Don Khon

We moved to this island a few days ago and have been really enjoying ourselves.  Very relaxed in Laos if we had to compare it with Cambodia.  We loved Cambodia as well but the post war stress is always in the background there.  Laos is how it is tourists or no tourists, the people just go on with their lives and tourists fit in which is nice, authentic and everyday so interesting as there is no real division and there is so much to see.   The first night on Don Det which is the young party hangout I thought there was a burgerler just outside our bungalow, I think we were a bit paranoid after watching some war movie which was based on a real life story of the vietnam war, not really what we felt like watching but we had front seats on a 12 hour bus trip.  Anyway we did not have a burgeler it was actually two water buffalo's having a midnight feast just outside our door.  We have really been doing alot of biking, seems to be the best way to see alot and still take it in on a sensory level.  Great food, very cheap here compared to Cambodia,  We are back on budget again , the first month we went way over.

The girls have found a friend, a gibbon called Hoi Hoi, unfortunately it is in a cage but a big one and it is just like Lotus's toy gibbon at home Mango.  The first day we arrived their was a very old monk there who is the monkeys best friend and comes everyday to visit the monkey.  We were allowed to spend some more time with Hoi Hoi and the old monk was massaging the monkey and we joined in, so soft and Hoi hoi would stick her legs out to have a foot massage as well.

We went to an amazing water fall with about 20 waterfalls coming into one which was really amazing, the locals believe this is were the spirits are trapped and many people as well as tourists have died here as if you go too far down the river you fall down the rapids.  Also we went to see the Irrawaddy fresh water dolphins, their faces are alot flatter than the saltwater variety.

We went to a local beach(river), spending the whole afternoon sitting on rocks and riding the small rapids as it was very hot.  Afternoons we receive the rain which is always nice and relaxing.  This afternoon we were actually out on the river tubing when the rain came down.  When we got home we had our first hot shower, we haven't needed one yet.

anyway thats us for now we are headed to another place reccommended to us tomorrow - tat lo

Natalie

photos to follow