happy pizza

every country has it's backpacker hangout. it's the place that budget travellers go and end up staying there too long. it's where backpackers inevitably go for beautiful scenery, laid back lifestyle, cheap beer and eats, and activities aimed towards young travellers avoiding reality. it's the place where westerners outnumber locals, and there are more street signs in english than in the native tongue.
in laos, that place is vang vieng. it is strategically situated halfway between vientiane and luang prabang, the two main tourist stops for jaunts through laos.
here the main street is filled with cheap guest houses, restaurants aimed towards westerners, high speed internet/international phone cafes, and generic t-shirt souvenir shops. the lazy do nothing activities of choice are tubing down the river (where you pass a bunch riverside bars and get pulled in by a little laotian dude. then you drink and get back on your tube. sensible mix.) and renting motorbikes (drinking optional).
most backpacker ghettos also have a gimmick. here in vang vieng, it's 'happy pizza'. this a special pizza you can order that is laced with cannibis. they're everywhere here, more pizza places than noodle or rice shops.

oh, the sweet allure of youth.
what will they think of next to entice our future leaders of tomorrow.

for a happy time without the use of mind enhancing substances, go see Dónde está Ché Pelotas?'