Birthday celebrations along the Mekong and 4 Thousand Islands
- Keira Proust
- May 16
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 29
You need lots of time and patience to make your way through southern Laos. But the countryside, food and nature don't disappoint. Paddy and I took several long buses from Phonsavan and hopped along the Mekong all the way to Si Phan Don (also known as the 4 Thousand Islands) on the Laos/Cambodia border. The Mekong River is split by thousands of islands here, and parts turn into impressive rapids. This is where I celebrated my 26th birthday before going to Hoi An in central Vietnam!
Phonsavan to Thakhek
Another insanely bumpy ride greeted us on our way from Phonsavan to Thakhek. The roads were less pothole-riddled than our ride from Luang Prabang, but we somehow bounced much higher and more frequently on this trip. One of the locals sitting next to us was really struggling, becoming a sweaty mess within a few hours.
The bus took us to Paksan, on the Thai/Laos border. Instead of getting off and resting after seven hours onboard, we decided to jump on another bus bound for Thakhek to get further south. Luckily, this one was a sleeper bus and we could spread out on the beds onboard.
Another four hours later, we arrived at a dusty bus terminal and found the only tuk tuk willing to drive us into the Mekong riverside town. This was the first place we didn’t pre-book accommodation! We easily found a place to sleep. It was a simple guesthouse with the comfiest beds yet, and close to all the restaurants/river.
Thakhek is popular with tourists wanting to explore the famous motorcycle loop, but we were happy to spend a day hopping along the many delightful cafes dotting the Mekong. We ate some delicious pork rolls, fine quality Japanese food and AMAZING carrot cakes. Paddy also drank lots of coffee, as always!
We then travelled to Pakse and spent a night there before one final journey to the islands. It was a lot of long-distance travel, but I was stoked to be able to watch the Lao countryside roll past us. It was dry but beautiful. Farm animals were scattered across every field, and wooden houses on stilts filled the villages.
Don Det, Si Phan Don
The 4 Thousand Islands! What an absolutely idyllic spot to celebrate turning 26! We took a three-hour bus from Pakse to Nakasong, where we jumped on a little boat to Don Det, the most popular island here.
Paddy had booked us into a lovely guesthouse that overlooked the stunning Mekong, which is split by thousands of islands here. After seeing it in Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, I truly believe this is the most beautiful section of the Mekong. It was the quiet season, so the place was very peaceful. The only other tourists we heard were French, like much of Laos! A powerful thunderstorm rolled in on our first night, so we were able to enjoy an impressive lightning show from our room with some cold bevvies in hand.
The next day (my birthday) was a true treat. I woke up to a lovely card and gifts from Paddy before a delicious breakfast and video call with my best mate back home! We hired bicycles and spent the day cycling around beautiful farms, villages, and along the lush Mekong.
The highlights were the waterfalls! We reached two of them on another island, Don Khon. We took a dusty track down to the first one, Khone Pa Soy. Google Maps didn’t provide much helpful information, so it was lucky the roads were well signposted! We paid $1 and crossed a suspension bridge over massive rapids. It was amazing to see the Mekong transform in this way. We were able to find a quiet, sandy bank and some deeper pools for some swims. It was incredibly beautiful and relaxing. Plus, we had the entire place to ourselves (except for some locals tending to fish traps and other contraptions in the river).
The second waterfall, the more popular Li Phi Somphamit, was even larger! Here, the Mekong turned into a truly powerful force, plunging through rock crevices and around smaller islands. It was another beautiful place to explore and relax. Again, we mostly had this to ourselves. I then spent the afternoon catching up with family on the phone before some more celebratory drinks while watching a gorgeous sunset over the Mekong. I indulged in a handmade blue cheese pasta for dinner (very authentic of me in Laos, I know). But it was exactly what I craved after months of Asian cuisine, and the dish was exquisite!
I unfortunately started feeling like I was coming down with a head cold. So, we saved the big celebrations and enjoyed a calm evening by the river. We had planned to have the fancier birthday celebrations in Hoi An later that week (which did not disappoint)! I spent the next couple of days battling a cold and trying to recover in time for Vietnam.
Luckily, our visa for Vietnam was approved, so we could make the journey from Pakse to Hoi An like we had planned. Doing it this way saved us from a 26-30 hour bus trip, which we had heard many horror stories about. Instead, we relaxed in Pakse for two nights before setting off on our final long-Laos-haul. We woke up at 330am for the bus to Hoi An. It was absolutely freezing onboard, so I had myself wrapped up in a skirt and Paddy wore his puffer jacket.
The bus went directly to Da Nang, passing through customs and down lots of incredibly steep, narrow roads without problem! We met back up with our friend Janna on the bus. We shared a car to Hoi An together and reached our hotel by 6pm that night. It’s safe to say that we slept like proper solid logs after that trip. We were so stoked to have arrived in Vietnam! It’s one of our favourite countries/cuisines. Paddy’s first solo overseas experience was in Vietnam, and some of my fondest childhood travel memories are from time spent in the country.
Overall Laos travel budget
Essentially: $1,432 for two people (15 days). I spent on average $355 each week.
Laos was, yet again, incredibly cheap. The low-priced beer was definitely a highlight! We splurged on some accommodation and dinners. We also spent a fair amount on transport, simply due to the vast distances we travelled in a short period. Overall, you could spend a lot less here than in neighbouring Thailand. Most places we visited were not on the typical Southeast Asia backpacking route, so the prices were lower.
Travel cost breakdown
Food
We would pay between $3 to $8 per person at dinner. There were lots of beautiful cafes and nice restaurants, so we did splurge more than in previous countries on the food.
Transport
Buses and tuk tuks were reasonably priced (better than Thailand). We just took so bloody many of them!! So, our costs had increased. An eight-hour bus trip would cost roughly $20.
Accomodation
We spent between $7 to $23 per person for a night's accommodation in Laos. We mostly stayed in guesthouses.
Alcohol
The cheapest beers ever! The only alcohol that seems to be consumed by everyone, everywhere, is Beer Lao. A large bottle would set us back $1.20. We found out that the government part owns Beer Lao with Carlsberg.
Activities
Our most expensive activity was the slow boat down the Mekong to Luang Prabang. That cost $76 each for two days. Hiring bicycles and motorbikes was cheap, as was visiting cultural sites such as the Plain of Jars.
In summary...
Laos was another highlight/favourite in Southeast Asia. It is a peaceful oasis crammed between the chaos of Vietnam and Thailand. We were able to experience and see truly authentic Lao culture. The people are wonderful, despite continuing to struggle with the consequences of America's brutality during the war in Vietnam.
Opmerkingen