2015 - North-Eastern Thailand and Laos - Day 12

North-Eastern (I-San) Thailand and Laos, 16 Nov - 10 Dec 2015 (25days)

Don Det Island's main street, lined with swaying coconut trees, is home to friendly, sarong-clad villagers.

Day 12 (27.11.2015) Si Phan Don - walk to Don Khon Somphamit Waterfall Park

On day 12 we walked south around eastern Don Det Island onto Don Khon Island. These 2 islands are connect by a bridge. We then walked to Somphamit (Li Phi) waterfall and Hat Xai Kong Nyai Beach (Tha Sanam). Si Phan Don is the southernmost part of Laos.

The bridge that connects Don Det island to its southern neighbor Don Khon island, originally constructed as part of an elaborate railway line as a means of circumventing the massive complex of falls at this point in the Mekong River.
  
Sleeping at Lebijou Guesthouse, Don Det Island


Si Phan Don is the southernmost part of Laos.


Beautiful view of the Mekong River in front of Lebijou Guest House, Don Det Island.


Beautiful view of the Mekong River in front of Lebijou Guest House, Don Det Island.


Beautiful view of the Mekong River in front of Lebijou Guest House, Don Det Island.


We all had American breakfast in a cafe before the long walk to Somphamit (Li Phi) waterfall.


One of the gigantic old tree in Don Det Island.


Backpacker guest houses and restaurants can be found along the Mekong River on Don Det Island.


Backpacker guest houses and restaurants can be found along the Mekong River on Don Det Island.


Backpacker guest houses and restaurants can be found along the Mekong River on Don Det Island.


A big, fat, lazy black pig that lives in a house by the Mekong River on Don Det Island.


Backpacker guest houses and restaurants can be found along the Mekong River on Don Det Island.


Backpacker guest houses and restaurants can be found along the Mekong River on Don Det Island.


Another typical local wooden house on stilt along the Mekong River on Don Det Island.


This structure once used for hoisting cargo from the train onto awaiting boats; it’s all that remains of the railroad’s northern terminus at Don Det Village.


A small primary school along the Mekong River on Don Det Island village.


Local truck bus and three-wheel taxi seen at Don Det Village.


A cute little brown pig seen at Don Det Village.


A fisherman's hut along the Mekong River on Don Det Island.


Backpacker guest houses and restaurants can be found along the Mekong River on Don Det Island.


Si Phan Don's many islands live up to their name.


Si Phan Don's many islands live up to their name.


Si Phan Don's many islands live up to their name.


Ching Neng Bin walked by the water edge exploring the Mekong River on Don Det Island.


A long trail to Don Khon island.


Private boat that goes directly to their guesthouse along the Mekong River on Don Det Island.


Backpacker guest houses and restaurants can be found along the Mekong River on Don Det Island.


A water buffalo along the Mekong River on Don Det Island.


Don Det children swimming in the Mekong River on Don Det Island.


Children who swam in the Mekong River received candy bars from Chew Leng Soon.


Backpacker guest houses and restaurants can be found along the Mekong River on Don Det Island.


Beautiful view of the Mekong River in front of a Guest House, Don Det Island.


Opposite is Don Khon Island.


Children playing along the Mekong River on Don Det Island.


Beautiful flowers growing wild along the main road on Don Det Island.


Beautiful flowers growing wild along the main road on Don Det Island.


Beautiful flowers growing wild along the main road on Don Det Island.


The only main road on Don Det Island.


A tractor on the main road of Don Det Island.


One of the main activities on Don Det Island is rice cultivation. Rice is usually planted from June to July and harvested from October to November.



Simple rice milling in the paddy fields of Don Det Island.


Another water buffalo along the Mekong River on Don Det Island.


King Kong restaurant and guesthouse run by Minnie, an Englishman from Liverpool whom we met on the drive from Pakse to Si Phan Don.


A group photo with Minnie in his King Kong restaurant, Don Det Island.


King Kong doesn't try to compete with local fare, it offers nostalgic comfort food for visitors far from home. We had great time relaxing here with more beer to drink in Don Det Island.


A boat pulling kayaks for the adventurous along the Mekong River on Don Det Island.


Floating guest houses along the Mekong River on Don Khon island.


Boat rental along the Mekong River on Don Det Island.


Boat rental along the Mekong River on Don Det Island.


South of Don Det Island, an old concrete arch railway bridge across the Mekong River connects it to Don Khon Island.


South of Don Det Island, an old concrete arch railway bridge across the Mekong River connects it to Don Khon Island.


South of Don Det Island, an old concrete arch railway bridge across the Mekong River connects it to Don Khon Island.


Beautiful view of the Mekong River and Don Det island from the concrete arch railway bridge.


Beautiful view of the Mekong River and Don Det island from the concrete arch railway bridge.


Beautiful view of the Mekong River and Don Det island from the concrete arch railway bridge.


Restaurant and guesthouses on Don Khon island as viewed from the right side of the bridge.


Restaurants and guesthouses on Don Khon island as viewed from the left side of the bridge.


Ching Neng Bin, Chew Leng Soon, Chan Meng Fye on the Don Khon island railway bridge.




A short distance from the bridge lies the rusting locomotive that once hauled French goods and passengers between piers on Don Khon and Don Det, bypassing the falls and rapids that block this stretch of the river. Ching at the steam train brought in by the French but abandoned by the Japanese after WW2.


The Mekong expedition of 1866–1868, conceived and promoted by a group of French colonial officers and launched under the leadership of captain Ernest Doudard de Lagrée, was a naval exploration and scientific expedition of the Mekong River on behalf of the French colonial authorities of Cochinchina.


A rusted locomotive on display on Don Khon Island.




Bamboo trees on the way to Somphamit waterfall.


After following the path from the main road for 1.1km, we arrived at Somphamit Falls, a series of high rapids that crashes through a jagged gorge.


The excellent view of the Somphamit waterfalls.


The excellent view of the Somphamit waterfalls.


The excellent view of the Somphamit waterfalls.


The road that borders the Somphamit waterfalls is very dangerous, it's a path of stones, weeds closeness to the waterfall and the entire route is wet and slippery. As protections the wooden railing does great security.


The excellent view of the Somphamit waterfalls.


The excellent view of the Somphamit waterfalls.


Somphamit (Li Phi) waterfall can be described as a succession of rapids in the Mekong river.


Somphamit (Li Phi) waterfall can be described as a succession of rapids in the Mekong river.


Somphamit (Li Phi) waterfall can be described as a succession of rapids in the Mekong river.


Somphamit (Li Phi) waterfall can be described as a succession of rapids in the Mekong river.


Fishermen can sometimes be seen carefully negotiating the bamboo catwalks suspended above the violently churning Somphamit (Li Phi) waterfalls.


Somphamit (Li Phi) waterfall can be described as a succession of rapids in the Mekong river.
 

 
 


Almost as spectacular as the Somphamit waterfall itself is the nature trail that traversed a path through bamboo forest towards Hat Xai Kong Nyai beach on Don Khon Island.


A chalet-like dining place at Hat Xai Kong Nyai beach on Don Khon Island.


A restaurant at Hat Xai Kong Nyai beach on Don Khon Island.


A very attractive beach at Hat Xai Kong Nyai on Don Khon Island.


Beside the Somphamit waterfall there is also a very attractive beach at Hat Xai Kong Nyai on Don Khon Island where people can swim in a natural pool and explore other rocky islands close by.


A very attractive beach at Hat Xai Kong Nyai on Don Khon Island.


On the way out of the Somphamit waterfall, we saw this beautiful turkey birds mating.


On the way out of the Somphamit waterfall, we saw this beautiful turkey birds mating.


Another water buffalo along the Mekong River on Don Khon Island.


In Don Khon Village, children are playing with palm leaves.


In Don Khon Village, slices of fish meat being sun dried.


Don Khon Village.


Wat Khon Tai on Don Khon Island.


The village monastery, Wat Khon Tai was once a Khmer temple dedicated to the god Shiva. As with several Buddhist temples in southern Laos, this one was built upon the ruins of an ancient Hindu holy site, suggesting that the otherwise humble Ban Khon is around 1000 years old. On a pedestal nearby stands a Shivalinga, which was probably enshrined in the original Khmer temple.


Wat Khon Tai on Don Khon Island.


Wat Khon Tai on Don Khon Island.


A little brown pig seen at Don Det Village.


Monks using a boat to cross the Mekong River.


It was dinner time at King Kong Restaurant, Don Det Island - Mekong fish and chips.


We met new friends from Spain at King Kong Restaurant, Don Det Island.

Day 12 Cost Item in Thai Baht Bus/car Food Hotel Fee Total  per pax
Don Det Island Lebijou GH

1,000
1,000 250
Lebijou GH Breakfast                   125k kip
543

543 136

Drinks
500

500 125
1B=230kip Mineral water             15k kip
65

65 16

Entrance  waterfall  105k kip


457 457 152

Water                           28k kip
122

122 30

Dinner
200

200 50

Click below to view:
North-Eastern Thailand and Laos - Introduction
Day 01 (16.11.15) AirAsia AK 856 KUL. 12.45pm to Chiang Mai, (1738km)
Day 02 (17 Nov) Chiang Mai to Loei to Phu Kradueng to Khon Kaen (691km)

Day 03 (18 Nov) Khon Kaen City walk around
Day 04 (19 Nov) Khon Kaen City to Kalasin (80km)
Day 05 (20 Nov) Kalasin to Sakon Nakhon (129km)

Day 06 (21 Nov) Sakon Nakhon to Nakhon Phanom (92km)
Day 07 (22 Nov) Nakhon Phanom - day trip to Thakhek, Laos (62km)
Day 08 (23 Nov) Nakhon Phanom to Mukdahan (125km)
Day 09 (24 Nov) Mukdahan - trip to Phu Pha Thoet National Park (108km)
Day 10 (25 Nov) Mukdahan to Ubon Ratchathani by bus (194km)

Day 11 (26 Nov) Ubon Ratchathani to Pakse to Si Phan Don, Laos (291km)
Day 12 (27 Nov) Si Phan Don - a long walk to Somphamit Waterfall
Day 13 (28 Nov) Si Phan Don to Ubon Ratchathani by bus (291km)
Day 14 (29 Nov) Ubon Ratchathani to Si Sa Ket by van (67km)
Day 15 (30 Nov) Si Sa Ket to Buri Ram by train (148km)

Day 16 (01 Dec) Buri Ram - day visit to 3 places (219km)
Day 17 (02 Dec) Buri Ram to Nakhon Ratchasima by train (129km)
Day 18 (03 Dec) Nakhon Ratchasima - day trip to Phimai (120km)
Day 19 (04 Dec) Nakhon Ratchasima to Bangkok by train (264km)
Day 20 (05 Dec) Bangkok - Chao Phraya River boat ride to Khaosan Road

Day 21 (06 Dec) Bangkok - rest day and dinner at Royal Bangkok Sports Club
Day 22 (07 Dec) Bangkok to Prachuap Khiri Khan by train (320km)
Day 23 (08 Dec) Prachuap Khiri Khan
Day 24 (09 Dec) Prachuap Khiri Khan to Hatyai by night train (660km)
Day 25 (10 Dec) Hatyai to Butterworth by train and to KL by bus (555km)
 

L-R: Chan Meng Fye, Chew Leng Soon and Ching Neng Bin on the road in Thailand. 
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