Obviously a travel post to delete photos in my VSCO.
Many moons ago, I spent my Songkran/Pi Mai/ Thin Jian/ Buddhist New Year in Don Det. Don Det is one of the bigger islands of the infamous 4,000 islands sprawled across southern Laos.
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Why go?
Well, it’s a cool way to get drawn to the slow-paced island life while exploring the Mekong river. It's also a novelty (for me at least) to be in an island not surrounded by seas and oceans. It's believed to be a must-see according to Lonely Planet but then again, Lonely Planet is for losers.
What to expect?
As usual, the adventure starts in the “going there.” You could fly from Vientiane to Pakse and endure a 3-hour van and boat ride. Or you could take a sleeper bus that leaves the southern bus terminal of Vientiane at around 8PM and arrive at Pakse the next morning to endure the same 3-hour van and boat ride – and possibly some heartbreakingly shallow conversations of hungover backpackers or English teachers on vacation. The vans do not take you directly to the pier so you still have to walk for 7 minutes or so to reach the river (not a good idea if you have suitcases). Unscheduled boat trips and van rides will also cost a lot of money so plan accordingly.
The scenery of the island looks like Laos – brackish river waters, leaves rustling, loud bass-y folk dance music, boat motors drowning conversations, Beer Lao-sponsored restaurant and bar signs,
We went during summer and the heat just hits you in the face to the point of nausea so bring water canisters wherever you go. And sunscreen like you’ve never seen sun before.
ATMs do not exist in the island and some vendors will let you withdraw money with a steep interest rate so bring your wads of kip since you will be needing to pay in cash most of the time. There are plenty of accommodation options to choose from that it puzzles me where the locals live, really. The major ones can be booked online and the costs vary from mid-range to dirt-cheap.
WiFi and mobile data are not that strong so be wary of people introducing themselves as digital nomads lol jk. What I meant to say is: revert back to analog entertainment. Read a paperback in a hammock, rent a bicycle and go around the island, swim in the public pool or in a private one,
Navigating the island is easy so bringing kids and older folks should be fine. But note that this is a chill travel that distorts your concept of time so if you're the type who wants to have an itinerary, maybe Don Det is not for you.
On a more personal need, do not expect cakes and other baked goodies that do not look like bread to be found in the island. There are space cakes but, ugh, no.
On a more personal need, do not expect cakes and other baked goodies that do not look like bread to be found in the island. There are space cakes but, ugh, no.
And finally, it is Laos – except that there are more tourists and foreigners managing the locals which I find saddening tbh. If you're looking for an authentic cultural experience, this is not it.
What to discover?
Don Det is divided into its Sunrise side and Sunset side which we found so adorable. Wouldn’t it be grand to have places divided that way? For sure it’s a good way to start a conversation on your next Tinder date. We stayed in the sunset side and the horizon really looks beautiful once the sun is setting – makes your Beer Lao sipping more dramatic.
If you’re too energetic for island life, there are a lot of tours that range from adrenaline-inducing to lazy sightseeing. We took the kayak tour to see two waterfalls, illegally go to Cambodia and spot dolphins in Mekong. If this is your first time to kayak, I suggest you seek the help of a guide as water currents in Mekong can be fast and the routes you'll take can defo overturn your kayak. It's also easy to be left behind by the group and nah, they won't wait for you.
Also, food choices are surprisingly great but limited. Nothing on the fancy side but everything is fairly priced. The Pumpkin Burger was too good to be true.
What to learn?
I knew Don Det was going to be touristy. That it will be a place filled with expats and foreign tourists who think they’re cool enough to have reached a remote paradise. One girl in a bar took to great lengths to let people know she was high by screaming she’s high (cringe). But of course, I wanted to stay open since I’ve never been and I must admit, I enjoyed everything except for the transactional way people relate to each other.
The locals never really mingled with the tourists unless they’re selling something and the tourists never really talked to the locals unless they needed something. It was that kind of relationship that exists in Don Det’s ecosystem and it probably wasn’t like that before. Sure, you’ll hear of nice stories like that of Last Resort’s but you’ll often see places managed by foreigners who employed the unhappiest-looking local staff.
This is not a new tourism model especially in South East Asia. But I sure do not want to contribute to it and will exercise indie travel rule #13215313:
Go to tourist places where local tourists go to. That way, locals don’t feel like they’re just serving foreigners and foreigners don’t feel entitled of special service. Vangvieng, Bali, largely all of Cambodia – the way they do their tourism rarely empowers local communities – and even creates a culture of exploitation that also includes the environment.
Our experience in Don Det was a mix of both good and bad. We got conned, fed with spoiled fried rice during the day-tour, kayaked through Mekong while the sun has already set, waited an hour to be served in a Korean restaurant...
But we also ate so much food, got to see Irrawaddy dolphins, crossed to Cambodia illegally and had the cutest experience in Laos so far:
While taking detours to avoid getting splashed with water, we ran across three Lao kids who were so surprised to see us. One of them stopped us and she was trying to remember English words that didn’t really come across well to my boyfriend. “1.. 2…” She gestured the numbers in her fingers. My boyfriend thought they were asking for money and was awkwardly removing himself from the conversation. The girl’s friends were also a bit embarrassed that she was holding us up.
“Minutes! 2 minutes!” The girl screamed and she made splashing motions with her hands. Apparently, they wanted us to stop and wait so they can splash us with water. After all, it’s Pi Mai. We agreed to wait and while waiting for her friend to get water, she tried her best to entertain us. “My name, my name…” she enthusiastically asked while pointing at us. She was asking for our names. After a few minutes, her friend came back with a can filled with water! They were polite enough to not hurl all the contents of the can at us. My boyfriend and I walked away with damp clothes and smiles plastered on our faces. Definitely the cutest thing that happened to us in Laos.
And don't forget the nature. Don Det is Don Det because of nature and that alone is good enough reason to start your own adventure. So yes, I encourage you to go for it, talk to the locals and go beyond “Sabaidee.”
And don't forget the nature. Don Det is Don Det because of nature and that alone is good enough reason to start your own adventure. So yes, I encourage you to go for it, talk to the locals and go beyond “Sabaidee.”
