4000 Islands
If ever we stumbled upon a great idea for a break this was it. Most people don't realize how taxing travel can be. We had quite a bit of hard travel behind us and with jam packed travel lying ahead in Cambodia and Singapore as well as many arrangements waiting for us at home. Also, Janine was about to age - so we needed a good spot. We had ear-marked a rather pricey spot on one of the islands, Dohn Kong - but Johan was not willing to pay the ferry price to that island so he bought us tickets to the closer neighbouring island from where we would be able to walk. Upon arriving on the island Dohn Det we realized that the walk (with all our baggage and in the noon day heat) would easily take over an hour. We managed to hire another boat to take us the full distance for just a little bit more than it would have cost on the mainland. :-) The US$30 a night place was full so we jumped off at the next good looking spot along the river (back on the Dhon Det island) where we managed to find a big bungalow with en suite for US$3 instead!
There is no electricity bar a faint light that comes on at night powered by a car battery. The bathroom has a cold water bucket system and shower with a squat toilet but it was one of the very few rooms on the island with en suite and our big grass and wood bungalow had two big windows so we could cool our room down well. We were also very blessed to be out of the main part of town. We had a peaceful spot away from the crowds, with large grounds, a hammock out front and table and chairs overlooking the river where we took most of our meals (which mostly consisted of chocolate and banana pancakes). There was also a resident baby pig, a puppy and his mother as well as two single chicken moms with chicks in tow to keep Janine entertained. We had the most amazing four days here.
The first afternoon was for chilling and doing nothing - as was the day after. We did discover a great restaurant, with the perfect view of the river sunset, where we dined most delightfully. No less than 3 of our meals happened here - each time the same food! On day 3 we hired bicycles and explored in the cool early morning. We simply enjoyed ourselves so much - cruising through village life, discovering waterfalls and good places to drink coconuts, stopping at river side cafes to catch up on journaling. We had also discovered a nice swimming spot in the river near our bungalow. The water buffaloes and the ducks (as well as snakes it seems - Johan spotted one swimming across during one of our dips) like to climb in there because the little cove is protected from the stream. The water buffaloes were not at all too perturbed when we settled in alongside them to escape the heat of the day.
Day 4, 17 Jan 2007, was Janine's birthday. Since Johan's chocolate gift (which he had purchased in Ha Noi) had to be given earlier the week to avoid melting and since there is nothing much going on on the island - Johan decided to give Janine 1 hour of internet time in this remote area. Internet was extremely expensive so this was quite a treat. We had our great dinner again and he also managed to find chocolate cake that evening so the day was a smashing success! Besides the gifts we spent the morning exploring on our bikes again and chilling by the riverside. Before the afternoon light was spent we got our stuff packed and ready for the next day's long travel into Cambodia.
Culture shock: White water buffaloes everywhere.
There is no electricity bar a faint light that comes on at night powered by a car battery. The bathroom has a cold water bucket system and shower with a squat toilet but it was one of the very few rooms on the island with en suite and our big grass and wood bungalow had two big windows so we could cool our room down well. We were also very blessed to be out of the main part of town. We had a peaceful spot away from the crowds, with large grounds, a hammock out front and table and chairs overlooking the river where we took most of our meals (which mostly consisted of chocolate and banana pancakes). There was also a resident baby pig, a puppy and his mother as well as two single chicken moms with chicks in tow to keep Janine entertained. We had the most amazing four days here.
The first afternoon was for chilling and doing nothing - as was the day after. We did discover a great restaurant, with the perfect view of the river sunset, where we dined most delightfully. No less than 3 of our meals happened here - each time the same food! On day 3 we hired bicycles and explored in the cool early morning. We simply enjoyed ourselves so much - cruising through village life, discovering waterfalls and good places to drink coconuts, stopping at river side cafes to catch up on journaling. We had also discovered a nice swimming spot in the river near our bungalow. The water buffaloes and the ducks (as well as snakes it seems - Johan spotted one swimming across during one of our dips) like to climb in there because the little cove is protected from the stream. The water buffaloes were not at all too perturbed when we settled in alongside them to escape the heat of the day.
Day 4, 17 Jan 2007, was Janine's birthday. Since Johan's chocolate gift (which he had purchased in Ha Noi) had to be given earlier the week to avoid melting and since there is nothing much going on on the island - Johan decided to give Janine 1 hour of internet time in this remote area. Internet was extremely expensive so this was quite a treat. We had our great dinner again and he also managed to find chocolate cake that evening so the day was a smashing success! Besides the gifts we spent the morning exploring on our bikes again and chilling by the riverside. Before the afternoon light was spent we got our stuff packed and ready for the next day's long travel into Cambodia.
Culture shock: White water buffaloes everywhere.
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