The Transformation Of Vang Vieng

Last time I left Vang Vieng, I recall making a vow with my cousin that we would never to return this ludicrous little apple. It was a town of complete debauchery and like everyone else I was swept up in the madness. Psychedelic bars lined the Nam Song river, selling every drug your heart could desire. Most bars would supply you with your first bucket free, the standard bucket would consist of 250 ml of tiger whiskey, one bottle of M-150 energy syrup, rumour was they contained amphetamines and lastly some coca cola to top off this potent chemical elixir. Needless to say a town with the majority of the inhabitants being tourists dosed up on varying chemical concoctions resulted in utter insanity.

Now I can’t deny the fact I enjoyed this insanity, but it is in the interest of tourist safety that this place is not what it once was. End of times type stuff I swear, ahhahaha :). The old Vang Vieng in my mind is summed up by a scene I witnessed when I was there back in 2012, I shall describe it for you…. A scraggy one-armed bar tender, uncouthly seizes a bottle of local whisky skulls (drinks rapidly) half the bottle, then proceeds to vomit violently into the Nam Song river, once said vomit is completed he then performs a front flip into his own retching, quite a touching moment, very dramatic and almost beautiful in its absolute grotesqueness.

The Vang Vieng of the present is so strikingly different to its past self, it is in need of a new passport. Tourist groups still meander the town clinging to the remnants of the past; strutting around in their tubing gear and struggling to keep the party going. The party has moved on and now the once abject natural beauty of Vang Vieng can be appreciated and used by a more sober population. Explore the eerie caves, take a dip in the revivify waters of the blue lagoon; or just explore the wide open fields dotted with grazing cattle and bordered by monstrous mountains.

The fruit is no longer forbidden, let yourself be tempted, sample this delectable town.

Vang Vieng of the past:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwxH91Cn0Ns

Kingdom of the Opium Tigers?

A visit to the tiger kingdom is a must if you are in Chiang Mai, are they on drugs? The answer is no, this is a strange rumour that has taken hold among countless travellers, many have absconded from visiting this interesting little site because of misinformation. They are very docile and seem to be in a hazy state, but it is simply because they grow up in a small enclosure, interacting with humans from the time they are cubs.

I don’t believe they are domesticated but they are as close to a domestic tiger as you could hope for. The fox was domesticated in about 50 years by the process of selective breeding, perhaps they are trying to achieve this at the tiger kingdom. According to Nat Geo tigers cannot be domesticated but a cub can imprint on the human keepers if fed by hand. Domestication is a change in the genome of an animal, the phenotype expressed is very distinctive just compare your dog to a wolf and you will be able to spot the differences. The relative size of the paws are dramatically different between domestic and wild felines, this is the feature that stands out most in my mind.

The tigers seemed healthy and happy, shiny coats, clear eyes and a relaxed demeanour seemed to be present in the majority of the tiger population of Chiang Mai tiger kingdom. The older tigers defiantly required more room to exercise, but the juveniles were active and happy.

In a quiet corner of the Tiger Kingdom there was a lone male lion, which lead me to the curious idea that they wished to breed some ligers, the offspring of a male lion and a female tiger. Now a liger park that could take off hahahah :). Wishful thinking on my part, all in all tiger kingdom was more good than bad. I would rather there been tigers in an enclosure than no tigers at all.

LIONS AND TIGERS AND BEARS! http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/03/taming-wild-animals/ratliff-text

Hazy Island Bliss

The water buffalo of Laos a docile and friendly creature, quite tasty as well. This particular buffalo was a resident of Don Det, one of the larger islands of Si Phan Don (4000 Islands). When we first arrived at Don Det, we were greeted by the sight of this gargantuan fellow producing an explosive stream of watery diarrhoea into a group of tourists frolicking in the Mekong river. The shrieks of horror permeated the usually peaceful island of Don Det, an unusual and comical start to our little Island adventure.

Time on Don Det progresses at a slower pace, much like the rest of Laos, but this listless progression of time seems to be exaggerated on the sluggish paradise of Don Det.
” Yes yes don’t worry you are on Laos time now ” a sentiment uttered by various people, locals and travellers alike, I am unaware who coined this saying, traveller or local? Regardless of the origin of this saying it has caught on and is the catch phrase uttered to excuse the languid nature of the Laotians.

Embracing their unenergetic lifestyle is a prerequisite for an enjoyable time in Laos. So grab yourself a mango shake and expect to wait.

Gotta Love the Chicken.

Spectaular Insanity

I would like to set the tone for this blog and I feel this picture demonstrates not only my state of mind at the inception of the blog, but also the people who are most influential in my life at this very moment. Every idea I have comes from my experiences in the world, originality has to be found within one’s self.

My state of mind: Slightly crazy from lack of sleep and intense jet lag, being in transit for almost a week will do that to almost anyone. My family seems to be particularly susceptible to this jet lag induced insanity. I witnessed this first hand from my lovely little sister Marguerite when she arrived home from Europe a few months ago and was as frazzled as a Japanese game-show host.

Influential People in my life: I have lived in countless houses and inhabited numerous cities, mostly by the choice of my Mother. From this erratic upbringing I have been in contact with a lot of different people, from all spectrum’s of the social and economic scale. This has left me with countless influences on my life, some detrimental, some beneficial, some down right crazy. Family is the single constant I can rely on, all else in my life has been transient.

When I decided to create this blog it was 3am in the morning and I was unable to capture the elusive creature aptly named slumber. My mind and body were still reeling from the heavy tax applied for being in transit for over 5 days. “Ben I made a blog,” I called to my comatose cousin. The poor fulla was dead to the world, he has an amazing talent in the art of sleeping. Afterwards I went for a long stroll at the beach, still unable to ride the waves of sleep that ebb and flow like the tide. Arriving back at the Kiernan residence a sense of peace descended on me allowing me to snatch a few hours of sleep before throwing myself into an action packed Australia day!

Let the Adventure commence!