When it’s too hot and muggy for walking, which is most of the time, bicycling is a good alternative for exploring the islands, Don Det and, just across a bridge, Don Khon.
Our first afternoon on the island we rented bikes from Mama Tanon Café near Mr. Mo’s. A helpful expat gave us a map and advice on where we could go so late in the day. We really just wanted to ride around and get a feel for the islands, which was quite manageable in the short amount of time we had.
The bikes are basic but faster than walking. The “roads”, rough pathways that ring the islands, have a fair amount of foot and bicycle traffic. You can find pretty spots and interesting vignettes along the way, but the islands are rustic and dirty. The greenery does wonders to soften the rough edges, especially in photos. How much you like it will depend on your tolerance for such things.
On Don Khon we took the road towards the waterfall and went on past the turnoff.
I was expecting the center of the island to be more open but found it heavily vegetated. You can’t see much from the road.
We did pass a few open rice fields and these water buffalo having a grand time in the late afternoon sun.
Heading back we looped on Don Det taking the road that runs along the sunset side of the island back to town. This was the prettiest section of the ride at least until we got closer to town. Lodging and restaurants are even more basic on this side of the island.
November 12, 2018
For links to all the posts in this series see the Laos/Cambodia page.