Except for ziplines there are plenty of watetfalls on the Bolaven plateau and the area around Pakse. Normally I would want to visit all of them but the next stop on the way to Cambodia, Four Thousand Islands, had such an interesting name I wanted to go there earlier. The main island that travelers visit is Don Det which can be reached by a small ferry from Nakasong. When I reached the ferry terminal I was excited to see that the ferry was actually just a small catamaran built by two narrow boats connected by a wooden platform with a long tail outboard in the back. I rolled my motorbike down to the riverbank and the boat driver helped me push it up the ramp.

  • My motorbike on the “ferry”
  • The ferry captain
  • Getting closer to Don Det 

Apparently I was the only passengers so after waiting a few minutes we set off across the Mekong.  Don Det is kind of like a miniature Vang Vieng with guesthouses and restaurants all along the waterfront on both sides, with bungalows just down by the water. I do think, however that this place is  little bit less exploited than Vang Vieng; at least you see a few locals at the bars who aren’t  working there.

The landscape wasn’t quite so spectacular as I thought it would be (I’m sure it’s awesome seen from above) and it was sweltering hot when got there so I didn’t really feel like sightseeing. A lot of people were hanging around in one of the restaurants watching reruns of old Friends episodes but I didn’t feel like doing that either. Instead I rented an inner tube and went floating down the river, just like tubing in Vang Vieng but without the bars. There was even a small rope swing in a tree which was fun. Cooling off for a bit after sitting half out of the water under the blazing sun was nice too.

  • Starting to float down the river
  • The waterfront
  • Rope swing shaded by a large tree
  • Towards the next big Tree
  • Have some low sun art photography 
  • I think it’s weird how they just leave half sunken boats in the water

When I got back from tubing it was rather late in the afternoon so I got my book and just lay in the hammock reading for a while. Around five I moved out on the porch to watch the sunset which was possibly even more beautiful than the one in Vientiane. I finished the evening with some Mekong catfish Laap (Lao meat salad) at a nice restaurant.

  • Motor canoe going up river just before sunset
  • 4000 island sunset
  • Boat at sunset
  • Final shot just before it gets dark