Category: 4000 Islands

Another lazy day on the island. We opted to hire some kayaks but had a devil of a time finding someone to rent us one. At one place, we were told we could get one if we came back in an hour or so, as the owner was returing from a month long stay in Luang Prabang.

We killed the time on the hammocks, then hired the kayaks. Took a while to get the hang of it, and it was still hard work. We stopped for a swim and rest, then made our way back the long way.

It started to pour rain as we ate dinner, so we ran back to the bungalow to hide out for the night.

We left a note for Lucio, hired some bikes, then headed to breakfast at our usual place (good food, terribly slow service). Justine and Beck were there, so we joined them. When we were nearly finished, Lucio joined us.

After breakfast, Lucio hired a bike and joined us on a tour of the island. We crossed the bridge to Don Khon, and paid the toll. The first stop was the waterfall – more of a steep section of the river, but very powerful. They probably ought to harness the power to use for the island, which currently runs on generators, which generally shut down at about 10pm.

We sat in the shade by the waterfall when I heard a “hello”. I’m pretty used to the locals yelling hello, so I was surprised to see our tuk-tuk driver from Pakse, Mr. Luey, when I looked up. He’d come from Pakse with a Thai family, to give them a tour of the island.

We headed to a beach near the waterfall, where we met an English guy, called Jack. He was interested in seeing the dolphins as well, so we hired a boat and the four of us ventured out. The fresh water Irrawaddy dolphins popped up a few times, but never too close to the boat. The Cambodian side of the Mekong was pretty clouded over and gray so we asked our driver to take us back. We got caught in the rain regardless, but it was a nice reprieve from the heat. We headed back by bike to the bungalow. Had a quick shower, then grabbed some dinner at an Indian place Justine and Beck had recommended. Pretty lousy food, sadly, so we must have ordered the wrong dishes.

The three of us had coffee for breakfast, then headed by minibus to the 4000 islands. A fairly uneventful trip, other than the slow-seeming Lao man who tried to grab everyone’s bag so he could make some money for transferring it to the tuk-tuk. I had no bag, so it wasn’t a problem for me. We took a boat to Don Det Island, and the three of us went looking for a room. It had obviously rained a lot the night previous, and the roads were a muddy mess. I offered to watch the bags (and secretly pretend they were my own for a while) while the others searched for accommodation. Lena and I ended up sharing a bungalow because she was afraid of the animals (which entails everything from rodents and geckos to the pesky flies that were everywhere on the island).

The three of us took a walk and grabbed some lunch, meeting up with two girls Lucio knew – Justine and Beck. Lucio wasn’t intereted, so Lena and I headed out for a walk on the island by ourselves. We reached the bridge (once an old railway bridge – although I can’t figure out why you’d need a railyway line on two small islands) and sat there for a while. There was a fare to cross so we opted to wait until the next day to cross. We circled the rest of the island, before making our way back to the bungalows.

We grabbed Lucio and headed to a bar with a nice sunset view (we were staying on Sunrise Blvd.). Had a snack and a drink there, watched the sun set, then headed to the same restaurant we ate breakfast at, and had some dinner.