Taking the scenic route

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Apologies for the delay in updating this, there have been a few technical issues with Travel Blog.org, but these seem to now have been fixed. Here is the blog I wrote yesterday:

As promised, I am writing from Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. I have been rather remote for the last week, in the North Eastern Rattanakiri province. To get an idea of how remote it is, click this link for a map of Cambodia: http://www.circleofasia.com/maps/mapofcambodia.asp

The treck to Rattanakiri is a long one, especially from Siem Reap where we began our journey. Looking at the map, the two don’t look that far apart, but there is only 1 bridge over the Meakong, which is in the south of the country (near Phnom Penh), therefore travelling from the North-West to the North East is somewhat an arduous journey. To be precise, the distance is 805 kilometres by road. It also doesn’t help too much that the last 165 km is a dirt track (see picture above). To put that into context, it is like driving from home in Horsham to Aberdeen, and the road from Glasgow being a dirt track. This meant that although we left at 7am from Siem Reap, we didn’t arrive in Ban Lung (the provincial capital of Rattanakiri) until 9pm at night. However, it was certainly worth the journey. Our first day in Cambodia was spent largely around town and at the Terres Rouge hotel where we were staying. It’s lush surrounding next to the lake was an ideal place to relax on the terrace and swim in their pool.

The next day we organised a trip to two of the main waterfalls in the region. The first was the Chaa Ong waterfall (see picture below). This was a spectacular sight as we first stood on the edge of thewaterfall, looking over the edge, then behind the waterfall and finally in front of the waterfall as the water tumbled twenty meters into the pool below.

On the way to the next waterfall, our guide stopped and let us see people farming rubber from trees. The rubber plantations date back to the 1950s, and provide several jobs in the region. However, some quick maths told me that they can’t earn very much. We were told they produce 40 to 50 litres of rubber a day, and the company that employs them will sell this rubber for 50cents a litre. There were probably 10 men working to get the rubber, which means that the company makes, per man, around $2 or one pound 20 per day. Even on the most generous assumption that 50%!o(MISSING)f turnover is spent on staff, this means the men will be earning around $1 (60p) per day. Sarah and I struggled to live on $30 a day in Rattanakiri, let alone $30 per month - and we don’t have a family of 5 to feed.

The next stop was the Kinchaan waterfall. This waterfall was less impressive for its hight, but more for the sheer volumes of water that tumble over the edge. Certainly for some Khmers it seemed a good substitute for a power shower. The next day we booked some elephant trekking, which went through a large forest and then onto Ka Tieng waterfall. This was an awefsome experience, as the elephants powered their way through the forest, to a spectacular scene at the end. It is certainly one that will be hard to top. Luckily a reporter from a local tourism magazine was there, so we should have some really good pictures off him to show you when we get back.

On the final day, we rented a motorbike which was a great way to see the town and get around. We went to a couple of lakes, and in the evening, dropped by at a nice resteraunt on the shores of a lake. Towards the end of our meal, we saw flashes of light coming from afar, and realised a thunderstorm was on its way. Knowing the bike had no headlights, it was now a race to get back before not only sunset, but also the rain. Telling Sarah to drive fast and take risks (something she completely ignored), we made our way through the dirt tracks of Ban Lung and arrived just in time to watch the rain and thunderstorm from the terrace, as well as getting some awesome pictures to boot.

The next day we took the minibus back to Phnom Penh, which was a 12 hour drive thanks to some traffic going into the city, and we are now sat in an internet café writing this. We head off to Bangkok on the 13th, and then onto Hong Kong on the 15th, leaving for Australia on the 18th, making it 4 countries in a week. I’ll keep you updated!

Alan.

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