Five Days In Vang Vieng

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Hello again!

I just got back from a five-day trip to the gorgeous country of Laos. I decided to approach travel in this country similarly to its lifestyle โ€“ nice and slow. Instead of trying to hit every single place on the map, I decided to allocate most of my time to the small town of Vang Vieng and soak up what it had to offer.

The main reason why I chose Vang Vieng was because I wanted to take a ride in the hot-air balloons, which were being offered at the price of $90 โ€“ the cheapest in the world by a couple hundred dollars! I just couldnโ€™t pass up on that offer, and I knew that it was something that I wanted to check off my bucket list. And sure enough, the ride was worth every single penny. I decided to take the morning flight, which started at 6 a.m. and would last around 40 minutes, thus timing it with the sunrise over the mountains. It was one of the most amazing experiences that I have had in recent memory โ€“ there is just something so magical about floating through the clouds, watching as the whole world around you slowly stirs awake. If you are ever in the area, I would highly recommend you make a stop at Vang Vieng and experience this for yourself!

Other than that, I spent my days lounging around the town and exploring the areas around it on a bike. I loved how everything was so close to each other โ€“ you could go from lush forests and rivers to mountain views to waterfalls, all within about a thirty minute radius from the town center. It was a great way to relax, especially since most of my previous travel experiences had occurred at break-neck paces (which is enjoyable, but sometimes, you have to just spend a few afternoons chilling with a ridiculously cheap coconut smoothie and taking a nap under the open sky).

Laos, one day I will be back!

Best,
Jae

Snapshots around Vang Vieng:

Jae Yu

<i>Hello in your host country language</i>: เธชเธงเธฑเธชเธ”เธต (Sawatdee kaap) <i>University</i>: University of California Santa Barbara <i>Expected graduation year</i>: 2019 <i>Destination</i>: Bangkok, Thailand <i>Program Provider</i>: UC Education Abroad Program <i>Major / minor</i>: Political Science <i>Demographic background</i>: Asian-American <i>Future career aspirations</i>: Film director and producer <i>Top 3 goals for study abroad</i>: shoot a documentary; speak conversational Thai, try every Thai dish