Life Is So Laidback in This Tran- Quil Paradise That Everything Seems to Slow Down on the Inhab- Ited Islands

| TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 2018 | THE STRAITS TIMES | D7

A travel series every Tuesday. The stories are also available in sgtravellers.com

BON VOYAGE SPECIAL | SPH CONTENT LAB Four Thousand Islands of paradise

Ryandall Lim unwinds at idyllic Si Phan Don in Laos

WHILE travelling down the length of Laos, I discovered war-torn temples, dramatic karst moun- tains and thundering waterfalls. I also stepped into a nest of army ants, fell off my motor- cycle, got lost and endured bumpy and nauseating rides with chain-smoking locals, goods and quacking ducks all packed like sar- dines in songthaews (passenger mini-vans). After two weeks of off-the- beaten-track adventures, I was looking forward to relaxing at Si Phan Don, or Four Thousand Islands, at the southernmost tip of the country. The archipelago comprises thousands of big islands, tiny islets and minute sandbars that span 14km across the widest part of the 4,350km-long mighty Mekong River. Life is so laidback in this tran- quil paradise that everything seems to slow down on the inhab- ited islands. Most visitors here make their way to the biggest island, Don Khong, or the twin islands of Don Det and Don Khon that are connected by the French Bridge. To get to Don Det, I hopped on a boat at Ban Nakasang, one of several small riverside towns where boats depart for the dif- ferent islands. Once the boat ﬁ lled up with passengers, a young boatman steered it along.

Four GUIDELINES n I flew to Thousand Bangkok on AirAsia and took a bus to Vientiane, the Islands of capital of Laos. Then I travelled by bus and songthaew (mini-van) to paradise Pakse, where I bought a bus-boat combination ticket (70,000 kip/ CONTINUED FROM D7 3 hours) to Don Det via Ban Nakasang. Lao We navigated a river bend before Airlines offers direct entering a tributary, and then flights from Bangkok passed dozens of islets that looked to Pakse. like large floating bushes. n The best time Occasionally, noisy motorised to visit Si Phan fishing boats jetted past, sending Don is during small rippling waves that rocked the cool, dry season our vessel slightly. It was as if the (November to January). serene river, with its hypnotic rip- Bring a sweater as it ples and green islands, was telling can get chilly by the us to slow down. river at night. n Don Det is Lazy island life A picture- noisier and more Don Det has a slightly hippy vibe, postcard commercialised with its concentration of bars and Don Det than the other islands, restaurants at the main village of sunrise. but has convenience Ban Hua Det in the north. stores and money- Tourists — mostly foreigners — changers. Exchange A small arrive at the village’s pier and stay perfect havens for a blissful respite into a relaxed state of mind; and motive and remnants of a railway rates on the islands temple at guesthouses within the vicinity. from busy city life. eateries with comfy recliner chairs track built by French colonialists are generally poor, so complex on But a singular, sandy path leads There were hammocks tied beckoned you to sit back and while in the late 19th century to link the change money at Ban Don Khon. to a charming rural area with to the veranda beams of budget away your time with re-runs of two islands. Nakasang. There are PHOTOS: buffaloes, pigs and ducks roaming chalets or between trees facing the American sitcom Friends. From there, a 30-minute stroll no banks or ATMs on RYANDALL LIM wild and children playing in padi Mekong that promised to lull you to Si Phan Don’s languid island along the river through the com- Don Det and Don Khon. fields bordered by coconut trees. sleep as they swayed gently in the life is addictive, even for energetic pounds of a small temple and a n Lao kip, Thai baht I found the main islands of Don breeze; soft reggae music streamed explorers on a mission to check field of towering twines led me to a and US dollars are Khong, Don Det and Don Khon from the few basic bars to ease you items off their itineraries. kitschy park. accepted in Laos, I met travellers who were so I paid 35,000 kip (S$5.50) to though in small villages, charmed by the lethargic rhythm enter it and get a spectacular view only the kip is used. of island life and the picturesque of a set of raging rapids called Tat n On Don Det, views that they extended their stay Somphamit. stay on the to indulge in a few more days of The locals call these rapids Li east coast (but hammock-rocking. Phi, which means “spirit trap”, slightly south of the For thrill-seekers, there was no believed to entrap wandering bad main pier to avoid the lack of action-packed activities spirits “washed” down the river. sometimes noisy bars) such as river tubing, kayaking, Hence, you will never see locals for great sunrise views. cycling and trekking to nearby swimming in the rock pools despite n Bring a torch to use waterfalls. how refreshing the water looks. at night as the paths are Further down, past a near-empty unmarked and unlit. Island exploration café with pavilions that overhang n Do not climb onto I, too, stayed two extra days on Don a gentle cliff, a picturesque boulders or stray Det to unwind and read a book in curved sandy beach played host beyond warning signs at my hammock. to several bikini-clad Caucasians Tat Somphamit. Some But I managed to pry myself away suntanning. rocks are loose, slippery from the comfort of it to explore the After my mini excursion, I and dangerous. area for half a day on foot. headed back to my bungalow to From my no-frills bungalow indulge in my new pastime of on Don Det, I walked past several doing nothing. villages and padi fields and crossed Unless you count swaying in my the French Bridge to Don Khon, hammock by the lazy Mekong as where I discovered an old loco- something. The writer outside his no-frills, river-facing bungalow.

            

                       

From wondrous fjords to monumental glaciers, steaming geysers and exquisite ice sculptures, the natural wonders of       Iceland and Greenland are simply sublime. The sheer beauty of Iceland will take your breath away and your cruise around the       world’s largest island, Greenland, promises to be a voyage of a   lifetime. This is what it means to visit heaven on earth.

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