A taste of rural Cambodia - April 22-23, 2007

During my time in Cambodia, I've passed through many villages in the countryside and have been fascinated by the quick glimpses of rural life - children leading cattle along the road, women scrubbing clothes by hand, men driving by with large cages filled with dead pigs perched on their motos. Recently, I was able to spend two days in a village along the Mekong - Koh Pdao - thanks to an NGO called the Cambodian Rural Development Team.

Based in Kratie, this locally run organization works with poor villages along the Mekong River to improve hygiene, food and water supplies in an environmentally friendly way. CDRT's philosopy is simple - by improving the lives of the villagers, CRDT believes the villagers will no longer need to engage in activities that pollute the river and harm the critically endangered Irrawady freshwater dolphins. (CDRT is also helping villages in Mondulkiri and in a similar way trying to protect the jungles from illegal logging.)

One of the projects that CDRT is just starting to develop is ecotourism - another form of income for the village and an opportunity for travelers to observe what village life is like and perhaps help out in one of the projects. It's a new venture for the organization - and I was lucky enough to be the first!

Getting to Koh Pdao was an experience in of itself - it's a tiny village -- about 600 people -- on an island in the middle of the Mekong, so my guide and I boarded a small boat crammed with villagers, flopping fish and live chickens. To the great amusement of those on the boat, I practised counting to 10 in Khmer and the women around me began coaching me on my pronunciation (Khmer is a hard language to learn by the way!).

When we finally arrived, my guide showed me some of the projects they've been working on - fish ponds, cement cylinders to catch rain for clean water, vegetable gardens, bamboo pens for the pigs, chickens and ducks. CRDT was responsible for encouraging each household to build latrines with septic tanks rather than using the bushes for their toilet, which would then wash into the river during the rainy season. They helped two of the families build biodigesters to turn the manure from the cows and pigs into methane gas, which was then used as cooking fuel and electricity.

I helped one family build this frog pen by cutting the plastic sheeting and fastening them to the walls -- the family will now be able to catch frogs and raise them for food and extra income.



We stayed with a local family, who provided simple but delicious meals - mainly fish and rice. During the evenings, my guide and I went out with the family to look for dolphins or we would swim in the Mekong and watch the beautiful sunsets.

All in all, it was an eye-opening and rewarding experience - people in rural Cambodia face many challenges with water and crop shortages, lack of health care and education (few go beyond primary school). Everybody - even the kids - works extremely hard to provide the basic necessities for their families - like this boy who is trying to catch fish (unfortunately all he caught were rocks). But the villagers were very kind with each other and to me - they were especially curious about me since I looked like a Cambodian but dressed and talked like a westerner!

A quiet paradise - April 1-6, 2007

After the horrendously bumpy ride on Bokor mountain, it was time to chill out at the beach. Most tourists looking for fun and sun in Cambodia head to Sihanoukville - the busy beach resort town filled to the brim with guesthouses, bars, sex tourists, go-go girls etc. For that very reason, I decided to go in the opposite direction to Kep, a tiny village famous for its fresh crab and crumbling villas.

As soon as I arrived at my guesthouse, I knew I had made the right decision. The balcony in front of my hillside bungalow provided a gorgeous view of the sea, and the comfy hammock was the perfect spot to spend a few days reading, drinking Angkor beer and watching the sunset.

After World War I, wealthy Cambodians and French flocked to this beach destination and built posh homes along the beach and up in the hills. This was also unfortunately an area of intense fighting between the government forces, the Khmer Rouge and later the Vietnamese - the village never recovered and Sihanoukville soon overtook Kep in size and popularity. There is a certain sadness to the town as you drive along the beach road and see the burned out shells of what were once obviously beautiful homes.

Yet there is an undeniable charm to Kep -- especially since tourism has not yet completely altered the local way of life. Cambodians still outnumber the 'barangs' (westerners), you can sit at the crab market and watch the fishermen/women head out into the water (fully clothed!) to collect the crabs from their traps. There are a couple of nice hotels in the area, but accommodation is still fairly basic - no five star resorts yet -- and electricity in most parts of the village is turned on only during the night.

The best of the "rustic charm" can be found on Rabbit Island, a tiny island about 30 minute boat ride from Kep and home to beautiful beaches, hundreds of cows, and a small number of families who depend on the sea for their livelihood rather than on the handful of travellers who trickle through. I decided to stay a few nights in a basic bungalow - little more than a mattress and mosquito net - right on the beach. Tranquil and relaxing, it was a perfect way to unwind.

The highlight of Kep and Rabbit Island is the crab - once you placed your order, the staff will wade out to the traps in the water and pluck out a crab, which they would then fry in a delicious Kampot pepper sauce (Kampot pepper is famously flavourful and before the war used to be an integral ingredient in Paris). I'll never forget my first bite - the freshness of the crab and the succulent flavour of the pepper were simply divine!

After dinner, I paddled about in the water and looked at the handful of rustic bungalows that dotted the shore - and wondered how long it will take for someone to discover this beautiful island and turn it into Koh Samui (a very touristy island in southern Thailand). Later, I heard a rumour that negotiations are underway with a Japanese company to develop Rabbit Island into a tourist destination .... if you're in Cambodia, I would encourage you to make your way to Kep and Rabbit island before the five star resorts do!

Bokor's ghosts - March 29-30, 2007

The tropical heat descended on Phnom Penh with a sweaty vengence, and after a week of 40+ degree heat, I decided to head south toward the coast and hopefully find some nice beaches. First stop was Kampot, a charming town set along a river with the Bokor mountains providing a picturesque backdrop.

Pretty French colonial buildings and surprisingly good restaurants (for such a small town) make this community a favourite among expats and travellers, but my main reason for coming was to visit the abandoned French hill station perched at the top of the Bokor mountains. Ghosts or no ghosts, I was determined to spend the night there to give myself enough time to explore.

The trip up the mountain was gruelling -- the treacherous dirt "road" had more potholes than swiss cheese and after three hours on the back of a small moto, my back, bum and legs were sore. But as the clouds rolled in and the dampness swirled around us, I was thrilled to feel cool, refreshing air for the first time since landing in Cambodia.

Best of all were the eerily empty, well preserved remnants of a thriving French community - complete with a casino, church, post office, police station, villas and a grand hotel that sat at the edge of a 1,000 metre cliff, offering breathtaking views of Cambodia's coastline.

Beautiful tiles and ornate cornices still grace the interior of the hotel, providing a glimpse of the pomp and grandeur enjoyed by the French over 60 years ago. As I walked from room to room, I tried to imagine the wealthy guests drinking, cavorting in the ballroom (pictured below), and wandering out on the terraces to enjoy the view.

My moto driver / guide explained that the casino used to be located in the grand hotel, but was eventually moved to a different building after several distraught guests pitched themselves over cliff after losing their life savings. I'm sure that the wind whistling through the open windows and the mist creeping through the hallways were actually their ghosts!

As the night began to fall, I headed to a little hill close to the church to watch the sun set and then back to the guesthouse where my moto driver cooked a delicious dinner. All in all, a fun, yet somewhat creepy outing!