January 4, 2007 In Transit – Don Khom

January 4, 2007
In Transit – Don Khom

I woke up this morning at 6:00 when the bus driver turned on the loud bus music. Thirty minutes later we arrived in Pakse. From there we jumped in a song tao and headed for the southern bus station to get onto another bus.

When we go there we were told that the big bus was not leaving for several hours but we could pile into a song tao. Not wanting to sit around, we jumped in. The vehicle was so full that Spizz stood on the back for the entire journey (2.5 hours).

Eventually we arrived in Si Phan Don, an area considered one of natures wonders because there are more than four thousand river islands in close proximity. We hired a boat and set out for the smallest of the inhabited islands, Don Khon. As usual, it was a very small and very unstable vessel. Still, we made it to our island.

We planned on staying at one of the nicer establishments in town but found it to be full. Instead, we got cheap bungalows from the place next door (where a room costs $3 per night, for 2 people).

After settling in (just after 11:00) we headed straight for the nearest restaurant. Though it took forever to get our food, the meal was quite tasty. When we were done eating I headed back to the room and jumped in the (cold) shower to rinse off the dirt I acquired during our long travel south.

A few minutes past 12:00 the three of us rented bicycles and started exploring the island. Interestingly, we were given very simple and uncomfortable bikes even though the road is quite rough. It made for an interesting journey.

Even so, it was quite fun. Our first stop was a massive waterfall a few kilometers from our bungalows. Sadly, the there was so much water and such a strong current that it did not look safe to swim. After taking a bunch of pictures we continued cruising on our bikes.

The dirt road came to an end at a sandy beach. Excited that there might be an opportunity to get in the water, B and I rushed to the edge of the river. The thick layer of scum covering the water ended that excitement…Instead, we considered taking a boat trip to see the river dolphins. After much deliberation we decided against such an adventure. It was quite hot outside and we did not want to be out in the sun that long (plus it was about $10).

After a quick rest at the beach we jumped back on our bikes and headed toward our bungalows. B and I decided to go searching for the internet. This quest took us across a bridge and to the other side of the adjacent island. In all, it was a long arduous bike ride (about 10K). When we got there we were surprised to find that most of the internet cafes were not working because of a recent earthquake near Taiwan. The only connection to the world wide web was using a dialup connection. It was the first time in a long time I have used such a slow connection.

After checking my email we began our journey back to the bungalow. Hot, sweaty, and tired we arrived at our place to find Spizz fast asleep. I went on a walk to cool down and then made a stop to phone Jackie and discuss my recent thoughts about heading home early.

Feeling slightly better I returned to my room and took a cold shower (16:00). I spent the remainder of the afternoon reading Kite Runner in our hammock.

As the sun started to set B and I decided to wake up Spizz so that we could all go get dinner. We watched a beautiful sunset as we ate dinner on a floating restaurant. While eating we became friends with a crazy Scottish guy and his French traveling companion. We were quite amused because they were stereotypes of their countries. The Scotsmen drank throughout the night and the Frenchie complained in a thick accent. The only negative of the experience was the incredible number of bugs. Tornados of flying insects congregated around each light.

We returned to our bungalow and decided to put in an episode of Band of Brothers (which B recently purchased). After watching we all climbed into our beds. Unable to fall asleep, I continue reading my book well into the night (not getting to sleep until almost midnight).