Blogs from Kratié, East, Cambodia, Asia - page 4

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Asia » Cambodia » East » Kratié January 12th 2011

We were very much looking forward to a full day on the riverside roads. While they too have their challenges (read dogs, lots of them, as it seems the average house has at least 4 and that does not include this year's puppies, all bark, lots of chase and even a couple who if given a couple more seconds might even attempt a little bite at minimum). What these roads lack are large speeding trucks and buses and a road temperature that is well above the surrounding air temp. So, it's off to the shady river we go.... Honestly, the day progressed and there's not a lot to tell well other than the eternal challenges of finding a place to answer the “we're now managing to be somewhat hydrated” call of nature. The Mekong supports about ... read more
little bridges
chasing the kids to school
the old ways

Asia » Cambodia » East » Kratié January 11th 2011

Sunrise is a time of day but in the villages is starts HOURS before the event. First the dogs barking, then the roosters join in, followed by the people. No need to set the alarm today! As we are going through our daily ritual of gathering clothes, filling bottles and bladders with water and Gatorade, Bunna and Mambo start packing up their gear. In all the preparation we miss the commotion as Bunna is unrolling his belt that he'd placed next to his pillow and is greeted with a wonderful little surprise in the form of a small scorpion! The sting delivered, the little monster promptly became goo on the underside of Bunna's boot! Very surprised to hear of all this, Nathalie immediately goes into first aide mode and whips out the kit we drag everywhere. ... read more
Kids are off to school

Asia » Cambodia » East » Kratié October 16th 2010

The Kingdom of Cambodia was somewhere I knew nothing about when I left home but reading guide books and autobiographies as I travelled left me fascinated to go there. Recent Cambodian history is horrifically riveting and I would say being aware some of what happened is a pre-requisite for visiting the country. Such recent and mass scale bloodshed cannot fail to have an effect on people and as I gazed out of bus windows at endless rice paddies, cycled round Angkor Wat or ate noodles in the Russian Market in Phnom Pehn, the past echoed in the back of my mind. It's for this reason that I don't feel like I can write about my travels in Cambodia without first going over some of the country's history. Cambodia like Laos was a French Colony. Coffee and ... read more
Echoes of the past
UN base
"Helloooo"

Asia » Cambodia » East » Kratié May 22nd 2010

Few hours on a bus north out of Phnom Penh takes us to Kratie, a small town on the banks of the Mekong. Arrive late afternoon. Hot hot hot. After we check in, a guy takes us on his scooter a few kilometres up the river to see the famous Irriwady dolphins. 3 on a scooter isn't as uncomfortable as it sounds, but it does bottom out the suspension a little, so you feel every bump in your teeth. Not quite sure what would happen with an emergency stop either, but we've seen 5 adults on one before, so 3 is nothing. We jump in a boat with our driver (who is about twelve years old) and then push off. The river is pretty wide, with lots of small grassy islands dotted around. Somehow the sky ... read more
Scooter taxi to see the dolphins
Paula looking for rare Irriwaddy dolphins
Big sky.

Asia » Cambodia » East » Kratié March 20th 2010

Ever since we arrived in Cambodia I knew that i wanted to see some of it on a motorbike. This place is named as having the worst roads in Asia, which is would be great fun on a motorbike. I looking into doing an organised tour with a group of people. It would of been great because they supply you with all the equipment (bikes, helmets, body armour etc), have an excellent knowledge of where all the good trails are and they transport your bag for you to the next destination so its waiting for you at the end of the days riding, which also keeps the weight down on the bike. As great as all this sounds, the price tag was way more than i could afford, minimum of $120 per day and i really ... read more
Laughing school kids
One of the flat roads
View from a bridge

Asia » Cambodia » East » Kratié February 20th 2010

The first thing about travelling in Cambodia is to realise that the bus is always going to be late and you will be fine. In that vein, our morning bus departed from downtown late, weaving through the bustling traffic bound for the north east and Kratie, a city of approximately 80,000 most of whom make their living from the might Mekong's waters. Leaving the traffic and congestion behind, we ease into the more rural life where after hours there is finally no English signs with the exception of the cel phone stores. In every town, grand temples dominate the landscape and despite the poverty, they are still built in grand styles with well cared for grounds that stand in juxtaposition to all of the garbage that lines the streets, alleyways and fields for entire trip. Wooden ... read more
Kurt relaxing on the ferry to Koh Trong
Bamboo path to the ferry along the beach
Vietnamese Floating Village off Koh Trong

Asia » Cambodia » East » Kratié February 18th 2010

Nach einer siebenstündigen Busfahrt überwiegend durch eine staubtrockene Steppenlandschaft, bin ich mittlerweile in Kratie angekommen, einer kleinen Stadt am Mekong auf der Strecke Richtung Laos. Nachdem ich die wenigen Schlepper abgeschüttelt hatte, fand ich recht schnell ein günstiges Zimmer in einem Gäsehaus mit Blick direkt auf den Markt und zei Fenstern an zwei unterschiedlichen Wänden, wodurch eine gute Lüftung herrschte. Das ganze kostete 5$. Für 4$ hatte ich ein ähnliches Zimmer, aber ohne Fenster bekommen. Glücklicherweise hatte ich mich für das teurere entschieden, denn kurz nach meinem Einzug fiel im ganzen Haus der Strom aus, d.h. ich wäre ohne Ventilator im Dunkeln gesessen. So kam durch die Fenster wenigstens etwas an Luft rein. Am nächsten Tag war der Strom dann aber wieder da. Ich mietete mir ein Fahrrad und fuhr recht früh, als die Temperaturen noch ... read more
Sonnenuntergang am Mekong
Sonnenuntergang am Mekong
Sonnenuntergang am Mekong

Asia » Cambodia » East » Kratié December 14th 2009

Up and grappling a bicycle down the 80 odd steps down to the boat to cross over to the Island by 08:00. We get to the other side and it's a hard slog pushing the bike througj the soft sand for a quarter of a mile before get up over the levee and onto the Island proper - a small boy tells me his nbame is ''Dollar'' and then proceeds to ask me for money - he doesn't get it! I also notice to my amazement a shack advertising bikes for hire at $1 a day!!! The hotel didn't bloody tell me this - see what I mean about conning tourists. I set off and stop at a Wat (temple) about a third of the way around. I sit down on a concrete bench under a ... read more

Asia » Cambodia » East » Kratié December 13th 2009

Ever had the feeling you've been conned? I've just parted with $80 and I still don't know what I've paid for - it's supposed to be for a trip around the area including a couple of boat fares but the story keeps changing every time I try and clarify what is included and paid for already. I decide to go with the flow and jump into the waiting TutTut and off we head North out of Kratie. The Khmers seem to prefer building their houses alongside roads in a linear fashion and here is no exception - the difference here is that ALL the houses are the traditional wooden houses on stilts with the underneath of the house used as a general storage area. Most of the houses have chickens and ducks running about esepecially in ... read more

Asia » Cambodia » East » Kratié December 4th 2009

Kratie was basically just a stopover between Siem Reap and Ban Lung, but we made the most of it. Kratie is right on the Mekong, and it is famous (at least among backpackers) for it's nearby pod of fresh water dolphins. We decided to take the bus from siem reap to kratie (8 hours or so), see the dolphins the next morning, and then catch another bus to Ban Lung (6 hours). Our bus left siem reap at 8 am, and we didn't make it to kratie until after dark. It shouldn't have taken that long except we made a few stops along the way, one of them for over an hour when we changed buses. Our bus let us off in the middle of nowhere and told us to wait for another bus that would ... read more




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