Total relaxation on a delta of the Mekong
Trip Start
Aug 11, 2006
1
42
81
Trip End
Ongoing
4,000 Islands - Don Det,
Lao Peoples Dem Rep
Monday, April 30, 2007
There are 3 islands you can stay on:- Don Kong, Don Det & Don Khone. Don Det where we were is the smallest & there is a bridge you can cross that connects to Don Khone.
Stayed in a bungalow overlooking the river & most of the time just lay in my hammock reading........such a hard life!! Only cost me $2/night too!!
01 - Banana fritter seller on roadside
It's still not that touristy here which is nice & electricity only runs from 6-10 at night. So everything closes then. Luckily I managed to find a candle for my bungalow & reading by torchlight was fun!! Internet here was a ridiculous 3 quid/min though!!
Stayed here for 3 days & most of it was spent drinking coconut or lime shakes, reading & swimming in the river. There was a bakery here run by an aussie guy that sold chocolate & banana doughnuts & the most amazing carrot cake!!! Pure bliss!! And again, lots of "Happy Menus"..........some places even catered for a "Happy Wedding Party"!!
Also met up with a couple I met in Luang Prabang - Xenty & Claudette from Oz. Heading home now after a 3yr honeymoon!!! Hired bicycles for 1 day & went across to Don Khone to see the waterfalls & little sandy beaches. Swimming was lovely but we had to stay near the riverbanks as the riptide & currents were really strong. Also found a little roadside cafe run by Mama Dam & Papa Sit who were the nicest people!! They'd fix your bikes & even your flip flops!!
Another reason for coming here was to see the very rare Irawaddy freshwater river dolphins but after talking to other people they said you can't see them & there's no point & apparently there's a place in Cambodia (on the way to Phnom Penh) where you can see them better so I'll leave it till then.
Crossing the border tomorrow which should be fun........I've heard some nightmare stories about it so I guess I'll find out what it's really like soon enough!
