DAY 25: 4000 Islands (21/03/19)
My last stop in Laos was Si Phan Don a.k.a. The 4000 islands.
This archipielago is located in the border between Laos and Cambodia, and even though there may exist 4000 island or more🏝️, there are 3 that are way bigger than the rest (Don Khong, Don Det and Don Khon).
I read that Don Khong is barely visited by tourists, so I decided to start with that one to recover from my recent injuries. In fact, there was not much to do around but lay on a hammock and read books📖. I believe we were only 2 foreigners in the whole island, as the next morning I was notified that the other girl was leaving and I should leave too or who knows when another boat would come🤷🏻♂️
I joined her to go to Don Det where I stumbled upon my French friends Lisa and Tanguy. We stayed in Mama Tanon’s, a friendly local lady’s guesthouse, where we spent most of our days lying down in mats with views to the river, eating cheap food and drinking fruit shakes🍍.
One of those days, we rented bicycles and rode around Don Det and Don Khong. It was a hot day and the beaches that we were expecting to find were quite dirty. When we returned to our bungalows I was so thirsty and hungry that I decided to buy a watermelon and eat the whole thing in one sitting🍉. Not the best idea, and not the best night (search Watermelon side effects for more details💩).
The last day, we booked a kayaking tour around the 4000 island of the Mekong, we sightsee the last Irrawaddy dolphins of the area and the sacred waterfalls Phapheng Waterfall (brief story in the comments).
As we were leaving to Cambodia, Mama Tanon had made bracelets for us to wish us luck. Little did I know…🤦♂️
In the middle of the river, next to the waterfall there used to be a tree, Manikhot. This historic and sacred tree, has been staying in Khone Phapheng Falls for more than 2,000 years until it’s dead on 19th March 2012.
The reason was unknown. Lao people believed that the tree is able to give life and death. It’s believed that the core of Manikhoth can make things die and the top part of the tree can bring dead things back to life.
Every Buddha days from October to March, there are a bunch of white egrets flying around Manikhoth tree three rounds before landing on the branches and trees nearby. It’s said that the egrets are showing respect. After its death in 2012, the Manikhoth could not be brought up from the water due to the heavy flow of water in Khone Phapheng Falls.