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Published: March 21st 2010
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Ban LungHaving left Don Det in Si Phan Don of Laos behind we moved by bus to the South and eventually we crossed the border of Cambodia. Despite the famous song by Dead Kennedys, a holiday in Cambodia is not (anymore) tough, but it's nearly as chill as in Laos. People seemed to be friendly at the first glance and we didn't find any trouble in heading to Ban Lung - the biggest town of Ratanakiri province. Literally it means Diamond Mountains since there are some profitable diamond mines in the area. This area is for trekkers mainly and because trekking in Nepal wasn't so devastating after all, we had enough courage to book a jungle trek to Virachey national park. The national park is uninhabited and only the minority tribes (and trekkers of course) wander there every now and then. Before entering the jungle we visited a crater lake (which was really nice, totally recommended with a tube and beer in the middle of the lake) and one of the many waterfalls in the area.
Day 1
We met our guide, an ex-ranger called Sopani, whose English skills fortunately were a lot better than our Nepalese trek guide's mambo-jumbo.
Like all the real trekkers do, firstly we bought food accessories in the morning market of Ban Lung. After successful bargains we jumped on the motorbikes and started our journey towards the wild. We had to travel tens of kilometers on a very dirty road which was full of red sand so the breathing mask appeared to be very needful. When we arrived at the river bank of Tonle San we met the fourth member of our expedition, a porter named Samong. So by a long-tail boats we went deeper to the jungle and after one or two hours we reached a minority village in which people didn't speak so much Khmer anymore but Brau language. With our guide as assistance we tried to communicate and we found out that the tribal leaders have actually been in the army of notorious Pol Pot back in the days. It was interesting to hear stories how a human's life didn't play any major role when the death could have been on the the doorstep any day. As humble guests we offered them a local Red Eagle whiskey, because it's always good to have some bribes. They didn't like it but apparently they
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Dusty roads still appreciated our gesture. So after dropping down local moonshine we went to sleep - in the U.S. Army hammocks. I have never slept over night in a hammock, but it must be said that they were very comfortable and played an important role as we could point out later.
Day 2
Welcome to the jungle! Firstly it was easy to notice that sandals weren't the best for jungle paths. Lauri got many hits during the day. The jungle sounds are awesome, but it's very hard to see any animals (not even speaking of tigers, which are very rare!). The trekking time wasn't long as to we just walked two hours and when we arrived at the river side the clock was 3 PM. Okey, I didn't take any book with me nor other equipment to kill time so it was pretty much sleeping and eating. In the jungle the sounds of fauna get a lot louder when the dusk comes. Our guide recognized many birds, frogs and insects - and I managed to name a sound of gecko... maybe the easiest sound ever (GEC-KO, GEC-KO...)
Day 3
Not much expect walking a lot. We trekked
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U.S. Army through bamboo forests and saw giant trees (not possible to see anything similar in Finland). Moreover, we got acquainted to some spiders and rusty guns from the 70's. The weapons were located nearby the Ho Chi Minh trail which was an important maintenance route for the Communists during Vietnam war (or American war like it's called in here). The trail was quite narrow since it hasn't been in use for years, but a suitable trekking path especially when there are no more landmines on the path. Before getting to the night camp, the cruel and ambitious ants dropped from the tree on Lauri's neck. When I heard his roaming sound behind, I was sure that ankle was broken or tiger had attacked. I had it on the day after, a very cheerful surprise when five ants sting at the same time! We took a swim in the river and ate the same meal like every day - rice, vegetables and dry meat (at the moment it started coming out from ears).
Day 4
The last day of our trek. I was happy to get back to the civilization and to have something other to eat (and drink!).
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Bombing? The boatman was late so there was a little moment of excitement if we would stay in the jungle for ever. Eventually he came, so we left the forest (and definitely the most remote area where I've ever been) behind and enjoyed the comforts of the town in the evening. I must recommend this trek for everyone since it's an unique way to see minorities of Cambodia, animals and remote wilderness - and to get a good mood when you have really done something else than walked on the beaten track.
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