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After trying the hammocks in our beginning of the trip through Laos we wanted to enjoy them again, that it is about time … and what better place than where the Mekong becomes an immense sea full of small islands, the so-called 4,000 islands of Laos, some so small that they only have a small tree, and others larger where you can stay in one of its many bungalows on the riverbank. And in one of these we spent the next 5 days of our trip, the last in Laotian lands.
As the time we spent lounging in our hammocks was too much for us, we spent one day touring the island of Where T and the neighbor Don khon connected by a bridge from the French period, mounted on a pair of bicycles. Of course, the road mixed rice fields that are now yellow fields, little houses on the sides of the river, people working (and also resting), animals, etc.
The idea was to see the waterfall considered the largest in Laos, and the famous freshwater dolphins who live at this height of the Mekong, in the waters that separate Laos from Cambodia. The first was not difficult, it was enough to follow the path, but the second … if it were not for a couple that we found later, we would still be doubting the existence of these animals, in addition to the fact that the photos of the agencies do not help much. To see them it is necessary to get to where they live in a boat, and have a little luck so that they can be seen.
If the Mekong seems to be turning into a sea in this area, there needs to be at least one little beach to prove it, right? Well, that was one of the surprises we got. Next to the waterfall there is a Beach where kayak groups take the opportunity to take a little break. We wanted to go to the beach, but this is not the best place to take a bath, the waters are a little rough here.
The couple we are talking about are a boy from Vitoria and a girl from… Guadalajara! They were getting a barbecue lady when we passed her and we decided to have the same, and bingo! It is rare to see Spaniards around here, I am not saying anything about Alcarrians … barbecue (which is actually like a hot pot to cook meat and soup at the same time) It consisted of a mix of meats, vegetables and a broth, which you cook yourself on top of some embers in the middle of the table. There is no shortage of meat here … how many barbecues can you get out of this pig?
It is our last stage in this charming country, so we try to drain the money we have left, but there is always a little left over, perhaps it will help us pay the illegal exit fees at the border with Cambodia… who knows… but that’s another story.
USEFUL INFO
Transport. How to get to the 4,000 islands?
We arrived from Pakse with a combined minivan + boat ticket, a total of 60,000kips, it took about 3 hours.
How to get to Cambodia from the 4,000 islands of Laos?
There are packages offered by travel agencies with the route Dondet (4000 islands) – Phnom Penh at 25 dollars: boat, then minivan to the border and another bus that awaits you on the other side of the border in the part of Cambodia that takes you to Phnom Penh or Siem Reap (which is closer). In recent times it seems that it has risen a lot, you can see in the agency posters, how much lower old prices have been erased. Total was about 15 hours between boat, minivan and bus, with the required stops.
Accommodation. Where to sleep on the 4,000 islands?
We stayed the 5 nights on the island of Dondet, in the Nouphit, the bungalows with private bathroom, wifi and two hammocks overlooking the Mekong, 40,000kips, there are cheaper options but without bathroom. On the last day, we do not know if due to misunderstanding or bad intention, they tried to charge us for two more nights, saying that the check-in we had done two days before … clearly it was a lie and when we showed him the extract of a withdrawal made in Pakse himself day of the actual check in (there are no ATMs on the island) they didn’t apologize or anything. What a bad drink! He even threatened us at first to call the police …
!!!Watch out!!!
If you want to wash your clothes, they may use trick scales to weigh them! One trick is to take a 1lt bottle of water and check the weight (on a scale, Lety’s camera that weighs 500gr weighed 1 kg!)
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