The 4000 islands is sort of a delta in the Mekong before it drops down about 50m along a long ledge of rock before becoming a river again. Don Det, where I spent most of my time, has sort of a laid back backpacker beach atmosphere surrounded by the astoundingly clear water of the Mekong. From Vientiane it took about 18 hours to get to the island, so I felt I deserved to lie down in a hammock reading books and drinking beer for the rest of the day. And the next day. And the day after that. On my fourth day in the 4000 islands I finally did something: I rented a bike the rode the 5km to the huge series of waterfalls that prevents boats going down the Mekong, and the French railway that ... read more

We bought two boats in Muang Ngoi and silenced our many critics by getting to Luang Phrabang alive and with the surviving boat in enough of one piece to still float with one person bailing full time. Friday, 24th February, 2006 I had a bit of a seedy start this morning, having been pressured into drinking vast quantities of Lao Lao, a highly toxic condensate made from rice wine that is best used for lighting fires or as an industrial cleaner. Jonas, the German, was in for buying a boat and got Barry, the Irishman in by asking him, "What are you going to tell your grandkids?" Three English lads, Fox, Steve, and Stuart, and two English girls, Hannah and Kerrie, also came aboard, so we went shopping for a couple of boats. The first boat ... read more

Well, probably not - 8km isn't all that long unless you get lost. Getting there I was a bit late getting up at Tha Khek and only just caught the 9:15 bus to Vieng Tham and, as the last passenger, had a plastic stool in the isle. I changed buses at Vieng Tham and arrived at Na Hin at about 1pm. I jumped in the 2pm Seungtheauw for a very uncomfortable 4 hour ride to Kong Low. It started with about 10 of us in the back an got up to 23 at one stage - along with half a ton of cement and a refrigerator. I guess we must have averaged about 10km/h as the trip was about 40 km. It certainly didn’t feel any faster than 10km/h. Kong Lo Village I was met at ... read more