Joe Louis drinks while river tubing

 

“Bart you look tired”

We were at Gary’s Irish Pub, gulping down beers while listening to surprisingly good pop song covers. No one had seen Bart all day.

“Of course I’m tired! I got back late last night and I’m still hungover.”

“What happened to you last night? After the last bar on the river I don’t think anyone saw you.”

“It was a disaster. I lost my tube. Or someone took it. Either way I was tubeless. It was really dark and I didn’t have my headlamp. I was pretty drunk. Still am haha. So I started walking in the woods but I didn’t know where I was going. Fortunately, I ended up in some village upstream and managed to find a taxi. Took it all the way back to town. And here I am, fresh and spirited.”

We raised our glasses and took a swig. Han, a young friendly German with a big grin at the table next to us came over.

“Hey you guys. We are organizing big group for the river tomorrow. You should all come. We meet here in the morning. You will be here?”

We all look at each other. Bart circles his hand in the air and says in a tired voice, “Yeah I’m in. Let’s go again.”

Vang Vien, Laos

 

Fun in numbers
Floating down a river by yourself sounds lonely. Drinking by yourself sounds alcoholic. Doing either or both with people sounds awesome. There are always people going tubing. If you’re by yourself, just join up!

Wear sunscreen
You’ll probably be out in the sun all day. You’ll be having fun. Listen to mom’s advice and put on sunscreen before leaving or you’ll have an even more painful hangover.

Time is not of the essence
Don’t rush! You have all day. The earliest groups start grabbing tubes at around 11. You’ll want to finish up before dark to avoid the late fee. That’s plenty of time. You will knock back shots faster than you realize until you eventually look at your wrist and see double digit bracelets. Enjoy the time, slowly.