4000 islands of the Mekong!!!

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Sabaideee!!

After a quite fast transport from Champasak, crossing the Mekong by a miniferry and a touristbus, we finally reached Nakasang, a village that has a little port for Don Det, one of the four thousand islands. It is really amazing how wide the Mekong gets in that area and how shallow it can be in the dry season. Fisher men stand until their knees in some areas in the mighty river - fascinating. Everywhere small islands with trees and bushes, local fisherboats and small villages on along the shore. The transport from Nakasang to Don Det was our first nice boat ride in that area. After 30min we reached the northern point of Don Det - an area where the first impression is like being in Mallorca with bucket drinking people laying next to their garbage. The northern point is full of bars, guesthouses and restaurants - we decided to go to the more quiet and relaxed area in the south east of the island. We stayed really in a little paradise for 4 nights, hammock, riverside bungalow and next to our guesthouse was Lutz place called Mama Leuah, where we filled up our stomaches with delicious western and local food - Schnitzel - Zuericher Geschnetzeltes - very very nice and delicious.

One day we went down to the neighbour island Don Kon with bicycles. First we passed quite big rapids or waterfalls - Li Pi Falls - a place of ghoasts and spirits in the believe of the locals!! In a fantastic sunset boattrip we saw the very endangered Irradaway Dolphins - luckily. Whatever you do around the islands - make for sure any kind of boat trip to get the feeling how big and how many islands there are - and how people manage to live there along one of the mightiest rivers in the world.

Another daytrip was to the big waterfalls, very impressive - they say in watervolume they are the biggest falls in South-East-Asia. Again the trip with the boat to reach the waterfall area was very nice especially the light on the way back, straight into the sunset!!

And last but not least - it was time to split up our incredible travel team. I (Michael) go back to Bangkok to arrange the visa for Burma and after I will travel for a while with a wonderful women. Achim will go in between to Borneo. And then there will be the reunion somerwhere and somewhen in Indonesia - what a life - travelling rocks!!!!

And for all the readers, maybe there are a lot of more stories from more places - by the way, I started uploading pictures of the former blocks - check it out and have fun

Michael

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