Funny old place Cambodia. They have a big celebration for Khmer New Year where nearly everything shuts down (it seems most schools also take a week before and a week after as well) and people travel all over the country to visit friends and relations (see last months Blog for our adventures). Then a week or so after being back at work there is a series of celebrations which wrap up effectively into another weeks’ holiday. The 12th May is for the Royal Plowing Festival which signifies the beginning of a new growing season. In the morning the ‘royal cows’ (because they are fed!) are let loose amongst a selection of goods from Cambodia e.g. grain, water, beans, wine etc, etc. They roam about and eat whatever takes their fancy. This is then taken as a sign of a profitable crop. Also, those goods ignored are taken as a sign of a poor result! Then 13th,14th, and 15th May were to celebrate King Boromneath Sihamoni’s birthday.
As we were effectively marooned for another week we decided to travel to see a bit more of Cambodia. This time we ‘did’ the Eastern side to visit Kratie and stay with our VSO friends Roger and Susanna. The journey was fairly uneventful by Khmer standards and we braved the bus (a coach – using the term loosely) along the jungle road to Snoul, then a pick-up to Kratie situated on the banks of the mighty Mekong river. The second leg of our journey afforded the luxury of a tarmac road which
took an unexpected forty minute detour down a dirt track to eventually arrive at what amounts to a housing estate in the middle of nowhere. A local trio alighted with a selection of goods fresh and dried, canned fizzy drinks, a rooster and a pig (both living) which had been given appropriate seating in the back of the pick up with other Khmers (we had the luxury of a seat in the cab with legs akimbo). Our luggage was somewhere on the back – it must have been, as it came off at our destination. 
We spent a couple of days visiting local sights and in particular the famous fresh water Irrawaddy dolphins which are an endangered species approx only sixty left. A group of fellow volunteers and friends took a ferry (a wooden boat – see photo) with cycles to an island in the middle of the Mekong river. On arrival at the island we had to walk approx 500m to reach the banks proper. In the rainy season the river actually reaches up to the top of this bank (approx ten metres lower than normal!) We spent a very pleasant day ‘touring’ the island and a lovely two hour picnic 
overlooking the river. Further up the mighty Mekong we did another boat trip to see some wash lands – only exposed in the dry season. The bird life was spectacular with cormorants and kingfishers galore.
The next leg of our odyssey took us to a supposed rival to Mondulkiri re: beauty stakes, Ratanakiri. Geographically it is approx 100km due north from us but is inaccessible even by pick-up and so we had to perform a circuitous route. Stupidly we assumed tarmac all the way but alas no, the three hour journey via a dirt track gave us a (painful) reminder of our jungle road! Our minibus was (Khmer) full and my right leg was subject to some stray vomit from a child sitting on mothers’ lap. Vomit subsided, we stopped for a break where mother refilled child with food and upon our restart proceeded to maintain his gastric eruption filling a plastic bag (which was then unceremoniously just dumped in the road).
In Banlung, the capital of Ratanakiri, we stayed at a nice hotel which has fantastic potential but also has delusions of grandeur with various things not quite right including the prices! Whilst here we had the use
of a VSO motor bike left by another education volunteer, Sarah. Coincidentally, she and James was simultaneously visiting our turf, Sen Monorom, and using our motor bike! We met up with Richard, yes yet another VSO volunteer, but working in Livelihoods not education. He had kindly arranged an invite to BBQ where we met several Australian volunteers working for a variety of NGOs. All began well outside then we had to take rapid shelter indoors on the arrival of copious rain (a reminder of BBQs back home). The first day we rode through rubber plantations, visited waterfalls and fell off our bike twice. On the second day we visited their star attraction, a circular 
volcanic lake approximately 500m diameter which was excellent for swimming. In all Ratanakiri is similar to Mondulkiri but we feel that the different greenery and hills give us the edge in the beauty contest. In fact other than the coast we think Mondulkiri is the most scenic as it has a great climate. We call it the California of Cambodia – sunny and warm to hot during the day but cool enough to comfortably sleep during the night.
Our return was more problematic with a three hour wait at Snoul, not a nice place to stay believe me! Our initial arrangement did not work out as our two reserved seats in the pick up turned out to be only one with the other ‘seat’ on the open back. OK I thought, we need to get back, nothing else available other than an overnight stay in Snool – no way!! However, the loading process of the pick up began. All manner of goods were ‘organised’, then loaded some more and eventually loaded with even more on top. Whilst I have no qualms re: adventure, my self preservation instinct kicked in and I decided that it the thought of a three to four hour journey clinging to whatever I could grasp, dead or alive, whilst approximately three metres in the air on a very difficult jungle road, was not really my idea of a sensible risk. Particularly, as I had offered Jan the opportunity which she refused! Women, can’t please ‘em!
At this point Miss Nitty, who we know from Sen Monorom, alighted a minibus in transit to Ratanakiri. With her much needed help we did get onto a minibus and eventually arrived safely back ‘home’ to be greeted by a meow from Zacci our blog-famous Khmer cat! Oh by the way, when we left the pick up had still not moved and yet more goods were being loaded and then people clamber on board – I suppose the goods are more valuable than the people! A wise decision I think.
As we were effectively marooned for another week we decided to travel to see a bit more of Cambodia. This time we ‘did’ the Eastern side to visit Kratie and stay with our VSO friends Roger and Susanna. The journey was fairly uneventful by Khmer standards and we braved the bus (a coach – using the term loosely) along the jungle road to Snoul, then a pick-up to Kratie situated on the banks of the mighty Mekong river. The second leg of our journey afforded the luxury of a tarmac road which
took an unexpected forty minute detour down a dirt track to eventually arrive at what amounts to a housing estate in the middle of nowhere. A local trio alighted with a selection of goods fresh and dried, canned fizzy drinks, a rooster and a pig (both living) which had been given appropriate seating in the back of the pick up with other Khmers (we had the luxury of a seat in the cab with legs akimbo). Our luggage was somewhere on the back – it must have been, as it came off at our destination. 
We spent a couple of days visiting local sights and in particular the famous fresh water Irrawaddy dolphins which are an endangered species approx only sixty left. A group of fellow volunteers and friends took a ferry (a wooden boat – see photo) with cycles to an island in the middle of the Mekong river. On arrival at the island we had to walk approx 500m to reach the banks proper. In the rainy season the river actually reaches up to the top of this bank (approx ten metres lower than normal!) We spent a very pleasant day ‘touring’ the island and a lovely two hour picnic 
overlooking the river. Further up the mighty Mekong we did another boat trip to see some wash lands – only exposed in the dry season. The bird life was spectacular with cormorants and kingfishers galore.The next leg of our odyssey took us to a supposed rival to Mondulkiri re: beauty stakes, Ratanakiri. Geographically it is approx 100km due north from us but is inaccessible even by pick-up and so we had to perform a circuitous route. Stupidly we assumed tarmac all the way but alas no, the three hour journey via a dirt track gave us a (painful) reminder of our jungle road! Our minibus was (Khmer) full and my right leg was subject to some stray vomit from a child sitting on mothers’ lap. Vomit subsided, we stopped for a break where mother refilled child with food and upon our restart proceeded to maintain his gastric eruption filling a plastic bag (which was then unceremoniously just dumped in the road).
In Banlung, the capital of Ratanakiri, we stayed at a nice hotel which has fantastic potential but also has delusions of grandeur with various things not quite right including the prices! Whilst here we had the use
of a VSO motor bike left by another education volunteer, Sarah. Coincidentally, she and James was simultaneously visiting our turf, Sen Monorom, and using our motor bike! We met up with Richard, yes yet another VSO volunteer, but working in Livelihoods not education. He had kindly arranged an invite to BBQ where we met several Australian volunteers working for a variety of NGOs. All began well outside then we had to take rapid shelter indoors on the arrival of copious rain (a reminder of BBQs back home). The first day we rode through rubber plantations, visited waterfalls and fell off our bike twice. On the second day we visited their star attraction, a circular 
volcanic lake approximately 500m diameter which was excellent for swimming. In all Ratanakiri is similar to Mondulkiri but we feel that the different greenery and hills give us the edge in the beauty contest. In fact other than the coast we think Mondulkiri is the most scenic as it has a great climate. We call it the California of Cambodia – sunny and warm to hot during the day but cool enough to comfortably sleep during the night.Our return was more problematic with a three hour wait at Snoul, not a nice place to stay believe me! Our initial arrangement did not work out as our two reserved seats in the pick up turned out to be only one with the other ‘seat’ on the open back. OK I thought, we need to get back, nothing else available other than an overnight stay in Snool – no way!! However, the loading process of the pick up began. All manner of goods were ‘organised’, then loaded some more and eventually loaded with even more on top. Whilst I have no qualms re: adventure, my self preservation instinct kicked in and I decided that it the thought of a three to four hour journey clinging to whatever I could grasp, dead or alive, whilst approximately three metres in the air on a very difficult jungle road, was not really my idea of a sensible risk. Particularly, as I had offered Jan the opportunity which she refused! Women, can’t please ‘em!
At this point Miss Nitty, who we know from Sen Monorom, alighted a minibus in transit to Ratanakiri. With her much needed help we did get onto a minibus and eventually arrived safely back ‘home’ to be greeted by a meow from Zacci our blog-famous Khmer cat! Oh by the way, when we left the pick up had still not moved and yet more goods were being loaded and then people clamber on board – I suppose the goods are more valuable than the people! A wise decision I think. 
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