As we made our way through Laos, we followed the typical backpacker tourist path, but not necessarily the backpacker style. We started our adventure with the two day slow boat on the Mekong, but we kicked it up a notch and didn’t take the standard public boat. We arrived in Luang Prabang, Laos and this 3 generation traveling family found our travel groove. The colors and sights were wonderful and we fell in love with this town. Next up was tubing Vang Vieng!
We spent a total of 10 nights in the little town of Vang Vieng Laos. We got off to a rough start in the town of backpackers and all night parties, especially after spending a nice peaceful week in Luang Prabang. After a day or two, we really looked beneath the surface of the transient backpackers coming and going and really fell in love with the people and the town. A day out exploring on the scooters helped with this, especially to the Blue Lagoon Vang Vieng!
Traveling with 3 generations has been fun so far and after our first week in Luang Prabang, we found our travel groove. Next it was time to move a little further south in Laos and head to the small town of Vang Vieng. I wasn’t too sure about this part of the planned journey, as I had read mixed things about Vang Vieng and getting there. This is our journey on the VIP bus from Luang Prabang to Van Vieng Laos.
We at Wagoners Abroad really like to visit nature stuff, so it was fitting that while we were in Luang Prabang, we were very close to the best waterfalls that Laos has to offer. I speak of the Kuang Si Waterfalls. Also known as Kouangxi, these waterfalls are truly beautiful, and if you’re in the Luang Prabang area of Laos, I’d rank this as the top nature thing to do. There are a couple of other well-known waterfalls in the area, Tad Sae and Tad Thong, but they do not stack up against the falls at Kuang Si.
I have decided that I’m going to have a “new thing”. With our recent excursion on the two-day boat trip on the Mekong, we met a fantastic couple in Jeff and Georg. Jeff was talking about his amazing shaving experience in Nepal. He mentioned that he could practically feel the energy coming from the old man who was shaving him. I explained that I’m a novice on the shaving thing as I’d only had my first third-party shave while in Spain.
When researching our options to travel from Chiang Mai to northern Laos, there were a few options to choose from, including a two day slow boat. We could take the 22+ hour bus journey (14 hour bus to Vientiane, Laos, transfer and then hop on another bus for 8 hours to Luang Prabang). We could fly or we could do the bus and boat combo. Each option came with its pros and cons, but much thought went into what was best for our family. Oh and don’t forget, for this portion of our journey, my 72-year-old mom is moving along with us. 
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