Wednesday 15 February 2012

From Ratanakiri to Sihanoukville (Cambodia)

Ratanakiri province is rural and pretty remote. It is one the most beautiful regions of Cambodia, with plenty to do for nature and culture lovers. It is located at the north east of the country, bordering with Laos at the north and Vietnam at the east. It is the home of a number of minority peoples like the Tombuons, Jarai, the Khmer Leu, all have their own languages, traditions and customs. They live in remote, shared ownership, self sustaining communities, far away from the modern way of life. Ratanakiri, 'the hill of the precious stones', (Ratanak=precious stones, kiri=hill), is known for its good quality stones extracted in the region's local mines as well as for its large production of rubber. We've seen kilometres of it lying next to the roads, drying in the sun. The town of Ban Lung is the regional capital where we stayed for some days. Surely there are fewer facilities here comparing to Phnom Penh, like limited food options, power cuts etc, but its outstanding beauty and the activities options available are certainly worth the long bus ride! 


We rented a small bike and drove to nearby villages and to some natural beauties. Yeak Lom lake is located only 5 kms from Ban Lung. After about an hour looking for it, we discovered a beautiful, crater circle looking like lake surrounded by deep forest. The waters were crystal clear and there was a platform to dip in if you wish. The entry fee was towards the support of the Tombuon minority community who maintain the site and have some traditional bungalow hats on display, plus a few words about them. We visited some spectacular waterfalls, all of the attractions kindly managed by the community. Chaa Ong waterfall was the most beautiful, set in a jungle gorge you can clamber behind the waterfall and get sprayed by the water. Accidentally, I had a good fall, hurting myself trying to do exactly this..   
  

Ratanakiri_Refuelling



Ratanakiri_Yeak Lom lake



Ratanakiri_Traditional Tombuon bungalows



Ratanakiri_Ka Tieng waterfall



Ratanakiri_Chaa Ong 'fall'




Ratanakiri_Chaa Ong power shower



Ratanakiri_Kinchaan waterfall



We looked to get hold of some bigger bikes. This is in fact the best way to get around. But the roads are not as good as the sites. They are dusty red and we heard during the rainy season it turns to a mud looking something like a carrot soup. Considering there are plenty of bikes around, we managed to get two Honda 250cc to go a bit further and also have some fun! We visited Ta Veng, Voen Sai and some other regional villages, driving 180 kms in one day. We got lost few times but luckily not for too long. Spyros bike had some problems (as he was driving it as it was his own) but still we managed to get over it and continue. The owner wasn't very happy with the state we return the bikes back... 


Ban Lung_It does indeed..



Ban Lung_Ready to go



Terres rouges de Ratanakiri





Getting dusty



Passing through Cha Ong village



Eat my dust..



Something is broken



Back to Ban Lung on a fake tan



Following this adrenaline-high activity, which we fully enjoyed, we thought to take it easy (and more environmental friendly) by hiring a guide and do some trekking to the Virachey national park. We arranged to stay overnight in the jungle so another local guide from the indigenous community joined us on the way. From Ban Lung, we got on a back of a bike to Ta Veng for 2 hours (punishing). From Ta Veng we got aboard on a boat and 3 hours later, through the Tonle San and O'Tabok rivers we arrived at the small village of Phum Yorn, at the boundary of the Virachey park. With our two guides, we embarked for a two day trekk and an overnight stay at a camp. 


Tonle San river_Tribals are taking a dip



Down in the river



O'Tabok river_Getting rough, and wet



O'Tabok river_Time for a joint



Virachey_Setting up the camp



Virachey_Jungle premier inn



Virachey_Bamboo coffee mugs



Virachey is one of the largest protected areas in Cambodia and as they say it has never been fully explored. It is likely to foster a number of larger mammals such as tigers, deers (we've spotted one), leopards etc. We trekked through the jungle for two days on a circular route which ended back to Phum Yorn. The jungle was not as dense as in the Amazon but it was still difficult to walk (or crawl) through short height passes, ideal only for the heights of the locals.. Rubber and cashew nuts plantations in this region replace the jungle at an alarming rate but we were glad to see that within the park boundaries there were no signs of extensive agricultural activity.

There is an interesting story about the 'Jungle girl of Ratanakiri' which has actually attracted media from all over the world. In 1988, a nine year old girl, named Pnieng Rochum, disappeared in the jungle only to emerge back and reunite with her family in 2007. Traumatised and distant, she kept forever secret how she survived 18 years in the jungle. A kind of shocking story which put me thinking on what a human can do to survive, how we adapt to our environments and also how someone returns back to where he/she started, after all this. More on the story below.




Virachey National Park



Virachey_Our local guides



Virachey_Back to the river



O'Tabok_With ease..



O'Tabok_Reflections



We wanted to continue to Mondulkiri, a similar province to the south, but the condition of the road we wanted to travel through was very very bad, with the only other option to backtrack. After almost a week at the remotes we decided to leave the north and instead go to the south and explore a different Cambodia. We wanted to check the popular Cambodian seafront and enter Vietnam from the south. Sihanoukville was our next destination and considering we could very easily obtain our visa there and then enter into Vietnam, it was a good decision. 

Sihanoukville was not too different to other beach towns. Busy, flooded with young western tourists, bars, clubs, restaurants and not so good street food. On top of it, the beach was full of rubbish. We did swim in the very warm waters of the gulf of Thailand and had some good snacks like crawfish with lemon (see below). We didn't do much, we've seen this quickly and after two days we got our bus tickets to the border.


Sihanoukville_Long Beach (long yes but no clean)  



Sihanoukville_Hellenic relations 



Sihanoukville_Long Beach



Sihanoukville_Fast food..


Sihanoukville_...craw fish that is



Sihanoukville_Cambodiaaa



After very few days in Sihanoukville, with our Vietnamese visa in hand, we decided to leave this beautiful country and its fun loving people behind. Personally, I felt kind of emotional (see picture below) when at the border. It is not the most sophisticated place on earth but the kindness of Khmer people, the temples of Angkor, the remotes of Ratanakiri and the beach lifestyle at the south, to my opinion assemble a beautiful country with past, present and future. It is still hard life for most of Cambodians but the country's positive future prospects are more and more obvious to every day life giving the people a, hopefully real, sense of hope and security with opportunities to flourish.
   

Sad to leave Cambodia



But happy for entering a new country...



Goooood morning Vietnam!




More about Vietnam with the next post.. Exciting things already happening!  


Be well and keep in touch! (and keep warm for those in the european winter)



Nektarios~



Saturday 4 February 2012

From Bangkok (Thailand) to Phnom Penh (Cambodia)

Following a long but pleasant Qantas flight, we landed in Bangkok, Thailand. Stepping out of the plane a blast of heat introduced us to the new environments. About 30oC separate London and Bangkok these days. After clearing with customs we headed to my friend's Dita apartment in central Bangkok. In the afternoon peak hour the traffic was immense. Dita lives with Bangkok's superb views from her 25th floor flat! We got our first glimpse of night sky Bangkok from there and also from the top roof at the 45th.



On air



Bangkok, Thailand



Bangkok is a major metropolitan city with almost 12million population living in high rise buildings and the surroundings. Many international companies occupy numerous towers in the center and there is a large numbers of towers for residential housing too (like the one we stayed). Bangkok is the city that never sleeps, it has everything. It is the easiest way in for travels into south east Asia. There are good transport connections to many countries, overland and by plane. Bangkok's skytrain is an overland elevated train that provides nice bird views of the city while commuting. There are numerous good street food stalls and lots of street bars(!) open during the night. However, on top of everything there is prostitution, and is right in your face. Thousands of tourists visiting Thailand just for this. And it's everywhere, at the streets, at the bars or in 'massage' places. 60yrs old males walking in hand with 20yrs old and sometimes with boys.. Something wasn't right.. We also visited Pet Pong road, a famous place full of striptease bars and advertisements of pussy does this, pussy does that.. It was sad and funny at the same time considering how many tricks a pussy can do! We did not see live any of these, instead browsed a nearby market and head home.




Bangkok_Bank in a van



Bangkok_Bar in a van



Bangkok_Pussy abilities



Bangkok by night


We visited some nice markets and explored mainly central Bangkok, had lots of street food including (samples of) grasshoppers and other unidentified fried objects! We also visited the child center for children with hearing disabilities where Dita works. She had her birthday that day and we went out for a dinner with all her colleagues and then to famous Khao San road for a bucket of cocktail. Next day we visited some temples and walked a lot in the heat. We explored several areas of Bangkok including some deprived areas that we passed only because we were lost but realised the city is not only tall skyscrapers. 


Bangkok_Dita's birthday cake



Bangkok_Thai delights



Bangkok_Unidentified fried objects



Bangkok_Detail at Wat Pho temples



Bangkok_Chilling at the compound




After few nice introductory days in Bangkok, we got a bus to Cambodia aiming for the town of Siem Reap and the astonishing temples of Angkor. We slept at 2 and woke up at 5am. Another 5hrs sleep in the bus and we arrived at the Aranya Prathet - Poipet crossing. Feeling dizzy and confused we managed to pay twice the price for the cambodian visa, even though we read it in guides and been told by friends..  Extremely upset, we continued to Siem Reap.


Entering Cambodia_Aranya Prathet-Poipet crossing



Siem Reap_Beautiful bridge leading to the night market



Siem Reap_Street food 



Siem Reap_'Fuel' for the day


  
We spent next day in 'temple-hopping'. We hired a tuk tuk (motorbike with a people's carriage pulled behind) and arrived at the lost temple-city of Angkor for the sunrise. It was amazing but also packed of tourists due to the Chinese new year holidays. Angkor Wat is the 8th world's modern natural wonder and an UNESCO world heritage site. Built between the 11th and 13th centuries it is the largest in size religious monument in the world. Khmer god-kings showed their devotion to their deities by building perfectly symmetrical, massive temples built by locally sourced limestone. Angkor in its zenith boasted a population of one million when London was a small town of fifty thousand people. It was discovered by French archaeologists in 1912, abandoned and literally 'eaten' by the jungle. Most of the temples were cleared except one which was left as it was when discovered so the visitor can see the impact of the jungle to the monuments. Simply breathtaking! The temples of Angkor are Cambodians national pride! The temples are featured in films such as Tomb Raider, Indiana Jones etc as well as in many national company logos, bank notes, in the visa sticker and the national flag.


Majestic Angkor Wat



Angkor_South gate of Angkor Thom



Angkor_Over the bridge



Angkor_Good morning at Angkor Thom



Angkor_Angkor Thom



Angkor_Beautiful gate near Sra Srang



Angkor_Bas relief detail(1)



Angkor_Ta Prohm temple



Angkor_Bas relief detail(2)



Angkor_Ta Prohm



Angkor_Bayon temple



Angkor_Ta Prohm



Angkor_Bas relief detail(3)



Angkor_Preah Khan 



Angkor_Ta Nei



Angkor_In the need of support



Angkor_Phnom Bakheng



Angkor_Banteay Srei compound



Angkor_Ta Prohm



Angkor_Banteay Dei



Angkor_High on the Bayon



Angkor_Indiana Jones(!)



The real treasure of Cambodia however is not just Ankgor Wat but also its people. Cambodians, or better Khmers, are heartwarming people, very welcoming and very often amusing. They can outsmart you with ease, they have an instant response on everything you say. Younger people (under 16) make 40% of the population. They speak good English, they love to chat and this also enables us to perform some longer conversations with them. Just 20' ago, a 5 year old waved hellooo on the street, and we responded with 'hello and how are you' only to receive an instant response 'I'm fine, thanks'!! :)


Angkor_Smiling young Khmer girls



Siem Reap_'Breaking' the ice



Siem Reap_On a bicycle tour



Khmer civilisation peaked at the Angkorian period from 9th to 13th centuries. Recent history however is ugly. Atrocities of a genocide scale happened in the years between 1975-1979. The communist Khmer Rouge regime forced everyone into farm labouring and killed over two million people who thought to be intellectuals, traitors or linked with the opposition. Those who survived the regime were faced with famine. We visited a secret (not anymore) detention base code named S-21 in Phnom Penh, a city school converted to a building of torture and killing by a bunch sick idealists. We left the place speechless.  




Phnom Penh_Tuol Sleng museum (codename S-21)



Phnom Penh_Torturing class



Phnom Penh_Class converted to temporary cells




We stayed in the capital Phnom Penh just a day and a half. Nothing much to see other than few monuments, a palace and the national museum. (Ah and the local street aerobics!). We got a bus ticket to Ratanakiri province north east of the country. After 10 hours (the longest bus route in Cambodia) we arrived to our gateway for some serious adventures. Ban Lung is a small town, surrounded by some beautiful untouched wildlife sanctuaries, crater lakes, rivers, jungle, local tribes cemeteries and more all relatively easy accessible with a bike. We are going to stay some days here to explore and enjoy!



Phnom Penh_Tuk-tuk sir? 



Phnom Penh_Snail snack



Phnom Penh_Snailing...



Phnom Penh_Where Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers meet



Phnom Penh_National museum



In the longest bus ride in Cambodia(!)



To Ban Lung, Ratanakiri




Map link below, red point is our location at our last internet access




More to come..




Be well!



Nektarios