As I got older and had children I seemed to lose that drive in lieu of caring for babies and subsequently put on my responsibility cap!  Boring, I know.  Luckily after a couple of years I slowly realized that none of this exploring needed to end because I had kids. In fact, they are so much better for it!  Kids learn so much through outdoor activities and they help me push outside my own comfort zone with their fearless nature.As a teen and young adult I had a very adventurous spirit.  I loved exploring everything I could, hiking and mountain biking, and even tried bungee jumping a few times…although I realized while bungee jumping that maybe I wasn’t quite as adventurous as I had previously thought.

We landed in Southeast Asia in November and have been busy exploring since we got here.  One country in particular has stood out for us as being the most relaxing, most fun, and most uncharted!  Laos, rarely visited, is a small country nestled in between Thailand to the west, China to the north, Vietnam to the east, and Cambodia to the south.  All vastly more visited countries.  But after spending one month in Laos we were in love.

There really is no shortage of outrageous and downright dangerous things to do here, particularly in Vang Vieng, the unofficial backpackers paradise. It is where we found our truly adventurous spirit again.  I was pushed far outside my comfort zone in an effort to keep up with my kids wants and needs. It was amazing and one of the greatest gifts of motherhood!

We drove motor bikes through rice patties, explored deserted and beautiful lagoons, swam in waterfalls, and tubed down the Nam Song river.  All amazing and so much fun.  But the activity that took our award for most adventurous was the caving that we did while there.

You might say caving isn’t all that adventurous but these caves were!  We have visited and explored caves in Thailand and Cambodia as well as Malaysia but nothing compares to the adrenaline rush in Laos.  Perhaps it is the ancient folklore surrounding the caves (giant snakes inhabit the caves, didn’t you know?), or the lack of any type of guide, lighting, steps, or railings.

Finding the caves was an adventure in it’s own right. Typically there would be a broken down wooden sign out on the main (read as dirt and pot hole filled) road with an arrow…that was about it. Then we were on our own following some sort of bread crumb trail of plastic bags deep into some random rice field. Sometimes we found them from the hand-drawn maps provided to tourists and other times we weren’t so lucky, but  every time was an adventure!

Some of the caves had men waiting to gather a small amount of money but most we were on our own. None of the men would enter the caves due to the local tales. As we walked through the woods to reach the cave entrance we had to take several moments to really consider the safety in what we were about to venture into.  No sign saying it was even the correct opening, we just had to trust our intuition.

As my oldest and I would sit there debating (or shaking in our sandals), my 2 youngest would forge on and head right into the mouth.  Luckily we carried headlamps with us. That certainly helps ease our fears and I highly recommend it.

We explored 7 different caves in Laos, mostly in and around Vang Vieng. We climbed, squeezed, crawled and swam inside of some truly amazing spots.  Once my 2 youngest ventured in and crawled slightly up ahead, they would give the go ahead for us chickens more seasoned cavers to enter and keep on pushing.

To swim inside one of the caves we had to go under an overhang of rock to get to the other side where we could breathe again.  Remember, there were no lights or anything else to guide us to the pool. It was exhilarating, frightening and, most importantly, one of the most rewarding and overall favorite days of our extended trip so far!

Tips

• Carry headlamps and/or flashlights with you.  They do offer them to rent at a few of the caves but it was an added expense
• Bring water, lots of it.  In the area surrounding Vang Vieng, there are some small stores but nothing near the actual caves.
• Wear good shoes that have a lot of traction, think slippery, wet rocks, with no arm rails or anything for stability.
• Do NOT wear clothes you are really fond of.  They will get filthy, ripped, and generally not be fit for further wear.
• Follow the signs and plastic bags and do not venture too far into the rice fields during the rainy season.  It will not end well.
• Most importantly push past your fears and enjoy, it’ll be worth it — just watch your steps!

About the Guest Blogger

Mary and her family are traveling the world in an attempt to exit the rat race and enter adventure!  They left the US 6 years ago for an expat life in Costa Rica and have been traveling around Asia for the past 11 months.  She writes about their travels at www.bohemiantravelers.com .  Or you can follow her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bohemiantravelers .

The post Caving with Kids in Vang Vieng, Laos appeared first on XpatMatt.

Get off the computer, book some low cost flights, and go on the adventure of a lifetime in South East Asia. Laos is often the last country people visit, but it should be the first. Laos is a beautiful country filled with lush green forests. It is often cited as one of the last South East Asian countries not to have been over developed for tourism. What will you be talking about when you return? Spectacular rice paddies and beautiful pagodas, or tubing in Vang Vieng? I’d say the latter is quite likely.

If you’ve ever been to the seaside (particularly the British seaside), you might have gone out to sea with an inflatable rubber tube around your waist. (You may even have floated out so far that you had to be rescued by someone else furiously paddling toward you with one round his or her waist). Anyways, this is the same, but in a river.

It can get a bit messy as there are several bars along the river which you can ‘tube’ over to. Whereeas you’d never bungee jump drunk or white water raft drunk, here you can float down the river drunk.

There is a health and safety question. Should people be allowed to embark their own adventures, even if they may present a (mild) dangerous to their self? Or should this sort of thing be regulated? Either way, a lot of people return saying they had a great time.

If you want to avoid the tubing scene in favour of one with less young partiers, there are many places in Laos to enjoy quiet kayaking, rafting, rock-climbing, and cycling.

There are some great tour companies who can take you kayaking and rafting in Luang Namtha or Champassak. They are quick to point out that they use the best safety equipment imported from Europe and the States. There are also zip-line and canopy walking tours as well as lots of trekking opportunities. From Champassak you can also visit the waterfalls at the Bolaven Plateau, which is impressive for its tranquillity given that it was one of the most heavily bombed places in Laos during the Vietnam War. One of the most humbling things about South East Asia is that wherever you are you will find people so peaceful and friendly that you cannot believe they’ve been through such terrible experiences. You can also visit the ruins of Wat Phou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, from Champassak. Then you can travel down the Mekong and see the rare Irrawaddy dolphins.

From Luand Namtha you can do the Ban Nam Lai trek, which takes you to a mountainous forest camp where you can see the traditional way of life of the Akha people. From Luang Namtha you can also take bike tours that last between one and three days. You can cycle through the countryside passing locals and seeing sacred sites.

In Luang Prabang you can climb Gecko Mountain. There are opportunities to learn to climb here, or for more experienced climbers, a private climbing permit is only five dollars.

Sophie Collard (@QunoSpotter) is a travel writer who you’ll find writing about the many elements of travel in various different places. She writes the blog qunospotter.co.uk which spotlights overland travel. She’s travelled over rails in the UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia.

Lead image provided by Sven & Moniek on Flickr.

Pakse Vacations

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