Cycling Trip in Vang Vieng

Laos is an ecotourism destination due to the unspoiled wilderness (jungle) and pristine natural surroundings. We hadn't really planned 'eco-touring' but we found a company, Green Discovery, that does cycling trips, so we decided to go. To be honest, Erin suggested that we go rafting down the river, but we had heard that the river's flow is pretty tame during the summer season and you don't get to visit any villages. Admittedly, it ended up being over 100 degrees the day we went, so it may not have been the best choice. However, it was a chance to really get to experience some nature up close.
We got up early and had a big breakfast, drinking as much water as we could stand. We figured that getting ahead of dehydration would be a good idea. Our guide, Nom, had us select our bikes and gave us a general trip description before we headed out on our trip.
Our first stop was 4 miles in at a cave known locally as the "lucky crab cave". According to legend, a local farmer was digging on his property and found the entrance to the cave, so he decided to go exploring underground. While in the cave, he found a crab, so he brought it home. Apparently, he was going to try to sell the crab at the market the next day, but overnight he decided to put some money on the crab's back (don't ask - lots of asian stories have something to do with putting money somewhere weird resulting in a fortune later) and the next day the money had multiplied and he was rich. To be honest, I don't believe this legend at all, because I'm sure that any crab would have been eaten immediately (I would have eaten it anyway).
The lucky crab cave had a reclining buddha just inside the main entrance. Nom led us about 300 feet further into the cave, which was probably 100 feet deep. We had brought some flashlights along, but impressively Nom led us the entire way using a candle. He showed us some stalagmites and stalactites as well as several deep holes.
After the caving, Nom cooked lunch while we went for a short swim. The creek was very cold, but quite refreshing. After lunch, we decided to take the medium route, which is only 18 miles, instead of the 21 mile "long" route. It was so hot and we hadn't been on bikes since China, so we didn't want to over do it. Actually, we should have taken the short option, because by the end of the day we were pretty exhausted.
We did get to visit about 5 villages and met a few Hmong villagers along the way. At one spot where we had stopped to get something to drink, a crowd of children came over to get a peek at us while we rested. Nom explained that there aren't too many tourists who come to their village and we were likely some of the first white folks that they have ever seen. One little girl kept trying to look behind my sun glasses to see what color my eyes were. She was also very interested in how fair Erin's skin was.
Later, we stopped at a hut where they had a sugar cane press. The ladies working there would take sugar cane and run it through the press to squeeze out all of the juice, which they would then serve over ice. Nom ordered for us, and we had a few glasses of very refreshing, cold, sugar water. They even let me squeeze some juice using the press and I was surprised at how hard it was to turn the wheel. The ladies who worked there were much stronger than they looked.
It was a long, hot ride but around every corner there was something that made it worth the effort. Seeing the villages and the mountains was spectacular. At the conclusion of the ride, cold showers and cold beverages provided the perfect end to a great day (a hot, great day).