Si Phan Don (4,000 Islands) and Champasak

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Jan and I caught a small tourist bus from Pakse to the small town of Ban Nakasang where we hopped on a boat for the short but scenic trip to Don Khon, one of the more touristy of the four thousand islands. We checked out a few of the guesthouses along the riverbank before settling on one with an attached restaurant, hammocks, and a nice view across the water to Don Det. We stayed a total of 5 nights here doing a few small things here and there, but generally spent most of the time just lying in the hammocks or on the comfortable benches in the restaurant. Unfortunately I had bedbugs the first night, changed rooms the next day where I think I brought them with me into the new room. I liked the place so much that I decided to stay and put up with the inconvenience. I was also amused that the owners used petrol on the bed heads instead of insect spray to try to get rid of the little critters. From early on Jan and I discovered the 4000 islands are all about relaxing and taking it easy, just like the locals. Our meals would take at least 30 minutes to get to us and one time it even took about 2 hours. At the start it was a little annoying but after a couple of days we didn't care at all and were quite happy to read a book while we waited.

We hired push bikes a couple of days and did a circuit of Don Khon as well as Don Det stopping off at a couple of waterfalls and some other sites along the way. On the other side of Don Khon we shared a boat with an australian guy and headed out into the Mekong to see some Irrawaddy dolphins. We spotted a few swimming up and back in the middle of the river but couldn't get close enough for any good shots. There were a few other boats with tourists in the same area who were a fair bit closer than us to the dolphins, we just assumed they must have paid more money. It was interesting to see Don Det considering it is more popular than Don Khon, and after seeing the touristy north side of the island we were very pleased to be staying where we were on Don Khon. The other thing we did was to book a tour to see the Khon Phapheng Falls. We were picked up by boat from our guesthouse and then we were dropped off at Ban Nakasang where we hopped on the back of a couple of old motorbikes for about 20 kms before arriving at the impressive falls. The amount of water falling over these falls was quite amazing and we were given about half an hour to take some photos and have a quick look around before hopping back on the bikes and returning to Don Khon. So after relaxing for 5 days on the islands it was time to move on and also to say farewell to Jan who was heading back to Malaysia. I was sorry to see Jan leave after sharing some great adventures with him over the almost 3 weeks we spent traveling together in Laos, but was hoping to catch up with him on Tioman Island (Malaysia) in late March.

About 11am my boat came to take me back to Ban Nakasang and was touched when the lady from the questhouse handed me a bag of bananas and a coke for the journey. I guess showing some gratitude to me for staying 5 nights. From Ban Nakasang I hopped on a tourist bus which dropped me off at the turnoff for Champasak. A songthaew, boat, and tuk tuk ride later I was in the small tourist town looking for some accommodation. I found a very nice clean room with small balcony for just over $6 a night. On my second full day in Champasak I hired a bicycle and rode the 8 kms to the Khmer ruins of Wat Phu Champasak. Although there wasn't a great deal to see I really enjoyed the day wandering around the ruins and taking in the peaceful atmosphere. I spent 4 nights in the peaceful and relaxed town of Champasak. By this time I was feeling soooo relaxed. Unfortunately it was time to leave Laos, a country that I have thoroughly enjoyed and would love to come back to in the future.

I caught 2 songthaews to the Thai border at Chong Mek and then a minibus to Ubon Ratchatani where I had about 5 hours to kill before I had to be back at the bus station. I was impressed to see how modern and prosperous Ubon was considering it is in one of the poorer provinces of Thailand. While I was there I went to the train station to buy a train ticket for the Bangkok to Butterworth (Malaysia) overnight train I would catch 5 days later. So after eating I headed back to the bus station where I caught the overnight bus to Pattaya. I arrived early in the morning and after being quoted very high prices by the motorcycle taxis decided to just walk the couple of kms to the area I wanted to stay in. I found a good value room above a restaurant for $13 a night including fridge, aircon, and cable tv. That night I caught up with a good friend of mine, Michel from Switzerland, who I had met last year in Cameron Highlands and just happened to be in town. My main reason to come here was to catch up with my mate from home, Paul and his girlfriend Rin. We spent a couple of nights down walking street enjoying the entertainment and a very good day at the waterpark having about 30 rides on the waterslide. I also got to enjoy Paul and Rins rooftop pool at their hotel for free with great views over the bay.

I caught the bus to Bangkok and then made my way to the train station where I had an hour to kill before catching the overnight train to Malaysia. Our train left about 3pm and arrived in Butterworth the next day about the same time. Unbelievably it was my first experience on a train in Thailand and I enjoyed the comfort but it seemed to take a lot longer than riding on a bus. The bonus was that I had a bed to sleep in over night which was a bit of luxury for me. Once in Butterworth I found a bus leaving shortly for the Cameron Highlands, my intended destination. I arrived at 9pm in the cool climate of one of my favourite towns in southeast asia after travelling for 36 hours. I went to my usual guesthouse and was happy to find my favourite $6 room was available. I spent 3 nights here just relaxing in the nice cool weather and enjoying the great food that the town offers. From here I caught the bus to KL and then another bus to the LCCT airport where I hopped on my flight back home to Australia for a 2 and a half week break from traveling before heading back to Asia to take on China.

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