Banlung- Cambodia

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Ban Lung- Cambodia


After a very bumpy ride from Kratie which included me vommiting bannana milk shake out of the window, we finally arrived in Ban Lung.

Ban Lung isn't very big so we decided to walk into town for some dinner on our first evening. When we left it was still light but the walk back was dark and we ended up getting lost down some deserted roads. We quickly noticed lots of dogs sitting outside, guarding each of the houses. We started to walk a bit quicker but one by one they began approaching us and started barking. We tried to keep as calm as we could but the further we carried on the more dogs approached until we were surrounded by about six dogs. The dogs were behaving unpredictably and we were both so scared our only option was to dart into a garden where a family was eating dinner. Although they didn't seem to understand why we were making such a fuss one man agreed to take us back when we offered to pay him. We won't make that mistake again and made sure to warn others staying at our hostel incase the same thing happened to them.

We rented a motor bike to visit Yeak Lom emerald crater lake. The lake, which is perfectly circular, is situated in the towering jungle that surrounds Ban Lung. It is extremely serene with clear water you can swim in. Different shades of green from the trees contrasted with the deep blue water in the lake making an idyllic jungle scene. Will dived in whilst I relaxed on the wooden pier at the water's edge. There were many tiny shrimps you could see in the water that swam up and clung to the hair on his leg. What looked like a Khmer photo shoot was taking place on the bank of the river. Women and men were dressed up in traditional Khmer hunting outfits adorned with lots of brightly coloured flowers. It was unusual to see Khmer woman wearing make up, high heels and short dresses. However, they looked like they were having lots of fun strutting around, posing and taking selfies with each other.

From the lake we took a very dusty ride down the rust coloured dirt track to the Kinchaan waterfall, the rented moped just about surviving the journey. We followed the sound of the water for a short distance through the jungle until we spotted the incredible sight of the waterfall. From above a stunning stream flowed heavily into a large pool of water at the basin. We climbed down some steep wooden stairs to reach the water's edge and although the water was murky, after a bit of deliberation, we decided to go for a swim. I had been expecting more people to be there but the area was deserted, which meant we were able to enjoy the tranquility in peace. We tried to swim up near the waterfall itself but the current was so powerful the nearest we could get was about two metres away, however we did have lots of fun taking videos using the GoPro underwater camera.

The second waterfall Ka Tieng was a lot busier and more of an organised tourist attraction. An elephant, which didn't look in the healthiest condition was giving rides to tourists which was cruel and not nice to witness. A rickety wooden bridge joined both banks of the river and from there you could see the waterfall and watch the local boys using vines to swing out from the bank into the water. Will couldn't resist having a go, so I stayed on the bridge so I could film him pretending to be Tarzan.

Watch "Vine swing jump, Ka Tieng Waterfall, Cambodia" on YouTube - Vine swing jump, Ka Tieng Waterfall, Cambodia:

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