I am in Don Det. I left the organic farm yesterday (Thursday) morning. Don Det is part of the very southern region of Lao called the "4000 islands" It is a group of islands in the Mekong River. A river island! Don Det is solely a backpacker destination. I arrived and an older gentleman named Adrian sold me a bungalow with a Riverview and hammock for 10 dollars. This place is like stepping back in time he said. He was a backpacker for many years and decided to settle down here. I have noticed a handful of older, western gentleman who are staying here long term. It is laid back with nothing to do, nice nature, and rustic. I read online that it is a backpackers paradise. I could see that. If you want to chill in a hammock all day by the river and ride a bicycle around, this is the place for you. Adrian, the old British guy who sold me the bungalow, also wrote a book. He sold me on his book too. It is titled "South East Asia In Yer Face". It is a chronicles of his backpacking experiences. He seemed nice and genuine and a good story teller so I bought it for 10 dollars. Today I biked around the island. It is really hot here. I was deciding whether to stay another day or leave to Cambodia. After much contemplation I realized my time in Lao, a month as of today, is complete and finished and I will leave tomorrow. While I think of it, here are my Lao highlights: Lao herbal steam room, Nong Khiaw nature and trekking, and waving, smiling, cute kids. It was an incredible, authentic experience into a culture that is still intact, and not overrun by tourists. Though quite poor, they live happily. It is sad that they do not have much social mobility or path to make more money and move up the ladder. I think I am feeling this tension of what to do because I need a new experience. Hopefully Cambodia, a new country and culture will reinvigorate me. Also I am looking forward to meeting new people. In Thailand I met a lot of people, because it is a backpacker hub. Then a subset follow the route to Lao. Lao is a lot less backpacked. I got tired of seeing the same faces in lao on the same route. I was able to break away from it after leaving Vang Vieng. Also I was staying in privates because it is just as cheap as dorms. Now all of the sudden I have the desire to go back to social hostels and hopefully meet a new batch of fresh faces. I am looking to a lot of time on the Cambodian beaches, and the equinox in Angkor Wat. I want to stay in places longer as I mentioned instead of bouncing around. I will first try this on the Cambodian beaches. Maybe I should let you all know a couple new places came on my radar recently. I am interested in going to Chengdu, China and exploring Indonesia thoroughly for a month. The next part of this trip will consist of a lot of beach and surf time. I will make sure to get lost on the way too don't worry. I liked the time on the farm and days like today to chill and relax, but now I have a fire to pick up the gears! One month until the equinox! 1.5 months until my birthday!
