4,000 Islands and Crossing into Cambodia

The drive to the islands was calm and sleepy, and when we arrived I think we were all happy with the relaxed ambiance. We were staying on Don Det, connected by a bridge to the nearby Don Khone. We mostly relaxed (not too many pictures) and enjoyed the delicious food catering towards the many tourists who travel out to the islands. On one day we rented pedal bicycles to explore all around the island. We saw some beautiful waterfalls and played 9 holes at a mini golf course that happened to be there. The next day we all rented inner tubes and got a boat to take us up the river for an afternoon of rafting back towards the island. This started very peacefully, but within an hour of starting to float down the river, dark clouds started to gather and we saw lightning in the distance. Before too long, rain was pouring down on us and the boat driver, looking slightly worried, pulled alongside us and had us hold onto ropes in order to stay close to the boat. With the boat’s help, we all made it back to the shore of Don Det without incident. After some well needed slower days, we were all ready to move on, and so made the short trip to the Cambodian border. After an easy crossing and bus transfer, we had another short wait before a trip to Ban Lung, a city in northeast Cambodia where we planned to do some trekking. While waiting, I had my first Cambodian beer, and sampled fish amok, a coconut milk curry steamed in banana leaves. It was wonderful to sample the flavors of a new country, and I was thrilled to see even more!