From Diary 6 and the Kratie
area, I now
visit the south-eastern corner.
19/1 I enjoy my Kratie breakfast with omelette
and baguette, followed by yoghurt with fruit salad.
I do a short stop in Snoul, which is a red
dust village. Everything from the houses to the dogs are red by the
dust. I do the usual loop around the centre of town, including the
market.
Then the area turns significantly more green - for a
while. The altitude have slowly gone from 20 to 400 metres. Then the
trees are cut down - all of them. It is like the humans are locusts,
shaving the earth to the ground.
Here are huge bamboo, many flowering herbs and bushes
and even a few trails, leading into the forest. Unfortunately, they are
made by loggers, cutting down Mahogany trees. Apparently, they are not
safe in the protected forest.
Then, 20 kilometres before Sen Monorom, the human
destruction starts again. It look like nature, but here use to be
forest. Now it is huge, yellow grass fields and invasive pines. It
actually reminds me so much of the Port Elizabeth area in South Africa.
At
two
As I drive into town, the fancy hotels vanish, and
more basic guesthouses take over in smaller numbers. I find one, which
turns out to be a bit too inexpensive. Six dollars and additional two
for power to the water heater. After I have paid, I find out the madras
is wrapped in plastic under the sheet, and the sink is missing in the
bathroom. When I ask for toilet paper, they haven't a clue what I'm all
about.
I head out is the large village, searching for proper
food. It seems only one restaurant is aiming for the back-packers, and I
try their jacked potatoes with cheese. It is the first time I have had
"jacked potatoes" which are pealed and slightly cooked! The cheese is a
teaspoon full.
My first idea of a village turns out to be right.
Apparently, the big hotels' guests
A bit up the hill, I find the local monastery and
graveyard. One of the buildings are open, and I see their gathering of
Buddha statues.
Back at the diffuse centre of town, I see the market, the main street and a few of those behind. I pass a cafe, and crash a party of French, Belgium and a south Korean guy. Real nice people, and we chat till it get almost dark, and pretty cold. I am aware it should drop seven degrees, but I sure feels cold! It can't be more than 20C, and it is a bit windy.
Back to find my fleece jacket, and then over to the
restaurant to try their burritos.
Back at the hotel, I get my two dollar shower, and start working. The very mixed photos of the day is gathered in one album: Snoul, Seima and Sen Monorom.
20/1
The flora are even more interesting with berries,
beautiful vines, real strange leaves, Selaginellas up to a meter,
huge lilies,
many
different orchids, epiphytic ferns and plants I haven't a clue about. I
head further out through the forest, and perhaps too fare: Suddenly, I
step in a elephant dung. I am fare from comfortable with these bully beasts
around, and I return. The sun is The next fall is Dakdam Waterfall, another ten meter fall in a great location. On the way, I pass some hill-tribe-villages, but I don't find them that different. A bit more pigs, stray huts on the ground, but a lot new things as well, resembling the lowlands.
The fall is right next to the road, and it seems like
it falls right into a big hole in the ground. The river disappears under
the huge trees downstream. Here are again some interesting plants and
huge
Then I head into the surounding forests, and find a
enormous lianas, partly on the ground. I have heard the lianas are the
oldest creatures in the forest, and this growth-form supports that
theory.
As I gain altitude, the trees vanish, and a more open
bush-land dominates. It use to be forest, but now it is grassing for the
cows.
I head on to the last fall, and the GPS have a
shortcut. I do some stops, and one time, the car
Back on the road, I drive through large pepper-, sweet potatoe-, rubber- and even coffee plantations. Actually, my new Korean
friend is here to buy coffee for Korea. At a village, I finally find the antplants I have The area around the huge Bou Sraa Waterfalls are a picnic area for the locals. Reminds me; I am pretty sure all the fancy hotels outside Sen Monorom is for the rich locals, during the steamy summer months. Then a holyday or weekend getaway to this way colder area will be a treat. And they won't bother going into the town at all!
Never the less, I do find some orchid species, one
with real huge pseudobulbs and leaves. Here are a Euphorbia that is
almost climbing, fruits on a Araceae and a strange epiphytic fern I have
never seen before.
I'm back in Sen Monorom at five, and find a pizza.
Per-made bottom and a Hawaiian without the ham. Not the great
gastronomic experience, but it beat noodles any day. Tea at the First
and Last and a chat with the Korean guy.
The 21/1 Breakfast the usual place, where I get a omelette with cheese and bread along with a real tasteful cup of coffee. It is a bit of greyish morning, but I'm heading for the lowlands, and they might be better. And at least warmer!
The first ten kilometres is the same as yesterday, on
the way to Bou Sraa Waterfalls, but then I turn north. I was afraid it
could be a red dusty gravel-road, but it is a winding, but smooth,
rather new sealed The landscape drops evenly, although a few places offers a great view over the lowlands. I soon reach the Sraepok Wildlife Sanctuary, and it is mainly forest, although the locals are aloud to farm. And apparently also cut down trees.
I find an area that have been cut down recently, and
all the stems and branches are still there. On them, in what use to be
10-15
metres height,
A bit further down the road, several ponds are dug
for the cattle. They do look nice, although artificial. The road is
lined with two metre tall, yellow grass, and in several places, it is on
fire.
At noon,
I
reach Koh Naehek. It is significantly smaller than I thought, and
without any doubt; the most dirty town I have seen. The scattered huts
outside town look quite clean, but the dusty streets and especially the
area around the "famous ethnical market" is more I do a long walk around every corner of the village, and try to find something to eat. I get an ice coffee and finally, I find some bread with honey. After a hour, I am so ready to head on to something cleaner. It is still early, and I had a plan B about heading a bit further up north, to the next village.
As
I get
I reach Sen Monorom just at the awesome sunset at
six, and meet the French gang at the hotel. They have found another
restaurant, and I give it a try. Their curry tofu with vegetables are
quit good, and the pancake with fruits make it a meal. Home to work, and
desperately As I now head back towards the central Cambodia and Phnom Penh, I start on Diary 8 |