EASY DAYS IN A LAZY PLACE

Day 16, April 6^th

This is it.  This is what you search for.  A place so basic the only thing to do is relax.  Si Phan Don, Laos is called the 4000 Islands.  Most of the islands are so small that a person can’t even fit on them.  A few of the islands are big enough for people to live on.  All of the islands are reachable only by boat.  We chose to go to the two southern most inhabited of the islands, Don Det and Don Khon, which are connected by a French colonial bridge.  At this point there are only a few trucks to carry some tourists around on small day trips.  Also, a few pieces of construction equipment. Other than that, just motorbikes, bicycles and sandals.  The roads have yet to be paved and in most places are more like paths.  This place reminds me a lot of Koh Phi Phi, Thailand.

Our floating home.

It is hard to get moving in this place.  We have a quiet thatch roof hut that floats out over the river between the two islands at the northern point of Don Khon.  The sun sets right outside of our window.  It won’t be easy getting up in the mornings.

We start the day pretty slow.  A small breakfast at our waterfront hotel.  The kids are wiped out from Vietntiane and the trek south.  Right about the time they crash out for a nap, I’m ready to head out.  I leave a little kip (Laos money) on the bed between them so they can buy a coke or a snack when they wake up and I am out the door.  I catch a boat ride back to the northern part of Don Det.  The Mekong flows from the northern part of Don Det back down to Don Khon.  My plan is to drift back down the river to our floating abode.  As the boat is taking me up to Don Det, the ‘captain’ occasionally stops to give me instructions on the direction to float back down to Don Khon.  Mind you there are about 4000 islands.  They all look basically the same.  No distinguishable marking on them to help guide you.  Easy to get lost and in some places the current is pretty fast.  For the first set of instructions, he stops the boat in the middle of the river among several islands and using his hand to point says, “This way, good.  This way, BIG waterfall.  Don’t go.”  Hmm.  Good to know.  A little bit later, again in the middle of a completely nondescript section of the Mekong, he stops the boat and informs me, “This way, good.  This way, neva come back.  Don’t go.”  Oookaaaay.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for the information.  But, I would have preferred to have known all of this a bit sooner.  I’m frantically trying to remember markers to help me steer clear of the direction were you “neva come back.”

Local transportation.

Finally we get to the top of Don Det and I hop out.  This area is crawling with all of the backpackers cause it is the only legit beach we have on the island.  Everyone is laying out, playing in the river, enjoying fruit shakes and doing a whole lot of nothing.  I shall join my people.  No need to hop in the river right away, especially considering I may go over a huge waterfall or worse.

I lounge around, eat some food, enjoy a fresh riverside mango shake and drift in and out consciousness to the sounds of someone’s music.  This is perfect.

Cambodian crocs.

About an hour or two later I slide into the river on my tube and begin the ominous drift toward…something.  Four other people hop in the river at the same time.  They were not given the same instructions I was and I am now the leader of the group.  I would have preferred to have done this on my own.  One of the guys is an Australian who entertains himself by constantly repeating, “Oh yeah, this is definitely prime croc habitat.  There’s got to be a couple of them over there.”  SHUT UP! 

The drift down the river ended up being more relaxing and less perilous than the instructions led me to believe.  No crocs.  It was in fact quite enjoyable.  Almost two hours.  A little rinse off.  A little sunset dinner.  Curl up under my mosquito net.  It was a good day.

Day 17, April 7^th

Today started out about the same as the day before.  A little easy breakfast on the waterfront.  Then the three of us rented two motorbikes to tour the two islands.  All I could think about was having to fix the chain on the bicycle I rented the day we got here.  Definitely don’t want to get the kids in that situation.  That would be a big island buzz kill.  Glad we are taking motos.

Easy riders.

When we start out, mom is on my bike with me.  Uh oh.  I used to have a dirt bike and she would ride with me.  But, she wouldn’t hold on to my waist or shoulders like you’re suppose to.  She would reach under my arms and hold on to the handlebars and occasionally ‘help’ steer when she panicked.  NOT good.  We had a quick riding lesson and off we went.  It is such a peaceful way to explore the island.  We don’t run into any other trucks or motorcycles as we head down south in Don Khon.  We take some unmarked turns and end up at a small bridge with a little restaurant next to it.  We explore on the other side of the bridge and then stop in at the restaurant for lunch.  I wouldn’t be surprised if this restaurant hasn’t seen a customer in a couple of months.  Too bad, cause the food is good and the people are really nice.

Back on the road and we wind through some tight paths.  On the way some guy starts yelling at us.  Turns out he wants a ride.  Mom hops on dad’s moto and our new friend hops on mine.  He’s a local.  I think he is drunk.  We get him to where he wants to go and then head down to the southern most tip of Don Khon.  From here we can look over into Cambodia and possibly see the rare fresh water Irrawaddy dolphins.  No luck on the dolphins, onward north.

The Artists.

We spend another hour traveling back up through Don Khon, cross over the French bridge, through Don Det and back to the beach.  My people are still here.  Continuing their never-ending effort to perfect the art of nothingness.  I respect that.  Art takes practice.  Dedication.

This place really is amazing.  Tranquil.  Peaceful.  Rejuvenating.  The sad thing about this place is that is at that tipping point.  These remote areas start off undeveloped, untouched.  A few people discover them, then more.  Then development begins.  There is a point at which the development is perfect.  Just enough to handle your basic needs, but not too much to where the place is overrun.  It is perfect for backpackers.  The sweet spot.  Then the ‘other’ kind of travelers, the kind that need ALL of the amenities, invade and take over.  Development skyrockets.  Backpackers are left to seek out that next paradise.  It always happens.

Sunset over the bridge.

You can tell the development is ramping up here.  The remoteness and lack of accessibility helps slow down development, but it can’t stop it.  There are already developments in the works.  Big hotels.  This place wont be this peaceful for much longer.  A tipping point for sure.

Despite all of that, Luang Prabang has just been knocked off of the list.  Si Phan Don is now where mom wants to move to.

A few refreshing beverages and we ride back to our place and turn in the motos.  We enjoy a relaxing meal, again waterfront.  Then back to our floating room and prepare for the trip out the next morning.

Bitter sweet tippingly yours,

The Artist

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