Wed 10th,up at silly o'clock 4am to catch the 5.30 bus to Don Det,the bus left on time but man did they cram us in,bags all over the place,we sat at the back thinking this would be the best place to be but they started putting all the bags behind our head's and as long as they went in that's all that mattered,the first hard brake a few bags came down towards our heads lucky we were well trained and caught them before any damage done(to the bags of course)so always on the edge after that,then the driver was struggling with the gears,made me laugh because as he was moving his head all over the place trying to get his gear change,eventully we came to a stop and had to change busses,after about an hour another bus turned up to take us the further 30ks,got the visas on the border for $35,back on the bus for another 30mins then onto a mini bus to the port,we then got a long tail boat over to Don Det (there are 2 big islands the rest are small and very small)which make up the 4,000 islands,we walked around to find a good place to stay but a lot of them were full so we stayed in the Souksun Hotel,very basic but overlooking the river which was nice apart from the flying gnats.

Thurs 11th,we were going to hire some bikes and tour the island but met up with Jo(from Brazil)who said she had made a good deal with a man to tour the island in his boat so change of plan,went out about 2pm(very hot still)and stopped at this small island of sand in the middle of the river,we all got out had a swim and a sunbathe then got back in again and viewed a few more of the islands,did'nt quite make 4,000 though,got back to see the sunset,arranged to meet up again later for a meal with the locals out in the sticks,a long walk later, not many locals and food just ok,a laugh getting back in the dark by the river.

Fri 12th,Met up with Jo again and this time hired the bikes,Ian's bike lasted 30 secs before falling apart and had to change it for a LADIES bike,we were heading for the Khone Phapheng watefall,not really expecting too much as it was;nt really that well talked about,when we finally got there we were amazed the waterfalls were amazing,lots of different falls coming down the rocks and crashing down to 1 at the bottom,we stayed there for a while taking pictures then cycled to a small bay where we had a dip,back on the bikes for a relaxing ride back,booked our next coach trip further up Laos to Vientiene(the capital)we booked an extra seat so we could have all of the back seat to ourselfs for more room,had a curry and off to bed.

Sat 13th,Packed our bags and headed down to the small harbour to get some breakfast before our 11am long boat to the mainland,was looking forward to our trip and having all that spare room on top of the bus,all that was shattered when Jo turned up with her bags at 5 to 11,I tried to look pleased to see her but was really gutted,got the boat over ok then into a mini bus to the main coach in the town,again we had the bad luck of the coach breaking down so stuck by the side of the road for an hour,nice coach took us the final leg to the bus debot in Bakse.We had about a 4 hour wait so got something to eat and had a walk round but not a lot to see,boarded the bus at 7.45pm and tried to get settled,really cramped even if it was just the 3 of us but even worse with 4,was looking out the back window for about 3 hours then thought I had better try and get some sleep,Jamie had very little sleep,and I had no sleep at all,I hated the trip,it was so claustrophopic,no room either side and you could'nt sit up,hope that is the last time I have to do a night bus.

Sun 14th,Arrived in Vientiene at 6am,I nearly ran off the bus I was so pleased to get off,Jo went off to a hostel and we went to another bus depot to get a local bus to Vang Ving,probably the most battered bus we had travelled in but after the sleeper it was luxury,left at 7am picking up a few locals on the way,arrived 3hrs later,booked into a hostel,no triple rooms so booked a double and a single,met up with the sleazy boy's again so had a few beers,we then got kidnapped and taken to a bucket bar on the beach,mine and Jamie's bucket's were very strong lucky our heads were to because we manged to bounce off the floor a few times,oh and then a few lamp posts hit us but got back home in 1 piece.

Mon 15th,Woke up a bit later than planned but made it up about 1ish,went down the road to hire a big rubber ring so we could go tubing,it's what Vang Ving is famous for,the tube is quite expensive but if you get the tube back before 6pm you get all the deposit back,we got to the start about 3pm,the sleazy boy's had already had a couple of beers.I still felt a bit rough so only had a bottle,did'nt really need the tube as only got in it once to the next bar,about 20yards,so a lot of money for nothing but we were'nt to know,myself and Ian left about 5.30 to get the tube back for 6pm but tuk tuk man wanted to go back full so did'nt leave till 6,good laugh but not so good when you still feel bad from the night before.

Tues 16th,Myself Jamie and Matt hired some scooter's to see a bit of the island,Ian stayed in the bar to watch a film,we only made it to the petrol station when I got a puncture so had to take the bike back,waited 20mins for him to fix it then we were off again,we had maps to take us to some caves and the blue lagoon,we had a nice ride through some dirt tracks and through some villages before arriving at the 1st cave,we had to climb up some really step rocks and when we climbed to the top we could'nt see inside the caves as they were too dark,we knew then why the kids were waiting at the bottom with thier torches wanting to be our guides,but we said no thanks and we had no intention of climbing back up again,the blue lagoon was a dirty little pond so we went back to the bar for a couple of beers.

Wed 17th,Was due to get picked up at 9am for our bus to Luang Prabang but was hanging around for ages then when it did turn up it was a small mini bus we all had to cram into with our bags luckily it was only to the bus depot,when we got there the bus was over booked so we had to move our stuff onto another mini bus,a bit newer than the last one so not so bad,we had a lot of hills to get up and the roads had some very tight bends but the driver was'nt too bad,arrived at 5pm,myself and Matt walked around to see what deals we could get on the hostels,sorted some rooms out and walked back to the boy's,when we got back the sleazy boy's had to get another bus straight away as they had already booked to do the gibbon experince and this was the only way they could get there on time so they had a 14hrs bus trip to do through the night,we went to a restaurant,I had a Ho Mok Talay,seafood in a curry sauce served in a coconut(very nice)went back to the room but felt really ill all night and did'nt get any sleep.

Thurs 18th,left the room at 6.30am and walked and walked as soon as I stopped I felt sick,must have walked miles,met Ian in a cafe so thought I had better try and have some food so forced some down,ended up just walking round the block all day,decided to stop taking my malarone tablets as they were sending me mad,was getting bad side effects,insomnia,panic attacks etc,a little bit of sleep.

Fri 19th,Got a tuk tuk to the waterfall,bit overcast and even a bit chilly so wore light weight trousers,climbed up both sides of the waterfall,on a nice day there is a nice lagoon you can go swimming in but because of the weather this was not an option,returned after a few hours.