Few days on Don Det

---

Tuesday 4th March

Well the day didn't start too well as i woke up with a migraine! Bit of a bummer as we have to get bus and boat to Don Det today but hey, i've had worse so will be ok.
We got what i will refer to as the 'chicken' bus to Si Phan Don...it's the local bus that is not the most comfortable but much more fun than sitting on a big flashy air-con bus looking down on everyone as you go past. I must say they don't waste any room on these buses...bags under your feet as well as on the roof...in fact later on when 3 English lads got on, 2 of them had to sit on the roof...though i think they were actually quite happy about that. It was madness each time the bus stopped too as a whole heap of people would surround the bus, thrusting stuff into the bus trying to get us to buy stuff... drinks, chicken on sticks, some vegetable that i have no idea what it was called, i resorted to buying what i thought was a bag of peanuts or monkey nuts...can't really go wrong there can you....unless when you go to crack the shell open a load of liquid drips out cause they've been soaked in something...?!! Really not sure what, didn't really taste of anything but managed to eat few anyway. We finally arrived after about 3 hours on the bus, to then get a small boat across to the island. These things are great as long as everyone helps with the whole balance thing....they are so shallow that you are only inches away from the water! It just takes one person to lean too far one way and it's all over. In fact we heard that the day before we arrived that is exactly what happened...somebody dropped something in the water, leant over to retrieve it and caused the boat to tip...everyones backpacks in the water!!! When they got to the beach they were all emptying their bags trying to dry what they could in the sun...how awful! And to think that before i heard this, i was moaning about having to walk so far with my backpack to find somewhere that had a room!! At least my stuff was dry. We finally arrived at Paradise bungalows - we didn't manage to get a river view, just looking out over some dusty fields but i was happy to get my bag off my back so didn't care too much..and it was only 15,000 kip (about less than a quid!!) that was until around 6.30pm when i realised my room was right next to the generator!!! There is no electric on the island so once the sun goes down the generators kick in. I'm not complaining as i'd rather some light at night but bearing in mind the old migraine i had it wasn't the best noise to be entering my head!
I managed to walk back to 'town' (feels funny calling it that as such a small place and not really a town at all, just where all the restaurants are) and had some dinner then 1 game of pool with the lads we'd met on the bus, but went home at 9pm :-( The generator was only going till about 10pm so not too bad.

Wednesday 5th March

Lovely lazy day....got up at 11am!! Found a great bakery that does the best chocolate and banana pancakes for breakfast! It was really hot today and still not feeling great after my migraine so found some hammocks in the reggae bar and sat there for the rest of the day reading. In the evening we went back to the bakery to sample the pumpkin burger...it was ok, jut a little greasy, then headed off to the beach. This is where it is all supposed to happen after the restaurants close at 10pm. Unfortunately, for some unknown reason, the police have come across from the mainland and by 10.30pm are hearding us all back down the road telling us to go back to our bungalows!! We had got talking to 2 different groups of people and in our attepmt to be sure we got to a party with one of them, we ended up losing everyone! So another early night then.

Thursday 6th March

Today we hired bikes and cycled to the next island - Don Khon. This is a much quieter island but has a lovely big waterfall to go visit and also do boat trips off the end of the island to see the Irrwaddy dolphins. I would have like to have done a trip to see these but my money is bit low now and i've seen dolphins before (on my 30th in Bali...haha) so stuck to just riding around. On the way to the other island we found a great place called the Mekong Dream Restaurant and Hammock lounge...it has a few of the really big bamboo hammocks hanging under the restaurant in the shade, overlooking the river...so of course we stopped for a read and a snooze...as you do! We finally got back on our bikes and after the waterfall we headed down to a small beach and bumped into Oggy! A guy we used to see around Koh Phangan at the full moon parties! It was good to have a catch up and see a familiar face.
At the same beach we met a lovely lad called Jon. He'd lost 1 of his flip flops so Stel tried to help him look for it but was nowhere....we all gave up and as i walked up the hill i was about to tease saying it was there to wind him up...and then i saw it! Of course he thought i was joking cause it was such an obvious (childish some might say...) thing to do but it was there so all ok! We all headed off back to Don Det together then later Jon joined us for a curry, after which we went back to reggae bar. I'm sick of drinking beer....i'm missing Sangsom!!! Oh i can't wait to get back to Thailand and have a lovely big glass of Sangsom and coke!!! Anyway, the Lion whiskey isn't too bad and at only $1 for a big bottle it's cheap as chips so we joined some other people we had met the night before and had a drink. Unfortunately the police were back on the island and again, hearded us off to our bungalows. I felt like a teenager all over again...been moved from the bus stop to the park...oh back in the day eh! Anyway, we managed to stick with a group of people tonight, guitar included, but couldn't find anywhere to sit as most of the land is owned by the locals so the place they planned to go was being watched by the owner who politely moved us on. I got bored of this by midnight and went home.

Friday March 7th....my birthday!!!

I had a lovely card and present off Stel...my birthday card has a picture of the King of Thailand on it wearing one of his favourit pink shirts!! ( you have to have been to Thailand to understand that one) Also had a necklace with a 'shiva's eye' stone on it...very nice :-)
There's really not much to do here but that was how i wanted it for my birthday so all worked out well. Jon walked down to the hammock lounge with us and on the way a local boy started to follow us. He couldn't talk much as seemed he had special needs but was happy to follow us. Jon asked if he wanted to have a backy on his bike...of course he did!! Only problem then was, then we couldn't get rid of him! Jon eventually let him ride the bike for a bit then we got worried incase he rode off to far on it so made him walk. The lad cheekily held my hand for a while...so i could exagerate that slightly and say at least i pulled on my birthday! Oh i get all the best blokes me!!
We got to the hammock lounge but didn't do much lounging as Oggy came too with his poi (well his practice ones which are juggling balls in a pair of socks) and there was a football about, as well as Stel and her juggling balls so all in all in a day full of balls! Literally! Even after we had finished here, we stopped off at a place for lunch that had a ping pong table to Jon and Stel had a go at playing that too...though must say more practice needed at that game guys! Later we went for dinner with Jon and Nick (a lad we met through Oggy) and Oggy came too. We headed down to the beach...no police tonight but you know what...it really wasn't floating my boat. I just didn't get into the groove or anything...oh god it must be my age!! There were a few people around the fire, and a guitar and even a girl playing her violin...how mad is that...but once they'd had their little blast and got the crowd going it all went a bit flat. The biggest laugh i had was when me and Jon walked to the edge of the river for a 'p'...Stel though it'd be funny to take a photo of me squatting! Somebody did it to her the other night but from behind so she has no idea who took it, just that somebody now has a photo of her arse!

Saturday 8th March

We hired bike again and planned to go back to the beach on Don Khon but hadn't realised we were supossed to pay as we crossed the bridge! Opps...9000 kip he wanted! Only about 50p but hey it's the principle. We paid yesterday to see the waterfall and am not paying just to go sit on a beach. Anyway it did us good as ended up cycling around Don Det and lets face it, with the weight issue at ther moment is was a much better option for me. Though i have to add i have lost a few pounds as certain clothes are fitting me again now....phew! We've decided we have had enough of this dusty little place now. It's very laid back and good to chill out but the dirty clothes and nails and shared bathroom are enough after 5 days. So we went booked our ticket to Vientiane for tomorrow, i then went and dossed in my hammock all afternoon....though i did get disturbed a couple of time as there is a young boy here with Downs Syndrome and he wanders around the place a lot. First time he came up he found Stels mirror and had a laugh pulling faces at himself then realised he could get in Stels room and went sat on her bed! Funny but that meant i had to get out of my hammock and go get him out....oh the trauma! Then he later came back with a whole load of cake making stiff...dirt cakes of course! I didn't mind playing along to this as i didn't have to get out of my hammock so i happily tasted the cake and drank the 'dirt' tea! Then guess what, had another early night cause after dinner had tummy ache so went home to bed. Luckily nothing more than a few cramps...probably just wind....haha

Sunday 9th March

So after brekkie we headed off in a very small boat across the water to get our minibus back to Pakse. We got a bit worried as there was a very old looking bus that had to be jump started...please don't let it be ours..! Luckily it wasn't but our idea of our so called "VIP" bus ticket was never gonna match the idea in our head. Well to be clear, we have seen VIP busses around and presumed, wrongly, that our ticket was for one of those. When it finally picked us up in Pakse it was not the VIP we were expecting! Don't get me wrong, it had reclining seats and aircon...or was that breeze just from the lads at the front keeping the door open??...so it was no chicken bus. It was full of local people who all, like us, had a 10 or 11 hour overnight journey ahead to Vientiane. The funny things that happened (which, like the chicken bus from before makes me glad we ended up on this one) was once all the seats were full, they still picked up passengers, just gave them small plastic stools to sit on in the aisle!! Then, on the outside of the window next to me was the wide ladder that the lads used to load baggage onto the roof. This included not 1 but 2 motorbikes!! One lad either side with a lad on top of the bus pulling the rope that was attached to the bike, up it went! Amazing. Why the lazy b'stards don't just ride them i'll never know! Then the not so funny thing was, early in the morning we pulled up alongside a pick up truck and the lads were throwing down these big blue bags....after hearing the noise i looked closer to see they were full of chickens! There was about 5 huge blue bags, about 6ft long, each filled with live chickens. Not nice to see. I managed to get some sleep but the driver stopped at least 5 times, then the lights would come on and wake me up.

Monday 10th March

Finally arrived at the bus station about 5am, then had to get a sangthaw into the city and look for somewhere to stay....not very well planned i know but hey. We found a place but he wasn't sure if people were checking out. He kindly let us leave our bags there whilst we went for brekkie. As it happens he had no room but we managed to get a really good room with A HOT SHOWER....WHAT A TREAT!! in a guesthouse that has not a very good write up in the Lonely Planet that we have (though it is 2005 edition) so things can change, and for 80,000 kip ( 4 quid a night so just 2 quid each) So here we are, I'm going to embassy tomorrow to see about getting Thai visa so watch this space.

hope all is ok wherever you are...?

---

Photos

Don Det beach
spot the water buffalo...

part of the waterfall at Don Khon
it's much bigger than this but didn't get very good photo of it all...

girl playing her violin at the the beach - Don Det
yes it really did happen...!

Stel squatting for a 'p' in the dark
well i had to get her back didn't i...