Blogs from Kratié, East, Cambodia, Asia - page 8

4,000 Islands - KratieJason & Kirstyn O To say the border crossing into Cambodia was bizarre would be an understatement. After a ferry across from the island we piled into a minivan and drove the five or so kms to the border. After a few kms we turned down a small dirt track, shrowded by forest each side and littered with pot holes (like the hills of Phonsovan). Added to this was the fact they were filled with water from last nights storm and so resembled small lakes! At this stage we wondered whether we were really crossing the border or whether we were being taken into the jungle for other purposes! Also, Jason was not feeling too well by this time (?hungover, ?food poisoning...) and the potholes did nothing to improve his nausea! Needless to ... read more

Looking back on my time in Laos I must say that it is one of the most pleasant places I have ever been. It's a lot of people's favorite country in Southeast Asia and for good reason. The people are so friendly and the scenery has managed to defend itself from over development for the time being. When I think of Laos I think of the "Sabai dee" kids waving from the sides of the roads, noodle soup, families congregating under their little basket houses to escape the heat, BeerLao, dust, the Mekong, long journeys, caves, water buffalo and incredibly friendly, chilled out people who could care less about having a rat in the global race of capitalism and consumerism. As a matter of fact, I could imagine them saying “What race? There’s a race?” ... read more

Today we took a taxi two hours north to Kratie with hopes we would see the endangered Irawaddy dolphins. It was a very scenic drive starting out on new pavement and ending with dusty potholed dirt road. Our taxi driver, the typical Cambodian variety, was king of the road with the force he exerted on the horn second only to the force he exerted on the accelerator. We were rewarded with amazing views of the dolphins three of which surfaced right beside our boat.... read more

After getting the bus back to Phnom Penh we booked into the same guesthouse (Eventually -Seems there are a few of them with the same name seeing as it appears in Lonely Planet). Then we do what we always do in Cambodia - We went for an Indian. After that we arranged a bus to Kratie. After changing from a minibus to a big bus and a 6 hour journey the following morning we reached Kratie. Kratie is a bit of a one horse town famous for being one of the few places on the Mekong River you can still see the rare Irawaddy dolphins. Other than that it hasn't a whole lot else going on. Once off the bus we negotiated a lovely room with a spare double bed (Princely sum of 4 Dollars) opposite ... read more

Kambodzan ja Laosin raja ei ole viela ylittynyt. Olemme parin Phnom Penhissa vietetyn yon jalkeen paatyneet pariksi yoksi Kratie nimiseen paikkaan. Tana aamuna hypattiin mopojen kyytiin ja kaytiin katsomassa delfiineja. Onni oli meilla myota ja onnistuttiin nakemaan useampi alueella eleleva Irrawaddy jokidelfiini. Katja oli niin innoissaan asiasta, etta ilmoitti kokemuksen voittavan jopa Angkor Watin. Meikalainen kylla taisi saada pikkasen isommat tykytykset Angkorista, vaikka Delfiinien nakeminen oli kylla hienoa. Delfiini spottauksen jalkeen kaytiin paluumatkalla katsomassa taas vaihteeksi temppelia. On se kumma, etta niita tarvitsee aina rakentaa kaikkein korkeimpien kukkuloiden huipulle. Reidet maitohapoilla, naama punaisena ja paidanselka hiesta markana ei oikein jaksa arvostaa pikkuruisen temppelin kauneutta. Reissun paalle oli ihan pakko vahan levahtaa hotellihuoneessa. Ra... read more