Going to Don Det
We all woke up fairly early this morning as we had a bus to 4000 Islands booked. I don’t know if there are actually 4000, or just 3999, but I’ll take their word for it. For breakfast, we ate at the same restaurant we’ve been going back to, they have such a wide variety of food. I went for pancakes with multiple flavoured toppings (jam, syrup and Nutella). As we got back to the hostel, it was very crowded outside. It seems that everyone congregates here and gets the same bus, convenient that it’s at our place!
We cut it finer than we’d like to, but we made it all the same. The 3 of us boarded the bus without a hitch, and after picking our seats, it turns out Julie was in front of me. Whilst we’d gone to Thakhek, she had come straight to Pakse. Now we are all getting the bus to 4000 Islands together. What a coincidence. For that little tale, click here, and also the morning after for some bus drama!
A busted tyre
After some time on the road, in spectacular fashion, one of the bus’ tyres had burst. I don’t think highly of buses in Laos so far! We had to have a 40-minute break whilst another tyre was sourced and fitted. Fortunately, we made it to a ‘service station’, so we could take shade (from the searing heat) and buy some snacks. I tried unripe mango with some chili flakes, it’s not for me. I got talking to Julie a bit, with the use of WeChat, until the bus was ready to rock ‘n’ roll.
The bus to 4000 Islands took around 2 and a half hours, so not bad compared to some journeys! Due to our destination being an island called Don Det, the bus stops at the shore of river. You then have to walk to the river front, and trade your ticket for the boat ticket. It’s common to buy both the bus and boat ticket together (for us it was in Pakse). Once everyone is done, you walk across the beach to the boat, and then get in. It goes to another island before going to Don Det. Mind your head, I smacked the roof with my forehead.
Touring the island
Once we had made landfall, we decided to have some food at the restaurant that was right next to the pier. Whilst we were here eating, we all looked for different places to stay. Julie had come with us and is currently tagging along with us. Someone found a nearby hostel that seemed vacant and decent, so we gave it a bash. The hostel had a number of wooden bungalows that were raised off of the ground. They were kinda cute, but not very big. This place was called Dalom Guesthouse, it was decent and cheap. Most importantly, it had mosquito nets, albeit with some holes in.
After we’d checked in, we all went for a long walk around the island. Mat and Mischa walked together, and Julie and I walked together. We started off close together, then slowly the gap widened. The path around the island basically lines the shore, so you’re walking around the edges of the island. Apparently the island is quite party heavy, but we must have chosen a quiet time, because there was only one bar with music, and no one in it.
The scenery was beautiful, there were golden fields of grass and trees on our left, and the cool flow of the Mekong River on our right. After an hour or so, we were almost back at the hostel. Julie mentioned she wanted to see the sunset, so I got the maps out, and found a path that cut through the island. We had to walk quickly/run at one point because the Sun was so close to settings.
Chilling in a bar
With the Sun rapidly descending in the sky, we burst through the fields and onto the river bank, with mere seconds to spare. Just as we arrived, the Sun began setting behind the trees, so we were relieved that we could see sunset in all of its’ stages. When the Sun had finally disappeared, we headed back to the hostel. It’s important to note that the mobile data signal here is far from the best. We got back to the hostel to find no one home. It turned out that Mat and Mischa had stopped on the way to the hostel for a drink, and to let us catch up. However, we’d thwarted that plan by cutting through the island for the sunset.
We all chilled at the hostel for some time, to let the dusk mosquito period end, before heading to the bar that had music on earlier. The sign said there would be live music, so we thought this would be decent to see. However, there was no live music, though it didn’t surprise me. I didn’t expect much, but the food was actually super delicious. We also played cards, something which Julie had never played before. Surprisingly, she picked the rules up quickly and was winning before we knew about it!
After a couple of hours, we returned to the hostel and turned in for the night.
