Nam Song adventure

Into the wild A rough ride rafting at Vang Vieng - until recently a small village - roughly midway between Laos' capital Vientiane and Luang Prabang in the north.

The mountains and valleys along the Nam Song river where rafting is a popular tourist activity.

The backpacker centre of Vang Vieng - until recently a small village - is spectacularly located on the Nam Song river, roughly midway between Laos' capital Vientiane and Luang Prabang in the north. We (myself and three friends) arrived in Vang Vieng after an eight-hour journey from the capital: it had taken this long because the bumpy taxi journey could only be endured with multiple stops. We left our hotel at around 10am for the two-hour ride to the destination. It was a journey for the most part along a dirt track so I jumped into the raft that was strapped to the roof. It felt scary at first, ducking branches, but it was fun. The views were breathtaking: range after range of mountains and rolling hills as far as the eye could see.

We got to the river by lunchtime where some of our local guides had prepared a delicious barbecue of fish and chicken. After lunch we got into the raft, this time on the water. We were placed according to how strong or athletic we were. It's best to wear a T-shirt, shorts, old trainers and nothing of any sentimental value; I stupidly lost one of a much-loved pair of flip-flops, which I'd worn all around the world, going over one of the rapids.

During the 40km journey we encountered 10 rapids, two of which were difficult (the first was a little more than four hours into the journey). But generally the Nam Song river is calm and gentle yet eerie. At one point I got the feeling I was being watched because it was so quiet. I jumped into the river, laid back and closed my eyes. It was a nice feeling, smooth and relaxed. As we travelled downstream, the scenery became even more stunning. The rich blend of colours - lush green hills, mountains and paddy fields - were all perfectly reflected in the river.

At the end of day one, we camped on a tiny island in the middle of the river. The tents were erected on a slight gradient. I was so tired from all the paddling, all I wanted to do was sleep. I didn't care that the ground sloped away, or that the sleeping bags had been home to many other exhausted occupants: I just wanted to flop. Day two started early, around 6am. Poking my head outside the tent I remember thinking how quiet and beautiful the mountains looked covered in the morning mist.

Breakfast (scrambled eggs, toast and coffee) was quick and simple. As we set off, our guide described the fiercest rapid. When we arrived there I knew he hadn't exaggerated. I was both petrified and excited. All I did was paddle as fast as I could and scream and shout to overcome my fear. For a moment I thought I was going to fall into the river but it all worked out and, miraculously, we got through safely. With the last big rapid now behind us, I could relax. The deeper and further we went along the Nam Song the more beautiful the scenery became: higher and bigger mountains surrounded by lush, wide-open valleys. Tiny settlements dotted the river bank and some people waved at us as we passed by. They looked as if they had no knowledge of the troubles of the outside world. I envied them. On the stretch home a local fisherman in a motorised kayak towed us to a small village. I was relieved. By now my arms were giving way from paddling like a madman.

We had about an hour to freshen up. I had just enough energy to clamber back on to the minibus for the dusty, two-hour journey back to Vang Vieng to a comfortable bed and a hearty meal.