The second stop of my journey was Don Khone, one of the islands in the Mekong River at the very southern end of Laos. The area is known as the 4000 islands. Most that I saw are very small. The three largest are set up for tourists. I chose to stay on the one that is described as being quiet. It was a good choice.
The town itself is about 1 km long and is mostly guest houses. Villagers’ homes are outside town. There are a few old French houses in town. There is a school that has ruins of an old house on its grounds. Children play in it.
After settling in at the guest house, I set out on a walk. I found a map at a restaurant/guest house shop that turned out to be a good purchase. The first day I decided to walk to the waterfall outside town.
On the way, I stopped at the old wat. I enjoyed watching the water buffalo in the fields.
And the pigs, which are different from ones I’ve seen elsewhere.
Li Phi waterfall features water coming from several places and flowing among the huge rocks into a narrow canyon. I also walked down the path to the beach on the river. There the water is quiet.
That night there was loud music, which surprised me, since the island is supposed to be quiet. In the morning I went for a walk before breakfast and found the big stage where the music had come from. That day, 30 December, there was a big celebration. There was a market set up in the street. After breakfast I rented a bicycle, which is the main transportation around the island. Almost every place rents them. I decided to ride around the other side of the island to Khong Soi waterfall.
When I went through the market, I noticed that people were standing around along the river waiting for something. Soon a long boat came by, and I realized that there were going to be long boat races. I watched the boats practice for a while and then rode on.
The road went along a river. In one place there were water buffalo in the river, which I don’t usually see.
The waterfall is small but quiet. I was the only person there. In the river there was a huge contraption I think is some kind of fish trap. There wasn’t anyone I could ask about it.
I then continued around the island, riding through a forested area to the port from which one can get a boat to see the Irawaddy dolphins. I decided to do this and hooked up with a Swiss couple to share a boat. The dolphins are fresh water dolphins that come to this area between December and May. They don’t come high out of the water, but we were fortunate to see about twelve. We could see several well enough to see their arched backs. The boat goes out into the river and then stops so passengers can watch for dolphins. You really have to watch a spot and keep your eyes there or you will miss the quick jump. Across the river is Cambodia. The boats can only go half way across, as that is where the border is.
When I returned to town, I looked for a tour to Khong Prapheng waterfall. I had decided that I wanted to go there, partly because it is advertised as “the big waterfall” and partly because Khun Dakom had told me about it and how beautiful it is. It seemed like something I should do while I was in the area. I went to a few places that advertised tours, but they didn’t have anyone going. One man told me to find a friend, as they need two people to take a tour. Then another man then agreed to take me alone for only a few dollars more than I would pay if I had a friend; so on I went. He took me by boat to the port on the mainland. Then he put me on a motorcycle with another man. The ride was 30 minutes, the longest motorcycle ride I’d had for over thirty years. I had no idea it would be so far. The sign at the waterfall calls it “the pearl of Asia.” It is the largest waterfall in Asia—or in southeast Asia. I’ve seen it described both ways. I have also seen it described as the widest waterfall in Asia—or in the world. Either way, there is a huge volume of water flowing. It’s amazing to think of that amount of water in the same river that is quiet elsewhere.
The third day I rented a bicycle again. First I went to the wat. Then I crossed the river on the old French bridge that was used by the train to Don Det. Don Det has many more tourist guest houses than Don Khone. They just went on and on. The river looks different there; so I was glad I went.
I stopped at the wat and ate lunch at a noodle shop. When I returned to Don Khone, I went back to Li Phi waterfall because I decided to buy a silk shawl I’d seen. The woman weaves them there and was happy to have sold one. A man was doing the selling that day, but the woman thanked me as I left. Then it was time to return the bicycle and eat dinner.
Since my guest house was not on the river side of town, I decided to eat dinner every night at a restaurant on the river. Each night I arrived early so I would be there for sunset, and each night I was rewarded with a lovely sunset. Also good food. I had expected dinners to be more expensive on the island because so much has to be brought in by boat, but the prices were quite reasonable. Breakfast was as expensive as dinner, I think because more of the breakfast foods had to be brought in. Bottled water was twice as much as in Pakse. Food always took a long time to come because everything was cooked after it was ordered. The last night I had a local specialty—fish cooked in banana leaf.
The river: People use the river for washing clothes, bathing, and swimming. It is amazingly wide. I read that it is10-14 km wide in some places in this area. Going from Don Khone to Don Det and realizing that both are in the middle of the river was amazing. Seeing the river in Champassak, it is hard to believe the difference.
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