Laos, Don Det and the big waterfalls

Arrived at the border in a deluge of rain and experienced the dodgy dealings of the border officials. Think we got scammed a bit as after 'stamp fees' our Laos visa cost $44 each. They make it up as they go along really but hey ho, what can you do? At least we aren't Canadian as they have to pay more for some reason. Anyone know why? Any way, we were in!

Got a minibus to a pier and then a longboat to the island of Don Det, one of 4000 islands in this stretch of the huge Mekong river.

Got a million kip (about £80) out of the atm which according to the tossers at the border only gave out dollars which are not accepted in Laos. This was another poor attempt at a scam, they wanted us to change dollars into kip with them at a miserable exchange rate. Glad we told then to sod off.

Found a crap shack for about £2.50 a night which had a hammock and a nice view of the river. It was on a farm so we got many pets including a dog called Rocky due to the fact he was barking mad and ate rocks, two cats who loved crisps who we named Cheese and Onion and a big fat pig called Biscuit. There was also buffalo Bill who scared the hell out of me when I got up in the middle of the night to go and watch the England vs Ukraine match in one of the bars. He was just stood in the middle of the path and wouldn't shift. Stupid thing.

We went for a curry and were presented with some of the reddest food we have ever seen. Pretty crap food really.

Went for a couple of drinks and met two guys who we had crossed the border with. Bought a bottle of Lao Lao and chilled on our balcony.

The next few days were similar really, a lot of relaxing and a few cold beers in the hammock. We walked to the neighbouring island on one of the days to see the waterfall which is apparently the biggest (by volume) on the entire Mekong. It was very impressive and really loud. Some bamboo bridges had been constructed and then destroyed by the power of the water. The falls went on as far as we good see and we learnt later that they span about five kilometres in total.

Had some lunch and witnessed a land sale deal. The American guy buying an acre of land paid the Laotian guys in cash. I've never seen so much cash. He had a big rucksack brim full of 50000 kip notes.

The walk back through the farmland was very pretty and we saw lots of wildlife like lizards and butterflies.

We spent the rest of the time on Don Det doing very little. Enjoying the scenery and lying in the hammock was pretty much all we did each day.

Don Det has a really nice vibe about it. The locals are friendly, the bars are all hippie bars and the accommodation is cheap.

Next up, The Whore Houses of Savannakhet and Vientiane

Dalat the Bizarre

Bus journey was spectacular albeit long. Reached the bus station and got a free mini bus into town. Found a dirt cheap hotel ran by a guy who sounded like a deaf person when he talked. The hotel was creepy and reminded me of The Shining mixed with Twin Peaks.

Wandered around the steep roads and alleys of the funny little town and had some quality grub at a little cafe. Beef with ginger was delicious. We ended up eating here every night as it was so nice and also as it sold mash potato for Claire.

Next day we visited the 'crazy house' which lived up to its name. Very odd building with crooked corridors, sky bridges, freaky hotel rooms and random objects here there and everywhere. The owner is some woman artist who likes nature and architecture. Claire unwittingly tried to get into her quarters as it looked interesting but the door was locked.

Afterwards we went to some waterfalls. This was just plain odd. There were 'zebras' (painted horses), cowboys, a huge seating terrace like a stadium overlooking a small channel of water (absolutely no idea what goes on there), big frog statues, and a filthy waterfall. It was baffling to say the least.

Headed off back to town and stopped off at the market for a bottle of red wine. Got back to the hotel only to realise we had no corkscrew. Asked the deaf sounding guy to open it but he had no corkscrew either. He took the bottle out the back and we then laughed as we watched him and his assistant on CCTV struggle to open it with nothing more than a hammer, a stick and a good aim.

Wandered about for a while, got bus tickets to Saigon and watched films at the hotel.

Dalat is a friendly and bizarre little place high up in the mountains. Its attractions are very odd and maybe it's better to use it as a base for trips to see the bigger waterfalls. All in all though we had a fun if not bemusing couple of days.

Next up, Saigon, tunnels and electric shocks.