Off the Beaten Path and Taking it Easy: Don Det, Laos

Much of our travel itinerary in south east Asia has been put together on the fly. At this point - going on 6-months into our around-the-world trip - we've long outpaced all of the pre-trip planning we were able to cobble together before we left Canada. That doesn't mean we're just traveling around with out a clue where we're going to be next. Many of the places we've been visiting have been destinations we've been looking forward to checking out for years. What it does mean is that we've been including a lot of unexpected stops in the mix, following up on suggestions we've been hearing from others we've crossed paths with and uncovering quite a few unexpected gems. My favourite kind of travel.

One of those places we happened to find ourselves in was Don Det in southern Laos. We first heard about Don Det from a couple from Australia that we met in Halong Bay. At the time, we knew we wanted to travel into Laos at some point, but we weren't sure exactly which locations we wanted to visit. Many of our friends had recommended Luang Prabang, but that would entail traveling north from Cambodia, and no doubt many long travel days.

Checking the map, we noticed it might be possible to get to Si Phan Don (Four Thousand Islands) in southern Laos without too much trouble. The Australians mentioned they enjoyed their stay in Don Det, one of the islands in Si Phan Don, every bit as much as Luang Prabang. So, without much further ado, we headed through Cambodia via Phnom Penh and Stung Treung to the Laos border where we caught a boat to Don Det.

Picking up tickets to Don Det

Boat ride to the island

We learned that Don Det has long been considered a travellers' Mecca and a little off the beaten path, even by backpacker standards. Over the past few years the island's popularity has been growing, particularly since the introduction of around-the-clock electricity a couple of years back. Our guidebook, which is a few years out-of-date, mentioned the power would be turned off across the island at 10pm so we were pleasantly surprised on the first night when this didn't happen. No having to hang out in the dark at night, yay! Facilities are pretty bare bones (even with electricity) but accommodations are priced accordingly. Our double occupancy bungalow, which consisted of a simple, "rustic" room with a bed and a mosquito net, was a very affordable $4/night.

One of the  riverside restaurants on Don Det

Waterside view

There are many tour operators on the island offering day trips to visit nearby waterfalls or to view the river dolphins. You can also go fishing, kayaking, take guided treks or go tubing. If you want to… We spent our days enjoying slightly more low-key activities, exploring the island, and neighbouring Don Khon on foot and by bicycle, lounging in the many restaurants and cafes by the banks of the Mekong and generally just taking it easy. Sigh!

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Vietnam of My Dreams: Halong Bay and Cat Ba

Halong Bay

Seems I've got a lot of catching up to do! When last I wrote we were savouring a much-needed break from budget traveling thanks to the hospitality of B's aunt and uncle in Hong Kong. After a month on the Camino and two weeks in dusty and gritty Morocco, a little pampering felt heavenly!

That was then…so to speak. At the moment we're back on the backpacker trail, staying in bungalows in the greater Mekong that are costing us next to nothing. Bare bones accommodations at best, but a style of travel not without its charms. It's always fun to get a little further off the beaten path, and there's the great company of other travelers who are often keen to share stories of their adventures in far flung places.

But I get ahead of myself. In between Hong Kong and our current location in Southern Laos, we treated ourselves to a bit of mildly extravagant mid-range traveling in Vietnam. In other countries we've had to forgo the luxuries of such comfortable accommodations, but traveling Vietnam is very inexpensive. Mid-range travel, while comparatively much more expensive than budget travel, is still a fantastic deal--in Hanoi, for example, we booked into a top-floor suite of a new hotel in the Old Quarter, complete with a city view, wall-to-wall windows and chocolates on our pillows at night for the exorbitant cost of $28 a night.

In addition to stopping in laid-back and traditional Hanoi, and bustling, modern Ho Chi Min City we spent 3 unforgettable days in Halong Bay and Cat Ba. Though we usually go the DIY route when it comes to making travel arrangements, for our trip to Halong Bay we took a shortcut and booked a tour through our hotel. This decision wasn't wholly driven by laziness and procrastination, mind you. Our guidebook mentioned it would be difficult and potentially more expensive to try to make arrangements for our trip on our own. Incidentally, we did see some evidence that this might be partially true--the independent travellers we crossed paths with during our trip appeared to be spending a great deal of time waiting for transportation that was perpetually late or didn't show, though I guess it's possible they may have gotten a better deal than we did.

Our transportation and sleeping accommodations in Halong Bay

Relaxing on the upper deck

Our cabin on board the ship

Our tour included bus pick-up at our hotel in Hanoi at 8am. Mr. 'Two', our tour guide, provided us with bottled water for the 3 hour drive out to Halong City and spent about an hour pointing out sights of interest along the way, passing on info on the ecological highlights of the area we were traveling to and explaining the details of our itinerary to us. Upon our arrival in Halong City we were guided to a small boat at the dock that took us out to the boat we would spend the rest of the day and one night on. Our boat was spacious and clean with ample room for the 20 or so of us on the tour to spread out whether lounging on the top deck or enjoying a meal in the dining room. The cabins were also a good size and each included it's own bathroom and shower (hot showers to boot!).

Bungalows on the beach in Cat Ba

We were put in the bungalow at the end of the beach!

The beach in front of our bungalows

Spending a night on a boat under the stars in beautiful Halong Bay was an amazing experience, but my favourite night's sleep of the tour was actually the second night when we stayed in bungalows on a beach in Cat Ba. Magical! The tour also included just the right amount of excursions to keep us active while still providing plenty of opportunities for rest and relaxation in the beautiful locations we visited.

Some of the things we did...

• Exploring Hang Sung Sot, Vietnam's second largest cave
• Kayaking at Three-Peach Islets
• Squid Fishing from the deck of the boat at night
• Visit to a pearl farm
• Bicycle riding and jungle trekking in Cat Ba National Park or kayaking and swimming from the beach in front of our bungalows on Cat Ba
• Cooking class
• Bonfire on the beach

Hang Sung Sot cave

Oysters are suspended from grids at the pearl farm

Pearl farm

Islands in Halong Bay

Bike riding on Cat Ba island

Trekking on Cat Ba

Cat Ba Island

One of the many fishing villages in Halong Bay

Another view of Halong Bay

Kayaking at sunset at Three-Peach Islets

Reaching the summit of the ridge on Cat Ba

Cooking class