A banker who used to earn more than £75,000 a year and live in a plush apartment in London gave it all up at the age of 27 to find a more peaceful way of life on a remote island.

Jon Watkinson, now 31, bought a one-way ticket to Bangkok four years ago and, after travelling around South East Asia, chose to settle on the island of Don Det in the middle of the Mekong River in Southern Laos.

Now he says he couldn't be happier with his simple existence, which includes hunting for his own food, washing in the river and living without modern technology.

All change: Former banker Jon Watkinson gave up a life in London for a hut on a remote island in Laos

Simple life: Mr Watkinson, pictured with Ben Fogle, now lives in a bamboo hut in the Mekong River

The only thing he misses about his old life is the friends and family he left behind - but he believes the separation is well worth it.

'My family are very supportive. I miss them but they supported me in this. It's a sacrifice for my way of life,' he said.

Raised in East Anglia, Mr Watkinson started working in finance at the age of 19 and became a high flying banker in the City of London.

But after less than a decade of city life, he became increasingly unhappy with his career and felt trapped in the rat race.

Mr Watkinson, who appears on Channel 5 documentary New Lives in the Wild, says: 'Monday to Friday I dreaded waking up.

'I got on the Tube and looked at all the grey ghosts who had lost the will to live... I knew I needed a change of direction.

Hands on: Mr Watkinson's new live involves hunting for food or growing his own

'The epiphany moment came when I looked around at work at everyone typing into their computers.

'I didn't see what we were producing. We were just producing emails and nothing of any value.

'I thought I have never built or made anything or had tangible results in my hands, I thought that's what I want to do.'

Mr Watkinson quit his job and London home, sold 'everything I had' and decided to go travelling.

After he reached Don Det, which has a population of about 400 people, he decided to stay as he loved the laidback environment and welcoming locals.

'I found this place where I thought I could put roots down and do something different. I love it here, I am indebted to this country as it has given me back my trust in humanity which I lost in the UK,' he said.

Don Det is a tranquil, rural community surrounded by natural beauty and little else. When Jon decided to make it his home, he had to build his own one-bed hut out of bamboo.

Dinner time: Mr Watkinson gets his meals by fishing in the Mekong River

He admits it wasn't an easy task given his lack of previous experience - and the roof leaked for a while.

But he was grateful at the way the locals helped him out after they saw him 'sweating and trying something when I didn't know what I was doing'.

He added: 'The children here know how to control buffalo and use a machete. When I came here, the locals looked at me like I was a baby because I didn't know how to do anything other than use a laptop or a mobile phone - for here those skills are pointless.'

Mr Watkinson now lives without a TV or telephone, although he does have electricity as he says a fridge and an electric fan are a must for surviving the humidity.

He said: 'I need electricity to keep cool. I get water from a well and then keep it cold in the fridge.

'Electricity is my biggest expense at £15 a month - my living costs are way less than when living in England.'

Helping out: Mr Fogle with some of the villagers who live on Don Det - 400 people live there in total

Remote: The second episode sees Mr Fogle meet Barbara Walker, 61, who lives in the Australian Outback

With no local shops or supermarkets on hand, he has to hunt and fish for his own food - with frogs often on the menu.

He goes for a daily 7km run around with island accompanied by local dogs. 'It's a hangover from my office days when running was the best thing in my day,' he said.

He admits having a love life is 'tough' as there are 'strict rules' in the area on having a girlfriend. When entering a relationship, couples are expected to marry.

Mr Watkinson admits any woman who wants to be with him will have to embrace his way of living.

'I envision my future here, no doubt,' he said. 'I would need to be with someone who could commit to the lifestyle.'