4000 Islands - Stranded on Don Det

Don Det. Anyone who has been there understands what I mean. The island is really something special. I have never been so lazy and relaxed as during this week on Don Det :-D The words Happy Shakes and Hammock describe the atmosphere there perfectly in my opinion. But let's start from the beginning. At noon, we take the local bus (converted truck) from Pakse to Nakasang, 150 km away, on the Mekong Delta. We are happy about the short distance, as it only takes 3 hours, but the means of transport is something new for us. A type of truck with a converted loading platform, on which a roof and benches have been attached. The bags are put on the roof and a motorbike is tied to the back.

The locals have stocked up on plenty of provisions - much to our regret. You really have to be careful that they don't spit on your feet. A woman and her 2 children are particularly bad. They sit in the middle of the bus and don't throw their stuff out of the window, but on the floor or the feet of the other passengers. And by that I don't just mean rubbish, but everything that doesn't taste good or has been coughed up from the depths of their bodies. The children eat incubated duck eggs, which are very popular in Laos, and Max and I look bewildered. One corner is peeled off and lands on the floor. Then you suck the liquid out of the egg or do it like the boy and just pour it on the floor. Then the rest of the egg is picked apart and nibbled on. And you can already see the first duck feathers! I have rarely seen people eat so unappetizingly. In addition, we occasionally stop at small roadside stands where women sell grilled chicken, skewers, rice, grilled bananas, etc. As soon as the bus stops, they swarm around the bus and if you don't sit on your hands, you suddenly have a flattened chicken on a stick in your hands and of course you have to pay for it. The ladies leave nothing unexamined and crawl through the bus to maybe still sell a meat skewer to someone. I pick a less pushy saleswoman and buy a skewer with 4 grilled bananas from her for 20 cents.

Upon arrival in Nakasang, a small wooden boat takes us to the island.

We stay overnight directly at the northern tip and have a great view. And of course, there are hammocks everywhere. Typical for Don Det. After drinking our after-work beer by the water with another German, we go for dinner. We end up at the Indian restaurant where we meet a couple from Munich with whom we eat and then go from bar to bar. Happy Bags, Happy Shakes, and Happy Cakes are even on the menu on Don Det!

The next day, we do what people do here. We lie in the hammock. All day long. And that, even though we don't have a hangover. No, we even get up three times. For meals.

On day 3, we change our accommodation because the first one turned out to be too expensive. During the day, we ride bicycles around Don Det and the neighboring island of Don Khon, and visit the Li Phi Falls there. Super beautiful and you can walk around a lot there. There is a small bay with a beach below the waterfall where you can swim. The cool down is very welcome, but you really have to hold onto a rock because the current is so strong. After swimming, we grab something to eat. Of course, everything is very relaxed, lying down again. In the afternoon, we stop by the pool party that we had been told about 2 days earlier. We pay 5€ per person, get a proper Caipi as a welcome drink, and all-you-can-eat meat/vegetable skewers. And of course, there's a pool, music, and cool people. You can't complain about that, can you? We stay there for a few hours longer than planned xD I can only say Gin Tonic 2 to 1. We chat with two men from Germany for a long time, one of whom has been coming to this island for 10 years, and with an Australian who has been on Don Det for 14 months and says he will have to go home soon because his money is running out. But just briefly to work. Things are going well for him. Eventually, the whole group moves together towards the city. Trendbar Ning Ning. We ride our bikes across the pitch-dark island. Oh yeah, here there are no cars or roads. Only narrow field paths and a beautiful starry sky. We still need the light from our phone, but I find the ride through the darkness quite funny xD There's not much you can drive into. We go to a few more bars that night...

So the next day is all about chilling again^^ But before that, we move. This time to an accommodation slightly outside. So I've already completed my sports program by running 2km through the sun with a backpack. We stay at the accommodation for 2 nights and once again have a hammock in front of the door :) Next to us, a German couple our age is staying, with whom we can exchange travel experiences. By the way, both of them are even lazier than us xD we at least do something every other day. The two of them just do nothing! Pure relaxation.

After we relaxed yesterday, there's a program again today. We take a full-day kayak tour around the islands and to the Mekong Falls, Southeast Asia's widest waterfall. We are with a fun group and the kayak tour even includes a few rafting passages, in which some boats capsize. But Max and I have it all under control and conquer the rapids without capsizing. There are also plenty of opportunities for swimming, which everyone takes advantage of in this weather. Around noon, we switch to a catamaran, which consists of two wooden rowing boats and a wooden board, and sail back and forth between Laotian islands and Cambodian mainland to find river dolphins. And we even see some and they keep appearing :) while we take a lunch break on a small island and are provided with skewers, mashed potatoes, and fruit, we see the rare dolphins over and over again. Afterward, we go to the largest waterfall, which we drive to with an XXL songthaew. The waterfall is quite nice, but it must be more impressive during the rainy season. On the way back, we paddle from Nakasang to Don Det again. A guy who capsized at the beginning has some kind of allergic reaction. The guide says it could be from a poisonous bush that grows in the Mekong. Anyway, his whole body is bright red, bumpy, and his face is swollen. Luckily, it has gotten a little better over the course of the day and he probably doesn't have to go to the hospital. You can only wish that for him. In Nakasang, we passed a tuk-tuk in which a man was lying, connected to an IV. You really don't want to get seriously ill in such villages.

The next day is another hammock day. By the way, it's December 31st! In the late afternoon, we join our neighbors, Mona and Chris, to celebrate the new year. First, we go to a beach bar and enjoy the sunset with a cold BeerLao...and the melodic karaoke performances of the locals, who have been passing around a water bottle in which there is no water for some time. Then we go back to the village to Ning Ning, have dinner, and drink Leolibre. Cubalibre with the super affordable Lao Rum. By the way, a typical food on Don Det is Pumpkin Burger. They can be found everywhere and are usually very delicious. Around 10 or 11, everyone goes to Big Beach. There, the music is really inappropriate for the setting (rave) and locals celebrate the new year together with tourists. There are small bonfires burning everywhere on the beach and there is even a small fireworks display at midnight. Small, but still. Happy New Year 2019. On the way home, the four of us stock up on samosas. That's the only edible thing you can still buy at that time.

On January 1st, the island is dead xD Restaurants and shops are closed and people are lying around everywhere and sleeping. We change our accommodation again and now have the best bungalow so far. Completely made of wood, with a veranda and 2 hammocks per hut. Perfect for a day like today. In the afternoon, we coincidentally meet Mona and Chris again. Mona was still unresponsive in the morning due to a headache, but she's feeling better now ;-) When we want to buy our bus ticket for the next day (yes, we are leaving the island *sniff*), they just point to the hammock next to the shop and tell us that the saleswoman is sleeping and we should come back in a few hours. I can only say it again: pure relaxation. By the way, this applies to everything related to work. Whether it's cooking, pouring drinks, cleaning, walking, driving...
On January 2nd, in the morning, we take the boat to the mainland and there the bus back to Pakse.