Rite of Passage: Puking in Vang Vieng

I spent my 2 nights in Vang Vieng alternating between my guesthouse bed and the bathroom.

It wasn’t what you think. I didn’t have so much fun tubing and drinking that I ended up paying for it. I didn’t spend all night at a bar drinking and watching Friends or Family guy, or experiment with a Happy shake or pizza.

I ate an omelet sandwich for breakfast, in Luang Prabang, before getting on the bus.

Apparently mayonnaise is something you can eat with eggs, and it is often just left sitting outside in the 100+ degree heat. Less than 24 hours later, my stomach wanted to rip itself in half.

I’ll spare you the details, but being sick on the road is never fun. You want the comforts of home that you know make you feel better. Usually when I’m sick I treat it as a challenge. How much medicine and folk remedies can I pump into my system in the shortest amount of time in a race to feel better.

But in this case I would have settled for my comfortable bed, a can of flat coke and saltines. Caroline managed to find the coke, and some AFC crackers that were functional, but no substitute to saltines, and my bed tried its best, but just couldn’t live up to my king bed and perfect pillow I left at home. On the bright side, it did wonders for our budget, I lost a few pounds, and I spent an entire day in air conditioning!

Getting sick on the road feels like a rite of passage for travelers, and honestly this was pretty tame compared to some of the horror stories I’ve heard. It’s good to get it out of the way so that I can go back to eating as much mystery meat, spicy chilis, and chicken parts I desire. When you’re in Laos, enjoy the baguettes, but skip the mayo!

Share your story—sparing the details—of dealing with your own travel sickness in the comments.