a Lao-Chinese railway ticket counter has been opened in the center outside the stations in Luang Prabang and Vientiane. From there, we can book train tickets. Since Chinese people come on this Chinese train, sometimes all the trains are booked. Therefore, it is better to book tickets in advance. We also got a good deal without booking tickets for our knowledge.

Also, from this ticket counter, we can book a complete ticket for our trip. That means we can go to a place, stay there for two days, and take the train again, etc. It was only later that God's wisdom dawned on us that we could buy all the tickets on the first day.

Morning Market

 Vientiane Morning Market
We got off the bus from Vientiane and came out onto the main road near the southern bus stop in Vientiane. Taxi drivers tried to help us at several places on the way out. We refused them. When we finally got to the road, there was a brand new electric car as a taxi. They charged us fifty thousand more. When we checked the price on the app, it was even less. We found out the price on the taxi app and walked around a bit to find a suitable place to eat.

Then we saw that there was a Vientiane Morning Market right next to it. Although it was called Morning Market, it was just a place like a weekly market in our rivers. I don't know if it's always there. People in this country eat a lot of meat. About a quarter of the markets sell meat. Pork and chicken are the most common. There was fish. I didn't see much fish. Being a landlocked country, there must have been a shortage of fresh fish. Some freshwater fish were directly put in pots on the mainland and left out of the water. We would have been wrapped after we ordered the fish we wanted. If that happened, we could eat fresh fish directly, although it would have been a bit more expensive.

Where are the lizards and cockroaches?
In Thailand, cockroaches and scorpions are now rarely seen in the regular markets where Thai people eat and drink. Similarly, in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, we would have seen fewer foreign meats such as cockroaches, legs, etc. But in areas like Boten, which is close to the Chinese border, I saw on YouTube videos that even banned meats like pork and pork ribs are available in those morning markets.

Here he is surprised to see the market

Yes, it is a bit magical for us. Even though there are no refrigerators outside the meat stalls in these morning markets, there is no such smell. I don't know if they clean it well or if there is a separate cleaning method. The vegetables and fruits are just like ours. There were some fruits and vegetables that we didn't know much about. Since we look Indian, we don't have the same problems as the white people. I think even the white people don't care much about the Lao people.

So we bought some cheap grapes from there and left for an area with more hotels. We saw that the hostel was cheap near the city center and the central bus stop. We looked at that location and called an EV taxi. The EV guy was very kind and packed our bags and dropped them off at the place we asked.

 

Tad Fane to Vientiane

Back to the lodge
We had to wait for about two hours at the Tad Fan. Because our friend had paid to go on the zipline. There was a queue for it. Earlier, because there was fog, the people were not sent during the fog. Later, when the fog cleared, there was a queue to go. The work of the Lao people is a bit like in Sri Lanka, one or two people are interested, but not everyone is interested. So it took a long time to complete the full zipline tour with five lines. With that permission, we also had a coffee at a high price. I had a beer.

It was late when we reached Pakse. Our bus is at 8 pm and we have to hand over the bike to the lodge where we stayed. We also have to search for a bit of food. So the work was late.

We arrived, talked to the hotel, took a shower for two hours, got dressed, washed our clothes, and got ready for the long bus journey.

Traveling from Pakse to Vientiane

The population of Laos is 7.7 million. The land area is 236,800 square kilometers. Accordingly, Laos, which has a population of about one-third of Sri Lanka, is about three times the size of Sri Lanka. That means Laos has land. But more than 80% of Laos' land area is mountainous. We had to travel from Pakse to Vientiane in Laos. The journey was 685 kilometers. That was not a straight road, but mountain roads. So, as expected, the journey took 14 hours. We could have booked our flight tickets in advance. But flight tickets are not as cheap as in India, Indonesia, or Thailand. They cost a little more, so we decided to take the bus.

The bus

Unlike our country, Sri Lanka, the bus traffic in Laos is a bit more organized. We booked tickets before we left. We arrived the night before and booked three spaces at the bus station. Long-distance buses in that country have beds. The beds are big enough to sleep on. Two people are put on one bed. I was sleeping with my friend who went with us. A white man came with the other friend and brought a story. If you are over five feet five, the bed is a bit difficult. Because you can't open it all the way.

Before the bus ride, we ate at the shop at the bus station. The food there was a bit messy. We got off because there were a lot of people. The group that had come from there had come for some contract work. After they all got up and left, we were the only ones left in the shop. The fun of eating good food at the shops where there were a lot of people was over.

Bus journey
The bus stopped completely for about two trips and checked. I removed all the food, drinks, and belongings that were loaded on the bus. During that long journey, other people's belongings were also loaded in the luggage space of the buses. So for some reason, the bus was delayed a little.

Early in the morning from Vientiane.

If you think about it a little like Sri Lanka, there are several places that get stuck when traveling in the country. There is only one bus stop in a town in Sri Lanka. Rarely, there is a small hall on one side. But this time from Vientiane, there are 4 main bus stops. We got off at the southern bus stop. Buses from the southern provinces such as Pakse, Champasak, Savannakhet, etc. go to that stop. From there, it is about ten kilometers to the main bus stop or central.

We came out one night, went to the bathroom at the bus stop, cleaned up a bit, and when we came out, there were a few taxi drivers who followed us. We said we were going out for a bit, so we came out of the bus stop. But taxi drivers don't give us that much trouble like in India. When we say no, they just let us go.

Lao Train Vs Sri Lankan

Lao Chinese train.

They talk on TV about how to build a country in Sri Lanka. They talk on YouTube. There are big debates. They talk about how to work fast in the smart city. Oh my god.

After listening to them, I went to book a ticket at the Colombo Fort Railway station. Those who come to those TV discussions and are going to build their country feel like they are going to do it online. Because it is just talk for years. This world is useless. Nothing has changed in years, not decades. People are still scrambling to get a ticket today. They say it is online, the system says that tickets will run out in an hour. When you go to the Three wheel park in front of the Railway station, there are tickets for a thousand . So, my God, we appoint people who cannot build such a small thing and expect great things from them. ?

Lao Rail Ticket 

The ticket app there is Chinese. Chinese and Lao people can use the app, but we, as tourists, cannot book directly online. But if we have seats on the trains, we can book tickets for any place on that route from any of the relevant railway stations even a week in advance. We can also book tickets from the hotel we are staying at or from a travel agency. Those people book through the app and give us a small margin for that booking. If a ticket costs two thousand like in Sri Lanka, it will cost eight thousand, and we will not go anywhere in the world.

Cancellation 

We also had to cancel tickets during the trip. During that cancellation, the new train we booked was cheaper than the train we booked earlier, so we ended up with a refund. But there is only one chance to change that. That was only if tickets were available for those trains on the day we were looking. If that was the case, without any fuss, the Lao lady at the counter changed the ticket and gave us the new ticket and the remaining money. We were also able to see how the ticket was booked on the screen.

We also saw a way to cancel the ticket completely and get a refund. Although we couldn't ask for more details due to the language barrier, the system was designed in a way that anyone could easily book tickets even if they didn't speak the language.

What do you need?

Of course, you need a passport to book tickets on Lao and Chinese trains. Lao people probably have an ID. Chinese people can also book with an ID. Then, when we go, we need to go to the station with the document that we showed when we booked. If we are a foreigner, we need to show our passport. The person who books the ticket puts the name and passport number on the ticket as it appears on the passport. It is checked at the station. Very simple.

Even if you book through the app, you probably need to put the passport details in the same way. Because when you enter the station, I saw everyone's passport tickets being checked. Since this train passes through two countries, China and Laos, there is more security at every station. They check bags like at the airport. But there is more security and it doesn't take long to check the tickets. The queue is over in two or three minutes.

Why can't we put the passport details on every ticket in our country? Why can't we make it mandatory and use the system like that? Without such details, is it impossible to book a ticket? I don't know them. But I think the white-clad gentlemen at Sri Lankan stations are getting something out of the Sri Lankan ticket system.

Rainy Adventures at Tad Fane Waterfall

We left by noon after exploring Champasak and stopped by the Mekong River to enjoy a cool drink. I think it was around twelve. We found a lovely spot by the river with a Buddha statue and a few small food stalls. Typically, Lao food stalls are filled with meat dishes, and this place was no different. They had sausages, barbecued meat, and similar items. We grabbed some of those, and as is common here, sticky rice was also available. Some people eat sticky rice with one hand while holding barbecue meat in the other.

The Mekong River, likely due to the rainy weather that day, wasn't as serene but flowed in a muddy, turbulent fashion. After our stop, we planned to visit the Tad Fane Waterfall, a primary tourist attraction in Champasak Province. To get there, we needed to pass through Pakse town again. Not long after leaving Pakse, the skies darkened, and a heavy downpour began. Riding motorcycles, we could feel the rain hitting us hard, almost like stones.

The rain got so intense that we decided to stop near a small roadside shop. The lady there was busy trying to protect her goods from the rain. She even rolled down the metal shutter to shield the shop completely. Despite waiting for about 10–15 minutes, the rain showed no signs of stopping. I grabbed a Lao beer to pass the time. In hindsight, a warm cup of tea might have been better suited for the moment, but the shopkeeper didn’t seem very welcoming toward us, perhaps out of suspicion. So, I quietly enjoyed my beer.

Tad Fane Waterfall

Tad Fane, or the Twin Falls, is located on the Bolaven Plateau, a mountainous area elevated above the surrounding plains. The waterfall consists of two streams plunging down together, making it one of the tallest and most beautiful waterfalls in the region. On the day we visited, our clothes and bikes were drenched. By the time the rain slowed, we hopped back onto our scooters, slightly damp but determined to see the falls. We missed a turn at one point but quickly retraced our steps.

The falls, surrounded by lush greenery, were breathtaking, especially after the rains. The water gushed down powerfully, and the mist made everything look dreamy. Initially, the fog was so thick we could barely see our feet, let alone the falls. Luckily, the mist cleared quickly, revealing the majestic Tad Fane in its full glory.

Visitors and Ziplining

Many visitors at the falls were Vietnamese, distinguishable by their sharp features and quieter demeanor compared to other tourist groups like Indians, who tend to be louder. Despite being Buddhist, we couldn't help but notice the Vietnamese young women in their rain-soaked outfits. 😅

The zipline experience at Tad Fane was extraordinary. It spanned about 400 meters across the waterfalls, offering a stunning view. There were smaller ziplines leading to the main one, which ended at a viewpoint. A friend of ours gave it a try, spending $43, including a video of the entire experience. It was worth it for the thrill. Meanwhile, I opted out, choosing instead to relax with another beer. Beer was cheap, so I kept drinking wherever we stopped or waited. 😊

That was our adventure at the Tad Fane Waterfall—a mix of rain, awe-inspiring scenery, and a bit of indulgence!