The 4000 Islands

From Champasak we crossed the Mekong on a small boat and rode south to an old temple called Uo Muong. This was atmospherically situated in an large forest but truth be told, you needed a vivid imagination to get much out of it. Still, it was a beautiful ride to get there, on small tracks past quiet villages. Our intention was to continue south on the main road, stopping in some small guesthouse along the way, but it was just too hot and we were running out of steam, so we jumped on another bus and headed for the 4000 islands. This is in the far south of Laos, where the Mekong spreads wide across the plain, divided into countless smaller streams that curl around small islands, some inhabited, some not. Our destination was Don Khong, the largest of the islands, where we believed that we would be able to stock up on some Western food and there wasn't a bakery to be seen. Seizing the bull by the horns, we took a boat back across to Mekong (third of the day), rode south and then headed to Don Det, one of Laos' backpacker hubs.

As the boat pulled into the beach, sure enough there were some pink backpackers sunbathing, a bakery promising cake and lots of cheap and cheerful bungalows. Unfortunately, Mike had been having what we will delicately refer to as chafing issues during the course of the day, and decided that he wanted to stay somewhere posh. Cake - tick. Hamburgers - tick. Cold beer - tick. Internet cafe - tick. Cheap bamboo bungalow - tick. Posh hotel - nope. Round and round we went, trying everywhere that looked like it would cost more than a dollar, and none of them had a room (or didn't want us to stay there; we were pretty grimy). Eventually we got to the end of the island, it was getting dark, the chafing was getting worse, the moods were remarkably light, but the options were running out. Then, bliss, around the corner we see an old railway bridge leading to another island, one renowned for being for the more discerning traveller. We tried one hotel; full. Tried another; turned out it was a monastery. But finally, FINALLY, we found somewhere that did the trick. Blew our budget for a few days but it was worth it.

I liked the islands and cycled around with Meggles. Mike thought they were dull and wouldn't put his delicate rear anywhere near a bike seat so him and Sam were less adventurous. We celebrated Meg's birthday (three!) and ate Mekong fish.