Slept in late and then headed downstairs for my favorite dish here, a wonderfully roasted chicken breast and mashed potatoes. Thats also called "baby food" here in cambodia which gets a small laugh sometimes when you order it but hey its good. Sat around a bit and between an HBO movie on the TV and using wifi the afternoon was pretty much gone before it started.

     Thats OK though because my plans were more night oriented anyhow since I really wanted to do the activities by the river full justice. Headed out there around 6pm but once again without a camera. Never been so forgetful about that thing before but it seems lately I've been more concerned with the experience that documenting it. Thats fine for some days but I really want to get some pictures here! I sat around a bit anyway before walking back to the room and resting up after doing so much ( nothing lol ). Back at the guesthouse with spare time did give me a chance to head to the barbershop next door and get my beard trimmed up again. After cutting it all off once theres no point in letting it get out of control again so been keeping it nice and presentable. Was really a 5 minute process but with a added laugh at the end. The place is kind of upscale for here even if the cost is only $2 and everything comes with a wash. Since most people are getting haircuts not shaves its normal. But here I was with an already skin bald head and getting a head wash after a shave lol. 

    ** Night was a bit like the night before except that after a night out I got cravings for food at 1am so walked down to a pitch black lobby with a guard and got the lone tuk tuk outside. The only thing open was a place called BB World which was basically phnom penhs mcdonalds. Was actually quite busy with young locals and was an interesting late night stop. Diverted again to a 24 hour minimart before heading back to the room for TV and bed. At least that one thing huge cities are good for, theres always something open somewhere.**
     

      I've really spoiled myself far to much lately with sleeping in because when the alarm went off at 6am I was lifeless. Managed to get my things together though and just head straight to the bus without eating. Bus office told me to walk a block away and meet the bus which was parked on the side of the road. Took off pretty much on time and was a really uneventful ride with the usual couple rest stops for a snack to hold me over. Would have been great if it weren't for the last 2 hours which was down these crazy dirt back roads pickingf up passengers. We were maybe 20 minutes away on the main road but this buses route took the hardest way possible and turned it into 2 extra hours. Normally its no big deal buses are late but this seemed so overboard. Arrived around 4pm instead of 2pm but thankfully there were still a few rooms at my GH of choice. 

      There was one rather interesting highlight at the end of the bus trip though. It seems in my 2 year absense the city has started to feature what I can only laughingly call tuk tuk limos lol. All over the citys outskirts are these long extended cab like tuk tuks made for moving families or large groups to the same destination all together. I just found them awesome.

     Spent the afternoon hanging out around the guesthouse before taking a walk toward the river to check out the scene there at night. The place is buzzing with life and its a shame I for whatever reason didn't bring my camera. Hopefully its a nightly thing and I can catch it all again another day because the public workouts and live dance lessons are a sight to see.

     After lingering around a bit I eventually decided to have a drink at a place by the river but the place just felt strange to me so I moved on after the one beer. Next place was more night club than bar and the entire focus of the place was on a group of older men at the bar getting one of the hostesses to dance on the bar. Too crowed and busy for me so hoped again to one next door and finally got the quiet hole in the wall bar feel that I like. Stayed there for the night and headed back after a few***

     Looking forward to hopefully having a similar stay in Phnom Penh as I did in Kratie. Last time I was here I did just about everything the average tourist does here with the palace and what not but this time I want to keep things local. Walk some back roads, check out all the street food stalls and generally get a feel for the other side of the city. Thats the plan anyway, Never know with big cities as things tend to move a bit too fast sometimes.

      Having made full use of the past two days I was feeling a bit drained and so really chose ahead of time to do nothing today. Aside from Eating lunch at noon with Dan from yesterday I just watched TV and used wifi until the evening. 

      I did head out again for dinner to Star Guesthouse's restaurant again but this time just to watch the world go by quietly. I really love the food andd people at this place and It's been were I've eaten here 75% of the time. Staff is overly polite and actually leave me looking forward to meals to come here. Great little wicker tables overlooking the market and at night its the heart of the town perfect for watching people go about there day.

       I really enjoyed coming back here, actually its probably one of the only places I've had a better time coming back than originally being here. Sad to go but any longer and boredom will start to set in with things to do gone and that can only tarnish the memory. So I got a ticket to Phnom Penh for 7am and headed back to the room for TV and an early night.

     It occured to me yesterday after posting that pretty much my entire day was a crime lol. Cambodia is not too keen on taking photos of official buildings and government ones forget about it. I'm in Kratie and no one cares or pays attenion to you but I did have quite the laugh about it last night. Anyone watching would seen me going from official place to place snapping away pictures like a spy not bothering to cover his tracks. Very naive on my part, but still an amazingly fun day.

     Now to the new stuff. At dinner last night I met a guy who had plans to take the ferry across to the nearby island of Koh Treung. So we parted that night planning on meeting there around 11am for a day on the island.
     
     Having been sleeping in way too late lately I set multiple alarms to make sure I was up. Didn't really matter though because the pace of the entire day was just very slow and relaxing. Met up around 11 and had a early lunch before heading down the river to use the ATM. Turns out the ferry port was the completely opposite way so walked back and managed to miss it again somehow. The "port" is really just a old wooden dock with a tiny boat that gets called a ferry. Was pretty neat getting down the stairs to the bottom and being stared at by everyone on the boat with looks like " Seriously there coming to the island? No one goes here " lol. 

     The boat ride was only a few minutes across on a boat that feels like it could sink any day but hey its less than 25 cents to cross. Once across we got off onto what was a essentially a sandbar/beach that surrounded the entire island and went out into the river a few hundred feet. Im sure its covered in the wet season but now it just acts as a way to walk half way across the river on foot. Heading towards the inner island theres a nice foot path to keep you from having to trek through the soft sinking sand which was nice. The place was insanely nice for photos and I wasn't at all in a rush to get anywhere. Dan seemed to have the same idea and it was nice to not feel rushed.

     Up the path and down a small dirt road you enter the actual island and are greeted by an elderly man renting bicycles for $1 a day which is pretty hard to turn down. Really made the odds of seeing the entire small island alot more feasible. We took off soon after heading left with the intenion of riding around the entire island. But there was no rushing which was made apparent when we made our first stop in about 2 minutes of riding. Beautiful flowers flanked the dirt roads, kids yelling hello and chasing the bikes, and the occasional cow or buffalo just sleeping on the road really forces you to slow down and take it all in.

     Maybe made it another few minutes before being stopped again by livestock and some sociable kids. Then I saw probably the oddest thing I'd seen all day which was a tuk tuk driving a customer down a tiny dirt island road. It just made no sense at all. At 7km around you could ride around the place in a tuk tuk in 15 minutes. Seemed crazy lazy to me and you would miss everyway as it raced by but to each there own. How the hell did they get a tuk tuk over here anyway?

      We probably road for about 10 minutes before surprisingly hitting the edge of the left side. At this point it seemed maybe it was a smaller island than I thought but maybe the other sides larger. There was a rather awesome find here though. Nestled away from view behind the strange chinese temple that sat at the islands edge was a floating fishing village. Engines roared as boats plyed there trade and kids walked across planks to reach the sandy land not far away. Always fascinated me that there were groups of floating houses like this. We sat down for a bit on a bench before circling the temple but it didnt last long as the dogs there did not exactly want us poking around. Still a rather nice temple in beautiful surrounds.

     The road heading this way turned out to be a dead end so we made our way back towards where we arrived stopping along the way at a bike repair shop for a water in a simple stilted house. Nothing else existed on here it seemed business wise as most people worked in kratie town by taking the ferry. We made it about halfway back to where we started when I noticed a road that seemed to cut across the entire island. I shot dan a look and he seemed game so we started riding. Turned out to be a perfect way to the otherside as well as a direct link to the heart of the island. The road cut right though palm trees and massive patches of farm land being watered from afar. This area was busy with life and people at work so we pulled over again and just watched a bit.

      Once on the other side we turned left again figuring we mine as well finish of that side of the island on both coasts. This side as it turns out was completely devoid of buildings but thats not to say there wasn't anything to see. There was a really great trio of livestock that seemed to take amazing interest in us as we stopped getting close enough to physically rub against us. They looked cool with there horns and all just going about there business. It all just screamed island life.

      Passing many more friendly faces we hit the end again pretty soon. Took a rest against some abandoned equipment and watched some people working in the fields. Everywhere we stopped here sounds of hello rang out and in many cases people actively would come over and try to engage in conversation. Its really one of the friendliest places I've ever been in asia.

     Once again we turned around and heading towards the right side having seen half the island. It became pretty obvious though after we found another house with a water cooler far down that the other side was alot longer and we didnt exactly start in the middle. Not long after I was talking to dan about how healthy everything on the island seemed with large dogs and gigantic chickens when we came across a bush with maybe 100 butterflys just going crazy over whatever pollen this plant had. It was amazing to see and a great stop. Fully tested the limits of my cameras zoom as well and got some of the nicest close ups ive taken of wildlife so far.

     At this point we had been riding for hours even though it seem like minutes due to all the amazing people and sights that gave us something to stop for every 5 minutes. Getting close to the end of the other side we noticed a road leading back across the island like the one earlier and decided to rest by the water before heading across and checking out the last side of the island. I kept saying I'd sit when we stopped but after riding so long my ass rather enjoyed standing for a few and enjoying watching the bike from a distance. Back on the bikes we proceeded down the road cutting across the island and while there was a temple full of young monks we chose to just cut across as time was now limited with the last ferry leaving at 6pm.

      Across we heading in the direction ofthe ferry and enjoyed the sights and sounds of the friendly people that made up Koh Treung. Thirsty our final stop was at a proper drink stand with a red cooler full of beer. We noticed there was 2 cans of a local brew called black panther and at 8% no one goes near the stuff but I figured what the hell lets try it. Powerful shit so it was a good choice we chose to sit with the group of people at the stand and try to chat with them and have a few laughs.

      Was a great final stop before heading back to the pier. Right before reaching the spot to return the bikes theres a small streatch of paved road which is so random since the whole islands dirt roads. Bikes returned soon after we headed down to the ferry and watched as it unloaded dozens of people returning from kratie back home for the evening.

     On the boat you could see the sun setting and oddly enough a bunch of puppies following everyone to the boat. This one pup really stood out and just made an awesome picture standing in the sand looking cool. Nice departing shot.

     The night proved a bit interesting later in the evening. Showered after getting of the boat as I was covered in dirt and went and had dinner at dans guesthouse. Stayed there until 8pm or so which is oddly when this town pretty much shuts down. Everyone here is in bed by 9pm and up at like 4am. Not wanting to call it a night yet we headed to some food stalls near the river and had a few drinks at the last remaining business to close at night. We were joined by a insanely drunk cambodian guy not long after who started to get a bit annoying so we payed up and called it a night... or tried to. He stumbled after us for a bit laughing to himself which would have been funny if it weren't for how creepy he was. Weird cap to an otherwise prefect day.

     By the time I arrived in Kratie I was just ready to eat and call it a night. I walked down the road following the river looking for a place to stay and noticed alot odd but more on that later. Found a guesthouse on the river with some of the best value rooms in cambodia. Hot shower, cable tv, wifi and spotless rooms for $6/$7. Dropped off my things headed, ate, and then tried to use the wifi and but pretty slow. Was going to just call it a night but then I ran into someone I'd seen in Don Khon who said she was meeting a friend later for dinner and asked if I'd join and said what the hell. 

     We headed out a bit later and wondered around eventually settling on the towns western restaurant. While the food was great, spagetti, burgers etc it was the owner that was by far the nights highlight. He went on and on about girlfriends of his and his methods... Quite the interesting local conversation. Went back to the room afterwards and watched a movie ( cant remember last time I did that ) on the luxury of cable before heading to bed.

                    *** Long Post Warning *** - *** Your Welcome ***

      The next morning I slept in until noon and then got ready for a day of walking around and taking in the town on foot. Ate at the same place as last night but didn't hang around as I really wanted to check out everything. As I noticed getting off the bus yesterday everything had changed since I was here last. The streets were covered with tented market stalls making the sidewalks by the river rather awful looking. It turns out the market where they where supposed to be burnt down months ago and while there was a new one being built for now hundreds of vendors have taken to the streets overtaking the boardwalk.

      The construction project a few blocks back from the river was in full swing and an interesting way to watch some locals at work. For me it was just a new phase for the city but when I talked to other travelers they seemed to really dislike the place. It was in chaos now if I guess if you hadn't seen it before you really can't see the towns beauty underneath all the mayhem.

     Headed over to the river after and sat down watching the river but also everyone going about there day to day lives. Riding around in style on the homemade tractor, saw a giant ice block with a saw for your cooler goods, or just hanging out waiting for someone to buy something under the shade. Kratie is just an amazing place to just watch life go by and not be intrusive.

      Following the river further down I passed a small road with a building that really doesn't stand out but makes you smile if you read the sign. The "Department of Kratie Tourism" building. You see buildings like this in towns all over cambodia however in kratie it just seemed odd as tourism really hasn't hit here yet. It did however spark an adventure for the day. 

     All over cambodia you see government buildings that look rather lavish compared to the poor surroundings but you don't pay them any attenion. In kratie its such a small town they all seemed rather easy to find and I decided to have a little scavenger hunt and find everyone I could. Not far down the river was the "Provincial Department of Agriculture" with its nice villa style house in a small garden. Not a bad place to sit around all day.

      Not far down the road I found the "Provincial Planning Department", a nice house with a single person inside doing nothing. Government jobs here are obviously the way to go lol.

     Next up along the river was the nicest of all and not surprisingly was for the politicians. The kratie headquarters of the Cambodian Peoples Party was a large french style villa surrounded by a large garden and driveways full of Lexus SUV's. Out front was the guard who I assumed might not like pictures hence why there all at angles. Took them just outside his view. I know we have govenors mansions and the like back home but in Cambodia things have to be judged on a different level. The poverty surrounding these buildings in horrible and money could obviously be better used. Worse yet this is the third one of these buildings with construction going on meaning there getting bigger!

     The "Provincial Police Commissariat Of Kraite", the police station, was no different. Huge, lavish, and far too many rooms for a bunch of cops to sit around in all day. But just as I was going to fully pass off the place I noticed a board outside with two sides. One showing wanted and caught criminals and the other showing police with kids and all the various good deeds they'd done recently. The setup was very simple in old photo paper and not setup to be propaganda. It genuinely seemed like a public display of goodwill. 

      Now well into my little hunt I saw down a small road off the river a red cross sign which I assumed meant the hospital and sure enough it was where I stayed 2 years ago. To no surprise though its a very simple building and having seen the inside its not any better in than out. Still I was glad it was there when I needed it. Shabby public services are still public services and far better than not having any at all.

     Back on the river I found a branch office of the hospital for aids research/patients in poor condition. It was interesting to note the difference between public works buildings and political offices. One got money, the other leftovers. And its like that many places, its just here in cambodia all the official buildings have english signs which makes this hunt as simple as wondering the streets.

     Having finished my patrol of the river I headed a block back away from the river to a small rotary where I found the "Posts Office Of Kraite" and directly across the street "Kratie Water Works". Public works so nothing extrodinary here but at least they get a nice rotary full of life the center of town. 

     Turned down a semi paved road to the right of the rotary and found a road dotted with more places to scratch of my non existent list. I have no idea whether it was the small size of the town or luck but every road I chose was the right one. First on this one was the "Department Of Enviorment". If you could see the other side of the riverbank wall with its piles of trash bags and sanctioned trash dumping you'd see the humor in this place

     Not far away was "Electricity Of Kratie" which actually looked the way it probably should. Very industrial like property well away from town. I was craving water at this point and right on cue in the middle of nowhere sits a lady in a hammock with a cooler selling overpriced water and cola. Perfect.

      This next one at the end of the dead end road was hilarious to me. The "Kratie Meteorological Station"... or not. The sign was there but all that remained was some rubble and a rusty old tower. It would have remianed alot funnier if I hadn't turned around and saw the new building across the street. But then it came back when I read the sign "Provincial Department Of Water Recources and Meteorology, Kratie". Nice combo. I walked away laughing once again at the fact that I though that patch of rubble really could have been a working meteorology station.

     Last up on my tour of a citys goverment buildings was the tax offices. The "Customs and Excise Branch Of Kratie Province" and the "Kratie Tax Branch" respectively. This was great. Off all the buildings it would the tax collectors that get the poshest space. Surrounded by poor stilted houses sits the giant multi storey tax office in shiny blue glass. Seriously? lol

     On the way back I decided to try my luck and take the narrow dirt back roads back which proved alot of fun. Got chased by peoples dogs down every road as they tried to protect there property from the weird looking white guy. Local barber and hair saloons where going strong styling folks with the latest cuts for a dollar. Even got to see the backyard of a school with kids playing soccer and young girls on the balcony watching and talking amungst themselves. I was lucky enough to find my way back down these dirt roads and back in the room I was amazingly happy with my day. It was simple and yet I felt like I accomplished a mission and played a game all day. I made something out of nothing because really I had no other plans for the day. Heading into the afternoon quite happy to have finished the day without spending any money minus food.

     No idea what the night holds but probably nothing but dinner and then some TV. Well see. Can't help but wonder what official buildings I may have missed... Perhaps the Provincial Office Of Bribery? Nah, too far from the border.

     My last day and a half on Don Khon were pretty uneventful but I really enjoyed just staying still. Went out for dinner and was invited to join by the girl two bungalows down from me and chatted a while which was becoming a nightly routine. Called it a night pretty early after that.

     I woke up the next day to the islands electricity gone and having no sign of being restored soon. Kinda stunk because I was planning on using the day to update the blog and browse the internet lazily by the river. I spent about 6 straight hours in the hammock and the chair outside my room relaxing but it was beginning to get a little dated and I could tell it was time to move on. Before heading out for dinner I grabbed a ticket to Cambodia for the morning to Kratie, where I finished my bout of sickness two years ago in the local hospital. I loved the town before even though I saw only a bit of it so seeing it properly is something I'm really looking forward to. Plus entering from this side of the country opens the door to visit more places I havne't been before. Tried to get to bed early so I could get up early enough for my 8am departure but of coarse this is the one night everyone decides to drink and party inside the guesthouse grounds and not at the bar.


      Managed to sleep well enough and woke up around 630am and got ready to depart for cambodia. Boat ride to the mainland was easy enough and once at the pier I sorted out the visa ahead of time with the bus company so I wouldn't have to worry about it at the border. After an hour or so wait we boarded the border bound bus and arrived about 20 minutes later. In pure Lao fashion I just walked across both borders just yelling to the customs officers " my passport is with the guide " and got the "OK" response lol. Only here can you walk across borders by word alone and skip immigration. So many laws broken its not even funny. Heres were the fun ended though. About 20 minutes later someone comes over with my passport and gives most people back theres by motions me towards the customs counter. 

      He tells me that my visa pages in my passport are full and that I should go back to Laos! What?! Sure my passport is almst full but theres 3 empty pages. Well it turns out that the last 3 pages in passports are for entry and exit stamps only to make sure you have room for enough stamps to get home. Then came the line I knew was coming... "We can give you visa on wrong page for $20". Son of a bitch. They had me by the balls and knew it but I wasn't paying that. So I sat down and watched the next show to take place after mine. A guy not wanting to pay a bribe of his own was snapping away pictures of the officials and threatening to take them to there bosses in Phnom Penh which really pissed them off. I was positive this guy was going to jail. But he passed of the camera to a friend who left with the pictures and they gave him his passport bribe free with the promise of deleting the pictures. I felt like clapping but realized that was my anger talking, he pulled this stunt for $2 mine was alot different. I took the oppurtunity to step in and use this to my advantage and was able to talk them down to $10 for the law breaking. What really got me was that its cambodia and they knew they were going to but the visa in anyway they just saw a place to exploit someone. As an extra slap in the face they wouldn't do it unless I signed an official waiver form I couldn't read but knew it covered there asses after taking a bribe. I love this country but this time I just had one thought in my head, welcome to fucking cambodia.

     I loved the sunsets here last time around and this time will be no different. I don't really have much to add but this picture I really loved and wanted to share without waiting for tomorrows post. Also added some from previous years to compare.

You can just can't argue with the camera. They rarely come better then here.

To Don Khon sunsets....

      14 hours of sleep. Yeah I'd say all that overnight bus and train travel took a little bit of a toll. But hey felt great waking up so I got the rest I needed and was ready to do nothing all day. Got dressed and headed onto the balcony to let the air wake me up and was met by the group of water buffalo from yesterday bathing in the water. These guys are beginning to become part of my daily routine here already. Took things really slow all day, doing everything from eating to browsing on the internet at a snails pace. Sat in the hammock for a while in the afternoon with the laptop on the table next to me playing low music and just listening to it blend with the sound of the water. Yup, that about sums up the day. The night had a little more going on.

     Hung in the room until about 7pm and then headed to the neighboring restaurant for dinner. I could actually see my room from the place once I sat down. This place seemed to be the only place with people in it tonight so I gave it a shot. Ever dinner seems nice when its next to the water and theres that nice orange glow of candle like lighting. I sat down and ordered my fried noodles and a beer and began chatting with a couple guys at the next table. Made for some great conversation while I waited for the food. There was also a puppy running around tugging at my shoe laces which was amusing. When the food did come it wasn't really what I ordered but it was close enough so I just started eating anyway in my normal never complain attitude. Well turns out I should have this time because about a minute later I heard the giggling that meant they gave me someone elses food. Oh well. Luckily I was hungry because I knew that both meals would now be on my bill. Sure I could get out of it with a battle at the end with people with no english but again not the complaining type. Stuffed myself with both had a couple drinks and continued chatting away into the night.

       After heading back to the room I watched some random cartoons on my laptop that I found earlier in the day that for some reason I never deleted. Made for a rather interesting way to stall time until I was tired enough to sleep.

      The next morning I slept in pretty late again but this time with plans to do something later on. Went over to the same restuarant I do everyday for lunch and chatted with my friend who was due to have the baby any day. Her kids where running around everywhere with balloons that some tourist had brought and blown up for them to play with. Hit the internet shop for a bit after eating and then got my things together and went to rent a bike to explore the island a bit. This didnt really go all that well. While I did manage to ride past the guys half asleep collecting the money to use the bridge I had already been to the waterfall before so had only really two options. One being exploring local life and two being head to the beach where the boats hang out. Theres loads going on while your peddaling through the dirt roads and really if you love to ride a bike its a perfect way to spend the day. I however am too damn lazy to peddal a bike all day so when I got a bit lost and couldn't find the beach for quite some time I just gave up and headed back to the room. sure its not very persistent of me but I was starting to get tired and annoyed and I'd much rather be lazy by the water than get annoyed at all here. Theres always tomorrow. Plus the views from the river can calm anyone down, especially before sunset.

     At least two more days here maybe more. I'd love to stay here a really love time save some money living it up on the cheap but I have a feeling longer than a week and I'll start to hate the place. Boredom kicks in for me too easy. Have to wait and see.

      After the crazy trifecta of rides to get here I didn't feel up to doing anything other than sitting around. Luckily here thats more than half the fun and the reason every room comes with a hammock. Settled in at the first guesthouse I saw off the boat which proved nice but it was due to a lack of energy to search. Had to get something in my stomache though so before walking a bit I wondered over to a restaurant a few doors down where I'd been many times before. It was 2 years ago so I didn't expect to be recognized but I knew I'd remember them. To my surprise the lady who runs the place comes out looking about 8 months pregnant... again unless time stopped. She was in exactly the same condition 2 years ago when I was here which I found amusing. Talk a bit, ate and then headed back to the room. Saw a couple hanging by the river taking pictures of some water buffalo and couldn't resist. They usually don't come up this close. I didn't zoom in im really that close. See how happy he is? :)

      Sat down at the table by the river and talked to them for about an hour telling stories until they had to take off at which time I went to find this wondeful wifi connection that reaches my room. Developed this plan every place I go I find a place with wifi then pay for it once and get it free the rest of my stay since they never change the password. After the hour of the net I hit the hammock for a bit. would stayed on it for a long time but it was putting me to sleep and although exhausted at only 4pm I had to fight it. So I walked down to the river to enjoy the view. The clouds where in really amazing patterns that made for great pictures. They seemed to be layered on one another like a set of dominoes someone already flicked over. It added to the overall look of the huts doting the riverbank really well. Great spot to just relax and watch the local life here just flow by.

     As sunset was starting to come three people came into view of my camera just lazily floating down the river on inner tubes waiving as they went by. Brought back memories of doing the same thing in vang vieng and definately made me think about it being a possibility for tomorrow.

      And really just that little bit took about every last bit of energy I had. Headed back to room, edit the blog and if it wasn't for my stomache being a pain in the ass and needing food I'd sleep now. Dinner then crashing for the night in a riverside bungalow.

     If by some miracle I stay out and actually do something tonight i'll edit it in here at the bottom but I highly doubt it.

      Seriously the past two days was crazy dumb on my part but at least I'm here. A 12 hour sleeper train from bangkok, then an hours rest in Laos before getting on the local 15 hour bus down to southern laos. Full of chickens in cages, cargo, and TVs blaring music all hours of the night. Then after THAT another 5 hour bus to the islands followed by a short boat ride. Packed about a weeks travel time into 33 hours using overnight buses that made my ass numb lol. It was brutal but now that I'm here without having to waste nights in places I didn't want to stay it all seems worth it. After all its hard to believe but I only have another month so wasting time isn't an option. Have lots of good old island fun posted soon. They added a place with wifi since I was here last which makes this alot easier :)