4000 Islands

The overwhelming characteristic of tourism in Laos seems to be ‘sleepy’. Restaurants with rows and rows of tables for crowds of people sit almost empty, guesthouses with 30 rooms are only ever a quarter full, shops stock cobweb and dust covered items that haven’t been touched in years and the major attractions seem almost deserted save a few stall owners and Laotians exploring their own cultural heritage. It’s a far cry from the booming tourist trail in Thailand and it comes both as a blessing and curse. On the one hand, you have interesting sights almost to yourself, hiring a motorbike is relatively safe given the lack of people and traffic and there is always the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful landscape in total peace. On the other hand, transit is difficult, basic and prone to overcharging, shops are few and far between and there’s no such thing as haggling against ridiculously overpriced items (the stall owners know you have nowhere else to go so if you won’t pay $5 for a bottle of water then you won’t be getting any water!) And the area in the Mekong River known collectively as 4000 Islands, or Si Phan Don in Lao, was no exception…

Physically beautiful, the islands that make up this area sit in the widest part of the Mekong and are actually pretty impressive. The majority of the 4000 are far too small to be inhabited but there is some choice for travellers wishing to visit. We opted for Don Khon, one of the more developed islands which has more higher end options (note: ‘higher end’ doesn’t mean high end, it means a room with air con rather than a basic bamboo hut on stilts – and trust us, air con is DEFINITELY needed!). Unsurprisingly getting to the island required a ferry crossing in another small boat which was interesting with luggage, but definitely all part of the experience. Once on Don Khon we only had one full day to explore, so hired a motorbike to explore the impressive and expansive Tad Somphamit Falls, which are created as the river rushes between island rocks and means that the Mekong is not actually fully navigable. We saw plenty of people opting for pedal bikes, but given how hot it was and how poor the tracks and lanes were, we decided the motorbike was definitely the right choice. It was actually nice to feel the cooling wind as we weaved through fields, farms and many of the islands resdient cows and water buffalo. We were also able to cross a small pedestrian bridge that links Don Khon to its island neighbour, the backpacker favourite Don Det. Billed as the ‘party island’, the scene is actually far more tame than expected, with bars closing at 11pm. Despite this, the restaurants/nightclubs still manage to sell their fair share of inappropriate t-shirts and cut price weed.

Whilst we enjoyed our time and the slower pace of travel for a while, we were both excited to get across the border and head in to Cambodia, which can be done in all in one tickets or do it yourself. We ended up buying our own ferry ticket to the mainland and a separate bus ticket to the border crossing, choosing to use a company called AVT for our 5 hour journey from there to Siem Reap. We’d read some stories about scams and overcharging where bus guides asks for an extra money for a visa service if you try and get a visa on arrival at the border, so we decided a pre-paid evisa for Cambodia would be easier. Despite this precaution, the land border is notorious for scams charged by border officials themselves, so we were prepared for ‘extra charges’ which are usually asked for in USD. On the Laos side, passport control demands $2 for your exit stamp, then as you walk the 400m to Cambodia, there is a health check point that charges $1 and finally another $2 charge for your entry stamp. Overall however the process is actually quick and easy, especially with evisa option.

Once we’d made the crossing, the contact from AVT met us and we waited at his restaurant for a van tran sfer to Stung Treng where we could have lunch before getting our final minibus to Siem Reap. Despite the smooth process, we actually got incredibly unlucky on the day for a number of reasons. Firstly, two French tourists who also booked with AVT were INCREDIBLY overweight, to the point where the man actually took up extra seat space in the minivan and required two spaces to himself. Secondly, two Dutch tourists decided last minute to book tickets with AVT meaning the car sent to take the original 7 passengers to Siem Reap didn’t physically have enough seats for the now 9 people! In classic Asian style, instead of getting another car, we were asked to share 4 people to a row of 3 seats whilst they squashed and pushed our luggage in the back. Cue the next 5 hours of terrible butt, back and leg pain as we were crammed incredibly close together with strangers. But it’s OK, they gave us some free bottled water to make up for it. Right. Luckily the journey passed without incident and we arrived in Siem Reap tired and in need of massage, but otherwise unscathed.