Wednesday, March 19, 2014
About 40 minutes after the sun we got up as well.
We enjoyed breakfast at Ponika’s Place again, after which we went back to our hotel to check out and headed towards the Cambodia-Laos border.
Just before heading to the border we took the turn-off to a river ramp where we rented a small, narrow boat to go in search of the rare and endangered Irrawaddy Dolphin on the Mekong River. The boat trip on the river was pleasant but we did not meet any dolphins. There are only about 85 of them left…. and it looks like they are about to be extinct. Which will be a sad day for Mother Earth.
We technically crossed the Cambodian and Laos border during this boat trip, as the dolphin viewing spot is in Laos. Of course there was no border control formalities as we planned to come back. But as we were on the Mekong during the crossing, we claim to have been at the lowest point in Laos at moment in time. Laos is a land locked country and it’s low point is about 50 meters above sea level, depending on the height of the Mekong which obviously varies.
The border crossing was a breeze, the easiest and quickest to date. Click for details on exiting Cambodia and entering Laos.
Shortly after entering Laos we spotted a sign towards Khone Phapeng Waterfalls, so we decided to take the detour to have a look-see. And what an amazing site it was! Volume wise it is the largest cascade in South-East Asia, according to the sign. And I had my first decent cup of coffee since Phnom Penh!
We then continued to Muang Khong, our destination for the day.
