The 4000 Islands or Si Phan Don are a collection of islands in the Mekong River, in the far south of Laos. They're a wonderfully chilled out place to and relax but they're no destination for thrill-seekers.

The boat trip from the mainland into the 4000 Islands was the most eventful thing that happened during our stay. We had an inexperienced boatman; he took a different route to the other boats and we spend much of the journey floating downstream sideways. Some of the local passengers shouted angrily at him, probably regarding his incompetent skippering. After a few rather grinding grates along the bottom, the boat lurched wildly from side to side before getting firmly stuck on a rock. Bear in mind that there were quite a few of us on board including a family with young children and we had all of our belongings (including laptops and cameras) with us - not great if we had capsized! As it turned out the river was not particularly deep at this point, although the water was fast flowing, so all the boys got out of the boat into the waist-deep water and lifted it off the rocks for us to continue our journey unscathed.

On the journey, we started to get an idea of why this place might be called 4000 islands - there are tiny (and I mean tiny!) little islands everywhere - most only big enough for one tree or a some reeds to grow on! In the dry season, there are literally thousands, but I can imagine that all but the biggest submerge in rainy season at the waters of the Mekong rise.