15/1 The plan is to drive slowly towards Kratie, and stop whenever there is something interesting. It is not that much: The first 100 kilometres is back almost to Stung Treng, then turn down south. The sun is not really into it, and a few times, the nights showers start, just to stop within minutes. I do some short stops at the ponds, at some water
buffalos and in a tiny village, which could be Kbal Romeas. I see
the entire
village, I reach Kratie around two, and head down to the
river in the middle of town. As expected, I find several guesthouses,
and chooses one of the nicer. $10 for a double room with a 30 square
meter balcony, facing the Mekong. A bit shopping around reveals a paint brush and a
second-hand towel: It is time to clean up the car inside. I am not aloud
to drive with the windows open on dusty roads - which I haven't done -
much. However, the car is suspicious red inside. It does cost me half a
dollar and fifteen minutes, but then it look like when I got it.
Back at the hotel, I do some homework, but I'm
restless. A tour around the central streets, but avoids the marked,
right around the corner. To make up for the failed haircut, I get
another one, and despite he have little to work with, he do a great job.
Then 16/1 It seems like the forecast is right, and I just have to adjust. I make a rough calculation of the expenses to build a new tissueculture-laboratory, update my general accountant sheets and unsuccessful try to find new sights to explore.
The road follow the Mekong, and it
is lined with small farm huts and rice patches. The Mekong is almost
hidden behind huge bamboo most of the way, and here are quite some
temples along the road. I make some stops at a few of them,
but they are not that interesting, as they are rather new. The "old one"
is almost 200 years old. The rice patches are in all stages. Died out brown ones, newly prickled, lush and green, almost ripen and some are being harvested today. It does not seems like it make much money, until I get to a wedding. In front of some shags, several huge pavilions are filled with hundreds of tables and chairs.
Then I start driving back, and make another
stop in the start of the town. Here, the old colonial houses are found
in the
parallel street, closer to the river. Or what is left of them. It is
like the whole town is vanishing. Even the market is kind of falling I do a breath stop at one of the bridges to see
the house-boats. In some areas of the big river, many are tied up
together, forming villages. The few photos of the day are in Chhlong Colonial Village. Dinner is made up by noodles with vegetables AND roasted tofu. It is amassing how that else so tasteless stuff can create a dinner, given it is spiced the right way.
While I eat it, I start wondering: Do I usually hold
the knife in the right or left hand? I really can't remember! The last two months, I have only
had chop-sticks or fork and spoon. The latter, I swap from hand to hand. I find no other way to solve the mystery, but
ordering a crêpes with Nutella and bananas. Then, they have to give me a
knife. It slip right into right hand. 17/1 At breakfast, I start talking to a Cuban New Yorker, on her way through Asia to end up in the Philippines, preparing for a bodybuilding contest. It is a rather interesting conversation, and as I have plenty of time, I drive out just before noon. When I get to my car, it is the only one from a real long line, that is not blocked in by double-parking.
The plan for the day is only fifteen kilometres op
along the Mekong to Kampi. The road is real beautiful, with lots of trees
along it, rice patches and small farm
I stop several times to enjoy the farmland and the
river, and once at some sheets with carved wood. A bit further up the
road, I find quite some people gatherers, and I have to pay to park.
A bit further up the road, I find a low-key
monastery. A local is getting his car blesses, and the cows are tied
up on the surounding fields. I think I will head further up this road
tomorrow, and return to the wood shops.
We are about ten metres from the pier, when the first
dolphin blows. Here are around 20 animals in smaller groups, all over
the area.
Back at the pier, I buy a Lychee Drink, and sit at
the riverside to enjoy the dolphins for a long time. Then I slowly head
back to the big Kratie, and do some walking around town. I have saved
the market, but it is not really that big, nor interesting. A bit to
much modern and too clean.
Not surprisingly, I bump into the Cuban-American. We
make a appointment about dinner later, and I head home to work a bit.
When I meet her again, she is stunned by some news two Irish guys have
told her. Her favourite Trumph are apparently into all the
presidency-thing due to the oil-embargo Obama made towards Russia.
Trumph and friends had just invested 500 billions in Russian oil rights.
And now, all his dubious friends are getting high positions. The Irish
figures Trumph She leave early, and I keep talking with the Irish bikers till late, and then home to finish the work. Again, the few pictures of the day just go into the general tour slideshow. I have down-graded myself to a room without balcony. I didn't use it anyway, and I forgot to look out the windows, while I sat and worked.
Along the way, I find some ferries on the Mekong, and
when I don't need t, they do take cars. Next to the ferry harbour,
several houseboats are found along the banks.
Sambor is smaller than I had expected, and I find the large Wat Sor-sor Moi Roi (temple-thing) right away. It take me half a minute to walk around it, to get the light right. Then I am at the Mekong Turtle Conservation Centre. It take some time to get the caretaker to open the door and accept my money, but then I get a personal guiding around the entire facility. That last around a minute and a half.
Somehow, I feel the anticipation I had for this day might been a bit over the top. I see the entire town, and head back to the junction, and what might be Hak Bora. Again, I see every shop and stall in the market, but it does not last long.
I stop at what might be the old Phnom Sombok Wat.
They have some rice spread out for drying, and a real long canoe.
After that, I finally succeed to capture the famous
sunset in Kratie. Not bad at all. And then, as I enters the South-Eastern Cambodia, it is time for Diary 7 |