On the Budget Expedition Group Tour, the journey to Vang Vieng from Vientiane is nearly 4 hours long. I am always up for a fun day out with the group once we arrive in Vang Vieng and I like having something to look forward to. I suggested an optional bike tour out to the famous Blue Lagoon.
The bike ride is nearly 14km there and then back to town. I had with me an awesome team. We had Ashley (Aus), Kristen (Aus), Jessica (Aus), Meg (Aus) and Charlotte (UK) with me on this fun adventure out to the blue lagoon. The day was set up with some awesome weather. This time of the year in Laos it’s dry season, and it is warm during the day but chilly at night. So once we got into town, we tossed our bags down and after a quick briefing on the sights in the town, we got sorted out on the bikes. Everyone looked so happy starting out on this long and bumpy ride out to the blue lagoon.
This ride is so much fun. Along the way you get to see the local life of a villager outside of the small town of Vang Viang. You will see small children finishing up school and heading home to see their families, riding bikes laughing and chatting to their school mates. You will see many cows and sometimes some water buffalo. This is one amazing spot in all of Laos as the whole way you’re riding through rice paddy fields, passing farm animals and local woman who, in the off season sit at a traditional loom to make skirts, and scarfs. They have been making these cloths for many years and now they do it outside their small houses so that maybe one tourist cycling by will buy one.
It’s a great ride out there and you see people getting into the bike trip and at the ¼ mark begin to say “oh say Brian are we almost there yet,” I have to reply with “oh not even close yet, hang in there”.
The blue lagoon is one of these places that is hidden from the rest of town. We enter the blue lagoon spot to find other bikes, tuk tuks, and sand dune buggies there too. People were playing some volley ball, getting some sun, drinking and having fun lazing in the sun.
Over at the blue lagoon you can get beers, Asian food and snacks. After a fun swim with my group everyone was up for a round of beers.
It’s funny the signs they put up for the tourist to make sure they keep to their rules. There is the “no smoking pot here” sign. It’s a classic hippy sign that always gets pointed out.
So after a few rounds of drinks and laughs after our swim it was time to make the trek back to Vang Viang. I always like to time it just right to have the group ride just past these lime stone rock formations right during the sunset as there is no better place to have a group photo.
Than after the long ride back to town we finally make it. I check on everyone to see how they are and with this awesome young, fit group everyone is ready to keep riding.
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