Don Det is exactly what we were hoping for - a tiny, quaint island that can be covered on foot in a matter of minutes. The island is in fact so quaint and peaceful that there is only electricity between 6am and 10pm which may turn off some travelers, but we were totally up for it. The riverbank is lined with small bungalos for US $2/night. Yes, you read correctly, US $2/night. We got off the boat and quickly found Paradise Bungalos, our home for the next several days.
Our bungalo was simple but right on the river with amazing views. We immediately met our awesome neighbors, Jani and Annukka (from Finland), who we would spend most of our time on the island hanging out with and who we would also meet in northern Laos for several days later in the trip. They told us that they had fallen victim to Don Det's "sticky hammocks" and warned us that we would likely end up staying longer than we expected...they were right. These "sticky hammocks" are no myth - each bungalo has 2 hammocks right on the front porch and once you lay in one, you are pretty much stuck there for the rest of the day. It is a little too easy to be a lazy bum on Don Det and we loved every minute of it.
Our days were mostly spent hanging out with Jani and Annukka on the infamous sticky hammocks while enjoying Beerlao, which is arguably one of the greatest beers I have ever tasted. Why the L.B.C. (Laos Brewing Company) does not export Beerlao to the US is a mystery to me, they would make an absolute killing. We were not lazy the whole time, we did take some time to explore Don Det - we walked around and rented bicycles one afternoon to check out some beautiful waterfalls. We were on Don Det the week before Christmas so we decided to have a little Christmas party on our porch with Jani, Annukka, and several other friends who we had met on the island. We drank Beerlao, wore our santa hats, played Christmas music on the iPod speakers, and lit 40 red and white candles on our porch (since there was no electricity). It was a great way to get in the Christmas spirit.
We also spent a lot of time with the resident "dad and mom" of Paradise Bungalos, Lance and Donna. They are an older couple from the US who vacation on Don Det for 3 months every year and therefore know everyone and everything about it. They told us the best places to eat - Paradise's lentil pumpkin curry with sticky rice is easily one of the best things I've eaten on the entire trip, I had it everyday...sometimes for breakfast. It was just really great to chat with Lance and Donna about our travels and how the island has changed in the past few years and how it is still advancing. Don Det is expected to have power 24 hours/day in the next several months which some may view as a positive change, but Lance and Donna expressed their concern that it will take away from some of Don Det's charm, attracting more party-hungry backpackers and taking away from the simplicity of the Lao people who reside on the island. We understand their argument and hope that despite the technological advances Don Det remains as quaint as it is today...
Five days later we had to pry ourselves off our sticky hammocks to head north to Luang Prabang, but we had a wonderful time on Don Det. It is definitely on my list of places to return to in the future.
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