After exploring Vang Vieng caves on my own by bicycle, I met this local guy and we went together at this unexplored spot to watch the sunset: Tha Heua. I met him the previous day.
The first day I arrived in Vang Vieng, I had no idea where to watch the sunset. I kept on walking on the main street a bit further from the touristy center. Isn’t it incredible that if you move a few meters away from the center, everything turns into the real Laos?
Vang Vieng air balloon departure spot
So I went to this spot where exactly no one else would be. Unexpectedly, I found the place where the air balloons depart from. It’s just there next to the road and everyone who dares to step away from the center a few meters can watch the show.
The area where the balloons depart from is immediately next to the street so you can see locals stopping to watch the balloon being filled up with air. I stopped too. This is not the first time I see an air balloon being filled has I had my own hot air balloon experience in Bagan, Myanmar, but watching this particular moment is exciting. Seeing everybody around very excited makes the moment exciting naturally. So I sat there and waited to see the balloons departing. It was a great idea to come to this place even not knowing what was going to happen. The ballons depart for sunset and as the place is so chilled I decided to stay longer and watch the sunset right there. It was beautiful and I could see the balloons just like they were flying around the sun.
That’s when I met this local guy. He was playing football with a friend but stopped to chat with me for a bit and this way practice his English. It was weird for me that he insisted that the other boy playing football with him was not his friend. Like, how is he not his friend?- being a friend a person you know- But the most impressive part was the fact that he doesn’t want to call him a friend because the other guy is a cleaner in someplace. That was a really disappointing mindset. Anyway, he was a nice guy and his English level was better than the average in Southeast Asia.
Tha Heua, a natural paradise
The following day I told him about this place called Tha Heua. He has no idea about it and doesn’t know where it is. I found it odd cause he lives in Vang Vieng and Tha Heua is not further than 25 km away. I have also never heard about Tha Heua, but on the way from Vientiane to Vang Vieng we crossed this area and I found it beautiful. It was surrounded by water and I thought this would be a beautiful unexplored scenery. I was right.
I told him to go there and he agreed. We went on his motorbike and he ended up thanking me for showing him the place. Haha, how funny that he lives so near and it was me showing him that such a place existed. The area is very beautiful and I don’t regret visiting it. Tha Heua is a very unknown place but other foreigners already found this paradise. There is a resort and possible stays here and even a bar where we sat for a drink. This place is really cool and I’m sure it brings peaceful moments. I barely saw people here. There is also a sanctuary here with some animals we could see through the fence. We watched the sunset here. It was a great escape from Vang Vieng and a place I truly recommend! And I love the feeling of exploring places not many people know about!
