11 May 12
Travelled 3 hours to 4,000 islands, and specifically Don Det.
Don Det is the most famous of the 4,000 islands. It is quite a large island, whereas some if the islands are tiny (have a little grass on them).

To get to Don Det, you get a boat from the mainland (Nakasang).
I couldn't believe the amount of rubbish on the beach in Nakasang, it was disgusting! The boat trip was adventfull. It was a small boat packed full of travellers and their backpacks! I thought it was going to tip over, especially when they put my heavy backpack on the boat!!

Stopping in Soukrain Bungalows. The bungalows are nice, they are quite large with an en-suite and we are overlooking the river. We even have 3 hammocks on our porch to lounge on - so we did today!

There was a thunderstorm tonight. I have never seen a storm like this. The lightning would flash, and it was almost constant. The whole sky would be lit up with a flash, and then a few minutes later the lightning would flash again. There was no rain or thunder at this point!
The thunder soon came, and it was the loudest rumbles. The storm was really close to us!!
The lightning soon turned to forks of lightning as appose to just flashes which were really impressive to see.
The rain then started hammering it down!! The storm lasted for about an hour.

12 May 11
Hired pretty pink bikes to go riding around the island. Road to the tip of Don Det and then across the bridge to Don Khon.
Don Khon is a quieter island than Don Det, with fewer bars and restaurants (not that Don Det is busy at the moment)!
Cycled to the south of Don Khon, where stopped for lunch. Another storm hit, and it felt like the storm was above our heads!!
The storm past in about 30mins so we could cycle some more!
Road up the whole of Don Khon and back over the bridge to Don Det.
The scenery whilst cycling was very pretty got to see more of the islands in the river, and the vegetation around the islands. Even saw some piglets which were very cute! I would like a pig!!
The bike riding itself was hard work, as although it was not hilly, the roads are not good, they are dirt tracks! And some of the paths to ride on, I was just riding over rocks. Surprised I didn't puncture the tyres!
Also I hadn't ridden a bike (other than a gym exercise bike) for at least 12 years! I was nervous to get on the bike, but it's true what they say - you don't forget how to ride a bike!

13 May 12
Another day of activities although I'm not even sure if I've recovered from the bike riding yet!!
Started the day with kayaking to a small waterfall (Somphamit Falls) on Don Khon. The waterfall was quite impressive, as it was powerfull and a lot of water is crashing down the multiple levels of rocks.
Quick stop off at the beach for a swim, where there was a current which took you round in a semi circle!
Back to kayaking some more. This time involved rapids, which I don't think we were ready for as our kayak went backwards into one rapid and we nearly came crashing into a rock! It was really fun though!
The scenery whilst kayaking was beautiful and peaceful. There were trees at the top of rocks that the trunks had grown with a 90 degree bend making them horizontal. This is because in the wet season the current is that strong, and rises that high it has forced the trees to grow in this way.
We kayaked to the Cambodia boarder and stopped for a spot of lunch.
After lunch, kayaked to a Cambodia island where we stopped in the river about half way to see Irrawaddy Dolphins. I can't believe we got to see them. They are so rare, only about 100 in the world between here and Kratie (Cambodia)! They were swimming pretty close to us too. Saw about 3 dolphins. Amazing!!
After a swim off Cambodia Island, kayaked some more to mainland Laos.
Went to see Khon Phapheng waterfall, which is the largest waterfall in South East Asia (by water volume)! I liked this waterfall. It is powerful, watching the speed of the water hit the rocks.
Final leg of kayaking, from the Laos mainland (Nakasang) to Don Det!
And relax, my arms...8 hour kayaking experience trip in total!!

Another storm hit tonight, but this time it took the power out! Luckily we just got back to our bungalow when the power went, so it was just a case of getting flash lights out of bags. It was quite fun...but a bit spooky too!

14 May 12
Power still out, and remained off until early afternoon. Apparently a tree had fallen in the storm onto a power cable! Although, I was quite impressed the power was back so quickly!

Had a lazy day, swinging in hammocks! Much deserved!!

Last night in Laos - with a beach party.