Settling in and pigs on sticks.......

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Carrying on from the previous day - sorry the last 2 days have kind've blended into one with the sleeper bus! We arrive to the amazing white beach and I leave Karen waiting there with our luggage while i set off to find Mr Mo's our guest house which i booked online, we were supposed to have arrived the day before so a bit worried they might not have received the last minute email and given our room away, but after about an hour's wait our room we were told was ready and we settled in, it wasn't bad as accomodation on Don Det goes, it wasn't a bamboo hut with hammock, however we knew guesthouses here were hard to get and this was all we could book online and so it was fine, and not being on the river we didnt get the usual 5am wake up calls i'd heard of others getting from the local boats so all good, I did spot some other Cockadoodle do's but either im now immune to them or their just not as noisy as my first one in Pai, ha! Saying that it's still our most primitive guest house so far with just a tap for a wash basin and a bucket to flush the loo with, but at least it's a western toilet and our own so could be worse, i guess being brought up on camping helps in these situations too, ha!

We then set about exploring a little, go for a wander - we're on the main strip of bars and shops which is cool, nothing too loud but handy if you need water or biscuits (no cake shops yet so maybe that's a good thing!) I then have a swim in the Mekong, it's surprisingly clean, I'd watched a lot of locals doing their washing in it, but now i can see why, it's definitely not the murky river i'd expected but more paradise along with white beaches and 1000s of desert islands (hence it's name - 4000 islands... ) Then do a spot of sunbathing - this is actually starting to feel like a few days beach holiday ahead ;-) before watching the amazing sunset :-) Again as everywhere else i've been am loving this place at first sight, even though it's a lot calmer than Vang Vien, it's great to chill and explore, pure paradise......

We found an Indian for dinner so had a great meal then went for a wander as we'd seen a party advertised, to be honest the flyer really didn't sell it advertising 'pig on a stick' BBQ and music... but we thought we'd go and see if it was as disturbing as it sounded, luckily there were no pigs on sticks (in any form!) in the vicinity but a bad mix of house / techno with the worst sound system ever and a not too great crowd, probably the only place i've been where the vibe just wasn't there for some reason - we stayed a bit, but then headed back deciding that we'd leave the partying where it was good in Vang Vien and settle for exploring the beautiful surroundings here, just hoping we don't come across any pigs on sticks...............

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