Laos - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 395

5

Southeast Asia's largest waterfalls are
also located here.

you reach Muang Sen, a sleepy port
with a popular floating restaurant.
While there is nothing much to see in
the town, it's a recommended stop for
rest and refreshment before heading
east via the shade-stingy 8km stretch of
very potholed road that leads back to
Muang Khong.

Don Khong
he largest of the Four housand Islands
group, Don Khong draws a steady stream
of visitors, but has a more laidback feel
than popular Don Det (see opposite). It
boasts a venerable collection of Buddhist
temples, good-value accommodation and
interesting fresh-fish cuisine.
Don Khong has only two settlements
of any size: the port town of Muang Sen
on the island's west coast, and the
east-coast town of Muang Khong , where
the best accommodation and restaurants
are. Like all Si Phan Don settlements,
both Muang Sen's and Muang Khong's
homes and shops cling to the bank of
the Mekong for kilometres but barely
penetrate the interior, which is reserved
for rice fields.

Excursion 2
For another interesting trip, head due
west from Muang Khong, on the road
that bisects the island. Just before
reaching the town of MUANG SEN on the
western side of the island, turn right at
the crossroads and head north. Follow
this road up and over a low grade and
after about 4km you'll cross a bridge-like
hump in the road. Keep going another
1.5km and you'll notice large black
boulders beginning to appear off to the
left. Keeping your eyes left, you'll see a
narrow trail leading up to a ridge of the
same black stone, along with a large
reclining Buddha. Park your bike at the
foot of the ridge, and, following the trail
up another 200m to the right, you'll spot
the teak buildings of Wat Phou Khao
Kaew , an evocative little forest monastery
situated atop a stone bluff overlooking
the Mekong. he centrepiece is a brick
stupa ; a fractured pre-Angkorian stone
lintel found at the base of the stupa
would, assuming it was once fixed to it,
date the structure to the middle of the
seventh century. Sadly, large parts of the
original stupa have been haphazardly
covered over with concrete and painted
red and gold.

WHAT TO SEE AND DO
he best way to explore the island is to
rent a bicycle (10,000K/day) or
motorbike (50,000K/day) - the flat
terrain and lack of heavy tra c makes it
relatively easy to get about.

Excursion 1
Follow the river road south from Muang
Khong, and cross the wooden bridge:
stick to the narrow path along the river,
not the road that parallels it slightly
inland. A couple of kilometres south
of Muang Khong lies the village of
BAN NA , where the real scenery begins.
he trail snakes between thickets of
bamboo, past traditional southern-Lao
wooden houses. Approaching the tail of
the island you'll emerge onto a paved
road. he vast bridge you see on your
left-hand side stretches for more than
700m, and cost nearly US$35 million
to complete. Follow the road around to
the far end of the bridge, and continue
west along the road, passing rice paddies
and the swishing tails of dusty water
buffalos. Tall trees provide welcome
shade as you pass through BAN SIW . he
village monastery, Wat Silananthalangsy,
is worth a look. he number of houses
lining the road continues to grow until

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By boat Taking the boat from Pakse or Champasak
sounds romantic but is very expensive to arrange these
days. Boats from other parts of Si Phan Don dock in the
middle of Muang Khong, near Done Khong Guesthouse.
Boats to Don Khon and Don Det depart from the same
spot daily at 8.30am (1hr 30min) and cost 40,000K;
arrange through the guesthouses the day before.
By bus and sawngthaew Minibuses from Pakse
(70,000K including boat transfer; 3hr; buy tickets from
tour agents) run daily and drop you at the passenger ferry
at Ban Hat Xai Khoun (you can choose which of the three
main islands you go to from here). Identical packages run
in the opposite direction, with boat and bus tickets to