Mar 13-14 Don Det - We spent the next couple of days just chilling out in Don Det. There were hammocks strung in front of our bungalows, which had brilliant views out over the Mekong, but were still slightly shaded. There's a roaring trade in second hand books on the island - they're about four dollars each, or maybe a dollar if you've got one you've already read to swap. I grabbed a couple of novels - Ellmore Leonard or someone - nothing too edifying! After Camb...

Mar 12 - Don Det - Given we'd had an early night, we still slept in a bit, and it was eight 'o'clock by the time we'd roused and showered ourselves. We ordered breakfast (the most delicious banana and chocolate pancakes) and then set off to explore the island; which we decided to do by bike. Mama Souksan wasn't working the reception today, and when we went to ask about bike hire, I got another little reminder of how laid back Lao life is. At first I thought the r...

Mar 11 - Ban Lung to Don Det - Like a couple of geriatrics, we crawled out of bed. In addition to general post-hiking stiffness, we'd got quite badly sunburnt on the river the day before, while waiting for the guide to pick us up, so we limped around cursing him for a while. Kim, who manages the Tribal Lodge, had sorted out our tickets to Don Det, so we packed up our backpacks again and went up for some breakfast. The minibus arrived bang on time at around eight-...