With the end of our month in Laos coming quickly. We only had four days left. These four days were set aside for one purpose, to relax in the 4,000 Islands. The 4,000 Islands are an Archipelago in the middle of the Mekong river in the southern tip of Laos. It's truly amazing how this mighty river opens itself up so wide as to allow for all these islands. Also, this stretch of the Mekong is home to Irrawaddy fresh water dolphins. Only a few of these Illusive creatures are left in the world and only a few of them are known to be living in this area.

So, with relaxation and high hopes for the scenery, we set out for the island of Don Det. Don Det itself has a few restaurants and several riverside bungalows for rent at quite possibly the cheapest prices in all of The Laos P.D.R. It's a quiet place with no motor vehicles and electricity only in the late evening hours.

It was there, right on the river bank, where we found the quietest and most beautiful place to stay. Our stilted bungalow had a large porch with two hammocks and a perfect view of the evening fisherman checking their nets and fishing with bamboo poles, as the sunset turned the sky from bight blue to a million shades of pink and orange.

One of our favorite activities on the island was bicycle riding. For about a dollar a day, you can rent a bike to explore the various trails and back roads through the rice paddies and over the bridge to the neighboring island of Don Kong, were we saw the most amazing waterfall.

The food was also really nice here. There was an Indian restaurant were we ate three times. There was also a woman on one of the side trails who made the most incredible samosas. There is also an Australian guy on the island who runs a small bakery, featuring some amazing cinnamon rolls ( a rare treat in Asia).

As for those wiley dolphins, our first attempt to see them was from shore, were we sat patiently waiting for one to surface. We didn't have any luck with the dolphins that day, but we did manage to make friends with a couple of friendly puppies.

Our second attempt was a little more thought out. We and a few friends hired a boat driver to take us to prime dolphin spotting territory. It was a beautiful boat ride down the river and through the islands to our destination, a big rock in the middle of the Mekong. Here on this rock, we sat with our eyes glued on the water for two hours, waiting for our first glimpse. As good as our second plan was however, no dolphins were spotted. We were forced to resign ourselves to total relaxation for the rest of our stay. The search for the dolphins will perhaps continue another day.

All in all, it was just what we were looking for, a quiet, beautiful place to digest our Laos experience and prepare ourselves for the Cambodian adventure to come.

written by  katieandmichael on May 23, 2009 from Ban Dondet, Laos
from the travel blog: Katie and Michael's Travel Blog
Send a Compliment

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Marvelous!! that sounds much better than spending the day on the phone with crazy people! You must be so brown by now, I wonder if you'll ever fade.

written by  Angie Merriman on August 26, 2009

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Go to Kratie (Kracheh) if you want to see Irrawaddy dolphins. You can't miss them there. There are loads!

written by  The Happy Couple on August 26, 2009

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