Q. How many Cambodians can you fit in a 1995 Toyota Camry?

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Siem Reap - Kompong Cham - Kratie - Ban lung (Ratanakiri) - Kratie - Phnom Penh - Kampot - Sihanoukville - Bangkok - Kanchanaburi - Bangkok

The first time I tried to travel to Ratanakiri in 1999 I was warned that I had a one in ten chance of getting shot.

I also found that no one really knew how to get there.

For seven years now it has been a goal of mine to reach Ratanakiri. Knowing it would be a three or so day journey each way, knowing that it would involve some pretty bad roads, & knowing that part of the journey would be spent squashed into an overcrowded Toyota, Kylie kept asking me WHY?

My honest answer? I wanted to go simply because last time I tried I failed. I didn't initially have any idea what was to be seen there. For all I knew we would arrive, say that we'd made it & turn back.

The journey really began in Siem Reap with a bus ride that took us south to the town of Kompong Cham, Cambodia's third largest city. Being one of those places that we had to stop overnight rather than a place we'd chosen to stop, expectations were low. The moto guy that picked us up from the bus was determined to take us out sightseeing. We were determined to have a day off & rest. After a brief stroll around town that revealed the usual 'market, river & French colonial' setting we decided we may as well look further afield. Again, moto man came up trumps. I really can't stress how rewarding some of the 'moto driver experiences' have been. Again, this was a man who knew the area & everything about it. Perhaps what sold us on this moto guy was what the activities would include; two nearby phnoms (hills) with temples on top, a sunset & best of all a free 'guided tour' of the town centre that he kept going on about. The town centre tour was quite unique - over there bank, this building is school, here have Western Union where can transfer money & so on....

Although we ended the day watching the sunset from the top of a hill, overlooking temples, the Mekong River & vast plains below us, the highlight was the unique Wat Nokor. Not just another Angkorian style ruin, rather a ruin with a twist. Between two fairly small 11th century entrance ways, a new temple has been built. The detailed but red/grey sandstone & latorite brick of the old sits perfectly either side of the bright blues & saffrons of today. A bit kitsch perhaps, but I've never seen anything quite like it.

A few hours north east of Kompong Cham lies Kratie, a place that along with Ratanakiri, I'd longed to visit. When I was here in 1999, the Lonely Planet as good as told us that anywhere beyond the capital, Siem Reap & the beaches of Sihanoukville was off limits. It was just a year or so after Pol Pot had died & the civil war ended. Many areas were still dangerous, be it from still active landmines or still active insurgents. Another problem was the roads. At the best of times, most roads in the country were up there with the worst in the world. The only paved highway was the short route from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville. Others would wash away in the rains & dry into a dusty mess for the rest of the year. Although boats used to travel to the north east where I'd wanted to go, no one seemed to know when or how to catch one.

Today war is history & the roads are gradually being paved. I don't remember seeing one proper bus in 1999, yet today there must be hundreds. Travel times have decreased & the country feels a lot smaller. Getting to Kratie this time was easy.

The further we strayed from the capital, the smaller the towns became. Yet again though, a town on a river, centred around a market. However you only need to walk a few minutes from the brick built buildings around the market to find yourself surrounded by wooden stilt houses that feel like a remote village rather than town centre.

Around 40kms north of Kratie near the village of Kampi is a stretch of the Mekong River that is home to the rare Irrawaddy Dolphin. Although found in a few other Asian rivers only a handful remain, here in Cambodia there's thought to be only 75 or so. I've seen many dolphins before, but the experience is always special. As the small tourist boat motors out in search of them, you expect that they would have all moved off to somewhere quieter, but they don't seem to mind. Once we saw them, the engine was turned off & they were happy to swim around us for some time. The sun set over the river, the dolphins moved on & we motored back to shore.

The stretch of road from Kratie to Ban Lung, capital of Ratanakiri Province, is not in the best of shape. Certainly not the worst in the country, but bad enough for it to be off the bus route. Roads that aren't good enough for busses are travelled by car. The Toyota Camry to be precise. I've no idea how this came to be, & if Toyota knew they could use it for some amazing marketing. Their simple four door family saloon is used as an all terrain bus that can withstand whatever challenge you provide.

How many people can you fit in a 1995 Toyota Camry?

The most we have seen so far is six & half Cambodians & two of us. That may not seem a lot, but I challenge you to try it. Four fully grown adults & a child in the back & four fully grown adults in the front. Yes, four in the front, no modified bench seat Toyota either. This is two people in the passenger seat & two in the driver's seat. Comfort is not an issue. Add intense heat (air con may be on, but it can't compete with eight sweaty passengers) & you have a ride to remember. One hour or six hours, being thrown around whilst sweating & struggling to breathe whilst squashed in a Toyota Camry is no fun at all.

In the old days before the busses we travelled Cambodia in the back of pick ups. Despite being open to the elements & running at crazy speeds on bald tyres they were a million times more comfortable & a lot more fun.

Ban Lung in Ratanakiri Province is a very small town. Although centred around the market, there is no river. There's just a lot of dust. Red dust. By the time you leave Ban Lung everything you own will be red. Although everything is covered in red dust, it's a surprisingly striking place. Whichever way you look you can't escape the vivid blue of the sky, the deep red of the roads & the lush green of the surrounding bush. I haven't seen such blue skies in a very long time.

I expect that one day Ratanakiri will be a tourist Mecca. The possibilities for trekking are endless. There's untouched jungle in Virachy National park that's expected to be home to wild cats, elephants & monkeys. There's volcanic lakes, waterfalls & ethnic minorities. We touched the surface as today (on a budget) that's really all you can do.

We spent a day exploring with local moto man Nan & somewhat randomly an Israeli who appointed himself as our unofficial guide. Nearby Yeak Lom, a volcanic crater lake is beautiful & the never ending jungle is impressive.

Most unusual sight in the area is the Chunchiet (ethnic minority) cemetary across the Tonle San (river) near the village of Voen Sai. When locals die, the Tempoun people bury family members together in the nearby forest. After a big celebration, effigies of the deceased are added to the site, as well as real buffalo horns & wooden carved elephant tusks. An obvious nod to the changing times are the newer effigies which carry cellphones & wear sunglasses.

Another new experience was running out of petrol on the way back to town. Around an hour's drive away, on a horrendous road, with light fading. Timing couldn't have been worse. Attempts were made to create a straw from bamboo to cyphon petrol from one bike to another, but this failed. Finally another bike came. Nan asked for help. There were three friends on the bike. One wanted to help, the others didn't. He stayed, they left. Strangely, just minutes before we'd been talking about karma. He helped us out, & drove the bike that I was on home, through the dark & on the rollercoaster road. Perhaps the most exhilarating ride of my life. His friends were friends no more, but his karma was in credit.

Across much of the country, I've seen billboards with slogans like 'We don't need guns anymore' After so much war, there must be a lot of rogue guns out there. Although you're unlikely to see many guns, a simple disagreement can easily turn into a shooting frenzy. Nan is a great guy, but a little naive perhaps. The Israeli had suggested that he make a sign to put in town advertising himself as a guide. What the Israeli didn't understand was the politics of such things here. Other businesses weren't happy with his sign & we were told in no uncertain terms that if he left the sign out then he would be shot.

From Ban Lung we made our way back via another night in Kratie to Phnom Penh. I'd been keen to get to Mondulkiri, an even more remote place than Ratanakiri. It would have involved more dreaded 'share taxis' (Totota Camry) & even worse roads, so we gave it a miss. there was also the vague feeling that Kylie may have been inflicted with bilharzia.

With little to do in Phnom Penh, other than apply for a Burmese visa, we had a few days to relax. The most common sights to be seen in the capital are the palace, the markets & two Khmer Rouge associated sights, S21 & The Killing Fields. We skipped these last two having been there before, but it's hard to talk about Cambodia with giving them a mention.

S21 used to be a school - we actually met someone who'd been educated there. The Khmer Rouge turned into a torture centre with classrooms being turned into torture rooms & holding cells. It's been preserved almost as it was found nearly thirty years ago. Today it's a peaceful but eerie reminder of how methodical & gruesome the regime was. Like the Nazis they photographed every victim; there's thousands on display. The Killing Fields is where people were taken to be killed & desposed of. What more can I say?

I'd really wanted to travel by train in Cambodia. Despite painfully slow speeds (20kph), there's said to be some great journeys. There was a time when the first carriage of a train was tin roofed & armoured with a machine gun, and the next two were flat bedded minesweepers. Travel on the first was free, the second half price. Not only have those days gone, but today there are no passenger trains at all. It seems that all that remains is a few freight services here & there. Although it is apparently possible to travel on the roofs of these trains, there's no schedule & no one seems to know when the next will ever go.

The main train station in Phnom Penh is a grand building. Although locked up, it's easy to see inside the main hall, to where it looks like it was last used days ago rather than years. It's clean & tidy, there's even a coke machine that looks switched on & waiting to dispense. Perhaps more bizarre than the 'as new' looking station is that the ticket desk lists Poipet as a destination - there hasn't even been a track to Poipet since the Khmer Rouge destroyed it decades ago. Around the main station platform sit a handful of freight carriages that presumably still get used. Mixed in are what must be two of the old flatbed minesweepers a very decayed passenger carriage. The station & the carriages sum up the country, the mix of grandeur & decay side by side.

Not being able to take a train, we jumped on a bus to next stop, Kampot. The southern coast of Cambodia is undergoing a rapid comeback. Years ago, under French rule, there were beach resorts & a hill station. The resorts came with grand mansions, the hill station was a full scale town at the top of a small mountain, away from the heat down below. Both fell into ruin.

The ride to Bokor Hill Station, near Kampot, is what you really remember from a trip there, which is a shame. It takes two hours each way, rattling around on a hard bench on the back of a pick up on an impossibly uncomfortable road, open to the elements & being hit by branches randomly along the way. The former town at the top of the hill is entirely in ruins. In it's heyday there was a hotel & casino, school, church, even a prison we are told. It's an interesting place, especially if you're into modern ruins. It's impossible to imagine what it was like just a few decades ago, & at times on the bumpy bone shaker of a road it hardly seems worth it for the effort to get there. But I'm sure it is.

It's possible that the beaches of Sihanoukville hold the key to the future of tourism in Cambodia. It's fast becoming the place to go before or after a trip to Angkor Wat. Squeaky white sand, crystal clear water, it's what most people want from a beach. Not so long ago there were one or two moderately popular beaches & a few quiet places to stay. Today it's torn between becoming the next big backpacker destination or the new place for dirty old men to escape to.

For awhile it's been a vague dream of mine to open a guesthouse with a nice restaurant somewhere on a beach in Asia. While I've realised a few of my dreams in the last few years, this is one that I see myself slowly moving away from. As desperately poor places like Cambodia are rapidly encountering more & more tourist numbers, it's a tragedy to see that in some places, more & more of the tourists are being catered for by western run businesses. Surely most people would much rather see a Cambodian running a guest house, employing local staff than expats moving in. In Sihanoukville a couple of westerners (French we are told) want to turn it into the new Pattaya - a sex tourism town known for its middle aged western men & their young Thai 'girlfriends'

Cambodians are a lot more conservative than the neighbouring Thai's. Whilst sex tourism & dirty old men with young girls is old news in Thailand, it's very strongly frowned upon in Cambodia. Locals we spoke to are very upset by the two bars full of half naked girls that have already opened on the previously quiet Victory Hill. It was very saddening to see the look on our guest house owner's face when a couple of typical English lads in football shirts asked where they could find some local action. As Cambodia develops it's filling with ex-pats & aid workers (or NGO's) & there's an obvious trend for sex tourism developing in all the major centres. Look at any local 'what's on guide' & they are full of adverts for bars that are apparently full of 'friendly' local girls willing to 'entertain' you.

Sadly it's all about politics & money. The government officials & those who decide what goes on only care about the kickback they'll get at the end of the deal.

All of the beaches are changing, they're rapidly filling with resorts. If you want to spend a day on the most popular backpacker beach, you need to be ready to be sat no more than a foot away from the next sweaty traveller on a sunlounger. It's like being in Benidorm or on the Gold Coast. You also need to be prepared for the masses of people trying to sell you things. I lost count after thirty people, and that was after just three hours.

For now there's still places to get away from the crowds, although no ones knows how long that will last long. We lasted about 10 days on an almost empty beach, with our one friendly fruit seller, one equally friendly lobster seller & with great new Cambodian friends at our remarkably friendly guest house. Hopefully the changes won't ruin Sihanoukville.

The first time I left Cambodia, I did so by boat to Thailand. The border crossing, by sea, was undoubtedly the most frightening day of my life. We'd waited for a typhoon to pass before finally setting off to sea in a boat that was made for river travel. We were tossed around by the waves like a coke can. Even the locals were looking worried, a sure sign that things aren't going well. Having survived that boat we were then taken in another smaller one to the border. The boat seemed to be a small rowing boat with a motor attached to the back. There were about three rows of seats, but the benches weren't fixed & as each wave crashed over us, we were thrown up from our seats.

A new road has been built to the border so we opted for that over the boat this time. It's a shame to spend the final hours in a country you love squashed into a minivan full of unfriendly backpackers. In this undignified manner we move on again, leaving behind a small but proud nation that is, along with everywhere we seem to end up, changing at breakneck speed.

Many see just Angkor Wat, Phnom Penh & perhaps a beach & think they've seen it all. It's taken me three trips to get beyond those places & I can finally say that we feel we've touched a different side of this country. As we stepped off into the quieter backwaters there were so many people with a story to tell. Khmer people are proud people, hopefully this will help them survive the latest challenges of overcoming corrupt government & the influx of single minded tourists.

This leg of the journey really ends with us being back in Bangkok, where we started six months ago. I've no idea how many overland miles we've travelled so far (if anyone knows an easy way to work it out then let me know). I used to love Bangkok but I think I'm over it, I think this is my 21st visit. There's only so many hair braided, tie dyed, part time hippy backpackers you can handle in one day.

Kanchanaburi, two hours from Bangkok seemed the perfect place to escape to for a few days. I've been there a few times before when in need of peace & quiet. There's a pleasant guest house built entirely on a raft on the River Kwai that looks idyllic. However nothing can prepare you for the 'Disco Boats' that are its neighbours. Karaoke, Thai pop music, all at full volume throughout the day & often the night. Even the waves they cause left us feeling seasick. I've been back on land for eight hours but still feel like I'm in the middle of a typhoon.

Six months ago I reported that Thailand was yellow - in honour of the King's 250 years on the throne. Today is his birthday (5th December) & the nation is still yellow. At this exact moment I would say that around 95% of Bangkokians are dressed in yellow.

Even when it's not his birthday, countless people still wear yellow to show their support - at least I thought it was support. Apparently if you wear your yellow polo shirt to work you don't have to wear a tie. Given the option of wearing a tie or wearing yellow, I think I know what I'd choose......

Wellington - Sydney - Bangkok - Khao Lak - Chaweng (Koh Samui) - Lamai (Koh Samui) - Bangkok - Macau - Guangzhou - Yangshuo - Guangzhou - Zhengzhou - Guangzhou -Shanghai - Huang Shan - Shao Lin - Beijing - Xi'an - Chengdu - Leshan - Kanding - Tagong - Litang - Xiang Cheng - Zhongdian - Lijiang - Kunming - Hekou/Lao Cai - Hanoi - Cat Ba Island - Ninh Binh - Hanoi - Hue - Hoi An - Hue - Hanoi - Sapa - La Chau - Son La - Mai Chau -Hanoi - China Beach - Hoi An - China Beach - Quy Nhon - Kon Tum - Saigon - Phnom Penh - Pursat - Battambang - Siem Reap - Anlong Veng - Siem Reap - Kompong Cham - Kratie - Ban lung (Ratanakiri) - Kratie - Phnom Penh - Kampot - Sihanoukville - Bangkok - Kanchanaburi - Bangkok

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Photos

Sunset
Sihanoukville

Four in the front
Okay, so you can only see three, but believe me there are four.

Effigy
Note the shades, cellphone, gun etc. Tempuon people, Kachon Village, near Ban Lung.

Wat Nokor
Old meets new. Kompong Cham.

Inside a Village House
near Ban Lung

Irrawaddy Dolphin
Near Kratie

Gambling Kids
Ban Lung

Disecting a Beetle
Kachon, near Ban Lung

We No Longer Need Weapons
One of many anti gun billboards

Grave Site
Tempuon cemetary, Kachon Village, near Ban Lung

Tonle San
Voen Sai, near Ban Lung

Guns
Another anti gun billboard

Phnom Penh Railway Station
I'm sure that Coke machine is even switched on.

Decay
The sad remains of a passenger carriage. Phnom Penh Station.

Market
Kratie

Crab
Sihanoukville

Catch of the Day
Kampot

Irrawaddy Dolphins
Near Kratie

Flatbed Train
I assume this is what used to travel at the front as a minesweeper. Phnom Penh Station.

Billboard
Assuming this is anti prostitution or something along those lines.

Market Square
Kratie

Comments

[Anna]

nice pictures
What nice pictures! I'm going to Cambodia soon. And I'm more convinced now I should go. You made it. Boy!

[Maria and Stan]

Mystical Cambodia
When I read your comments on Cambodia felt really sad, such a lovely country being ruined by outside influences. Your descriptions make you feel as though you are there, another one on the list!! Where to next? UK? Love to you and Kylie

[luke]

funny!
Hi Guys, Just read this blog and it takes me right back to last year.. If you check out my blogs when i was in cambodia you'll find the pictures exactly the same! I laughed so much when i saw the pic of all those guys in the taxi (?).... we travelled ni a 'shared' taxi from Sinoukville to Kampot and had a massive argument with them when we got there!!! Took us 6 hours to get them to go to when we arrived. Now managed to land a job and living in Sydney.... all the best guys

[uneven]

Train
Good trip. I have my fingers crossed that you are wrong about the passanger train which I have read runs to Battambang on Saturday and returns Sunday. The look of the station gives me hope.

[becky & dom]

so interesting....
Hi, fantastic read as usual, its all so interesting and now dom and I look up where you've been in this great travellers atlas I bought dom for Christmas. Love to you both xxxx

[Dionysus]

What, sex?
You're joking, right, when you recoil at the filthy "sex tourism" growing up in Cambodia? First, it might do you well to realize, finally, at your age, that sex is a perfectly natural human endeavor, and that people have always and will always seek it out. It may also be time for you to grow up and realize that the filthy "sex trade" exists in every country in the world. Some more visible - some less. My advice is to get off the high moral horse and let people live their lives, as long as they are not hurting anyone. What? People want to have sex??? C'mon dude.

[Lynn]

sex trade and motos
Dionysus wrote: 'as long as (the sex trade) isn't hurting anyone.' ??? Is this guy for real? I wonder how many sex workers 'Dionysus' believes are working in a sex industry unhurt and by choice other than dire economic need, including parents or relatives selling them into it. and how many he knows personally. Anyway, I actually came into the messages because I wanted to ask about the term 'moto' you used, Tim. is it a local term just in Cambodia and does it mean anything with a motor, or stuff that takes passengers or what? (this is research for my book of course...) Minglaba to Kylie. glad to see you've finally got to your beloved Yangon, Tim!

[kea]

good idea
i am cambodian i;m living in cambodia but i did not cambodia there are alot of nice place that.so i every happy when i read your comment i think that in my country. i going to visit all of there if i have a chan.