Blogs from East, Cambodia, Asia - page 4

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 ... read more

I'm back at Tokae Restaurant before they open on Friday morning, about 6.15am. Why do I leave myself so much time? I should know by now buses are never on time and today's was no exception. I had plenty of time to eat breakfast and enjoy a second cup of Lipton's. Eventually the mini bus was on the road, overcrowded as usual. I think today we had 21 adults and a very cranky toddler on board and I was relieved to fall out of the van in Kompong Cham three hours later, over the crying child and having to carry my backpack on my lap due to lack of space. I gave my fellow travellers a sympathetic smile and a wave as I disappeared down the road on a moto, heading to Daly Hotel where I ... read more

According to the four year old travel guide another passenger in the mini bus to Sen Monorom was travelling with, the road connecting Ban Lung and Sen Monorom was mostly impassable, difficult to navigate and should only be tackled by experienced dirt bike riders with excellent local knowledge. Well, things have changed, somewhat. The four hour trip was mainly over a built up gravel road, which was slowly being turned into a highway, with roadworks at intervals and short stretches of bitumen in between. The dust was horrendous, thank goodness I was inside an air conditioned mini van. The road deteriorated in the last hour and became narrower and bumpier before the van finally limped into the pot holed streets of Sen Monorom's market. I'm surprised we made it without breaking down, as the van had ... read more

MONDULKIRI This is my new hideaway retreat, if I go off the radar and no one can find me this is where I will be. The most memorable place yet on our trip is the Mondulkiri Nature Reserve. The work they do here stems much further than parading some wildlife around, they are giving everything they can to preserve, promote and to care for the local wildlife. To start with I thought it was just some elephants but after the lovely owners taking with us one day we realised at how much effort everyone puts into ensuring the lives of all animals in the vicinity and the fight to dampen the illegal trade of Cambodia’s animals to china and Vietnam for medicine or trophies. The setting for this great escape is a few kilometres from the ... read more

I have been traveling to Northeast Cambodia for the past 5 winter breaks and so I thought I'd put down some of things that I have noticed that have changed, happened, etc. The main reason why I visit is to trek in Virachey National Park but of course I spend plenty of time outside the park in places like Ban Lung, in the villages north of the Sesan River (at the beginning and end of the treks), and in Kratie. I did one trip to Mondulkiri from Ban Lung riding on the dirt bike trail back in February 2010, and from what I've heard that once-wild road isn't the same, with a bridge of the Srepok River and with the Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary severly trashed. I've never been to Stung Treng and I'm not sure I'll ... read more