Don Det Rocks

These past few days on the island have just been incredible.

First off, things are CHEAP. Here's a list of a few items to give you an idea:

$1 USD = roughly 8500 kip

My bungalow on the river with it's own bathroom, mosquito net, and fan: 30,000 kip
1 day bike rental: 10,000 kip
Avg. meal: 20-30,000 kip
Beer Lao (big friggin bottle): 10,000 kip
Internet access: 400 kip/minute

I don't think it would be humanly possible to spend more than $20 usd here, no joke.

Yesterday we didn't do much but lounge around on hammocks with a good book in hand. It was nice to finally not have an agenda and just be able to relax. I napped for a decent amount, spoke with new friends from all over the world, and again...read my great book. I actually ended up finishing it, so I'll be starting another one tomorrow on the bus (I'll get to that in a second.)

You'll never believe this...but I met a girl from LAFAYETTE! What are the odds that I would run into another american, much less a girl from my town on this extremely remote island? It totally blew both of us away. Her name is Lindsey (don't know her last name), but she was really cool. Unfortunately, she had her wallet and passport stolen which forced her to leave the island quickly.

Made friends with this Argentenian guy named Gonzo, a Canadian named Lola, Justin from NYC (he used to be an investment banker and couldn't do it anymore), Sandra and Andrea from Switzerland, and someGerman guy...I don't remember his name. Point is, I have met some really interesting people from all over the world and it's incredible...you should all be jealous.

Today a group of us rented bikes and headed around both Don Det and Don Khon islands. There is a bridge that connects the two (over the Mekong), which costs 10,000 kip for the entire day. We visited the biggest waterfalls in SE Asia...it was pretty spectacular and quite dangerous looking. Since we are here during the monsoon season, the water is pretty high and the current is really strong. So we hung out on the rocks watching the waterfall for a bit, before heading over to the beach 3 km away. The bike ride in itself was so relaxing and nostalgic of my childhood. It brought me back to the days when I would ride bikes with a group of friends around the neighborhood...those were the days.

We arrived at this totally desolate beach...talk about paradise. We all immediately jumped in the water, but made sure not to go too far due to the current. I got pretty sunburned, even though I applied sunscreen on 3 times throughout the day (taking your advice, Mom.)

We found a place a little down the road on our way back to have lunch, I had vegetable noodle soup. I haven't said much about the food here, but it's SOOOO GOOOD! I have panana pancakes with almost every meal, but everything they have is really great! Granted, it takes them FOREVER to get your food out to you (I'm such an impatient American at times), but it's worth waiting for.

We're headed to Siem Reap, Cambodia at 8 am tomorrow morning. From what I gather, I'll be on a bus for 8 hrs or so until we arrive in Phnom Penh where we will spend the night. The following morning we have another 6 hours until we reach Siem Reap.

I'm going to go get some sleep...lots of packing left to do.

Oh, and I'm pretty worried about Hurricane Gustav...please keep me posted with updates.

Be safe and I miss you.