Prepare to enter the "Happy" Zone.....
Laos in general and Vang Vien in particular is keen to draw in the backpacker crowd. This group consists of twenty-something Euros, Aussies, Kiwis and Americans with the occasional Korean or Japanese who are traveling the globe for months on end looking for endless adventure and experience. Think of it as an extended spring break with a bunch of cultural experience thrown in with the partying.
One major attraction Vang Vien offers is the "happy" meal. In various restaurants along the main street, you can order your "happy" shake, pancake, etc. laced with hash, meth, marijuana and other assorted drugs. Needless to say, pretty CRAY-zee!
But, if that weren't crazy enough, let's get surreal. In most of these bars, they were playing endless reruns of the sitcom Friends. Yes, THAT Friends. If you zoom in on the TVs at the front of the restaurant, you can make out Joey sitting on the couch in Central Perk maybe some time around Season 4. My guidebook had warned me of this but I don't think I was prepared for the reality of it. Forget the Happy Zone. I was feeling like I'd entered the Twilight Zone!
I did eventually sit down to enjoy Friends but never got "happy."
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