Day 217 - End of the Road

We began the day with an 8AM minivan to Stung Treng. Or, at least the van picked us up from our guesthouse at 8AM. We didn't actually get on the road until nearly 9. The road to Stung Treng was almost all paved, and we were there by 10:30. We expected to go all the way to the Laos border, so were rather perplexed when we were told to get off the bus and wait for the boat, which wasn't to arrive until 1:30.

We joined a group of similarly perplexed backpackers , played a few hands of cards, read, and ordered lunch. Cz's order got forgotten, and of course arrived just as someone showed up to herd us into the ferry. Luckily he was able to have it boxed, and soon we and the other backpackers were chugging across the river. When we arrived on the other side, we were showed to an awning and told to wait. Again.

In a few minutes a pair of minivans arrived to take us to the border. But the drivers of said vans were not OUR drivers. So we waited some more. By this time we had spent maybe 2 hours in transit, and about 5 hours in waiting.

Finally we were on our way. The border was very clearly demarked by the abrupt end of the paved road. At the Cambodian side, officials tried to finagle a dollar each for 'processing fees'. We managed to outwit them and passed through without paying the 'fee'. Once on the Laos side, the guards demanded a dollar each 'stamping fee'. They were less willing to negotiate, and we each dutifully shelled out the cash. We have found that in many border posts, bribery is almost a way of life. The officials are paid a meagre salary, and it is almost accepted that it is to be supplemented by whatever they can get from travellers passing through. The worst is on most of the border points between Thailand and Cambodia. Technically a visa should be available at point of entry for $20. In reality, most people (us included) wind up paying 1200 Thai Baht (close to $40). Technically it's legal, the fee is either 20US or 1200Bhat, but the current exchange rates make it much better to pay in dollars. The border officials line their pockets by insisting that the fee be paid in bhat. If one has no bhat, he or she gets doubley scammed, as the officials insist on changing the money at ridiculous rates.

Once through the border, the roads deteriorated rapidly to pitted, sandy track. We were relieved to finally arrive at Nagasak, the ferry point out to Don Det, one of the southernmost of the Si Pan don, or 4000 islands.

The guidebook says that the further south one goes in Laos, the more chilled out it becomes. Of Si Phan Don it states "The islands are so chilled out, you are likely to become a hammock-bound icicle." This seems to be the case. When our little boat pulled up to Don Det's sandy beach, our welcoming committee consisted not of touts, but of a placid buffalo.

We walked the track across the island (all 200 meters of it) to find a place to stay. The sides of the island are lined with little bamboo bungalows offering views of either sunrise or sunset. The two main 'roads' (sandy footpaths) are appropriately named 'Sunrise way' and 'Sunset Strip'. Within 20 minutes, cold drink in hand, we were hammock bound on the porch of our very own little hut, watching the sunset over the Mekong and a few of the 4000 neighboring islets.

As the last rays faded away, we wandered next door where the smell of cooking, and the promise of meeting up with a few other backpackers we had met on the way over, coaxed us to dinner. The island was nearly silent, and our restaurant lit entirely by candles. The island gets electricity from 6-10PM, but as of yet not all buildings are wired. It is remarkably peaceful. Indeed we may become 'hammock bound icicles in short order.