Last call to lands I've never been to...

After getting sick on a 4 hour bus from Vientienne--I finally made it to the breath-taking town of Vang Vieng. From our hotel room you can see the karsts and jungle in one direction and mountains in the other.  There are wobbly bamboo bridges leading to "Smile Island" where there are plenty of bars, bonfires and little huts blaring music. We're kind of avoiding the area--too many drunk backpackers, although there are tons of hammocks to chill out and have a drink overlooking the river.  The mojitos here are the best I've ever had.  There are "tv bars" all over the place, which are all playing either the Simpsons or Friends and each local restaurant/bar is playing Bob Marley music.  One night we tried to stay in the more local part of the town, but unfortuantly at our guesthouse someone broke into our room and stole our ipods and electronic equipment. Luckily, I had my camera on me, as well as all my important papers, money, etc. But because my camera cord was stolen, I have to find a place to recharge my camera so pictures might not be posted for a while :(  So far, we've been taking it easy and really enjoying the scenary. The food is really yummy, we ate at the Organic Farm and had some incredible spring rolls and Pad Thai, along with Mulberry wine. There are lots of Indian food places, and lots of street vendors selling "pancakes" which are kind of similar to crepes and really good sandwiches. Becuase of the French influence in Vang Vieng, there is alot of little cafes, French food and architecture.  We dont have enough money in our budget to go tubing, but we did climb one of the hills to excess a cave (which was a little disappointing considering we were charged) and into the jungle (staying along the path of course).  It's quite a different experience to be walking through the more rural areas and seeing families picking rice and hanging out in small wooden shacks, yet people seem very happy and friendly.  I haven't seen any monkeys, although there are plenty of giant beetles and dogs and cats everywhere...as well as chickens and cows.  Tomorrow we are taking an 8 hour bus ride to Phansovan, where the Plain of Jars is located, staying there for a few days and moving onto Luang Probang.