A weekend in Laos….
Well, I am not completely sure where to start! I have had the most amazing 10 days travelling with my friend Ruth. We were planning on a weekend in Laos, and it turned out my school closed for the week, so I ended up going with her to Cambodia aswell. So little time, such an incredible experince. The more I travel the more I am realising that the people I meet are sooo important to my experience there. Of course the place is always first and foremost, but this trip and my memories of this trip have been truely affected by the people I was fortunate enough to meet. Ruth and I were so lucky as we met some great travellers who helped make my mini trip unforgettable.
We started last Thursday. we took a train, a bus, a truck and a mini van to get across the border to Southern Laos. 4 000 Islands was our destination, and it was worth the trek! The Great Mekong river unusually splits, weaving and winding and surrounding these 4 000 islands. We stayed on Don Det, the smaller of the inhabited islands… We took a long narrow boat from the mainland…sitting so close to the chocolate coloured river. We spent the next few days chilling out. At first it was difficult doing nothing, as we had been so busy teaching, it took us a while to be able to relax….well I say a while…not too long. Before we knew it we were chilling in hammocks, drinking ice cold beerlao and enjoying the sleepy laos way of life. Laos is so different from thailand. I mean what I have seen of it. Laos is a sleepy, dreamy place. Where people dont bother you, hassle you, they don’t even notice you. Hahah so many times we would have to wake people from their slumped state or from their swinging hammock to get served or to pay for something from their shop. Ruth and I stayed on Don Det 3 nights, 4 days and it was wonderful. We met some really cool Israli guys who we explored the islands with. We saw rare Irawaddy dolfins, got caught in a mighty storm and shared our room with coackraches!! ha! So the place we stayed was pretty basic, but had everything we needed, two hammocks, the Mekong river on our doorsteps and a secure mosquito net. Mosquitoes though I didn’t see, it was the cockroaches and other creepy crawlies that kept me awake at night. One night we stayed out later than the electricity lasted. So going back to our little hut in complete darkness….we stood on the little wooden balcony and kicked the door open! Without a torch I took out my camera and pointed it into the darkness with the flash! haahhah it was soo funny. Quicky clicking the switch to play and we could see the cockroaches all over the bed!!! Luckily we had tucked the mosquito net into the bed, but they were all under the bed, and climbing on the net!! GROSS!!!hahah…slept well though, and due to the price we were paying, couldn’t really complain!
So Don Det is a tiny island, that you can cycle around in an hour or so. On Sunday however we decided to take a walk, and it was the nicest walk ever. The dusty sliver of a path that surrounds Don det is quiet except the odd chicken that darts in front of you, or a huge butterfly that heads straight for you. We followed the road and wandered taking in the beauty and simplicity of the island life. The palm trees, the blue blue sky, the green rice paddies….so so beautiful and peaceful. We chatted with some women farming, some gorgeous goreous Lao girls, skipping in and out of the water that floods the fields…monks wandered, their bright orange robes lovely against the green landscape….it was a lovely day, and a day I will always remember. Life is good when it’s simple 
I was sad to leave, and would recomend anyone to go……I can’t wait to explore more of this amazing country and am excited at what is install on my next visit!
