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<blockquote data-quote="Larsay" data-source="post: 522" data-attributes="member: 828"><p>CONTINUATION</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><strong>KHIET NGON</strong></p><p></p><p>To continue south, you have to take the ferry in Phaphinoy ; then turn left to arrive on the ultra -boring plain road 13 Pakse-Siphandone (the 4000 Islands), nothing to see except an amazing site, <strong>Kiet Ngon :</strong> at Km 48, turn left on the dirt road going to Attapeu (big sign « Attapeu 155 km ») and, after 8 km (toll 20 000 kips), turn right ; you enter the beautiful <strong>Xe Pian National Park, </strong>where wild elephants, leopards and tigers still live. You arrive at the village of <strong>Ban Khiet Ngon ;</strong> on your left, opposite the « Elephant parking », 2 small houses, each with 2 decent bed rooms for 60 000 kips) ; the beauty of the area is the astonishing <strong>Phou Asa, </strong>which you can reach by motorbike or a 20 000-kip very pleasant elephant ride ; you arrive on top of a barren mountain with ruins of an ancient stone complex of walls and towers erected to commemorate a victory of the Lao on the Thai invaders in the XIXth century (the locals wrongly tell you that it is 1000-year old).</p><p></p><p>If you have the money, turn left inside the village to reach the <u>Kingfisher Lodge</u>, the first one in Laos », created by an Italian-Lao couple ; nice stilted wooden houses (750 000 K) and 2 bungalows of 2 rooms with fan only (250 000 K) ; small wooden house with nice restaurant-terrace on the upper floor, over a pond where wild animals come to drink in the evening. Advanced reservation recommended because of groups coming from Pakse.</p><p></p><p>Guide-books talk about another elephant villag, <strong>Ban Papho, </strong>that one in the middle of the jungle ; there were elephant rides, but no more ; there is excellent trekking (see in Pakse the agency <u>Green Discovery</u>, specialized in trekkings all over Laos).</p><p></p><p> </p><p style="text-align: center"><strong><u>THE 4000 ISLANDS</u></strong></p><p></p><p> On Route 13, a new bridge leads to the large and flat <strong>Don Khong Islan ; </strong>forget it, nothing to see except two wats. Continue Route 13 and turn right to the Mekong village of <strong>Nakasang. </strong>Take the ferry to <strong>Don Det Island ;</strong> that one is one of those places for drunkards/drug addicts backpackers, with a long row of cheap guesthouses and seedy bars ; take a tuk tuk to go south and arrive in a little paradise, <strong>Don Khone Island </strong>(10-125 minute ride); I had planned 2 days, and I stayed 5, forcing myself to return to Pakse.</p><p></p><p>Lodging is essentially in wooden bungalows over the Mekong, from elegant expensive <u>Sala Done </u>Hotel to the <u>Somphamit, Pan’s, Pakha GH</u> and others. I found my nest away from everything at the small <u>Phonvilay</u>, 4 small wooden house with terrace on the river ; to find it, turn right at the bridge down to the wat and take the small path on your right alongside the wat wall. Lots of restaurants, the best being <u>Fleur du Mékong</u> ; the food is so delicious that I took all my dinners there.</p><p></p><p>The island has a long history ; before Don Khone, the Mekong is very wide (1 km…and 14 km during the rainy season) and « bumps » into a rocky barrier ; it divides into numerous small torrents down the rocks. To be able to navigate from Saigon to Northern Laos and South China, the French had to build a railway from the southern tip of the island (where they built the “harbor” of <strong>Ban Hang Khone</strong>) up to the north of Don Det. The railway was abandoned after the construction of Route 13, and is now a trail ; both in the main village and in the harbour is exhibited an old locomotive, with very interesting photos and explanations in English.</p><p></p><p><strong>The Somphamit Rapids (Li Phi)</strong></p><p></p><p>The locals call them Li Phi, which means “The Evil Spirits Well” (Lao people still strongly believe in the phi, the geniuses), because they think that those rapids imprison the spirits, so no local would swim there, even nowadays. The rapids are quite spectacular. Entrance fee 35 000 K, small beach and restaurant.</p><p></p><p><strong>The Khon Pa Sai Rapids</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p> <strong></strong>Very different and as spectacular ! Go to the northern tip of the island <strong>(village of Ban Khon Nua)</strong> and follow the trail until a sign « Khon Pa Sai Waterfalls » ; turn left and you arrive at a dead end with a very good restaurant (I went there for lunch every day) ; you walk through the bridge and arrive at the river. In its middle, you will see huge bamboo traps over 10-m long ; when the water level is at its peak, the locals manage to catch over 500 kg a day in each trap.</p><p></p><p><strong>Ban Hang Khone</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p> <strong></strong>It is the « French Harbour » at the southern tip of the island. There, the Mekong is several km wide, a true sea ; it is in those waters that can be seen Irrawadi dolphins in the morning or late afternoon (boat excursions are available). To go there, take the trail which was the former railway. Huge concrete terrace with a splendid panorama of the river. One km before, a right trail leads to a beautiful beach with restaurants.</p><p></p><p>Back on Route 13 (or by boat from Don Khone), you can also see the <strong>Pha Peng Rapids, </strong>the tallest one in Asia (15 m).</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Larsay, post: 522, member: 828"] CONTINUATION [CENTER][B]KHIET NGON[/B][/CENTER] To continue south, you have to take the ferry in Phaphinoy ; then turn left to arrive on the ultra -boring plain road 13 Pakse-Siphandone (the 4000 Islands), nothing to see except an amazing site, [B]Kiet Ngon :[/B] at Km 48, turn left on the dirt road going to Attapeu (big sign « Attapeu 155 km ») and, after 8 km (toll 20 000 kips), turn right ; you enter the beautiful [B]Xe Pian National Park, [/B]where wild elephants, leopards and tigers still live. You arrive at the village of [B]Ban Khiet Ngon ;[/B] on your left, opposite the « Elephant parking », 2 small houses, each with 2 decent bed rooms for 60 000 kips) ; the beauty of the area is the astonishing [B]Phou Asa, [/B]which you can reach by motorbike or a 20 000-kip very pleasant elephant ride ; you arrive on top of a barren mountain with ruins of an ancient stone complex of walls and towers erected to commemorate a victory of the Lao on the Thai invaders in the XIXth century (the locals wrongly tell you that it is 1000-year old). If you have the money, turn left inside the village to reach the [U]Kingfisher Lodge[/U], the first one in Laos », created by an Italian-Lao couple ; nice stilted wooden houses (750 000 K) and 2 bungalows of 2 rooms with fan only (250 000 K) ; small wooden house with nice restaurant-terrace on the upper floor, over a pond where wild animals come to drink in the evening. Advanced reservation recommended because of groups coming from Pakse. Guide-books talk about another elephant villag, [B]Ban Papho, [/B]that one in the middle of the jungle ; there were elephant rides, but no more ; there is excellent trekking (see in Pakse the agency [U]Green Discovery[/U], specialized in trekkings all over Laos). [B] [/B] [CENTER][B][U]THE 4000 ISLANDS[/U][/B][/CENTER] [B] [/B]On Route 13, a new bridge leads to the large and flat [B]Don Khong Islan ; [/B]forget it, nothing to see except two wats. Continue Route 13 and turn right to the Mekong village of [B]Nakasang. [/B]Take the ferry to [B]Don Det Island ;[/B] that one is one of those places for drunkards/drug addicts backpackers, with a long row of cheap guesthouses and seedy bars ; take a tuk tuk to go south and arrive in a little paradise, [B]Don Khone Island [/B](10-125 minute ride); I had planned 2 days, and I stayed 5, forcing myself to return to Pakse. Lodging is essentially in wooden bungalows over the Mekong, from elegant expensive [U]Sala Done [/U]Hotel to the [U]Somphamit, Pan’s, Pakha GH[/U] and others. I found my nest away from everything at the small [U]Phonvilay[/U], 4 small wooden house with terrace on the river ; to find it, turn right at the bridge down to the wat and take the small path on your right alongside the wat wall. Lots of restaurants, the best being [U]Fleur du Mékong[/U] ; the food is so delicious that I took all my dinners there. The island has a long history ; before Don Khone, the Mekong is very wide (1 km…and 14 km during the rainy season) and « bumps » into a rocky barrier ; it divides into numerous small torrents down the rocks. To be able to navigate from Saigon to Northern Laos and South China, the French had to build a railway from the southern tip of the island (where they built the “harbor” of [B]Ban Hang Khone[/B]) up to the north of Don Det. The railway was abandoned after the construction of Route 13, and is now a trail ; both in the main village and in the harbour is exhibited an old locomotive, with very interesting photos and explanations in English. [B]The Somphamit Rapids (Li Phi)[/B] The locals call them Li Phi, which means “The Evil Spirits Well” (Lao people still strongly believe in the phi, the geniuses), because they think that those rapids imprison the spirits, so no local would swim there, even nowadays. The rapids are quite spectacular. Entrance fee 35 000 K, small beach and restaurant. [B]The Khon Pa Sai Rapids [/B]Very different and as spectacular ! Go to the northern tip of the island [B](village of Ban Khon Nua)[/B] and follow the trail until a sign « Khon Pa Sai Waterfalls » ; turn left and you arrive at a dead end with a very good restaurant (I went there for lunch every day) ; you walk through the bridge and arrive at the river. In its middle, you will see huge bamboo traps over 10-m long ; when the water level is at its peak, the locals manage to catch over 500 kg a day in each trap. [B]Ban Hang Khone [/B]It is the « French Harbour » at the southern tip of the island. There, the Mekong is several km wide, a true sea ; it is in those waters that can be seen Irrawadi dolphins in the morning or late afternoon (boat excursions are available). To go there, take the trail which was the former railway. Huge concrete terrace with a splendid panorama of the river. One km before, a right trail leads to a beautiful beach with restaurants. Back on Route 13 (or by boat from Don Khone), you can also see the [B]Pha Peng Rapids, [/B]the tallest one in Asia (15 m). [/QUOTE]
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