Don Det ( lo, ດອນເດດ), is an

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

in the

Mekong River The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth longest river and the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annual ...

in the

Si Phan Don The Si Phan Don ( lo, ສີ່ພັນດອນ; meaning '4,000 islands') is a riverine archipelago in the Mekong River, Champasak Province in southern Laos. Si Phan Don is part of Khong District, including the islands and part of the mainland ...

("Four Thousand Islands")

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Arc ...

in Champasak Province of southern Laos.

History

The

Don Det–Don Khon railway The Don Det–Don Khon railway (sometimes spelled "Don Deth–Don Khone") was a -long narrow-gauge portage railway on the islands of Don Det and Don Khon, part of the Si Phan Don (Four Thousand Islands) archipelago in Champasak Province of sou ...

was a -long narrow-gauge

portage railway A portage railway is a short and possibly isolated section of railway used to bypass a section of unnavigable river or between two water bodies which are not directly connected. Cargo from waterborne vessels is unloaded, loaded onto conventional ...

on the islands of Don Det and

Don Khon Don Khon ( lo, ດອນຄອນ), is an island in the Mekong River in the Si Phan Don ("Four Thousand Islands") archipelago in Champasak Province of southern Laos. History The Don Det–Don Khon railway was a -long narrow-gauge portage railw ...

, opened in 1893 to transport vessels, freight, and passengers along the Mekong River, and closed since the

1940s File:1940s decade montage.png, Above title bar: events during World War II (1939–1945): From left to right: Troops in an LCVP landing craft approaching Omaha Beach on D-Day; Adolf Hitler visits Paris, soon after the Battle of France; The Ho ...

Geography

The walking path around the island is . Don Det is linked to its twin island

by a bridge. Don Som, the closest island accessible by

pirogue A pirogue ( or ), also called a piragua or piraga, is any of various small boats, particularly dugouts and native canoes. The word is French and is derived from Spanish , which comes from the Carib '. Description The term 'pirogue' does n ...

, is from Don Det. There is a Buddhist temple and two

primary schools A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

on the northern part of the island. ) 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 ''Baci/Basi'' ( lo, ບາສີ; th, บายศรี, ) and ''su kwan'' (Lao: ; Thai: , RTGS: ''su khwan''; meaning "calling of the soul") is an important ceremony practised in Lao culture, Sipsong Panna and Northern and Isan Thai cultur ...

, 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. , File:Food_offerings_in_Laos.jpg, 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. , File:River bank of Don Khon with stilt wooden houses at golden hour from Don Det Laos.jpg, View from Don Det: river bank of the twin island

, with stilt wooden houses. , File:River_bank_of_Don_Khon_with_stilt_wooden_houses_and_leaning_Arecaceae_at_golden_hour_from_Don_Det_Laos.jpg, River bank of the island of

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 Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry winter) and ''As'' (for a dry summer). The driest month has less than of p ...

. 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.

Tourism

The

Khone Phapheng Falls The Khone Falls and Pha Pheng Falls ( lo, ນ້ຳຕົກຕາດຄອນພະເພັງ; km, ល្បាក់ខោន, ''Lbak Khaon'') together form a waterfall located in Champasak Province on the Mekong River in southern Laos, nea ...

, a succession of impassable rapids that gave rise to the construction of the railway, are among the main features accessible from Don Det. Freshwater

Irrawaddy dolphin The Irrawaddy dolphin (''Orcaella brevirostris'') is a euryhaline species of oceanic dolphin found in scattered subpopulations near sea coasts and in estuaries and rivers in parts of the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia. It closely resembles the ...

s (''pakha''), an endangered species, are now extinct.

Wildlife

s, water buffaloes (''Bubalus bubalis''), common House Geckos (''Hemidactylus frenatus''), bronze grass skink (''Eutropis macularia''), and bioluminescent beetles :c:File:Close-up view of a bioluminescent beetle Elateroidea.jpg can be seen in Don Det.

Gallery

References

External links

* Populated places in Champasak Province Populated places on the Mekong River {{laos-geo-stub