Things on our travels don't always go well and here is my story of how NOT to go tubing in Vang Vieng in Laos - yes it's a great place but there are dangers and things can just go horribly wrong...I'm advising travellers to stay safe and careful!

Vang Vieng is a party town so head there, meet new friends and party the night away without a care in the world. Just be aware that you are going tubing the next day and you want to be in a fit and able state for that!

It was an early start to move hostels and enjoy a French baguette and Irish Coffee breakfast to get ready for the day of tubing! A truck picked us up after a spot of poll playing in a local pub. We didn't pay a penny so far and had arrived at the first bar of the tubing. Free shot on arrival. Too good to be true really, we still hadn't paid anything but I got on the beer at this bar, which is when I first bought a drink.

What followed was just an awesome few hours. I met tons of new people and we were having fun, "tubing" but hold on...we weren't really tubing yet. We had played mud volleyball, danced away and thrown frisbees at cans. It was time to go tubing. You might have heard that "tubing" is really just drinking, and that proved to be the case. You will spend more time in the bars than on the tubes.

Earlier in the day I had bought a green waterproof "Tubing Bag" for my wallet and my camera (plus one spare memory card). That was all I needed for the day - wallet and camera. The stupidest thing I did was I brought ALL my cards and money with me (including my Hong Kong ID card and my currency in HK Dollars, US Dollars and Laos Kipp). The reason I brought it all was I didn't trust leaving it in the hostel. First mistake was bringing it all with me. Second mistake was buying that green bag. By the time bar four arrived, as I was reeling myself in on the tube, I got distracted by a stupid green bottle on a rope which I thought was my waterproof bag. As I reached for it, I lost my way into the bar and turned round to swim across. It all happened very quick and the currents on the stream are fast, believe me. Once something disappears down the river, it's gone. My green waterproof bag (which was attached round my neck) had disappeared forever.

When the waterproof bag headed deep into the Nam Song river, it took with it my wallet, my cards and my camera. It was a disaster. I made it to the next bar to meet my mate Chaz but I was down and out with no money or anything.

My mate Chaz bought me a drink in that next bar as did an Irish girl and then I drank water, grasping a pair of flip flops and my travelling Northern Ireland flag. It was odd to me.

Later on it was obvious that I also had an ear infection from the swimming in the Nam Song river. The only good thing was my passport was back at the hostel and that I was healthy and safe!

As everyone else partied in the fourth or fifth bar, I simply walked alone alongside the river looking in vain for my wallet and camera. I knew it was gone forever. Travelling on a budget, I had blown the lot on one day of tubing. After walking for a while I realised I was in the middle of nowhere and it was getting dark.

A local Laos girl called Micky runs over to me and asks what the problem is. "I have nothing left here - any chance of a lift back to Vang Vieng?" I said and the heroine that she was she headed over to a remote garage, pulled out a scooter, told her friends she was giving me a lift and on the back of the scooter I went, flying through the rainy, wet, drizzly Laos countryside wondering what the hell I had done today. I wanted to give up travel in an instant. That was it - I was done with travel. I didn't even have any money now - to pay the hostel or to get out of Vang Vieng. A popular Norwegian, Arnie's Hostel Nam Song Gardens was next door to mine and I sat with him, he gave me a free beer and listened to my story. We'll end things there, how did I recover and ever want to travel again after this? And how did I get money to stay the night and continue my trip? A story for another day, my friends...

By the way you can get all sorts of drinks and drugs in Vang Vieng and on the tubing. People walk around drinking mushroom shakes and are off their heads on drugs.

So a few lessons to be learned from tubing at Vang Vieng in Laos:

- ONLY take money with you. BELIEVE ME - that's all you need!!

- Make sure you don't take a camera - you will lose it or it will get broken. Borrow photos from others.

- DON'T take a waterproof bag - they are useless!

- Try not to drink too much alcohol (easier said than done)

- Don't take drugs

In closing - head to the town of Vang Vieng and go tubing but be very careful - it's dangerous, people die tubing every year.

The town of Vang Vieng is still excellent though!

Safe travels!

Living the tubing dream in Vang Vieng...

Jonny Blair