Si Phan Don: the “4000 Islands”
The journey started with a VIP bus ride down to a place called Pakse in southern Laos. The buses are all decorated with cartoons and flashing lights, the inside had frilly curtains, padded (fake) leather ceilings and more bright lights. An added attraction was the karaoke music with accompanying videos that the locals onboard appreciated more than us. Nick-named the “70s disco bus”, it was a comfortable ride south on almost flat reclining seats with free food and sweeties.
Early the next day, there was a less celubrious bus down to the river where you catch the ferry boat, which got stuck on the jetty….
Having misread the map, I went to Don Khong first (and not Don Khon, so used to mis-spellings I assumed they were the same thing. I don’t know if there really are 4000 islands) Don Khong is a large island, replete with rice paddy fields, small villages and a few hills. Not many tourists visit here, and the few guest houses are a short drive away from the ferry pier on the east coast. It’s sunny at last, and I go, with someone I’ve been bumping into since north Thailand, for a bike ride around the island. On a very pink bike. Getting lost, as we took no map, we find that we have cycled nearly all the 50km of roads. Every house we pass, small children run out shouting “Sabaidee” (hello) and get upset if you don’t reply. About 2 hours into the epic but pretty 3 and a half hour ride, there’s a torrential rainstorm. Soaked and achy we finally find our guesthouse again, with an hour to spare before sunset, and finish the day off with dinner at a riverside restaurant.
Next morning we pay a small fortune for a longboat to do the hour long journey to Don Det (the island connected by a bridge to Don Khon). Don Det is a small island, with a main dirt track (called Sunset Boulevard) lined with bamboo huts, and various eateries.
Past all of this are rice paddies and villages, and a rocky bumpy track following the only railway line the French built here (inbetween two small islands?!) to the south of the Don Khon island. It’s uncomfortable to ride on, especially on the sort of bike that suits a basket being strapped to the front. They gave me a “light-red” one again. Although it’s more touristy here, the scenery is a bit more varied than yesterdays island.
There’s no electricity, apart from what a few generators provide, so the evenings are candle lit, and very peaceful. I spent two days here, and on the second morning, a bunch of us went to try and see the rare Irawaddy dolphins. The word rare suggests that you’re not going to see them, someone said there were only 8. And we didn’t (apparently they’d gone to Cambodia…) Still we got a dollar back as was the deal, had a nice little boat ride along the river, and stopped off at an impressive waterfall on the way back.
Tired after the “Exertion”, I spent the afternoon in a hammock outside my hut, and an impressive sunset marked the end of my last day on the island.
Tomorrow, I’m heading off on a marathon journey over two days up to Hanoi in Vietnam. Laos was everything everyone had said it was. And it was nice to go somewhere with no McDonalds, Starbucks, Boots the Chemist or 7-eleven shops; there was only one ATM in the country as well! Oh and any country where you can be a local millionaire with less than 100 pounds can’t be bad…
Tags: Travel
Nick