Laos - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 397

WHAT TO SEE AND DO
A delightfully sleepy place with a timeless
feel about it, BAN KHON , at the northern
end of Don Khon, is the islands' largest
settlement. To explore the remnants of
Laos's old French railway, head just south
of the bridge back behind some houses.
here you'll find the rusty remains of the
locomotive that once hauled French
goods and passengers between piers on
Don Khon and Don Det, bypassing the
rapids that block this stretch of the river.

5

jumping-off point for dolphin-spotting
excursions. he April to May dry season,
when the Mekong is at its lowest, is the
optimum time of year to catch a glimpse
of this highly endangered species (early
mornings and late afternoons are best),
and boats can be hired out from the
village to see them. Boats cost 60,000K
for a one-hour trip, depending on the
number of people, and you're obliged to
pay for the boat regardless of whether you
see any dolphins.
he bluish-grey freshwater Irrawaddy
dolphins ( Orcaella brevirostris ), known
as pa kha , are rare in Lao waters, as most
are unable to swim beyond the Khon
Phapheng Falls near the Laos-Cambodia
border. Over the past century their
numbers in the Mekong have dwindled
dramatically, from thousands to around
one hundred today. Gill-net fishing and,
across the border, the use of poison,
electricity and explosives, are to blame.
A more pressing threat to the dolphins'
survival is the vast Don Sahong dam,
currently being built south of Don Khon,
which scientists believe could change the
river's hydrological balance forever.

Ban Hua Det
Most budget travellers head straight
for the busy backpacker enclave of
Ban Hua Det , at the northern end of
Don Det. Here, dozens of tourist-friendly
guesthouses , bungalows and restaurants
have sprung up just a stone's throw from
an incongruous industrial structure once
used for hoisting cargo from the train
onto awaiting boats; it's all that remains
of the railroad's northern terminus. In
just a few short years the place has grown
from a sleepy island community into
something resembling hailand's party
islands, and construction continues apace
to keep up with the influx of visitors.
Needless to say, if you'd rather be woken
up by a crowing rooster than the screech
of a band saw, stay further south.

Khon Phapheng Falls
Despite technically being the largest
waterfall in Southeast Asia, Khon
Phapheng (30,000K), to the east of Don
Khon, is not all that spectacular. Indeed,
it's best described as a low but wide cliff
that just happens to have a huge volume
of water running over it. he vertical
drop is highest during the March-to-April
dry season, and a tourist pavilion above
the falls provides an ideal place to sit and
enjoy the view. Most tourists do the falls
as a package from Don Khon or Don
Det, but it is also possible to get there by
motorbike - get a boat to Ban Hat Xai
Khoun (opposite Muang Khong) and
head south along Route 13.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By boat Boats between Don Khong and Don Det/Don
Khon run daily at around 8.30am (1hr 30min; 40,000K) in
both directions. It's possible to get a boat from either of
the islands to Nakasang (15min; 15,000K) for onward
connections, though the easiest option is to arrange the
whole journey through your guesthouse.

Walking
Linked by a bridge and traversed by a
trail, Don Khon and Don Det can be
easily explored on foot. he fee to cross
the railway bridge is 25,000K per day;
there's a ticket booth at the southern end
of the bridge. A short walk west of the
bridge on Don Khon stands the village
monastery, Wat Khon Tai. Taking the
southerly path behind the wat for 1.5km,
you'll come to a ticket checkpoint, and
then a cliff overlooking Somphamit Falls ,
a series of high rapids crashing through
a jagged gorge.

Dolphin-spotting from Ban Hang Khon
From Ban Khon, follow the path that
turns inland near Chanthounma's
Restaurant through rice paddies and thick
forest and eventually, after 4km, you'll
reach the village of BAN HANG KHON , the