Monday, 15 March
Today we leave to go back to Kratie and got up at 05H00 to get ready and there was no water! I had to use the purified water to wash my face too. I think they pump water from the lake nearby and only switch it on during the day. When I woke Colin and Dylan at 05H30 there was water. Had breakfast at 06H00 and raced to the bus station on motos and the bus only left at 06H50. This was definitely going to be a more comfortable trip than the mini van. The bus stopped to load some more passengers in small villages and then put some planks in the passage and we thought oh boy, here we go again, but that was the lot. The driver really motored and hooted other small traffic out of the way and we reached Kratie at 12H15. We bought bus tickets to Phnom Penh tomorrow, I think a 5 hour trip and checked in at the Heng Heng hotel again.
We immediately jumped into the shower and washed some clothes and then had the usual noodle and vegetable soup and Coke at the U-Hong restaurant at 14H00. Posted another blog from their PC, I still hope to try and sort out the issue with loading photos. Chatted to a Czech couple who recommend Muine beach in Vietnam. We've been racing through this trip so we have a few days spare. I was thinking of visiting Sihanoukeville and travelling up to the DMZ (demilitarised zone) in Vietnam to see the real Vietcong tunnels at Vinh Moc, which is probably a day's trip from Ho Chi Minh. Everyone says Ho Chi Minh City is not pleasant, just a huge, dirty, busy city.
Went to check on the tiger cub at the Star restaurant and the owner/manager tells me it was killed when some tourists walked in the bathroom where it had been sleeping and stepped on it!!!!! I don't believe it for a minute, but don't know what to think, I'm quite devastated. I had looked up the email address of one of the WWF offices in Cambodia and was going to send them an email with the info and the address of the Star restaurant so they could get involved and collect it. I suspect that they couldn't get it to drink milk or that the milk didn't agree with it and that it died of dehydration or starvation. Colin believes they sold it as it was probably quite valuable. I just can't forgive myself that I didn't do something before we left for Banlung. I can still feel it in my hands and hear it mewling. I went back to my room to carry on with the journal and have a big sobbing cry about the cub. I've come to the conclusion that this is a very unforgiving and merciless country, where all life, particularly that of animals, is very cheap. Dogs roam around and many seem to have homes, but they are extremely filthy, unkempt, scrawny and clearly not cared for, mostly used as watchdogs, full of fleas, not pets as we know them. The females breed uncontrollably and have litter after litter of pups - demonstrated by their long and stretched nipples, which are often 1 cm long. The dogs are mostly small, black or tan or a mixture and often look like Dingos with large ears. I've not seen many cats and the ones we've seen are quite wild, often with pieces of their tails missing and generally ill fed and mangy.
And the people don't have it much better either, if they have jobs, it is menial work or running small shops or selling crafts. The people in cities seem to do slightly better, but the rural people mostly don't have much education and live under terrible conditions in dust and filth, trying to stay alive by growing some crops and making crafts and running small roadside shops and eating places. They collect water from wells and use oil lamps and candles. But cellphone reception is very good as there are loads of transmitters, even in the most remote locations. Joe (American who owns Mekong Crossing in Kampong Cham) had said that corruption is rife and that everyone pays bribes to get things done. I'm starting to miss home and my cats, who will be smothered with love when we get back. I plan to find some Western food in Phnom Penh as the Khmer food - pork/chicken/beef and bits of beg with fried rice or noodles or pork/chicken/beef, veg and noodle soup are becoming very monotonous now. I guess we'll have to try the bugs in Phnom Penh for a change.
When I'd composed myself a bit, we went to the tiny Internet cafe next to U-Hong as they only had one PC free. I wanted to try and upload photos to the blog from the DVD, but the PC only had a CD ROM. Went to U-Hong for supper, I had fried pork spring rolls and French Fries for supper, too much food, I'm actually not used to eating much food now, Dylan finished them. Went back to the guesthouse at 22H00 and Colin and Dylan discovered that between the two of them they'd left their key at the Internet cafe and it was closed. The manager had to open their door, not impressed with them.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Banlung
Sunday, 14 March
UP at 07H00, my eyes are still swollen, but not as much as yesterday, but my legs are still swollen, must be the heat. I decided not to put on make up as we'll just be in the jungle today, will be hot and sticky. Had the usual breakfast, the dogs had some of Dylan's thick and chewy apple pancake. I was under the impression we would be travelling by car, as that's what we were told when we paid $50 for the day. Not so - we got onto the back of a bakkie, together with two French girls and two French guys who were going to stay in the jungle overnight. The moment we hit the dirt road, CLOUDS of red dust enveloped us. The bakkie was kicking up dust and dust was also thrown up by all the passing traffic. At one point we just couldn't breath at all. Dylan got the worst of it, as he was sitting at the furthest point away from the cab. We travelled about 10 kms like that and everyone looked like they had emerged from the Sahara desert when we reached the destination - a piece of open ground next to an open air eating place (definitely not what we would call a restaurant). We dusted ourselves down as best we could and Song set off with the French people in one direction and we followed Riaad and what we gathered was a park ranger (you'd never know, just dressed in old shorts, shirt and slip slops). We walked down the red gravel road for 300 metres, getting covered in dust every time a vehicle went past - the dust is like fine powder, if you stamp your foot or even when you walk, you send up puffs of the powder. Eventually we turned down a path and walked next to a cashew plantation in hot sunshine and after 20 minutes descended quite quickly by about 120 metres and finally found some shade under the jungle vegetation. We followed the ranger along the path and I found it rather frustrating looking at the plants and trees and not knowing what they are. Riaad didn't know. Some were similar to plants they sell in nurseries in South Africa, the bamboo though grows to 3 cm diameter and 6 to 8 meters high. The one palm has thorns on its stems and the one tree has the most beautiful spots on its trunk. We saw lots of evidence of tree felling and cut up planks, ready to be carted away and used to make furniture and build houses and we also came across a fire which was luckily burning very slowly and stretched over a very big area. It seems the fire doesn't get out of control, just the low growing grasses and small shrubs burn and often not entirely. The ranger was completely unperturbed.
We stopped for lunch at 13H00 and sat under the trees on fallen leaves - we were all a bit worried about red ants, all having been bitten by them, but the midges were the only insects bothering us. I was not fast enough to photograph some beautiful large butterflies. Lunch was not great to say the least, small polystyrene containers with lots of cold sticky rice, a few small strips of chewy pork, strips of omelette and a small plastic bag of soya sauce for seasoning. I had a few mouthfuls and closed up the container - I'm sure someone else will eat it. That was washed down with bottled water, I just stay thirsty in this country! We carried on with the jungle trek, I wanted to stop and try and find the birds calling in the trees, but only saw a few small ones, very high up. It was so hot, I was starting to think the expedition would never end. About 1,5 hours later, Dylan was clearly also not enjoying the up and down trek, as his knee was hurting again. The ranger cut each of us a bamboo stick and we started walking faster to get out of there. I asked the ranger to cut me a 2M length of the thicker bamboo, which I hoped to bring back to South Africa and then had to carry that the rest of the way! Dylan was racing to get back, so we all walked fast too and then my head started pounding again! At times like these I really question my sanity on agreeing to such activities. I had just wanted to get into the jungle to look at the flora and fauna - not trek across it in extremely hot temperature!! Both Dylan and I were only too happy to meet up again at the roadside eating place. A Coke and cigarette had never tasted so good! The usual dirty animals were around, brown puppies trying to keep cool under tables, chickens with their chicks and two filthy, dusty ducks, I'm sure with no water in which to swim! Everyone rides scooters and motorbikes in Cambodia, I wanted a 7 year old boy take his 4 year old sister for a ride down the road. We had to wait a while for our pick-up and I was not relishing getting into the back again, but the driver had cargo on the back, so we had to get into a very uncomfortable seat behind the driver, sort of like a double cab without the second set of doors. The driver and his wife didn't bother winding up the windows when other traffic threw up dust clouds, so we still got the treatment, just not as bad.
Back at Lake View, had a refreshing shower and washed my hair, I'm having to wash my hair every day now, thank goodness it's so short. Washed clothes again in the shower, they are always dry in the morning because it's so hot and we hang them in places under the fan. One feels like a million bucks once you've cleaned up. Did some stretches, my lower back and neck are very stiff, I managed to click some vertebrae into place, but I could still do with some physio work. I plan to have a massage in Bangkok before we come home. We will definitely take a large bus back to Kratie, not ever another mini van! Wrote the journal, always seem to stay a day behind.
Chatted to some Dutch tourists at supper, I finally had the batter fried pork and sweet and sour chilli sauce and rice. Dylan had ginger beef and I think Colin had chicken with rice. chatted to Weyne. Dylan went to check on pretty blonde Kelly, who had badly hurt her foot when she pierced the side of it, by standing on a sharp piece of bamboo sticking out of the ground. The doctor had prescribed antibiotics as everyone apparently picks up infections when they hurt themselves badly. Went to sleep at 21H00, very hot! But the fan makes some difference.
UP at 07H00, my eyes are still swollen, but not as much as yesterday, but my legs are still swollen, must be the heat. I decided not to put on make up as we'll just be in the jungle today, will be hot and sticky. Had the usual breakfast, the dogs had some of Dylan's thick and chewy apple pancake. I was under the impression we would be travelling by car, as that's what we were told when we paid $50 for the day. Not so - we got onto the back of a bakkie, together with two French girls and two French guys who were going to stay in the jungle overnight. The moment we hit the dirt road, CLOUDS of red dust enveloped us. The bakkie was kicking up dust and dust was also thrown up by all the passing traffic. At one point we just couldn't breath at all. Dylan got the worst of it, as he was sitting at the furthest point away from the cab. We travelled about 10 kms like that and everyone looked like they had emerged from the Sahara desert when we reached the destination - a piece of open ground next to an open air eating place (definitely not what we would call a restaurant). We dusted ourselves down as best we could and Song set off with the French people in one direction and we followed Riaad and what we gathered was a park ranger (you'd never know, just dressed in old shorts, shirt and slip slops). We walked down the red gravel road for 300 metres, getting covered in dust every time a vehicle went past - the dust is like fine powder, if you stamp your foot or even when you walk, you send up puffs of the powder. Eventually we turned down a path and walked next to a cashew plantation in hot sunshine and after 20 minutes descended quite quickly by about 120 metres and finally found some shade under the jungle vegetation. We followed the ranger along the path and I found it rather frustrating looking at the plants and trees and not knowing what they are. Riaad didn't know. Some were similar to plants they sell in nurseries in South Africa, the bamboo though grows to 3 cm diameter and 6 to 8 meters high. The one palm has thorns on its stems and the one tree has the most beautiful spots on its trunk. We saw lots of evidence of tree felling and cut up planks, ready to be carted away and used to make furniture and build houses and we also came across a fire which was luckily burning very slowly and stretched over a very big area. It seems the fire doesn't get out of control, just the low growing grasses and small shrubs burn and often not entirely. The ranger was completely unperturbed.
We stopped for lunch at 13H00 and sat under the trees on fallen leaves - we were all a bit worried about red ants, all having been bitten by them, but the midges were the only insects bothering us. I was not fast enough to photograph some beautiful large butterflies. Lunch was not great to say the least, small polystyrene containers with lots of cold sticky rice, a few small strips of chewy pork, strips of omelette and a small plastic bag of soya sauce for seasoning. I had a few mouthfuls and closed up the container - I'm sure someone else will eat it. That was washed down with bottled water, I just stay thirsty in this country! We carried on with the jungle trek, I wanted to stop and try and find the birds calling in the trees, but only saw a few small ones, very high up. It was so hot, I was starting to think the expedition would never end. About 1,5 hours later, Dylan was clearly also not enjoying the up and down trek, as his knee was hurting again. The ranger cut each of us a bamboo stick and we started walking faster to get out of there. I asked the ranger to cut me a 2M length of the thicker bamboo, which I hoped to bring back to South Africa and then had to carry that the rest of the way! Dylan was racing to get back, so we all walked fast too and then my head started pounding again! At times like these I really question my sanity on agreeing to such activities. I had just wanted to get into the jungle to look at the flora and fauna - not trek across it in extremely hot temperature!! Both Dylan and I were only too happy to meet up again at the roadside eating place. A Coke and cigarette had never tasted so good! The usual dirty animals were around, brown puppies trying to keep cool under tables, chickens with their chicks and two filthy, dusty ducks, I'm sure with no water in which to swim! Everyone rides scooters and motorbikes in Cambodia, I wanted a 7 year old boy take his 4 year old sister for a ride down the road. We had to wait a while for our pick-up and I was not relishing getting into the back again, but the driver had cargo on the back, so we had to get into a very uncomfortable seat behind the driver, sort of like a double cab without the second set of doors. The driver and his wife didn't bother winding up the windows when other traffic threw up dust clouds, so we still got the treatment, just not as bad.
Back at Lake View, had a refreshing shower and washed my hair, I'm having to wash my hair every day now, thank goodness it's so short. Washed clothes again in the shower, they are always dry in the morning because it's so hot and we hang them in places under the fan. One feels like a million bucks once you've cleaned up. Did some stretches, my lower back and neck are very stiff, I managed to click some vertebrae into place, but I could still do with some physio work. I plan to have a massage in Bangkok before we come home. We will definitely take a large bus back to Kratie, not ever another mini van! Wrote the journal, always seem to stay a day behind.
Chatted to some Dutch tourists at supper, I finally had the batter fried pork and sweet and sour chilli sauce and rice. Dylan had ginger beef and I think Colin had chicken with rice. chatted to Weyne. Dylan went to check on pretty blonde Kelly, who had badly hurt her foot when she pierced the side of it, by standing on a sharp piece of bamboo sticking out of the ground. The doctor had prescribed antibiotics as everyone apparently picks up infections when they hurt themselves badly. Went to sleep at 21H00, very hot! But the fan makes some difference.
Banlung
Saturday, 13 March
My legs are still swollen a lot (swelled up when we got to Bangkok and haven't returned to normal) and now my eyes are too, I look a sight!
After the usual breakfast - me my own coffee, roll, marge, jam, Dylan eggs and roll and Colin roll and cheese, we each got onto a moto at 10H00 and set off with the guide, Song, a 22-year old from the Rattanakiri province, a town 7 kms from Banlung. He had to get a job before finishing school to help support some siblings still at school. Now he's in the process of finishing high school. He took us to the Katiengh waterfall area first (along gravel roads), I was riding with him in front and Dylan and Colin with their moto riders behind, so they all got a bit dusty in our wake, together with dust thrown up by passing cars.
We drove past a rubber and cashew nut plantations. I realised that cashews are a big industry, as I've seen those trees all over. Song said they use the rubber to make roads?? in addition to selling it. Dylan and I then climbed a ladder to sit in a wooden howdah on an elephant called Kampoy. An American guy was on the other one called Kampen. Colin didn't want to ride an elephant and followed us on foot. The handlers sat on the elephants' necks and steered them by pushing on their left or right ear. Our handler also communicated with his elephant by means of grunts. The elephants were allowed to stop and help themselves to banana plants and grass. The pull off the outer banana leaves and strip off the juicy bits. They also like the tender bits of clumps of grass and bamboo shoots. It was very uncomfortable sitting on the howdah, which should have had a cushion. The elephants walk very slowly, often in the blazing sun, so we got very hot. We went back to the entrance after 1,5 hours and I gave the elephant a bamboo leaf and stroked her head. Then we walked to the Katiengh waterfall, which is beautiful with a curtain of water. There was not really anywhere to get comfortable, so we just took some photos, I had a quick wash and left. We saw some Cambodians in traditional garb at the elephants, the guys with the traditional diaper style loincloths over their scants with bows and arrows and Dylan said these were probably part of the "tribal village" experience we would have. We saw them again next to the Katiengh river and I asked whether I could photograph them, then they also wanted to pose for their own photos with us! Turns out they are students from Phnom Penh and it was their first visit to Rattanakiri and the woman who had arranged the trip suggested they put on the outfits and go have fun. The main spokesman was extremely outgoing and charming and well spoken.
It was very comfortable on the moto when we were on tar, but not at all comfortable going over bumps on dirt roads and swerving for ditches and looking away to avoidthe other drivers' dust clouds. It was already about 12H30, so Song took us to a small place to have lunch - the usual fried rice and port, the pork was very chewy, so I fed it to the little mommy cat, who had clearly recently had another litter of kittens. There was another +- one year old cat, probably her offspring, not too friendly. We then bumped up and down some more gravel roads to the next waterfall, the . The back of my head was starting to throw, my spine probably went out of alignment from the bad mini bus trip and now bumping around on the moto. Anyway, we walked down to the waterfall, truly beautiful, some locals were cooling off in the waterfall in their clothes. We walked across the footbridge, took some photos of Weyne who had arrived and which I'll email to him.
Then we rode to a small community where the women weave the traditional material and scarves sold by everyone. Takes them 2 weeks to make a scarf! which they sell for $5. I was really searching for something to buy as I can see how poor the people are, but didn't like any of the designs, which an old woman was busy with. I thought Song said she would have it ready for me tomorrow, but subsequently found out that would not be possible.
We rode up to the Eisey Pracham mountain to see the reclining Buddah which is not too old, built in 1996 by the Vietnamese. Workmen were busy fixing up the platform with tiles, ready for the Prime Minister's visit to open the Triangular Trade Fair between Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. The Buddah is next to what I think is a Bodhi tree, with the most beautiful blossoms, the Bodhi tree is very significant in Buddhism, the tree must have been planted first, as it quite large already. A woman and her two daughters were collecting the flowers which were on the ground, which they would apparently boil to extract the perfume.
We then went to the Yak Lom crater lake for a swim, $1 entrance, very popular with the locals. It was sublime to rinse off the sweat and cool next to the lake on the wooden platform, the water was not cold, probably about 18 deg C. I had forgotten my swimsuit in Kratie, so wore the long mauve SameSame T-shirt which just covered my maroon panties. Most of the locals jump in in their clothes, or the men put a scarf over their scants. The lake is very deep and I would not have dreamt of just jumping in. I sat on the last wooden step and then went into the water, still holding onto it. It was heavenly. Then Dylan arrived (some locals had asked him to join them for a beer along the way). He and Colin went swimming. Got back to Lake View Lodge at 17H00.
I took headache tablets, had some supper, I wanted Colin's previous night's meal of deep fried pork, but the waitress misunderstood and I ended up with a sickly sweet pork mixture with rice which I couldn't eat, I had two mouthfuls and left the rest for Dylan. I left them chatting to two German travellers and went to sleep.
My legs are still swollen a lot (swelled up when we got to Bangkok and haven't returned to normal) and now my eyes are too, I look a sight!
After the usual breakfast - me my own coffee, roll, marge, jam, Dylan eggs and roll and Colin roll and cheese, we each got onto a moto at 10H00 and set off with the guide, Song, a 22-year old from the Rattanakiri province, a town 7 kms from Banlung. He had to get a job before finishing school to help support some siblings still at school. Now he's in the process of finishing high school. He took us to the Katiengh waterfall area first (along gravel roads), I was riding with him in front and Dylan and Colin with their moto riders behind, so they all got a bit dusty in our wake, together with dust thrown up by passing cars.
We drove past a rubber and cashew nut plantations. I realised that cashews are a big industry, as I've seen those trees all over. Song said they use the rubber to make roads?? in addition to selling it. Dylan and I then climbed a ladder to sit in a wooden howdah on an elephant called Kampoy. An American guy was on the other one called Kampen. Colin didn't want to ride an elephant and followed us on foot. The handlers sat on the elephants' necks and steered them by pushing on their left or right ear. Our handler also communicated with his elephant by means of grunts. The elephants were allowed to stop and help themselves to banana plants and grass. The pull off the outer banana leaves and strip off the juicy bits. They also like the tender bits of clumps of grass and bamboo shoots. It was very uncomfortable sitting on the howdah, which should have had a cushion. The elephants walk very slowly, often in the blazing sun, so we got very hot. We went back to the entrance after 1,5 hours and I gave the elephant a bamboo leaf and stroked her head. Then we walked to the Katiengh waterfall, which is beautiful with a curtain of water. There was not really anywhere to get comfortable, so we just took some photos, I had a quick wash and left. We saw some Cambodians in traditional garb at the elephants, the guys with the traditional diaper style loincloths over their scants with bows and arrows and Dylan said these were probably part of the "tribal village" experience we would have. We saw them again next to the Katiengh river and I asked whether I could photograph them, then they also wanted to pose for their own photos with us! Turns out they are students from Phnom Penh and it was their first visit to Rattanakiri and the woman who had arranged the trip suggested they put on the outfits and go have fun. The main spokesman was extremely outgoing and charming and well spoken.
It was very comfortable on the moto when we were on tar, but not at all comfortable going over bumps on dirt roads and swerving for ditches and looking away to avoidthe other drivers' dust clouds. It was already about 12H30, so Song took us to a small place to have lunch - the usual fried rice and port, the pork was very chewy, so I fed it to the little mommy cat, who had clearly recently had another litter of kittens. There was another +- one year old cat, probably her offspring, not too friendly. We then bumped up and down some more gravel roads to the next waterfall, the . The back of my head was starting to throw, my spine probably went out of alignment from the bad mini bus trip and now bumping around on the moto. Anyway, we walked down to the waterfall, truly beautiful, some locals were cooling off in the waterfall in their clothes. We walked across the footbridge, took some photos of Weyne who had arrived and which I'll email to him.
Then we rode to a small community where the women weave the traditional material and scarves sold by everyone. Takes them 2 weeks to make a scarf! which they sell for $5. I was really searching for something to buy as I can see how poor the people are, but didn't like any of the designs, which an old woman was busy with. I thought Song said she would have it ready for me tomorrow, but subsequently found out that would not be possible.
We rode up to the Eisey Pracham mountain to see the reclining Buddah which is not too old, built in 1996 by the Vietnamese. Workmen were busy fixing up the platform with tiles, ready for the Prime Minister's visit to open the Triangular Trade Fair between Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. The Buddah is next to what I think is a Bodhi tree, with the most beautiful blossoms, the Bodhi tree is very significant in Buddhism, the tree must have been planted first, as it quite large already. A woman and her two daughters were collecting the flowers which were on the ground, which they would apparently boil to extract the perfume.
We then went to the Yak Lom crater lake for a swim, $1 entrance, very popular with the locals. It was sublime to rinse off the sweat and cool next to the lake on the wooden platform, the water was not cold, probably about 18 deg C. I had forgotten my swimsuit in Kratie, so wore the long mauve SameSame T-shirt which just covered my maroon panties. Most of the locals jump in in their clothes, or the men put a scarf over their scants. The lake is very deep and I would not have dreamt of just jumping in. I sat on the last wooden step and then went into the water, still holding onto it. It was heavenly. Then Dylan arrived (some locals had asked him to join them for a beer along the way). He and Colin went swimming. Got back to Lake View Lodge at 17H00.
I took headache tablets, had some supper, I wanted Colin's previous night's meal of deep fried pork, but the waitress misunderstood and I ended up with a sickly sweet pork mixture with rice which I couldn't eat, I had two mouthfuls and left the rest for Dylan. I left them chatting to two German travellers and went to sleep.
Kratie to Banlung
Friday, 12 March
Got up at 06H00, finished packing, U-Hong for breakfast, roll and jam and made my own coffee with boiling water, Dylan had a roll and scrambled eggs, Colin had a roll and cheese.
Put the backpacks in Heng Heng's lock-up, caught the mini bus to Banlung, poor Dylan was told to move right to the back after they had loaded a whole lot of luggage in the back, strapped other luggage, including our bag on the outside of the back door, fastened a motorbike to the back and packed boxes and bags of produce underneath the seats in the bus and on the floor! Including the driver there were 25 people in the bus, two were small children, this was going to be uncomfortable!
The mini bus left Kratie at 09H30, pit stop at 11H30 for some people to grab a quick bite to eat. We were really crammed in like sardines, but until that point we had been on tar and I had opened the sliding window on my side to get some fresh air. From then on we were on a dusty gravel road and had to close all windows. the suspension on the van and the seats had seen better days! Every now and then the taxi would go over a big bump and come back with a bang and I could hear Dylan moan in agony in the back seat. Eventually I said he should take 2 Panados to dull the pain in his knee and we all snacked on the prawn chips and bottled water. He couldn't lean back in his seat because their backrest had been pushed forward to accommodate the luggage, so he just rested his forehead on his forearms on the backrest of our seats and napped a bit. Thankfully the driver had turned on the aircon slightly when we started on the gravel road otherwise we would all have suffocated or fused together from the sweat! The Cambodian music played nonstop, particularly one CD, with one song, which is obviously a pop hit in Cambodia at the moment, I enjoy it, but Dylan's had enough of it.
There wasn't too much to see along the way, just earthworks as they're trying to widen and grade the road, miles of countryside next to the road that has been stripped of trees and some places where they're replanting forests and the usual small houses on stilts. In the one area they were all painted white - crazy because they get covered in the red dust and then all look cream coloured. The detail over doors and windows as we go north has changed to a triangular pattern, with the wooden planks overlapping each other. All the houses in villages along the road are permanently covered in red dust and probably only get clean when the rain comes.
Finally we reached what looked like the outskirts of a town and it was confirmed that this was Banlung. We were suddenly on a super smart new tarred freeway, but not for long. The driver turned into a side road and from there it was clear that all the other town roads were still sand, but quite smooth. Everything had the red haze from the dust, there are lots of industries, many involving bikes, repairs to bikes and many factories producing the extremely heavy solid wooden furniture we've seen all over Cambodia from the beautiful old trees in the forest. We offloaded some people and the driver pulled into the taxi rank in town. Everyone else got off, but we said we were supposed to be dropped off at our guesthouse, Lake View Lodge. He stopped in the main road where there were lots of guesthouses, but we refused and said he must take us where we want to go. Then he took us to Lake View Lodge, old colonial house which has not been maintained, but which the new? owner is fixing up. Apparently it was the Governor;s house in years gone by. It has a lovely rustic, Colonial, decaying charm, lots of large old trees, solid wooden furniture, beautiful wooden floors, swimming pool on the side with a raised pagoda seating area over one side of the pool, half filled with totally green water. There is an outdoor lapa style restaurant. Rooms are comfortable, but the mosquito screen on my window is completely loose and freestanding, I'm sure the mosquitos know their way into the room. Dylan and Colin have hot water, but I don't, but it doesn't matter in this heat. Chatted to the manager, Riaad (Sophat the owner is in Phnom Penh studying and his wife and Riaad run the place). We arranged a tour of 2 waterfalls, visiting a local tribe and swimming in the Yak Lom crater for $25 per person on 3 motos, which would start at 09H30 tomorrow.
We all showered and changed and Dylan strapped up his knee again, then had supper, Colin: sweet and sour pork and rice, Dylan something with chicken and rice. I didn't want fried rice again, which is invariably quite dry, so had the Thai green curry with pork and steamed rice, totally delicious, lots of sauce.
Dylan went to bed and Colin and I chatted to 73 year old Weyne from Belgium, whose wife passed away a few years ago, so he goes travelling in Southeast Asia every year for a few months, on the cheap.
Got up at 06H00, finished packing, U-Hong for breakfast, roll and jam and made my own coffee with boiling water, Dylan had a roll and scrambled eggs, Colin had a roll and cheese.
Put the backpacks in Heng Heng's lock-up, caught the mini bus to Banlung, poor Dylan was told to move right to the back after they had loaded a whole lot of luggage in the back, strapped other luggage, including our bag on the outside of the back door, fastened a motorbike to the back and packed boxes and bags of produce underneath the seats in the bus and on the floor! Including the driver there were 25 people in the bus, two were small children, this was going to be uncomfortable!
The mini bus left Kratie at 09H30, pit stop at 11H30 for some people to grab a quick bite to eat. We were really crammed in like sardines, but until that point we had been on tar and I had opened the sliding window on my side to get some fresh air. From then on we were on a dusty gravel road and had to close all windows. the suspension on the van and the seats had seen better days! Every now and then the taxi would go over a big bump and come back with a bang and I could hear Dylan moan in agony in the back seat. Eventually I said he should take 2 Panados to dull the pain in his knee and we all snacked on the prawn chips and bottled water. He couldn't lean back in his seat because their backrest had been pushed forward to accommodate the luggage, so he just rested his forehead on his forearms on the backrest of our seats and napped a bit. Thankfully the driver had turned on the aircon slightly when we started on the gravel road otherwise we would all have suffocated or fused together from the sweat! The Cambodian music played nonstop, particularly one CD, with one song, which is obviously a pop hit in Cambodia at the moment, I enjoy it, but Dylan's had enough of it.
There wasn't too much to see along the way, just earthworks as they're trying to widen and grade the road, miles of countryside next to the road that has been stripped of trees and some places where they're replanting forests and the usual small houses on stilts. In the one area they were all painted white - crazy because they get covered in the red dust and then all look cream coloured. The detail over doors and windows as we go north has changed to a triangular pattern, with the wooden planks overlapping each other. All the houses in villages along the road are permanently covered in red dust and probably only get clean when the rain comes.
Finally we reached what looked like the outskirts of a town and it was confirmed that this was Banlung. We were suddenly on a super smart new tarred freeway, but not for long. The driver turned into a side road and from there it was clear that all the other town roads were still sand, but quite smooth. Everything had the red haze from the dust, there are lots of industries, many involving bikes, repairs to bikes and many factories producing the extremely heavy solid wooden furniture we've seen all over Cambodia from the beautiful old trees in the forest. We offloaded some people and the driver pulled into the taxi rank in town. Everyone else got off, but we said we were supposed to be dropped off at our guesthouse, Lake View Lodge. He stopped in the main road where there were lots of guesthouses, but we refused and said he must take us where we want to go. Then he took us to Lake View Lodge, old colonial house which has not been maintained, but which the new? owner is fixing up. Apparently it was the Governor;s house in years gone by. It has a lovely rustic, Colonial, decaying charm, lots of large old trees, solid wooden furniture, beautiful wooden floors, swimming pool on the side with a raised pagoda seating area over one side of the pool, half filled with totally green water. There is an outdoor lapa style restaurant. Rooms are comfortable, but the mosquito screen on my window is completely loose and freestanding, I'm sure the mosquitos know their way into the room. Dylan and Colin have hot water, but I don't, but it doesn't matter in this heat. Chatted to the manager, Riaad (Sophat the owner is in Phnom Penh studying and his wife and Riaad run the place). We arranged a tour of 2 waterfalls, visiting a local tribe and swimming in the Yak Lom crater for $25 per person on 3 motos, which would start at 09H30 tomorrow.
We all showered and changed and Dylan strapped up his knee again, then had supper, Colin: sweet and sour pork and rice, Dylan something with chicken and rice. I didn't want fried rice again, which is invariably quite dry, so had the Thai green curry with pork and steamed rice, totally delicious, lots of sauce.
Dylan went to bed and Colin and I chatted to 73 year old Weyne from Belgium, whose wife passed away a few years ago, so he goes travelling in Southeast Asia every year for a few months, on the cheap.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Kratie
Thursday, 11 March
Didn't have to get up too early, so got out of bed at 07H00, booked the tuk tuk for the dolphin trip later that afternoon, for $10 and went to the Star restaurant for breakfast at 08H00. Had an English breakfast - 2 fried eggs, very crisp bacon, a HUGE hash brown and beans in tomato sauce with a large French breadroll and awful, strong coffee. Dylan fetched my Ellis Brown coffee creamer from the guesthouse, but the coffee remained undrinkable and cold. Dylan was writing his journal and looked up to see the female owner (50 or so), put what first looked like a tiny kitten, sort of like a tabby, on the desk. Then we realised it was more spotted than striped and Dylan thought it looked like an ocelot. We saw they'd put a string around its neck and were angrily talking about this when the woman dunked its face into a saucer of milk and it walked around on the desk, mewling and bewildered. She pulled it back from the edge of the desk with the string and I couldn't stop myself from flying over to the desk and picking it up and cuddling it against my chest and cupping it in my hands, it was tiny! It immediately calmed down. I asked the 35 year old woman, who speaks some English where she'd got it and she said it was not a kitten, but a tiger. I thought she'd misunderstood me, so I asked again and she said it was a tiger and that someone (I think her brother) had found it walking along the road, I'm guessing in a jungle area. I stoked and nuzzled the cub and it started licking its tiny hind legs. I thought it may be 5 days old, but Dylan thought it was 9 days old. I was still not really believing this was a tiger cub, so I asked how big it would get and the 35 year old woman showed to just above her waist. I aksed how long she planned to keep it and what they would do with is. She said they had not decided, but possibly a week or so and she was trying to decide what to do with it, possibly take it to a farm near Phnom Penh or up north. I said they must not let it walk around in the open as it was still tiny and was afraid of all the noise. Someone could carry it around and/or it should be put somewhere quiet in a box with a soft towel and they must give it a lot of milk. The cub was sleeping in my hands so I carefully put it in the nest I'd made in the towel in the box they brought and covered its head. I hated leaving it there.
We went back to the guesthouse. I had taken headache tablets, so I was feeling quite sleepy and had a nap. The tuk tuk driver was waiting for us at 14H00. A young British couple, Mark and Jenny, also came along on their own tuk tuk. We drove to the dolphin watching jetty and paid another $7 to the boatman. He used an engine to get us about 1 km into the river, which has an island on it, 1 km wide, so you can imagine how wide it is at that point. But it is not too deep in places, as the boat sometimes scraped over rocks and sand. We saw dolphins a couple of times,. not sure whether they were the same ones that were swimming around in the area. There were two other boats with people out too. The dolphins would just breach once or twice then disappear underwater, but Dylan and I got two reasonable photos, you actually need at least two hours and lots of patience and we were only there for one hour. It was lovely being on the river, even though the sun was very hot. The boatman battled to start the engine a few times and also lost his rudder once, but we made it back eventually.
The tuk tuk drivers then took us to the Kampi pools, where were not very deep due to the little water this time of year (hot and dry, no rain). The rocks were fairly sharp and very slippery with algae. We got wet, couldn't really swim, still refreshing. It seems the whole community comes here to swim and wash and sit on the reed platforms to have a picnic - quite a bit of rubbish in the water, the Cambodians think nothing of throwing their litter anywhere and everywhere. We left just after sunset at 18H15 and were very touched by the young girl sitting at a table outside the tourist stalls at the entrance, trying to her homework by the light of her cellphone! We rode back in the dark, got back at 18H30, agreed to meet at 19H00 for supper at U-Hong. I was really hungry for a change, had Thai green curry with pork - delicious and tasty and generous helping. Only two PC's were connect to the Internet, so Colin stayed and Dylan and I went back to pack for the trip to Banlung tomorrow in a shared minibus, $7 per seat. We're taking the minimum and packing everything in the yellow togbag - 2 sets of underwear, 3 T-shirts, 1 pr shorts, socks, walking shoes and of course my hairdryer and pillow. Dylan's knee is still hurting, so he's strapping it up.
Didn't have to get up too early, so got out of bed at 07H00, booked the tuk tuk for the dolphin trip later that afternoon, for $10 and went to the Star restaurant for breakfast at 08H00. Had an English breakfast - 2 fried eggs, very crisp bacon, a HUGE hash brown and beans in tomato sauce with a large French breadroll and awful, strong coffee. Dylan fetched my Ellis Brown coffee creamer from the guesthouse, but the coffee remained undrinkable and cold. Dylan was writing his journal and looked up to see the female owner (50 or so), put what first looked like a tiny kitten, sort of like a tabby, on the desk. Then we realised it was more spotted than striped and Dylan thought it looked like an ocelot. We saw they'd put a string around its neck and were angrily talking about this when the woman dunked its face into a saucer of milk and it walked around on the desk, mewling and bewildered. She pulled it back from the edge of the desk with the string and I couldn't stop myself from flying over to the desk and picking it up and cuddling it against my chest and cupping it in my hands, it was tiny! It immediately calmed down. I asked the 35 year old woman, who speaks some English where she'd got it and she said it was not a kitten, but a tiger. I thought she'd misunderstood me, so I asked again and she said it was a tiger and that someone (I think her brother) had found it walking along the road, I'm guessing in a jungle area. I stoked and nuzzled the cub and it started licking its tiny hind legs. I thought it may be 5 days old, but Dylan thought it was 9 days old. I was still not really believing this was a tiger cub, so I asked how big it would get and the 35 year old woman showed to just above her waist. I aksed how long she planned to keep it and what they would do with is. She said they had not decided, but possibly a week or so and she was trying to decide what to do with it, possibly take it to a farm near Phnom Penh or up north. I said they must not let it walk around in the open as it was still tiny and was afraid of all the noise. Someone could carry it around and/or it should be put somewhere quiet in a box with a soft towel and they must give it a lot of milk. The cub was sleeping in my hands so I carefully put it in the nest I'd made in the towel in the box they brought and covered its head. I hated leaving it there.
We went back to the guesthouse. I had taken headache tablets, so I was feeling quite sleepy and had a nap. The tuk tuk driver was waiting for us at 14H00. A young British couple, Mark and Jenny, also came along on their own tuk tuk. We drove to the dolphin watching jetty and paid another $7 to the boatman. He used an engine to get us about 1 km into the river, which has an island on it, 1 km wide, so you can imagine how wide it is at that point. But it is not too deep in places, as the boat sometimes scraped over rocks and sand. We saw dolphins a couple of times,. not sure whether they were the same ones that were swimming around in the area. There were two other boats with people out too. The dolphins would just breach once or twice then disappear underwater, but Dylan and I got two reasonable photos, you actually need at least two hours and lots of patience and we were only there for one hour. It was lovely being on the river, even though the sun was very hot. The boatman battled to start the engine a few times and also lost his rudder once, but we made it back eventually.
The tuk tuk drivers then took us to the Kampi pools, where were not very deep due to the little water this time of year (hot and dry, no rain). The rocks were fairly sharp and very slippery with algae. We got wet, couldn't really swim, still refreshing. It seems the whole community comes here to swim and wash and sit on the reed platforms to have a picnic - quite a bit of rubbish in the water, the Cambodians think nothing of throwing their litter anywhere and everywhere. We left just after sunset at 18H15 and were very touched by the young girl sitting at a table outside the tourist stalls at the entrance, trying to her homework by the light of her cellphone! We rode back in the dark, got back at 18H30, agreed to meet at 19H00 for supper at U-Hong. I was really hungry for a change, had Thai green curry with pork - delicious and tasty and generous helping. Only two PC's were connect to the Internet, so Colin stayed and Dylan and I went back to pack for the trip to Banlung tomorrow in a shared minibus, $7 per seat. We're taking the minimum and packing everything in the yellow togbag - 2 sets of underwear, 3 T-shirts, 1 pr shorts, socks, walking shoes and of course my hairdryer and pillow. Dylan's knee is still hurting, so he's strapping it up.
Kampong Cham to Kratie
Wednesday, 10 March
I was woken up at 05H45 by the Muslim call to prayer and then the group exercise music started on the Promenade at about 06H15. Had my cup of coffee and cigarette on the balcony, watching the pedestrians below and traffic along the Mekong.
Bow, the tuk tuk driver took us to the Thong Lhy bus company embarkation point at their tiny office in a very busy local trading street, lots of traffic, including horse carts and scooters, transporting market goods and produce . We waited there, sitting on plastic stools on the sand pavement for half an hour until the bus got there late at 09H45. They are not yet used to seeing tourists in this part of Cambodia and Dylan certainly attracts attention with his Jose Cuervo cowboy hat! Then it was a bit of a scramble to get on and we found that the driver was not loading luggage in the luggage hold, but that we had to take the backpacks inside the bus. We were amazed to find that the entire length of the floor was already taken up by boxes and bags of fresh produce and luggage and had no alternative but to pack the backpacks on top of the other bags and boxes! Then we had to walk over everything and step into our seats and sit down. To say it was crammed would be an understatement! Dylan was fuming when he sat down, as a woman had held her baby over the steps of the bus while he was trying to climb up and it peed over his foot (not wearing a nappy). At the halfway stop he got off to wash it.
Dylan and I were seated next to each other, 4 rows from the back and Colin behind us. The aircon only blew a bit of cooler air when the bus was stationery, which was not often. I sat next to the window and wrote my journal until my handwriting was so bad, I knew I wouldn't be able to read it. Then I wateched the passing scenery. The bus was really motoring on the very bumpy road, hotting each time it overtook other traffic. Dylan and I were sitting over the rear wheel arches and the floor of the bus flexed every time th ebus went over a bump. The sun started shining through the window and I started getting hot, so I leaned over the seat in front of me to try and pull a curtain in our direction, as all the curtains were bunched up at the front windows. The man sitting two rows in front of, turned around and grabbed the curtain and pulled it back and then tied it to the curtain in front of him. I was furious as that curtain belonged at our window, but was so surprised at his unco-operative behaviour that I didn't get into a scrap with him, as I should have done. Dylan said to let it go and offered to swap seats with me. He nodded off to sleep and woke up half an hour later, when a sudden lurch of the bus moved the floor under his right leg and threw his leg up into the air. With the sudden movement he hurt his knee and had to straighten it over my lap and rest it on the backpack stacked in the passage. Just when he thought he couldn't take the pain anymore, we got to Kratie. As we grabbed the backpacks and moved down the passage, I pointedly looked at the rude Cambodian curtain guy and told him he was a miserable asshole and it was unfortunate I couldn't tell him in his language!
We were offloaded in the River Rd at 13H30 and Colin had decided we should stay at the Star Guesthouse, which is the cheapest and was nearby. A tout wanted to take us to his guesthouse and Dylan had to shout at him to make him go away. We started walking back to 10th St, with Dylan lumping with the two backpacks again. We passed the Santepheap Guesthouse, which we tried, but they were full. We carried on walking in the 35 deg C heat until 10th St and found the Star guesthouse easily. I went up to check the rooms ($6 double) but the rooms and passage were dark and the mattresses didn't look comfortable, so I said we should check out some others.
I went to check the Heng Heng Hotel first and was immediately taken with their neat entrance, desk and wide staircase with huge wooden banister. The double ceiling fan rooms were $7 each and even though the mattresses were quite hard (I've since discovered they're made of latex, not foam), the rooms were very clean and the fans very effective (4 settings). So we decided to stay there. Colin and Dylan shared a room and I had one to myself. We all showered and washed clothes. Colin couldn't get his white T-shirt clean (black at the back from the seat on the bus). Dylan had to wash his swimming trunks as the Tabard cream had leaked onto them. I also had to wash out the sticky peppermints in my daypack which had become wet and started dissolving. We walked to the Star restaurant for lunch at 15H00 and all had spring rolls filled with mined pork and served with small bowls of sweet sauce with a touch of chilli and garlic, very nice. Chatted to Colin, an Australian and Els from Gent in Belguim. Colin had been to Banlung and said it was pleasant, not much to do and the road is bumpy. He had taken a local bus. We walked around the market area a bit and took photos down at the river. It's so hot in the sun, I'm always trying to find any shade possible. Went back to Heng Heng and my camera started warning me that I only had a few frame numbers left, so I thought the memory stick was getting full. I deleted a few bad photos and couldn't understand why I still got the warning. Colin figured out that it was because the camera had not been configured correctly in the shop and the photo numbers had started at 900 or so. The only thing to do was to take all the photos off the memory stick and reconfigure the numbers. My 512 MB flash drive only had about 350 MB available, so I would have to write to a DVD. There was only one shop selling DVD's and providing the service to write to them for $4, but the owner would only be back later. Went to the U-Hong restaurant for supper and to do Internet. Had a Khmer chicken curry and rice, which was so delicious, for $3. I think Colin and Dylan each had noodle soup again. Burned the photos from the camera to the DVD and sorted out the camera. Went back to the guesthouse at about 22H30.
I was woken up at 05H45 by the Muslim call to prayer and then the group exercise music started on the Promenade at about 06H15. Had my cup of coffee and cigarette on the balcony, watching the pedestrians below and traffic along the Mekong.
Bow, the tuk tuk driver took us to the Thong Lhy bus company embarkation point at their tiny office in a very busy local trading street, lots of traffic, including horse carts and scooters, transporting market goods and produce . We waited there, sitting on plastic stools on the sand pavement for half an hour until the bus got there late at 09H45. They are not yet used to seeing tourists in this part of Cambodia and Dylan certainly attracts attention with his Jose Cuervo cowboy hat! Then it was a bit of a scramble to get on and we found that the driver was not loading luggage in the luggage hold, but that we had to take the backpacks inside the bus. We were amazed to find that the entire length of the floor was already taken up by boxes and bags of fresh produce and luggage and had no alternative but to pack the backpacks on top of the other bags and boxes! Then we had to walk over everything and step into our seats and sit down. To say it was crammed would be an understatement! Dylan was fuming when he sat down, as a woman had held her baby over the steps of the bus while he was trying to climb up and it peed over his foot (not wearing a nappy). At the halfway stop he got off to wash it.
Dylan and I were seated next to each other, 4 rows from the back and Colin behind us. The aircon only blew a bit of cooler air when the bus was stationery, which was not often. I sat next to the window and wrote my journal until my handwriting was so bad, I knew I wouldn't be able to read it. Then I wateched the passing scenery. The bus was really motoring on the very bumpy road, hotting each time it overtook other traffic. Dylan and I were sitting over the rear wheel arches and the floor of the bus flexed every time th ebus went over a bump. The sun started shining through the window and I started getting hot, so I leaned over the seat in front of me to try and pull a curtain in our direction, as all the curtains were bunched up at the front windows. The man sitting two rows in front of, turned around and grabbed the curtain and pulled it back and then tied it to the curtain in front of him. I was furious as that curtain belonged at our window, but was so surprised at his unco-operative behaviour that I didn't get into a scrap with him, as I should have done. Dylan said to let it go and offered to swap seats with me. He nodded off to sleep and woke up half an hour later, when a sudden lurch of the bus moved the floor under his right leg and threw his leg up into the air. With the sudden movement he hurt his knee and had to straighten it over my lap and rest it on the backpack stacked in the passage. Just when he thought he couldn't take the pain anymore, we got to Kratie. As we grabbed the backpacks and moved down the passage, I pointedly looked at the rude Cambodian curtain guy and told him he was a miserable asshole and it was unfortunate I couldn't tell him in his language!
We were offloaded in the River Rd at 13H30 and Colin had decided we should stay at the Star Guesthouse, which is the cheapest and was nearby. A tout wanted to take us to his guesthouse and Dylan had to shout at him to make him go away. We started walking back to 10th St, with Dylan lumping with the two backpacks again. We passed the Santepheap Guesthouse, which we tried, but they were full. We carried on walking in the 35 deg C heat until 10th St and found the Star guesthouse easily. I went up to check the rooms ($6 double) but the rooms and passage were dark and the mattresses didn't look comfortable, so I said we should check out some others.
I went to check the Heng Heng Hotel first and was immediately taken with their neat entrance, desk and wide staircase with huge wooden banister. The double ceiling fan rooms were $7 each and even though the mattresses were quite hard (I've since discovered they're made of latex, not foam), the rooms were very clean and the fans very effective (4 settings). So we decided to stay there. Colin and Dylan shared a room and I had one to myself. We all showered and washed clothes. Colin couldn't get his white T-shirt clean (black at the back from the seat on the bus). Dylan had to wash his swimming trunks as the Tabard cream had leaked onto them. I also had to wash out the sticky peppermints in my daypack which had become wet and started dissolving. We walked to the Star restaurant for lunch at 15H00 and all had spring rolls filled with mined pork and served with small bowls of sweet sauce with a touch of chilli and garlic, very nice. Chatted to Colin, an Australian and Els from Gent in Belguim. Colin had been to Banlung and said it was pleasant, not much to do and the road is bumpy. He had taken a local bus. We walked around the market area a bit and took photos down at the river. It's so hot in the sun, I'm always trying to find any shade possible. Went back to Heng Heng and my camera started warning me that I only had a few frame numbers left, so I thought the memory stick was getting full. I deleted a few bad photos and couldn't understand why I still got the warning. Colin figured out that it was because the camera had not been configured correctly in the shop and the photo numbers had started at 900 or so. The only thing to do was to take all the photos off the memory stick and reconfigure the numbers. My 512 MB flash drive only had about 350 MB available, so I would have to write to a DVD. There was only one shop selling DVD's and providing the service to write to them for $4, but the owner would only be back later. Went to the U-Hong restaurant for supper and to do Internet. Had a Khmer chicken curry and rice, which was so delicious, for $3. I think Colin and Dylan each had noodle soup again. Burned the photos from the camera to the DVD and sorted out the camera. Went back to the guesthouse at about 22H30.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Kampong Thom to Kampong Cham
Tuesday, 9 March
Woke up very refreshed in Kampong Thom, mattress was so comfortable. Had another shower, so great having the room to myself! Phone reception for the hot water for coffee and the concierge knocks on the door 3 mins later. I'm still wearing my nighty. Open the door and he's holding a GLASS with the boiling water. I let him in and he quickly puts it down on the dresser. Have my breakfast and cigarette on my balcony, so civilised. Colin and Dylan carry the luggage down, Dylan wants to know what I've packed that makes my pack so heavy. I ask how Dylan's night out was (he was going to take a tuk tuk to some club). He says he decided against it. He and Colin had gone to the 5th floor, seen a small bar in a room playing Cambodian music, gone up to the bar thinking they could order some beers, then noticed the pretty but heavily made up girls, so deduced it was a brothel. A guy came over saying karaoke, but not for them, he ushered them out quickly. The next morning Dylan had questioned the concierge, who also said it was a karaoke bar. The bus arrived promptly at 08H30. I wrote the journal while Dylan slept, we passed through a few villages. The bus driver really motored, hooting every time he passed bicycles, motos, cars and trucks and other buses. The road is good, but quite bumpy and very busy. Cambodian music played non stop, there was even an adaptation of "Summertime". I woke Dylan at 11H00 as I didn't want us to end up missing the town again. I asked the Cambodian guy sitting to my right whether was Kampong Cham. He didn't understand, but I think gestured that this was not Kampong Cham. We got to Kampong Cham at 12H00. Colin and Dylan had decided that the guesthouses we wanted to check out were within walking distance and didn't want to pay a tuk tuk driver. We set off down the road, Dylan carrying his backpack on his back and mine in front, in the blistering sun and it seemed we were heading out of town. Various motos were asking if we wanted a ride and Dylan said no, but good judgement prevailed when I said we should take a tuk tuk. The driver said he would charge $2 to take us to Mittapheap Guesthouse. Unfortunately they only had one double room, so Dylan ran across to Nava on the corner and came back saying we should check the next one. The tuk tuk driver Bow said we could go to the Mekong Hotel, which was $15 or so and we said it must be cheaper. He said there were places along the Mekong for $5, we stopped at one where the rooms were really grotty and dirty, with sagging mattresses. Then we went to the Speanthemey and even though the downstairs reception was basically a garage with a counter and narrow concrete steps up to the 2nd and 3rd floors, the rooms were clean and the mattresses comfortable. The balcony outside had a view of the Mekong to die for. There was a squatting toilet, basin with no drain and hand shower fastened to the wall. A bucket of water with a scoop under the basin caught the water which flowed from the tap whenever the stopcock was opened on the pipe mounted to the wall. Another tap on the pipe fed water to the shower.
Bow had asked whether he could take us on a tour in the afternoon, starting at 14H00, so we dropped the bags in the rooms, didn't bother to shower as we would immediately be hot and sweaty again and set off with him. He first stopped along the Mekong for us to take photos of the Vietnamese boat people, then stopped at a Cham house, where he beckoned us to follow him through bushes. I suddenly had an uncomfortable feeling that we may be walking into a trap, as we were walking off the beaten track with this unknown person and we were carrying all our money. I told Dylan and Colin to be prepared. My suspicion turned out to be unfounded, as he just took us to a spot along the river where they grow lotus flowers. They are absolutely beautiful and fragile. He opened one of the seedpods and told us to peel the seeds inside and eat them. They were so deliciously sweet and tasty. I photographed a guy threshing rice. Then he drove us to an Amica project in a very poor area, where the French assist the Cambodians in setting up small handicraft businesses and they assist in getting their products sold - a big industry is weaving material, tablecloths and cotton and silk scarves. He stopped at a house where an old woman of 86 was rolling cotton onto a large loom and her daughter was weaving a cotton scarf. The old lady is so hunchbacked, I would be surprised if she can walk much. The scarves are woven from quite fine cotton, so it takes a long time to make. Bow said she makes 2 in a day of many hours of work. She asked if we'd like to buy any and clearly one can't refuse, so we went upstairs into her house and it was surprising cool. The floor is made of strips of plaited bamboo, with small gaps, so you can see through and through which air circulates. The house seemed to consist of a fairly large common area and two other rooms further back (I didn't go any further than the living room). I didn't see any evidence of electrical lights, so I guess they use paraffin lamps or candles. There was a language barrier so I couldn't really ask questions. Piles of kramars (scarves) were put on a mat and we sat on the mat looking though them. I didn't like any of the colour combinations. Dylan found one he liked and paid $3, I'm sure we'll find more in Phnom Penh for a lot less, but I guess she needs the money.
Bow then drove us to Wat Nokor, an 8th century temple, beside which a new vihara has been built. The temple is quite well preserved. Quite strange that the new Buddhist temple was built right next to the old one. The last stop was Phnom Bpros, a hill with modern cement pagodas, with hints of Angkor Wat and Banteay Srei. There is a 12M reclining golden Buddha, as well as a shrine with some skulls of Cambodians who were killed by the Khmer Rouge. Next to the shrine outside were mounds of sand covering the bones of more people massacred. Some steps led up to the monastry and some small wild monkeys live on the hill.
We got back to the guesthouse at 18H00, had a shower, bought bus tickets to Kratie, then went to the Mekong Crossing for supper. It's owned by two American guys, who motorbiked around Cambodia 5 years ago and decided to stay. We only met Joe, who is short, with piercing green eyes, large Freddie Mercury moustache and broad Pennsylvania accent. He plays the coolest 60's, 70's and 80's American music. The food is good, I was excited to see I could order "Western"food, but my toasted cheese and tomato (green) sandwich was not so successful - they use the local white processed cheese, dairy products are not really available, are imported and are very expensive. We went across the road to an Internet cafe and I continued with the blog for an hour.
We went back to the Mekong Crossing at 23H00 to pick Joe's brains about Banlung and Stung Treng. He said Stung Treng doesn't have anything going for it, but Banlung is nice, very laidback, jungle. He said the only thing worth doing in Kratie is going to see the dolphins and one doesn't even need to take a boat out, you can see them from the jetty. We met 30 year old Dave, who claims to be making a documentary about retrieving the remains of Erroll Flynn's son, Sean, who was killed by the Khmer Rouge 10 years ago. Dave says he works in Saigon in security, is divorced from his Vietnamese wife and has a 2,5 year old daughter. Hetalks non-stop and said he had caught malaria, dengue fever and some other disease and he gets sick when they flare up every now and then.
We went back to the guesthouse at 00H00. I slept surprising well, the fan was so effective I had to cover myself with the blanket during the night.
I apologise for not including any photos, this programme is not allowing me to upload any, will keep on trying ;-)
Woke up very refreshed in Kampong Thom, mattress was so comfortable. Had another shower, so great having the room to myself! Phone reception for the hot water for coffee and the concierge knocks on the door 3 mins later. I'm still wearing my nighty. Open the door and he's holding a GLASS with the boiling water. I let him in and he quickly puts it down on the dresser. Have my breakfast and cigarette on my balcony, so civilised. Colin and Dylan carry the luggage down, Dylan wants to know what I've packed that makes my pack so heavy. I ask how Dylan's night out was (he was going to take a tuk tuk to some club). He says he decided against it. He and Colin had gone to the 5th floor, seen a small bar in a room playing Cambodian music, gone up to the bar thinking they could order some beers, then noticed the pretty but heavily made up girls, so deduced it was a brothel. A guy came over saying karaoke, but not for them, he ushered them out quickly. The next morning Dylan had questioned the concierge, who also said it was a karaoke bar. The bus arrived promptly at 08H30. I wrote the journal while Dylan slept, we passed through a few villages. The bus driver really motored, hooting every time he passed bicycles, motos, cars and trucks and other buses. The road is good, but quite bumpy and very busy. Cambodian music played non stop, there was even an adaptation of "Summertime". I woke Dylan at 11H00 as I didn't want us to end up missing the town again. I asked the Cambodian guy sitting to my right whether was Kampong Cham. He didn't understand, but I think gestured that this was not Kampong Cham. We got to Kampong Cham at 12H00. Colin and Dylan had decided that the guesthouses we wanted to check out were within walking distance and didn't want to pay a tuk tuk driver. We set off down the road, Dylan carrying his backpack on his back and mine in front, in the blistering sun and it seemed we were heading out of town. Various motos were asking if we wanted a ride and Dylan said no, but good judgement prevailed when I said we should take a tuk tuk. The driver said he would charge $2 to take us to Mittapheap Guesthouse. Unfortunately they only had one double room, so Dylan ran across to Nava on the corner and came back saying we should check the next one. The tuk tuk driver Bow said we could go to the Mekong Hotel, which was $15 or so and we said it must be cheaper. He said there were places along the Mekong for $5, we stopped at one where the rooms were really grotty and dirty, with sagging mattresses. Then we went to the Speanthemey and even though the downstairs reception was basically a garage with a counter and narrow concrete steps up to the 2nd and 3rd floors, the rooms were clean and the mattresses comfortable. The balcony outside had a view of the Mekong to die for. There was a squatting toilet, basin with no drain and hand shower fastened to the wall. A bucket of water with a scoop under the basin caught the water which flowed from the tap whenever the stopcock was opened on the pipe mounted to the wall. Another tap on the pipe fed water to the shower.
Bow had asked whether he could take us on a tour in the afternoon, starting at 14H00, so we dropped the bags in the rooms, didn't bother to shower as we would immediately be hot and sweaty again and set off with him. He first stopped along the Mekong for us to take photos of the Vietnamese boat people, then stopped at a Cham house, where he beckoned us to follow him through bushes. I suddenly had an uncomfortable feeling that we may be walking into a trap, as we were walking off the beaten track with this unknown person and we were carrying all our money. I told Dylan and Colin to be prepared. My suspicion turned out to be unfounded, as he just took us to a spot along the river where they grow lotus flowers. They are absolutely beautiful and fragile. He opened one of the seedpods and told us to peel the seeds inside and eat them. They were so deliciously sweet and tasty. I photographed a guy threshing rice. Then he drove us to an Amica project in a very poor area, where the French assist the Cambodians in setting up small handicraft businesses and they assist in getting their products sold - a big industry is weaving material, tablecloths and cotton and silk scarves. He stopped at a house where an old woman of 86 was rolling cotton onto a large loom and her daughter was weaving a cotton scarf. The old lady is so hunchbacked, I would be surprised if she can walk much. The scarves are woven from quite fine cotton, so it takes a long time to make. Bow said she makes 2 in a day of many hours of work. She asked if we'd like to buy any and clearly one can't refuse, so we went upstairs into her house and it was surprising cool. The floor is made of strips of plaited bamboo, with small gaps, so you can see through and through which air circulates. The house seemed to consist of a fairly large common area and two other rooms further back (I didn't go any further than the living room). I didn't see any evidence of electrical lights, so I guess they use paraffin lamps or candles. There was a language barrier so I couldn't really ask questions. Piles of kramars (scarves) were put on a mat and we sat on the mat looking though them. I didn't like any of the colour combinations. Dylan found one he liked and paid $3, I'm sure we'll find more in Phnom Penh for a lot less, but I guess she needs the money.
Bow then drove us to Wat Nokor, an 8th century temple, beside which a new vihara has been built. The temple is quite well preserved. Quite strange that the new Buddhist temple was built right next to the old one. The last stop was Phnom Bpros, a hill with modern cement pagodas, with hints of Angkor Wat and Banteay Srei. There is a 12M reclining golden Buddha, as well as a shrine with some skulls of Cambodians who were killed by the Khmer Rouge. Next to the shrine outside were mounds of sand covering the bones of more people massacred. Some steps led up to the monastry and some small wild monkeys live on the hill.
We got back to the guesthouse at 18H00, had a shower, bought bus tickets to Kratie, then went to the Mekong Crossing for supper. It's owned by two American guys, who motorbiked around Cambodia 5 years ago and decided to stay. We only met Joe, who is short, with piercing green eyes, large Freddie Mercury moustache and broad Pennsylvania accent. He plays the coolest 60's, 70's and 80's American music. The food is good, I was excited to see I could order "Western"food, but my toasted cheese and tomato (green) sandwich was not so successful - they use the local white processed cheese, dairy products are not really available, are imported and are very expensive. We went across the road to an Internet cafe and I continued with the blog for an hour.
We went back to the Mekong Crossing at 23H00 to pick Joe's brains about Banlung and Stung Treng. He said Stung Treng doesn't have anything going for it, but Banlung is nice, very laidback, jungle. He said the only thing worth doing in Kratie is going to see the dolphins and one doesn't even need to take a boat out, you can see them from the jetty. We met 30 year old Dave, who claims to be making a documentary about retrieving the remains of Erroll Flynn's son, Sean, who was killed by the Khmer Rouge 10 years ago. Dave says he works in Saigon in security, is divorced from his Vietnamese wife and has a 2,5 year old daughter. Hetalks non-stop and said he had caught malaria, dengue fever and some other disease and he gets sick when they flare up every now and then.
We went back to the guesthouse at 00H00. I slept surprising well, the fan was so effective I had to cover myself with the blanket during the night.
I apologise for not including any photos, this programme is not allowing me to upload any, will keep on trying ;-)
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