Looking out of the guest house first thing in the morning…we had cow visitors on the other side of the road
We got up early, packed all our things in a way that would let us get to passports and carnet easily at the border and went off in search for breakfast. The same restaurant where we’ve had lunch yesterday was open so we had more baguette and muesli. 🙂 The other two tables were filled with employees of an NGO and their kids who talked to us about motorcycle travels and the like. In the end, they were even able to give us direction to a printing place so we could print something off that we needed for the Iranian visa.
Having done that, we made sure to have exactly the right amount of US dollars before heading north. From Stung Treng, it is another 60km to the border. The Lonely Planet warns that it is in the middle of nowhere but we hadn’t expected that much nowhere to be honest. First of all, it was the worst road we have been on in Cambodia. Big chunks of it are missing, at stretches the seal has created mountains in the middle of the road and there was literally NOTHING around so we even stopped and checked if this was really the road or if we had taken a wrong turn without noticing. Nope, this was the road. Leading to the only border crossing between Cambodia and Laos. Continue reading →
Today was our full day in Kratie. Travelling slowly means you get a bit more time in each place which is actually very cool at the moment. After breakfast, with the temperatures rising to another hot day, I pushed for a visit in Kampi.
Kampi is about 15km north of Kratie but there is almost no tourist infrastructure there so everyone needs to stay in Kratie. But Kampi is interesting because at its location next to the rapids in the Mekong River. Tiny rapids, however, they seem to have the side effect that dolphins like to hang out around there. Yes, around here, there are freshwater dolphins here. Theoretically. The Lonely Planet states that there are under 100 left so that seemed like there is only a small chance of actually seeing one. I wanted to try anyway.
the boat and the small sandbanks in the river.
We took Rocinante out and found the place soon enough. It is quite well organised. For US$9 per person, Flo and I got a fisher boat with a driver for ourselves and off we went onto the river. While we still looked around the rapids and islands, I saw the first dolphin jumping out of the water. It took me by surprise that a minute in, I would see the first dolphin. Also, they look quite funny with a bulbous head…like a mini version of a pot whale.
From here on, we paid close attention. Our driver who stood in the back of the boat would also try to spot more dolphins and then point them out to us. We saw many, including at least four of them swimming and playing together, but it’s really hard to take any good pictures.
The Mekong still has its usual brown grey colour here but if you look into the water, you can see quite a lot of smaller fish swimming around. Our driver also kept an eye on the rubbish level in this section and asked us to fish out a blue plastic bag that was floating around at one point.
The best shot we got … not too shabby, I’d say.
After an hour, the trip was over. We had seen so many dolphins! Walking back to the bike, it was incredibly hot. Well, it was noon by now. Shortly before we reached it, a minibus exploded next to it and spew forth at least 20 local tourists who all gathered around the big bike. It was so funny that I took a picture.
Flo, then, had the idea to visit a temple on the way back. In theory, I was all for it but when I saw the 500 steps that we had to climb in the heat, my enthusiasm dwindled. Anyhow, we made it to the top of the hill, next to the temple where I, once more, got upset with tourists. Before you tackle the last flight of stairs, there is a note on how to behave and please, do not disturb the monks. Thus, please keep silent. But no, people on the top were chatting away quite happily. Cultural insensitivity, anyone?
booze with views
Back in the guest house, I looked up online what the temperature in Kratie was supposed to be today. Flo remained stubborn that it is “around 30 degrees, as always” which I couldn’t believe because it was so hot. Turns out that it was 37 degrees. That was the excuse we needed to just chill for the rest of the afternoon. 🙂
Only when we realized that the sun was about to set, did we leave the guest house again. It was still so hot that a simple stroll to the riverfront resulted in sweating. Here, I convinced Flo that we should sit down in the fancy as “Jasmine Boat” restaurant, have a cocktail and simply enjoy the view. Which we did. It was enjoyable. We ended up having nice neighbours (once again that the best Americans are to be met outside of the USA) to chat with and then had Khmer food, which wasn’t even that expensive here.
A promenade runs along Kratie’s riverfront.
Obviously not sea sick
We opted not to do the kayaking thing – too hot!
the boat and the small sandbanks in the river.
First one caught on camera.
The best shot we got … not too shabby, I’d say.
There must be an easier way to steer …
These are not all people coming out of that one van.
This is half way up the first flight.
Wrong steps, there were the living quarters.
statue at the top
The view was pretty good, although with trees in the way
Not sure, but there were a lot of monk statues following a snake lady
The river took a bite out of the road – this is the first bit of major un-repaired damage in all of Cambodia.
Cambodia = epic sunsets
Little boats ferrying the tourists over to the sandbank
booze with views
I guess this would look epic with a tele-converter
Today, we made it almost all the way off the main tourist trail and poked our noses into rural Cambodia. The ride from Kampong Cham to Kratie was pretty short, only 130 km. We decided to take a bit of a back road – the lowest category that is still sealed. The turn off came about 40 km in. There was almost no traffic on this road, a real plus, and we finally saw the return of turns. On the other hand, for the first time really (other than the dirt roads) we also saw the return of potholes.
Other road users…
The houses here are simpler, a good bunch of them still traditional wood – all built on stilts and many with carved stairwells leading up to the first floor. Oh, and a brief return of mosques. The minority of the Cham practice a local variety of Sunni Islam.
Hitting the Mekong once more (there will be many more times traveling up Laos) instilled us with awe once more. The Mekong is truly mighty, even in the dry. It almost feels like an elongated lake rather than a flowing water. A short while later we checked in to our guest house – with river views, of course. The room was huge and still quite cheap. The only downside was that we had to lug all our stuff up three flights of stairs all the way to the “rooftop”.
Lazy and still a bit cooked from the road, we gave the guesthouse lunch a try. Which was – moderately edible. The oddest thing of all, though, was that we both had to change our order after half an hour because they apparently ran out of rice. To be honest, I would not have thought that possible to happen in a country where “eating” literally translates to “eating rice”.
I like that the river fronts are still accessible for the public. Best sunset spots ever
Later that night we went out to enjoy another majestic river sunset. The red orb sank right at the opposite side of the river and we had front row seats on the city’s long promenade. We went to one of the lonely planet recommendations for dinner, but for once it was rather forgettable and we hurried back to the guesthouse. With a last beer / Baileys on the rocks, we finished up a blog entry and retreated to our room. Not much, really, but a nice and well rounded day on the road.
Crossing the Mekong in the morning. Our hotel was the one next to the tower 😉
The Old French lighthouse on the other side of the Mekong
Exchange trucks for potholes
Detour over dirt. The normal road was a construction site
The detour had some interesting bridges like this wooden one
Other road users…
Lovely rural scenes left and right
Sunset over the Mekong
I like that the river fronts are still accessible for the public. Best sunset spots ever
Gym class on the footpath. All you need are speakers with really loud music and an enthusiastic crowd
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