Tubing through Vang Vieng, Laos (November 6-9, 2008)

Tubing down the Nam Song River is one of Vang Vieng's most popular outdoor activities, and it's also one of the very best ways to enjoy the area's gorgeous scenery. Tubers are dropped off 15km upstream from the town, and they spend the better part of the day floating down the river back to town.

The river banks are lined with bamboo bars boasting rope swings, flying foxes, or trapezes, not to mention an enticing array of fresh fruit cocktails. As tubers near a bar, the owners and staff come to the river's edge and throw out ropes to reel people in. When they've have had their fill of sunbathing and refreshments, tubers can jump back into the river and float along to the next place!

A man unloads tubes from the top of a truck (Photo courtesy of Kandis)

Here I am with my tube, ready to hit the river (Photo courtesy of Kandis)

A slightly blurry view of one of riverside bars, this one with a diving platform (Photo courtesy of James Kepui)

Here I am on a flying fox (Photo courtesy of Kandis)

Watching the sunset from a hammock is the perfect way to end a long day tubing down the Nam Song River