Due Vagabondi: KRATIE town, KOH TRONG + a NIGHT of the ARTS in Phnom Penh

Kratie (pronounced - Kracheh) capital of Kratie province in Cambodia's NE promises to be more peaceful than the recent festivities in Phnom Penh.

The ~5-hour bus ride takes us through rice fields with water buffalo, vast patches of pink lotus flowers and cattle farms.

This one resting from his labours

The River Dolphin Hotel is 2 km out of town but provides free tuk-tuk services on demand to and from town. And it has a pool!

The first day is into town for breakfast at the Jasmine Boat Restaurant and to explore the streets and markets of Kratie town.

The restaurant is right beside the ferry dock.

At first, I wonder why so many steps when local people have so much to carry up and down from the ferry. A server in the restaurant tells us that after the monsoons the river is only a couple of feet below the deck that we are sitting on.

At the Jasmine Boat restaurant and looking down to the ferry dock:

Getting this scooter down to the ferry looks hard enough. I can't imagine getting it up!

One of the first things we see in Kratie is their Independence Monument with the distinct lotus shape. It is the symbol of Cambodian sovereignty. We also see one in the next town we are in - Kep. They seem to be simplified versions of the one in Phnom Penh which is supposed to be quite magnificent at night when it is lit with the colours of the Cambodian flag: blue, red and white. I am guessing there is one in every small city in Cambodia. They are the heart of the Independence Day celebrations.

I found this quote on the Internet by Samdech Pra Pramouk Roth, an official who spoke at the inauguration ceremony for the Phnom Penh Independence monument. He said: "My lovely people, the key for building Cambodia and protecting our independence in the future, lies not in having a big army, but in the unity of our people."

Monument Kratie; Cambodian flag; Monument Kep

One day we hire a tuk-tuk driver to take us around. We go first to see the endangered freshwater Irrawaddy Dolphins. They have been hunted by fishermen in the past for eating the catch, but as more fishers become educated about them and can earn a living from taking people to see them, its hoped their numbers will increase. Less than one hundred live in the Mekong and 15 to 20 live in the stretch that we are visiting. They have a short dorsal fin and a bulge in their forehead that reminds us of a beluga.

These dolphins generally are not jumpers like their salt-water cousins so we need to rely on the Internet to get a photo. Twice we did see two playing together with their heads out of the water, but too fast for us to catch on camera. We had numerous sightings hearing their blowhole breaths and breaking the surface of the water. The boats keep a respectful distance from the dolphins and turn their engines off, rowing the boat where the dolphins are located.

Heading out to see dolphins

Photo from the Cambodian Tourism website. No copyright infringement intended.

Sombok Mountain out in the countryside is on the agenda. It's a healthy climb to the top of the mountain and its small Buddhist temple perched at the top. Wonderful views. Monks live in little huts all around the temple. There are many statues on the way up the mountain and at the top. A few monkeys, which I keep my distance from. There is a pavilion with gruesome paintings of torture that seems to happen in the afterlife for those who have not led a good life on earth.

We pass through Thma Krae village where sticky rice is made and barbecued in a segment of bamboo. The ends are sealed with coconut husk while the bamboo is sealed in banana leaves during cooking. The rice has different ingredients depending on where its made: beans, meat, coconut, various spices and/or different colours of rice. We've had it in a variety of places. Such a perfect picnic food, packed in its own natural container. We buy some to eat in the tuk-tuk and a few days later buy more as sustenance on a long bus ride.

Mr. Ra our tuk-tuk driver says that the bamboo must be brought in now as there is very little left growing in Kratie.

The tough green outer layer of the bamboo has to be peeled off. This man's knife is very sharp. He works quickly and still has all of his fingers. He has a big stack of work to do,

The photo on the left below is where the sticks are laid out over the top of the charcoal to cook. Mr. Ra peeling the final product, ready to eat.

Then it's off to Sambor to see the 100 pillars pagoda, also home to the turtle sanctuary. A few photos out of the side of the tuk-tuk:

Drying the rice harvest on the side of the road

Apparently, there are now 106 pillars at the Hundred Pillar pagoda.

There is a dragon boat like we saw racing in Phnom Penh. We don't know the story of the one here at the temple.

A private tour is on offer at the turtle sanctuary as there are no school groups today.

The Wildlife Conservation Society of Cambodia reports that the Asian Giant Softshell turtle was thought to be extinct in the Cambodian portion of the Mekong River due to illegal collection of both eggs and adults for sale to foreign countries. In 2018 thirty-five nests were found in sandbars in Kratie province, fifteen of which were illegally removed just as discovered. The society has engaged the community to participate in protecting the nests and helping to release turtles raised in the sanctuary once they are ten months of age and have the best chance of survival.

A click on a photo in the blog will enlarge it

A young turtle is gently lifted from a basin of water and laid on the sand in a bit of water to demonstrate how astonishingly fast they are at burying themselves and thus become invisible, still not safe enough from predators, especially of the humankind.

These turtles are mainly carnivores but can eat greens as well as fish, shellfish, snails and other aquatic creatures. Some turtles are kept in tanks with live fish and snails so that they can eat when hungry.

Some land tortoises are kept at the centre as part of the education function.

There are a couple of non-profit groups in Kratie that offer similar but more in-depth tours. I was corresponding with one prior to arrival and somehow the conversation was dropped. I think I would recommend going with one of them due to their deeper connections in the communities. This tour was fairly superficial, really just driving from site to site.

Koh Trong

This overly full ferry left just before ours, rather glad it was heading to a different place than we were going.

The ferry ride is a mere 1,000 Riel (33 cents CAD) each 1-way. On arrival, motorcycle tuks have rushed down to the dock to offer rides to town, but it's a short walk on the beach, then up a little hill to arrive at the Community Based Tourism Centre. Here you can rent a bicycle ($1 or $2 depending on the condition of the bike - we opt for $1); arrange lunch at a homestay (which we do); see a map of the island; buy some refreshments or arrange a homestay.

The island is car-free. There is a paved path that circles the island which is just wide enough for a bicycle and a scooter to pass, or two scooters to pass each other.

Our trusty steeds are ready

The island has become famous for its pomelos which due to the specific soil and other growing properties on the island, are a bit sweeter than pomelos grown in other parts of Asia. They have fewer seeds and are more pear-shaped than round. They are delicious. An international agency has accredited the pomelos here and the price of the fruit has risen sharply. They are sold by 'each', not the pound. We paid 3,500 Riel ($1.15 CAD) for one; 5,000 (1.64 CAD) for another and asked at one stand where the woman wanted 10,000 Riel ($3.29 CAD) for one pomelo!

Pomelos are the third Cambodian crop to be awarded Geographical Indication (GI) status. The other crops are Kampot Pepper (read about it in the upcoming Kep post) and Kampong Speu's palm sugar. (GI) is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.

So, we order up lunch to be served in 90 minutes by the family of Homestay IV, then jump on our trusty/rusty steeds and lumber off down the path.

It seems as if every home has pomelo's growing ... or at least the growers seem clustered on the inner circle of the path.

Pomelos not yet ripe

In the center of the island, a variety of crops are grown, including rice, lettuce and durian.

A side trip off the path and we meet up with this farmer who pulls off the field trail so our bikes can pass and gives us a big smile.

We arrive at Homestay IV and are fed a lovely soup followed by a main course with bananas fresh off the tree for dessert, more food than two people can eat. Other people start to arrive for lunch. They allow us to have a look at the homestay. All of them are basic here and are really a big, open room. You pull a mattress and some sheets into your floor space and drop a privacy curtain in front, but not to your neighbour on the side. Pull down the brightly coloured mosquito netting and there you are.

We ride past a floating village:

There is a Vietnamese population on the island and a couple of temples, but we don't take time to go in.

It was a lovely, peaceful day cycling the island, meandering along the path. People in their yards, greeting us along the way. Two or three days here would be very relaxing. There is a beach on the west side where swimming is best.

Back in Kratie and out for a walk we pass by this machine shop and wonder how he finds anything or has room to work.

It's the weekend at our Guesthouse and a new young server in the restaurant comes over to talk with us. He is in grade 11, lives with his parents on a farm, far out of town and rides his scooter to and from work on the weekend so that he can pay for his schooling as his parents cannot afford it.

We read that many farmers and other people in Cambodia earn a subsistence living. Children are offered free education for nine years but often parents need their children to help out on the farm or in the business, so they may not get in their education. After nine years, there are fees to pay. We admire the foresight this young man has to see that education is crucial to his future and his parents for scraping by without him. His dream is to one day own a business of his own.

We have also seen children that seem to be about ten years of age driving scooters with even younger children behind. Our young waiter explains that in rural areas there are no school buses and parents have to work, so the kids get themselves to school by scooter.

The destruction wrought upon the people of Cambodia by the Khmer Rouge regime will be felt for decades to come.

We enjoyed our time in Kratie and Koh Trong and recommend both for a visit.

A bus ride finds us back in Phnom Penh for one night, to catch a bus south to Kep. Online tickets to Earth and Sky, a living art show in an open-air theatre on the grounds of the National Museum of Cambodia are in our pockets. This show bills itself as "a breathtaking celebration of Cambodian music and dance tradition" ... and it is!

To get a taste of the wonderful costumes, dancing and music and singing of the small orchestra there is a short video on their FB page. Video Here