Hello Laos, 2 of 4000 Islands complete

No, I'm not getting my countries mixed up. This was the minivan that drove me from Siem Reap/Angkor Wat across the border to Laos. I saw it as a sign of good luck that this former art school bus from Korea was my mode of transportation but turned out to be anything but. 

First we had several hours of driving along the "new highway" that was anything but! Granted, the roads didn't look like this the whole way, but there was at least an hour or two leading towards the Laos border that were like this. Then my group and I were duped by a man claiming to be helping us fill in the visa paperwork but who instead ripped us off by $10 each! After waiting an hour more than necessary to get the visa we finally crossed over and made it to the docks before getting caught in the rain and having to wait another hour for it to let up and allow us to cross. THEN-the short ferry ride was nearly a bust when we ran out of fuel halfway there! Needless to say, we were so glad to arrive at Si Phan Don (4000 Islands). 

The next morning I woke up determined to put an end my first, negative impression of Laos and went for a run on the island of Don Det- one of the "4000" islands within the Mekong (I'm back on it!) River. Although it depends on the time of year and water height-there are many islands ranging in sizes from minuscule to several miles in width/length. I was surprised that within 10 minutes of my run I went from the water front to this-rice paddies with grazing water buffalo.

The later that day I was rewarded once again with this beautiful sunset from my bungalow. Well deserved in my opinion. 

I spent three days on the island. Day 1-I did nothing, just sat and enjoyed the views and read. Day 2 was a kayaking trip to see some waterfalls and dolphins (a freshwater kind that reside in this area) We saw a few in the distance, but they weren't being very playful that day.  

Day 3 was a bike ride from Don Det to Don Khon (another small island connected by a short bridge). As you can see, the road was less than favorable for biking and I nearly lost my sandals several times!

But the views were amazing. Here you can see a man in red and black striped shirt walking up to the shaded structure. This isn't a house, I was told. It's more of a place to rest from the sun and have a meal while people are working in the fields. The man and a woman had just arrived with baskets of what must have been lunch for themselves and others. 

This is a view crossing the bridge between the two islands. 

And this is a riverfront view from the road behind the houses. 

Extreme volleyball anyone? I don't know how clear it is, but this volleyball court is NOT even in the least and it drops off quite suddenly in many parts. 

Here's my cute kids picture for the blog!

After the bike ride I sat down with a friend for a traditional Laos meal: Laap-which is basically a meat salad (chopped meat of your choice with some veggies), served with sticky rice which you can see in the little woven container. You use your hands, roll a little ball of rice, dip it in some sause of your choice and eat. It's very good, especially because there are usually several different spicy sauces to choice from, so I'm in heaven.