Kampong Cham, On the Mekong River

Today was a 5 hour drive from our Homestay in Chambok to Kampong Cham on the Mekong River, north of Phnom Penh.  Perhaps as a reward for having done the Homestay we are staying at a quite nice hotel with a beautiful view of the Mekong River.

Yesterday’s track:

A bit about the town:  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kampong_Cham_(city)

After a shower and some rest time, Dylan, Paul, Kenan, Herb and I met behind the hotels for a bicycle ride.  It turned out to be about 20 km which, in this heat, was a task. But it was worth it. We headed to the bamboo bridge, a bridge over the Mekong made entirely of woven bamboo slats.  It is at least 300 meters long.  The bridge washes away each wet season and is rebuilt when the waters subside. It was a little unnerving riding a bicycle across the rattling clattering bridge.

On the other side we continued into the village. There was house after house built on stilts. The occasional cow wandered into the road.  The kids were a kick.  They’d see us coming and run up and yell “Hello!!!”  We in turn would yell “Hello!!”  back. Some would hold their hands out for a high- or low-five.

We rode past a Buddhist temple, and out into the country past corn and tobacco fields. We looped back to town on a partial dirt track, saw a herd of goats being brought in for the night. Then it was back across the bamboo bridge and back to the hotel, where we cooled down then met for dinner at the rooftop restaurant. I had shrimp and squid with vermicelli. Excellent!!!

Tomorrow, Siem Reap and the Angkor Wat temple complex.

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Photos from Chambok

As promised, here are the photos from the Homestay. More at Smugmug - https://smithee.smugmug.com/Travel/SE-Asia

Chambok Homestay

We departed Shianoukville on a private 16-seat bus at 9:00 am Thursday, February 8, headed for a Homestay at Chambok. The ride, by private 16-seat bus, took about 5 hours.  Chambok is a rural farming community of about 900 families, maybe 4,000 people spread over the entire area. Most farming centers on rice, mangos and similar crops.   The area is promoting Ecotourism, with a number of Khmer stilt houses designated for Homestay. About the community:  https://chambok.org

Upon arrival, we met the families we would be staying with in two houses and inspected the dogs.  Pretty basic. Each room was fitted with 5 or 6 pads on the floor, covered with mosquito netting.  After getting oriented, we took a stroll through the neighborhood with our guide Jae, after which we took the bus to the community center where we had an orientation talkmby a delightful young lady who works for the organization. Thereafter, she led 5 of  us on a trek through the jungle to a stream and waterfall. There were huge, VW Van sized,boulders in the stream bed. Our quote told us they’d washed down last rainy season when a dam upstream failed.  We got to an area where some serious scrambling over boulders was required. I opted to wait there as I didn’t want to chance a slip or twist of the ankle (I’d save that for later.  More on that in a subsequent post). Reports were that the waterfall was quite impressive, with a pool where some swam at the base.

Back at the visitor center and we hung around and then were fed a meal by our hosts. After that there was a dance show put on by the local,kids.  Very entertaining, and they were all so cute with big smiles.   Of course, as with kids everywhere, there were a couple cut-ups in the group.   After that it was back to our Homestay houses, which were next door to each other.  We met, at one with the owners and the owner of the other one for questions and answers.  Most people in the village attend school only up to 9th grade. Most have not traveled far from their village in their lifetimes. They asked us about our lives, whether there is farming where we come from, what it’s,like to live there.

After out get-together we all turned in.  In the morning, the consensus was no one had slept very well. I’m a side sleeper and the thin pad didn’t provide much cushion for my bony hips.  Paul, who,was in the bed next night greeted me in the morning with, “You’re a bloody loud bastard.”  Apparently my snoring kept him awake.

We headed back to the community center for a breakfast of coffee, eggs and fried rice, after which we piled back into the bus for the 6 hour trip to Kampong Cham, on the Mekong River. Factoid – the Mekong is the longest River in Asia.

I am having trouble uploading photos to this post. I will try with a new post.  Hint to self - an iPad is great, but not a substitute for a laptop.

Shianoukville

We left Phnom Penh at 8:00 am on Tuesday February 5.  The trip was by public bus and took about 6-7 hours, including stops and allowing for bad traffic.  Once in Shianoukville we checked into the July Anna Guesthouse, which is about 100 yards from the beach.  Unfortunately, getting to the beach was a good 10 minute walk because Chinese developers have put up high-end resorts between the guesthouse and beach.  In fact, Chinese money is everywhere.  They are buying  the town, making everything much more expensive for the locals.

Notwithstanding the high-end resorts, there was trash everywhere.  It is worse than anything I have seen in Mexico.  Plastic bottles, sheets of plastic, plastic bags, construction debris, paper cups, all manner of junk and crap all over the place.  It is embedded in the road bed. Very discouraging to see that there does not appear to be any concern, much less consciousness on the part of the Cambodian people about the levels of trash in their countryside.   Perhaps once the Chinese finish their build-out of the town out as a luxury resort destination, the appearance will change, but at the moment it is very sad to see what should be an idyllic paradise spoiled by trash everywhere.

Next day, Wednesday, February 6, we hired a boat and went to two islands in the Gulf of Thailand. It was a traditional Cambodian boat, probably 25’ long and powered by two engines that each had a long propellor shaft and a 2 bladed propellor on the end.  Our driver was Lewis, no doubt an anglicized name, and Krom, a young man of about 24 who speaks excellent Eng

First stop was Koah Chanloh, where we anchored and snorkeled off the boat. The water was pleasantly warm.  There were about 6 other Native boats with tourists aboard, snorkeling and generally hanging out. After leaving Koah Chanloh, we left for a 20 minute ride to Koah Ta Kiev, where we pulled up to the shore and got off in 2’ of water.

Lewis set to making a fire while some of us played a game of frisbee in the water.  Lewis and Krom worked on lunch, Krom slicing vegetables and Lewis heating a large pot of peanut oil on the fire then adding boneless chicken breasts to it. It was an excellent lunch. After more lazing on the beach, the consensus was to head back to the guest house, so we pushed off for the half hour ride back to shore.

That night 5 others and I went out to dinner at the Secret Garden, a restaurant in the beach.  For a change, I decided to have fish and chips, which were excellent. Then it was back to the guesthouse and to bed as we had an early start in the morning for a Homestay in Chambok.

One Minute at the Corner of Preah Ang Makhak Vann Street and Preah Sisowath Quay

The evening of February 4, I engaged in one of my favorite activities - sitting at a busy street corner - and watching the world go by.  Here is a minute at the corner of Preah Ang Makhak Vann Street and Preah Sisoweth Quay in Phnom Penh.  Notice something different from the Saigon video?  No one is honking horns.

Reminder About Photos

A reminder. I may not be able to keep up with posts, but I am trying to upload photos daily to my Smugmug account. I’m not editing them or culling out the bad ones. Just uploading. I’ll add captions later. The link is here: https://smithee.smugmug.com/Travel/SE-Asia/

Day 2 - Phnom Penh - The Killing Fields and S-21 Prison

This is a placeholder post where I will update with my thoughts about our visit to Choeng Ed, The Killing Fields - where 20,000 people were executed by the Khmer Rouge and buried in mass graves, and the infamous S-21 prison, where prisoners were held to extract “confessions” before they were taken to Choeng Ek to be executed.

First Night in Phnom Penh

We arrived at the guesthouse in Phnom Penh sometime after 4:00 pm.  Got our room assignments and went to settle in. The guesthouse was basic, but with decent sized rooms .  The bed was significantly more comfortable than the rock at the Blessing Saigon Hotel where I’d spent the previous night.

We regrouped in the lobby, and our guide, Jae, led us around the area to see the  sights and get familiar with the area.  We walked past street food stands serving up such treats as fresh water snails, chicken feet, and battered, fried frogs (whole). Jae assisted a couple in the group to exchange money and to buy Cambodian SIM cards for their phones. I’d left About 1,500,000 VND at the room so could not exchange them for $US. Maybe tomorrow.  I don’t need a SIM because T-Mobile gives me unlimited texting and unlimited data.

We looped around and strolled along the waterfront along the Tonlé Sap River, which drains Tonlé Sap Lake, reportedly the 4th largest freshwater lake in SE Asia. The sun was going down and sightseeing boats were cruising the river. It was all quite beautiful.

We went to a restaurant Jae recommended, where I had a bowl of Khmer seafood curry.  Tasteful, but not nearly as spicy as Thai curry can be.  After that we strolled past the Royal Palace the King, I was informed, is 66 and one of the richest men in the region. Where did I go wrong?  After that a few of us went in search of a bar that would open at 6:30 am so we could watch the Super Bowl.  No success. Paul, Joe and Dylan stayed downtown at one of the bars that had outside seating and I made my way back to the guesthouse and bed.

Leaving Saigon

Of course I woke up early.  As in 3:30 am early.  I tossed and turned and could not get back to sleep so by 4 something I turned on the light and read some. I took a shower.  Brushed my teeth. Repacked my bags.

I had googled hours at Ben Tanh Market and knew they opemed at 6:30 am.  So at 6:25 am I headed out to the market for breakfast. I found a stand that looked promising and ordered Pho Ca and an iced Vietnamese coffee.  It was excellent!!!  After breakfast, it was back to the hotel where we gathered at 7:45 am.  Big bags were put in two pedicabs and then we,walked to the bus stop,   We were relieved to find that the bus was a big diesel with air conditioning Ning and WiFi. It turned out, although it was designated a public bus, in reality it was a private bus with two tour groups as passengers.

We left at about 8:45 am for the 8 hour ride to Phnom Penh.

The bus ride was long, but relatively comfortable, at least until the last couple hours.

At the border, we stopped to process out of Vietnam and into Cambodia.  Once in the no man’s land between the two countries, I bought a raspberry smoothie to cool me down.

Shortly after crossing into Cambodia, we stopped at a roadside restaurant.  I was not hungry so got a beer instead.  We noticed immediately a difference from Vietnam. The roadside was much dustier.  The area is obviously poorer. There are little roadside stands selling goods along the way. Some have bottles of gasoline to sell to passing drivers.  Houses are built on stilts often. Perhaps due to flooding of the Mekong River.  There was a lot of litter along the roadside - plastic bottles, food wrappers, all sort of stuff.

There was some scooter traffic on the road, some hauling trailers loaded with goods.  The bus would honk and they’d move over so we could pass.

We came to the Mekong. Someone said it is the 4th longest rover in the world.  I believe it.

Next stop Phnom Penh Cambodia.

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Meeting the Group

I lounged in my room at Townhouse 50 until 5:00 pm, when it was time to head to the Saigon Blessing Hotel to meet the Intrepid Travel Tour Group.  Erik had arranged a Grab car (Vietnamese Uber) for me.  It was interesting threading Saigon traffic from inside the protection of a car.

I got checked in and at 6:00 pm headed to the restaurant to meet the group.  There I met our group leader, Yoeup Chhoem, aka Jae, and the others began to filter in.  The group, exclusive of Jae, consists of:  me, of course, Dylan, a recent high school who is traveling Asia and NZ solo for 6 months, Luke, an early 20s Brit, Paul, a retired Brit, John, in his 50s, from Maine, Herbert, 70 something, from Germany, Andrew, an electrical engineering grad from Pittsburg, Ghengis and Kenan, two Turks somewhere in their 40s, and Kylann and Naomi, two early 20s girls from Melbourne, and Laura, 58, from LA.   Ghengis, Kenan, Kylann, Naomi, Paul and Luke were just fresh off an Intrepid trip from Hanoi to Saigon.

That’s my group who I’ll be traveling and dining with for the next 12 days.

Next, leaving for Phnom Penh Cambodia.

Saigon, Day 2, February 2, 2019

I got up early again, around 6:30 am and went down to the lobby and waited for the cook to show up on her scooter.  Once she arrived she served up an omelette, which I supplemented with a baguette, watermelon and Vietnamese coffee. After breakfast, I headed out again on foot. By now, I’d learned the art/skill of crossing the street. You wait for a letup in the traffic (it never totally clears) then walk deliberately out into the street, wagging your hand at the scooters and cars.  Somehow they manage to part way and avoided hitting me.  I headed down Nguyen Thi Minh Kai, skirting the Tao Dan Cultural Park to Pasteur.

Once I got to Pasteur, I realized I was close to the Reunification Palace, and decided to stroll through.  The Palace, if you can call it that, is a 1960s style building that President Diem had commissioned to replace the historic, French-built Palace of the Governor General, built in 1868. It was the site of headquarters for Japanese occupying forces during WWII. In 1962, during the early days of the Vietnam War, two disaffected ARVN Air Force piloted decided to drop load of  bombs on the palace instead of the Intended Viet Cong target.  It seems Diem was not appreciated by everyone in S. Vietnam. This aborted assassination att mot destroyed the entire left wing of the palace. Diem commissioned a new structure, but he was the subject of a successful this time assassination before he could see it to completion.  Rumor has it in some circles that the American CIA had a hand in the deed.

At any rate, I paid my $40,000 Dong and proceeded to tour the building. It very much has a 1960s vibe to it, with more than a little ostentatious opulence.  The rooms are large and designed,mainly for meetings, entertaining heads of state and general governmental hobnobbing by high officials who had a high impression of themselves.  The top floor has private residences that are arranged around a courtyard.  There is a bunker in the basement that house a war room, communications gear, and a bedroom for the President.

After leaving the Reunification Palace, I headed down Pasteur and went to the Vietcong Center Shopping Mall. This mall is as nice as you’d find in the United States.  Very modern with lots of glass and chrome.   Stores like Shisheido, Adidas, Nike, Ecco and similar.  There were a fair number of well off looking Birtnamese shopping there. It was a real contrast to the poverty in other parts of the City. I bought a pair of flip flops in the Old Navy store for the equivalent of $3.00.  Probably could have gotten them for half that at Ben Tanh Market.

After Vincom, I went to Ben Tanh Market and got another Mango smoothie, after which I  along the way, I walked past groups of people sitting on the sidewalk working on shoes,  at first, I thought they were repairing them, but on closer examination they were actually making shoes.  IBack at the hotel, I paid for late departure at 5:00 pm and went to my room to pack and get ready to transfer to the hotel,where I would meet the tour group at 6:00 pm.
















































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