I’ve
had enough now of waving to farmers working the rice paddies, who look
surprised to see a group of four westerners on foot this far from the small guesthouses
near the river.
They might be curious as to why a girl in our
group is wearing a conical hat.
She’s one of those travellers who will
attempt to dress as the locals do. In Thailand such people wore fisherman’s pants,
presumably oblivious to the fact that most Thai’s are dressing more and more as
westerners do.
Occasionally we walk past a young monk on his
way to the local monastery but nothing extraordinary has happened. We’ve see a lot of
crabs that have died under the blazing sun and the water buffalo lazing in the mud are
always a source of amusement, but otherwise it’s been just a pleasant, quiet walk and
an insight into farming life in Laos.
It’s all about to change. We’re
armed with 30 biro pens, 6 glitter decorated pencils and no less than 120 pieces of
American bazooka bubblegum.
We had made a similar walk yesterday so we
know that school’s out any moment.
Last time we were here the children, aged from
about six to twelve, had asked us for pens, not money, which they could use for school.
The look on their faces upon discovering we had none was devastating, but here we were
making amends.
 I don’t know whether every child
received a pen. They certainly received plenty of bubble-gum so they’ll be many an
enraged parent on Don Khong today!
We had enough pens for everyone, but in these
situations it is the most adorable children that walk away with the goods.
There’s a girl in a t-shirt of Brazilian
footballer Ronaldo who is continuing to sport the face of an angel whilst she asks for a
pen, but she’s only partially hidden the two she already has received into her shorts
pocket!
Everybody appears happy though as we continue
to walk, playing games with the children.
They have their pens and for me the whole
scenario is a life-affirming moment. Laos is one of the world’s poorest countries and
the unfortunate title of ‘World’s most bombed country’ hasn’t helped
money coming in from tourism.
The average annual income is less than US$300
and after a quick calculation it’s simple to understand why the children need pens,
which cost the same here as they would back in England. It’s nearly half a day’s
wages.
These children are from Si Phan Don, often
referred to as the four thousand islands although the precise amount of islands varies
depending on the height of the Mekong River.
 Don Khong
is the largest of the islands, situated at the southern tip of Laos just several miles from the Cambodian
border. It’s the kind of place you never want to leave yet they live a life
you’d never like to lead.
 Houses on Si Phan Dong
consists of a small wooden stilted main building, a chicken pen in the front garden with
the optional extra of a pig that lives under a sheet of corrugated metal or in a barrel
laid on it’s side.
Things to do:
The children have rice paddies stretching as
far as the eye can see to play in. There are neighbours, but it’s a long way to walk
for a cup of sugar. At least for a few days, a visit to Si Phan Don is hugely rewarding.
And other than the main activity of walking
around doing nothing in particular, there are plenty of tours and attractions on offer.
For starters, there are four thousand
islands to see!
If you’ve come this far, a must-see is
the Irrawaddy dolphin.
Best to go as soon as you arrive though, as
the poor Irrawaddy might not be around for too much longer. She’s one of the
world’s most rare mammals, with numbers estimated to be as low as fifty.
Unless Cambodian gill-net fishing is bought to
an abrupt end, these timid animals will be soon. How much longer until the “Come see
the Irrawaddy” tours become “Does the Irrawaddy exist?” tours?
Other not so memorable sights to behold
include the only ever attempt at a railway line in Laos, started by the French but not
finished, and a large seated Buddha in Don Khong.
Best of the bunch though is a nonchalant
stroll, or bike ride, around the islands, disregarding time and with little attention paid
to direction.
Do though watch out for snakes! Small, green
and poisonous snakes lurk in the grass and don’t think we were just incomparably
unlucky when we saw three!
There may be four thousand islands here but
there’s not one hospital and there’s only one plane at the airport.
Snake bite or not, you wouldn’t want to
get in it!
© Ben Morris |
