No Electricity, No Internet, No Problems

Don Det, one of the Laos's 4,000 river islands, boasts utter peace and tranquility. As my guide book mentioned:

"Just when you thought your blood pressure could drop any further, you reach Si Phan Don (4,000 Islands)...you will be so chilled that you will likely become a hammock-bound icicle."

Two hours of minivan followed by a 15 minute motorized canoe ride, brought me to this island of tranquility. As we approached, I saw several bungalows, with foreigners hanging from the hammocks, all with carefree expressions. I quickly adopted the same expression.

There is a timeless air about Don Det.  The absence of electricity, having to order food hours in advance, and the roaming farm animals give a captivating charm that would bewitch me for six days. 

After walking around half of the island, I came across Sunset Bungalows.  I was seduced by the breeze of the Mekong and the hammock hanging from the riverfront porch. 

I stayed long enough to establish a routine:

09:00-10:30 - Rise from my bungalow which is without electricity and has only a bed, crude shelves and a mosquito net.  I walk ten meters to the owner's simple restaurant for rice pudding with bananas accompanied by a cup of Lao coffee.

11:15 - 14:15 Read from my bungalow's hammock. As my bungalow is on the west side of the island, the afternoon sun hits my porch at about 14:15 every day, which burns half of my body if I delay in moving.

14:15-16:15 Enjoy a lunch of fried noodles. The portions are small, but it is for the best, as I am certain I burn only 500 calories/day. I enjoy a few more chapters in the shade of the restaurant and journal a bit.

16:15-18:30 Other people from the island trickle into the restaurant to watch the sunset.  

18:30-22:00 Generators switch on around 18:30 and will shut off around 22:00.  We sip Beer Lao beneath a florescent light and listen to some one's iPod plugged into a simple sound system. I socialize with other travelers from around the globe and pick their brain if they have been somewhere I want to go.  There are very few Americans (I ran into two others besides myself), but a surprising abundance of Swedes.

22:00- Generators are switched off and the island is dark and quiet. Candles continue our conversations a half an hour longer, but soon everyone is ready for bed and fall asleep knowing exactly what tomorrow will have in store.