It was around 6.30pm is when the journey began. Crammed into the back of a songthaew with 10-12 other people, we were dropped at the bus station where we would board our night bus to Pakse. The bus itself was huge! However the beds as such were not, roughly the size of a single bed for two people to share. This was fine for Luke and I but our friend Mark did have to share with a stranger. I want to say we were sympathetic but honestly it was really funny. Our bed was at the front of the top deck, so we got a good view of the very bumpy road ahead. Not much sleep was had, mostly we played cards and held on for dear life. We arrived in Pakse at 6.30am. Our next bus pick up was at 8.30am leaving us waiting for 2hours. The next bus was said to take 2hours and then a 15minute ferry boat over to Don Det. The bus actually took over 3hours and we had to walk and find the ferry boat we had a ticket for, with no aid from our transport company. Luke jumped on the first ferry boat with our bags, whilst Mark and I had to wait for the following one. The ferry boat was a long thin wooden boat with a noisy chugging engine.
Si Phan Don, otherwise known as 4000 islands, is an apt name for this beautiful location. There are clumps of reeds and islands speckled like freckles across the massive width of the Mekong river. Arriving on the island of Don Det is like going back in time. The roads are narrow and mostly dirt. There are lots of chickens, ducks and dogs running around, although admittedly this isn’t an unusual sight in SE Asia. There are no ATMs on Don Det and it only received 24hours of electricity power in recent years. It mostly consists of guesthouses and riverside bars but also has a bridge which links Don Det to another larger island called Don Khon. Our guesthouse, Riverside Bungalows, was a 10-15minute walk from the ferry dock. By the time we arrived we were all soaked through with sweat. The heat and humidity here was truly almighty. Unfortunately during our stay the heat was a factor that rendered us only able to the bare minimum. Our room was nice and provided a mosquito net but critically only had a fan and not AC. This made escaping the heat and sleep very difficult. Most of the guesthouses, restaurants and bars sit along the edge of the river showing spectacular views.
The only activity Luke and I did was rent bicycles from our accomodation for the day. This cost about 10000Kip each, which is equivalent to around 89p. The heat was so oppressive that walking to explore the island was completely out of the question for me, so the bikes were a good way to get about. We cycled over the old railway bridge that links Don Det to Don Khon. Here we stopped for a quick cooling drink before continuing on to find Liphi falls, also known as Somphamit rapids. The waterfalls were really powerful and impressive, despite the fact it is dry season. I can only imagine how crazy it must get when in wet season. We had to pay 35000kip each for a day ticket therefore made good use relaxing in one of the bamboo huts which overlooked the river by a beach. After an hour or so the heat was too much and we cycled our way back to Don Det.
Our time spent over the 3nights that we stayed on Si Phan Don, mostly consisted of relaxing in hammocks or drinking cold cans of cokes in a riverside bar. Luke and befriended several children at small bar restaurant one day nearby our guesthouse. I say we befriended them but really I think they just enjoyed playing games on our iPad. The little girl who couldn’t have been older than 8years old, had Down syndrome and was lots of fun to be around. Everyone we met on the island was really friendly and happy to give a smile. As previously mentioned because of the heat we didn’t do a lot of activities, although my only regret is not going on a kayak tour to see the rare Irrawaddy dolphins. There are said to be less than 20 individuals left in this part of the Mekong river. Our time here was short and concluded our stay in Laos. From here we travel to Cambodia, with our first stop in the city of Siem Reap.
Gone Travelling 
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