Don Det / Don Khon (4,000 Islands)

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After a rough nights sleep, mainly due to the huge storm that raged outside but also partly due to the hundreds of assorted bugs crawling all over us! At one stage, Me and Ollie in our very subdued states managed to get out of bed collect our washing from the line and 'batten down the hatches'!

At around 10am we dragged ourselves from our beds and the safety of the 'bug forcefield' (also known as a Mosquito net). Mark cleared the army of ants from his tooth brush and we headed out into the sun on a couple of hired bicycles! Firstly, we headed south towards Don Khon along the Mekong River and the views were fantastic! We gently pootled along until we reached the bridge which crossed over to Don Khon. Crossing the River felt amazing and the currents made us thankful that we hadn't toppled in the previous day when crossing over from the mainland!

By this stage we were both pretty hungry so we stopped in a small restaurant overhanging the river and enjoyed some noodle soup and assorted fruit shakes. After brunch we cycled further south towards the Si Phan Don waterfalls. We could hear the noise of smashing rapids a long way off and when we reached a lookout point, the images we were met with were totally stunning! There were hundreds of small revines with water gushing over rocks and downs cliffs. The noise was thunderous and we made sure we stayed well back from the cliff edge! After cycling a little bit further and following the signs towards the "beach", we arrived at a tiny sand dune with a little lagoon. We had planned on taking a swim but a couple of other travellers said the water smelt like fish sauce. Needless to say we did not venture in to find out!

In the afternoon we cycled to the other side of Don Khon and then returned back across the bridge and opted for the scenic route home! The other side of Don Det was very peaceful and every so often we would stumble across a random locfal in a hammock or children frolicking in the river! By the time we got back to our cottage we were very tired and settled in for some serious hammock time!

After a quiet read and a little nap we headed off to find a bookshop but on an island which only has huts and restaurants we were out of luck. We did however stop for a rather large meal in a small family restaurant overlooking the beautiful river and Don Khon Island. We then returned to the safety of our hammocks and watched some local children fishing in amongst the fauna and enjoyed a wonderful sunset.

In the evening we booked our bus to Pakse and headed out for a few quiet beers. We sat on the very corner of the island and watched a huge lightning storm before heading off into the depths of the island for another beer and a late evening snack. The highlight however was watching two drunk Dutchman attempting to fish a chess piece out of the river which they had accidently dropped during their game!

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Photos

Don Khon
Li Phan Don waterfalls

Don Det Sunset
View from our cottage

4,000 Islands
Mekong River flowing through Don Det and Don Khon