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Asia » Cambodia » East » Kratié October 21st 2022

This morning we docked at Kratie Town during breakfast. We were able to watch from the dining room as we were tied up to the rickety timber platform that serves as the dock here. The street on the riverbank was lined with tents and people and had a festive air about it. Leng explained that officially the Water Festival is celebrated in Phnom Penh between the 10th and 12thof November, however it is celebrated earlier in the provinces. I think as soon as the water recedes from their farming land they have reason to celebrate because they can plant their crops. After breakfast we stepped down onto the dock and - keeping to the joists! – made our way over to the bouncy gangplank. After bouncing over the gangplank we climbed the uneven concrete steps up ... read more
Irrawaddy dolphin
Irrawaddy dolphin
Irrawaddy dolphin

Asia » Cambodia » East » Kampong Cham October 20th 2022

This morning after breakfast we disembarked in the bustling town of Kampong Cham and boarded a coach for a short drive to Phnom Pros Phnom Srei which translates as Man Mountain Lady Mountain. On the way Leng told us the legend of how the men and the women held a competition to see who could build the tallest hill and, of course, the women won thereby winning the right to have men take responsibility for proposing to them. We drove part way up the smaller hill, Phnom Pros, where we visited the Buddha Garden. In addition to several statues of Buddha there is an impressive library, a number of other colourful buildings … and monkeys! Fortunately the monkeys didn’t seem very interested in us so we didn’t have to worry about them bothering us. Leng had ... read more
Teaching Buddha on Man Mountain
Standing Buddha on Man Mountain
The Library

Asia » Cambodia » East » Kampong Cham January 2nd 2020

650am start for us today. Your average person would hate the early start, me however, I'm loving it. We're actually getting shit done and seeing things. Because nothing's open that early in the morning, I stocked up on snacks. Oreos, chips and cashew nuts for breakfast. Yeah, not great. We're taking a public bus to Kampong Cham. My expectations of things on this trip have been grossly incorrect for the majority of it. I was expecting some shit heap bus like I've seen throughout Cambodia and Thailand, but instead, we get a very reasonable bus with air conditioning. We made several stops picking up locals and dropping them at their small towns along the way. Depending on the ticket the local bought, they either sat in seats or on stools along the aisle until the bus ... read more

Asia » Cambodia » East » Kampong Cham December 30th 2017

We arrived in Sihanoukville mid afternoon and checked into our guesthouse. Sihanoukville, named after King Sihanouk, is a beachside town in southern Cambodia. Me, Bill, my dad and team Canada went to a nearby pub (run by an Aussie from Byron Bay) for a few beers before dinner. The weather was cloudy with some showers. Pear said it was going to rain the next day and didn't recommend a boat trip to the islands the next day. We then met for dinner and walked to the beach which has many bars. We had a nice dinner then some loud tourists came in and the DJ fired up! Dinner and drinks soon turned into dancing and a lot of drinks! My dad was even dancing too – I lost count of how many times Despacito and the ... read more
Sihanoukville
Me and Bill tearing up the dancefloor
Beach days with Intrepid

Asia » Cambodia » East » Banlung December 13th 2017

My Hassle-Free Bus Ride Into Vietnam Travelling around Asia filled me with a deep appreciation for the rich and wide cultural diversity of each country; from Japan to Indonesia to Thailand. Prior to this I had gone further afield. Yes, the bustling streets of Tokyo, filled with neon lights and street side cafes, were inscribed in my mind. It'll be an injustice for me to forget about The Temple of Heaven in Beijing, or the beautiful landscape of Bali. Each one of these experiences have turned out to shape and re-mold my appreciation for these amazing cultures. However, one of these experiences stands out, and it was during a bus ride into Vietnam from Laos. I must say that this bus ride was quite eventful. In fact, it's the second most pleasant bus ride in my ... read more
Bus ride cambodia

Asia » Cambodia » East » Senmonorom November 19th 2017

Mein Sitznachbar im Bus war ein Schweizer. Unangenehmer Typ. Der machte sich so breit, dass er meinen Platz gleich mit einnahm. Ich erlaubte mir daher den Spaß mit ihm auf Englisch zu reden, was ihn sehr beanspruchte :) Ich wollte zu den Delfinen und Elefanten. Nur aus diesem Grund nahm ich den langen Weg in den Osten auf mich. Mein Arm schwitzte an seinem und so langsam empfand ich auch Eckel. Aus einer angepriesenen 5-Stunden-Fahrt wurden satte 8 und ich erreichte Kratie erst mit dem Einbruch der Dunkelheit. Ich checkte in ein Hostel ein, das ich im Lonely Planet gefunden hatte und machte mich auf den Weg die Stadt zu erkunden. Auf der Promenade machten die Einheimischen Aerobic (u. a. zu Modern Talking) und aus den Bars und Restaurants ertönte leise Musik. Viel war hier nicht ... read more
Mondulkiri Dschungel
Mit dem Jeep zu den Elefanten
Baaaaaden

Asia » Cambodia » East » Kratié August 11th 2017

Another bus journey to take us to Kratie. It's amazing how the body can adapt to so many journeys! Today we sat at the back of the bus... The thought of more room lured us in, however the reality was that it was over the wheel and extremely bumpy! When we got to Kratie we had lunch at the Red Sun and had the most amazing chips. They were crinkle cut and hand fried - just like my mum used to make! We then explored the local market, it was much better here than in Kampong Cham and the locals made us feel much more welcome. After a short while chilling we set off to see if we could spot the Irrawaddy dolphins on the Mekong river. Harry said that he sees them nearly every time. ... read more
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Asia » Cambodia » East » Kampong Cham August 10th 2017

We are now on our way to Kampong Cham, a 5 hour journey, which has given me a great chance to catch up on blogging! The journey also gave me the opportunity to reflect on why I love travelling so much. Some people say that you 'find yourself', I am not that twee! I think it gives you a complete change, an opportunity to have different experiences and see the different ways that people around the world live. A person who can travel is very privileged indeed, the majority of the world cannot afford it. It makes me humble about what I have. It puts things into perspective and makes you appreciate the simple things in life. Don't get me wrong, it's not all rosy and fabulous. I woke up a few mornings ago filled with ... read more
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Asia » Cambodia » East » Kratié February 11th 2017

Getting to Kratie left us feeling a bit grumpy and ripped off. Having crossed the border from Laos into Cambodia we were then herded onto a big bus. There wasn't enough room for all of the bags and rucksacks so some had to be on the bus itself. Before we left, our passports were handed back and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. An hour later we reached the town of Stum Treng from where we would be put on different minibuses depending on our final destinations. We were dropped off in a huge yard with no information about what would happen next. We were encouraged to order food but our sandwiches were not ready when our minibus arrived and wanted to go. The kitchen delivered something akin to a chicken sandwich just as the driver ... read more
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Asia » Cambodia » East » Kratié July 16th 2016

Absolutely the best 18 bucks I've spent in ages. The coffee and pumpkin bread (think ginger bread) that the good people at Sorya kayaking served up at 7.00 in the morning was almost worth the price of admission alone. Once the kayaks were loaded onto the truck we clambered on with them, 2 French girls, 3 French guys, myself and Lucky our guide, for the 40km drive to the drop off point on the Te (pronounced Tay) river. A bit of a slither down a steep, muddy bank and we were paired off (double yaks) for the 15km paddle, which was fortunately all downstream. About half way along we stopped at a village and clambered up through more mud, but nothing like what was waiting in store for us. The village is a small family concern ... read more
Rice field
Getting down and dirty
Bayon




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