Don Det

Don Det (Lao: ດອນເດດ), is an island in the Mekong River in the Si Phan Don ("Four Thousand Islands") archipelago in Champasak Province of southern Laos.[1]

Don Det
ດອນເດດ
Dwellings, Don Det
Dwellings, Don Det
Don Det is located in Laos
Don Det
Don Det
Location in Laos
Coordinates: 13°58′23″N 105°55′22″E
CountryLaos
ProvinceChampasak
Population
 • Religions
Buddhism
Time zoneUTC+7 (ICT)

History

The Don Det–Don Khon railway was a 7-kilometer (4.3 mi)-long narrow-gauge portage railway on the islands of Don Det and Don Khon, opened in 1893 to transport vessels, freight, and passengers along the Mekong River, and closed since the 1940s.[2][3]

Geography

The walking path around the island is 7.2 km (4.47 mi). Don Det is linked to its twin island Don Khon by a bridge. Don Som, the closest island accessible by pirogue, is 250 m (820 ft) from Don Det.[4]

There is a Buddhist temple and two primary schools on the northern part of the island.[5]

  • Buddhist alms in Don Det. Every day, early morning three child monks from the temple walk in the village with their alms bowls to collect food, prepared and offered by the locals, and to recite a short prayer in exchange. Ritually, Buddhist monks in Laos have only two meals a day: one in the morning and one at noon. They fast in the evening.
    Buddhist alms in Don Det. Every day, early morning three child monks from the temple walk in the village with their alms bowls to collect food, prepared and offered by the locals, and to recite a short prayer in exchange. Ritually, Buddhist monks in Laos have only two meals a day: one in the morning and one at noon. They fast in the evening.
  • Ritual procession of Buddhist monks in front of a coffin over a pyre before lighting the fire, during funerals in the countryside of Don Det. Holding a rope linked to the coffin is a ritual called chungsob (Lao: ຈູງສົບ) in relation with the soul of the deceased. This rope will not be incinerated and may be kept by the monks. Traditionally, cotton strings play an important role in ceremonies in Laos, like in the baci, and can be used in various ways at diverse occasions. In front of the coffin, there is a Buddhist money tree, religious item with authentic banknotes, an offering to the monks.
    Ritual procession of Buddhist monks in front of a coffin over a pyre before lighting the fire, during funerals in the countryside of Don Det. Holding a rope linked to the coffin is a ritual called chungsob (Lao: ຈູງສົບ) in relation with the soul of the deceased. This rope will not be incinerated and may be kept by the monks. Traditionally, cotton strings play an important role in ceremonies in Laos, like in the baci, and can be used in various ways at diverse occasions. In front of the coffin, there is a Buddhist money tree, religious item with authentic banknotes, an offering to the monks.
  • Day of the ghosts (Boun kao padap din), the people of the village of Don Det offer rice, biscuits and home-made cakes to the monks at the temple.
    Day of the ghosts (Boun kao padap din), the people of the village of Don Det offer rice, biscuits and home-made cakes to the monks at the temple.
  • View from Don Det: river bank of the twin island Don Khon, with stilt wooden houses.
    View from Don Det: river bank of the twin island Don Khon, with stilt wooden houses.
  • River bank of the island of Don Khon with stilt wooden houses, seen from Don Det with a leaning Arecaceae (palm trees) and colorful clouds.
    River bank of the island of Don Khon with stilt wooden houses, seen from Don Det with a leaning Arecaceae (palm trees) and colorful clouds.

Climate

Don Det features a tropical wet and dry climate. While the city is generally very warm throughout the year, it is noticeably cooler during December and January. Don Det also experiences wet and dry seasons, with the wet season from April until October, and the dry season during the remaining five months. Temperatures range from 15°C to 38°C.[6]

  • Colorful clouds and blue sky with water reflection of an island hosting a Samanea saman (rain tree) and other trees, at sunrise, in Don Det.
    Colorful clouds and blue sky with water reflection of an island hosting a Samanea saman (rain tree) and other trees, at sunrise, in Don Det.
  • Tiny inhabited house, made of wood and corrugated iron, surrounded by trees and bamboo fences, in the middle of green paddy fields, with long shadows in sunshine under a stormy sky, and a woman wearing a red sweater and a conical straw hat walking in front, at golden hour, during the monsoon, in Don Det.
    Tiny inhabited house, made of wood and corrugated iron, surrounded by trees and bamboo fences, in the middle of green paddy fields, with long shadows in sunshine under a stormy sky, and a woman wearing a red sweater and a conical straw hat walking in front, at golden hour, during the monsoon, in Don Det.
  • Landscape with stormy clouds and a pirogue on the Mekong at golden hour, from the bridge between Don Det and Don Khon.
    Landscape with stormy clouds and a pirogue on the Mekong at golden hour, from the bridge between Don Det and Don Khon.
  • Sunny green paddy fields with trees and long shadows at golden hour, during the monsoon, in Don Det.
    Sunny green paddy fields with trees and long shadows at golden hour, during the monsoon, in Don Det.
  • Long shadow of a dead tree with its branches on the dry fields of Don Det, a sunny day with blue sky and white clouds, late afternoon during the dry season.
    Long shadow of a dead tree with its branches on the dry fields of Don Det, a sunny day with blue sky and white clouds, late afternoon during the dry season.
  • Opaque and mirroring green paddy fields with palm tree in Don Det.
    Opaque and mirroring green paddy fields with palm tree in Don Det.

Tourism

The Khone Phapheng Falls, a succession of impassable rapids that gave rise to the construction of the railway, are among the main features accessible from Don Det.[4][7] Freshwater Irrawaddy dolphins (pakha), an endangered species,[8][9] are now extinct.

  • Khone Phapheng Falls, located on the Mekong River near the border with Cambodia, at 10.7 km (6.6 mi) wide, it is the widest waterfall in the world.
    Khone Phapheng Falls, located on the Mekong River near the border with Cambodia, at 10.7 km (6.6 mi) wide, it is the widest waterfall in the world.
  • Transportation of three tourists by tuk-tuk in Don Det.
    Transportation of three tourists by tuk-tuk in Don Det.

Wildlife

Irrawaddy dolphins,[8][9] water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis), common house geckos (Hemidactylus frenatus),[10] bronze grass skink (Eutropis macularia),[11] and bioluminescent beetles[12] can be seen in Don Det.

  • Transport of buffaloes on the Mekong, Don Det
    Transport of buffaloes on the Mekong, Don Det
  • Boy plowing with a tractor at sunset on the island
    Boy plowing with a tractor at sunset on the island
  • Young girl riding a motorcycle in the rice fields of Don Det, Laos, with four other children passengers.
    Young girl riding a motorcycle in the rice fields of Don Det, Laos, with four other children passengers.
  • Don Det girl
    Don Det girl
  • Local food.
    Local food.
  • Mekong fish (pa tak or ປາຕາກ in Lao) hanging on a rack and drying in the sun, in Don Det.
    Mekong fish (pa tak or ປາຕາກ in Lao) hanging on a rack and drying in the sun, in Don Det.
  • The locomotive is a historic object from the ancient Don Det–Don Khon narrow-gauge railway and constitutes a touristic place in Si Phan Don.
    The locomotive is a historic object from the ancient Don Det–Don Khon narrow-gauge railway and constitutes a touristic place in Si Phan Don.

References
  1. "Don Det and Don Khon". Lonely Planet. Archived from the original on 2022-06-05. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
  2. The Railway Atlas of Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, White Lotus, 2010.
  3. Mad About the Mekong: Exploration and Empire in South East Asia, Harper Collins, 2005.
  4. "Don Det Google Map". Google Maps. Archived from the original on 2023-03-23. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
  5. c:File:Food offerings in Laos.jpg
  6. "Don Det & Don Khon in detail – Climate". Lonely Planet. Archived from the original on 2020-03-28. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
  7. "Waterfalls". Tourism Laos. Archived from the original on 2023-03-26. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
  8. "Irrawaddy Dolphin". World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Archived from the original on 2018-10-27. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
  9. "Status Of Irrawaddy Dolphin Raised To 'Endangered'". The Irrawaddy. 2017-12-08. Archived from the original on 2018-10-25. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
  10. c:File:Hemidactylus frenatus mating, ventral view.jpg
  11. c:File:Eutropis (skink) eating a frog.jpg
  12. c:File:Close-up view of a bioluminescent beetle Elateroidea.jpg
  • Don Det travel guide from Wikivoyage
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