Blogs from Si Phan Don, South, Laos, Asia

The sleeper bus was an experience in itself. I felt as if I was in Harry Potter which made it even better. Thankfully though when we set off the beds were stable and to my knowledge we didn't shrink down and squeeze into tight spots however it wasn't long before we were lulled into a deep sleep so who knows? By morning we had reached Pakse and a bus change was in order however nobody could point us in the right direction so jumping on to the bus heading to Cambodia which was full of Mozzies was our only hope. 2 hours later we had arrived in in Nakasang for our final part of the journey another BOAT and of course like others we had been before this was just as unstable and we were likely ... read more

March 8th, I can’t believe I'm so behind on my next blog. This can only mean one thing, too much adventuring. Is there such a thing? Not in my world. Oh this new world I am in, is unlike anything I've done before. I love being a foreigner, being in a new place every week. It’s almost been a month but it feels like a year, it feels like I've discovered a new piece of me, outside of my comfort zone. I get overwhelmed and think sometimes that I cant do this forever but Jacob continues to tell me that I am a natural traveler and he is right. I feel like a have a purpose. Each week is a new country, a new language to learn, a new currency to figure out and a more ... read more

I arrived at the boat pier and met a lad from France, Nico. A trainee doctor, travelling whilst he has just finished his recent studies. We go the long tail boat across the river to Don Khong. The biggest of the islands. This is the only place with an ATM so we stocked up on cash. From here we had to rent a long tail boat and driver to Don Det. Cost 220000KIP for the boat and it took around an hour to get there. Travelling along the mekong was lovely. Arriving in Don Det we took the first set of bungaows, which turned out to be 'sunset view', a little expensive, we have now discvered as we are paying 50000KIP each for our bunglaows, however they are right on the rivers edge and do have ... read more

We broke up the almost interminable bus journeys in southern Laos with a detour to the impressively vast and vastly impressive Kong Lor cave, which runs for about five miles under south central Laos’ mountains. The cave is over 100m high in places, with small waterfalls occasionally pouring down, illuminated only by our torchlight, their sound amplified by the gloom. An adjoining cave provides a chance to leave our tiny wooden boat, and explore a land of gigantic stalagmites and stalactites on foot. Unfortunately the floodlights aren’t working, but this merely adds to the unearthly atmosphere, as our meagre torches illuminate the columns one by one, slowly revealing a vast cavern full of eternally developing formations. A few days later, at Laos’ south-western tip, we found Si Phan Don, literally “4000 Islands”. They’re all named Don ... read more

The bus South to the capital of Cambodia was a day bus. There was no over-night option. Too bad. The border crossing was uneventful except for the so called "stamping fees" ... there was the $1 for a Lao "exit stamp" and a $1 for a health check fee to enter Cambodia ... the guy even tried to stick a digital thermometer looking thing in my ear ... I yelled at him to back off ... no way, am I getting an ear infection from something that's been up enough other people's ears ... reluctantly gave him $1 because I was not ready for an argument ... then the visa charge came to $23 even though it should have been only $20 ... well there were 3 people in the "Visa office" so each had to ... read more

Si Phan Don; is the real name for 4000 Islands - and comprises of two main islands - Don Det (where we based ourselves) and Don Khon (a larger island connected by a small bridge). Don Det is unique - at least to me. It's extremely laid back and slow paced, and though sometimes annoyingly slow, it was a nice change from the crazy antics of it's northern cousin - Vang! With only receiving electricity in 2006 it is easy to see why this mellow town is so tranquil. Natives even still wash daily in the river. There's two main streets - Bungalow Boulevard (as i aptly named it), which ran along from the "beach / port" - provided the majority of the accommodation, and faced south on to one of the many Mekong tributaries. The ... read more