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After the border crossing - a little delayed as we have to wake up the Laos officials, a couple from Algeria we're with have to repeatedly explain where their country is, in the end the officials seem to settle for near Europe and them, the Czech guy and two of us travelling together in our mini van all attempt to refuse to pay the bribe we're asked for - we finally get dropped on the mainland in Don Khon, ready to cross over to Four Thousand Islands.
The boat drops us on Don Det - a beautiful Island but the North of which is very much backpacker ville and consists of bar/bungalow/travel agent/bar/bungalow/travel agent....etc and you don't really get to see much of the actual Island. From what we have read about the area we decide to head south to the Island of Don Kon, still very much geared up for tourists in that it has electricity, some of which is 24 hrs but a bit quieter and full of day to day Laos life as well.
No accurate map was available so we set off with the plan to get a taxi motorbike or similar to the bridge
crossing between the two islands. Clearly our reading hadn't been that detailed as there were no such taxis or any alternative transport available to get us there, just a dirt track which was pretty muddy from some recent rain and a very long walk, with our very heavy backpacks (we are still carrying way too much stuff) in 35 degree heat with little or no shade on offer.
We trudged on tho, determined and it was all going fine until...
I fell!
In the mud!
And couldn't get up by myself!
And had a sense of humour failure!
And once back on my feet thanks to Xan's help, threw my backpack on the ground and kicked it, with my very muddy feet!
(I very nearly threw it into the Mekong River but managed to stop myself, thank god!)
Xan coped very well with seeing me lose my temper for the first time - all be it he was probably glad it was at a bag and not at him. After leaving me to simmer for a few minutes, he cursed my bag too, pointed out that we were surrounded by the most amazing scenery so good place if
THE locomotive
hahahahaha - it truly is pathetic - hahahaha P x any to loose it and it wasn't long before we were p'ing ourselves laughing at my ridiculous outburst (I reckon Xan did very well not to laugh before that point!) and back on the road to Don Kon.
The south of Don Det and even more so Don Kon were worth the walk in the end. Just stunning, crossed the bridge (boy were we glad to see that bridge) and got checked into a gorgeous wee wooden bungalow right on the river. After a chilled night recovering from our walk (eating great cheap food and drinking beer Laos) the next morning we hired bikes to explore the Island.
We cycled over pretty smooth dirt tracks, a very very rocky old train line (not fun), through thick foliage, past tiny communities and farms. It was just amazing. One of the main sights on the Island that Xan wanted to see was a 'Japanese Locamotive' we didn't have a whole load of info as to what to expect but it was marked on the map as one of the highlights.
It was a small rusty shell, about the size of the trains you straddled at beach resorts and parks
Little and large (P's little)
On the Japanese Jetty - slightly more impressive than the locomotive when you were a kid (Barshaw Park for those of you lucky to have visited Paisley as a youngster) Xan was gutted, I couldn't stop laughing. Don't think I've laughed like that since he pulled out his mosquito wedge!
From there we managed to find our way to Ta Somphamit falls. These were awesome - by no means high, but wide and tumbling and powerful. Just loved it, the noise alone was immense. While there I met a white dog with pink eyes who'd clearly just been in for a dip. He was very friendly and proceeded to follow us when we got back on our bikes and headed to the beach area. In fact it wasn't long before he was leading us, checking regularly to see we were still there. When we disembarked he still led us, over the sand and down the water front. Here he jumped in the water and attempted, very patiently but highly unsuccessfully, to catch fish. Cleary he just wanted some company! When we got back on our bikes he heard a noise in the trees and was off, like the littlest hobo.
We had an amazing meal overlooking the Mekong that
night and were gutted to leave the next day. Would have loved to stay longer. Such a stunning, chilled, friendly place. Definitely one of our favourites so far.
Luckily we didn't have to retrace our steps on the way back, a boat picked us up from Don Kon and took us past Don Det to the mainland. That part of the journey was stunning, 4 of us on a long boat travelling up the Mekong, passing local fishermen and families bathing. When we arrived on the mainland however that serene bubble was well and truly burst as we were faced with a mass of backpackers and a bunch of mini vans. We eventually found our way onto one after our bags being loaded onto the wrong one and 14 people trying to cram into a 10 seater!
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