Khone Phapheng Waterfall
When I arrived on the shore of Don Khone I had never really heard of it or done any research on it. I usually do it the other way around, show up and find out, especially in this case because I hadn’t planned on coming here in the first place. I landed on this island because the island Don Khoung was one and one half hours away by boat. And that’s when you find the unexpected cool stuff.
When I pulled into Somphamit Guest House for 50,000 kip/night and a bungalow on the Mekong I thought to myself, ‘self, you are going to like it here.’ My neighbors are journalists from Viet Nam and spoke English. With brief greetings we got to chat about the area and they were headed to the Khone Pra Pheng waterfall the next day and she was bargaining a price with the kind gentleman that owns the place. The more the merrier and they invited me to join them because it also brings the cost down per person. I agreed and explained that there were some Brits that might want to come as well and that I would talk to them.
I decided to take a look around the riverside village and inroads. I took a very hot walk though what I thought to be the center of the island on a narrow road. After an hour walking in the sun through dry rice fields and water buffalo I was thoroughly drenched in sweat. On my return I crossed paths with the two Brits and told them of a loose plan for the next day if they were interested. They said yes and off I went to shower and change into something not so wet.
8 o’clock came around a little earlier than I would have liked but the game was a foot and we had our numbers up to 10 so with a little negotiating we got our cost for a boat ride back to the port and a mini van to take us to Khone Pra Pheng and back for 30,000 kip. It’s about an hour each way and an hour or two at the falls exploring.
These are the falls that stopped the colonial French in their tracks trying to find a navigational passage into western China as a trade route. The French were convinced it could be done and continued to push on ward. The French found that much of the Mekong River is transport worthy but these falls are not. The Mekong for the most part is a calm and languid river that silently pushes down to the sea but here at the falls the Mekong is constricted and roaring with turbulence and power. Khone Prapheng falls are approximately 1 kilometer across and up to around 15 meters high. I would suggest turbine power for an additional electricity source, but hey, I'm just a wanderer.
When we got back to Don Khone (Island), I joined on a bike ride to the south end to see the Irrawaddy dolphins in the Mekong. Apparently they hang out in a particular area but we had a problem paying 25,000 kip to pass under a bridge that the locals don’t pay for, just foreigners; that made us choose another path. I told the now five Brits of my walk the day before and we went down the road with no payment. To rent a bike it’s about 10,000 kip but two people can bargain down to 15,000 kip for two bikes as we did.
About 3 kilometers down the dirt road we came across a sign that pointed off to a restaurant, suspension bridge and a series of waterfalls and pools where fishermen did their thing and we did ours. There were 6 beers in the cold box and there were 6 of us. We sat on the balcony and played with the owners little daughter. After awhile we decided to head back to town and go for a swim in the Mekong River.
A quick change of clothes, cocktail hour, dinner, and a torrential down pour finished off our evening. The lights went out frequently as we had just ordered food and drink and the candles came out. The lightening and thunder kept us entertained until it was time to get home. The road had ankle deep water in it and the only light was from the intermittent lightening. The sound of wind and heavy rain filled our ears for the night and slept like babes with a full day under our belt.
www.davidcdagley.com
