EASTERN 275 Lom Boeng Yeak © Lonely Planet Publications Province Mondulkiri Sen Monorom

Kratie

Mekong River AREA : 68,472 SQ KM 68,472 SQ KM : AREA „ Kompong Cham ( p280 ), a ( p288 ) (ethnic minorities). With different dialects, lifestyles dialects, lifestyles minorities). With different (ethnic ( p302 ) ( p302 ) Kratie POPULATION: 6 MILLION 6 MILLION POPULATION: „ chunchiet Mondulkiri Mondulkiri Kompong Cham ( p296 ) in Ratanakiri, the best p296 ( ( p298 ) and learn about the life of of ) and learn about the life p298 ( Boeng Yeak Lom Boeng Yeak Mondulkiri bustling town on the and gateway to his- bustling town on the Mekong and gateway lush countryside and friendly locals toric temples, dolphin in the Mekong River near dolphin in the Mekong River in the hardy Pnong people of natural swimming pool in the country, surrounded by lush forest Project in Elephant Valley Irrawaddy freshwater a glimpse of the rare Catch with a homestay Cambodia Experience a different lake of the crater into the crystal-clear waters Dive how to be a mahout for the day at Learn Soak up the charms of ELEVATION: 5-1500M 5-1500M ELEVATION: HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS „ „ „ „ „

The ‘Wild East’ atmosphere doesn’t stop there. This is also home to rare wildlife such as wildlife is also home to rare This doesn’t stop there. ‘Wild East’ atmosphere The If it is a walk on the wild side that fires your imagination, then the northeast your imagination, is calling. If it is a walk on the wild side that fires „ and looks, these people are a world away from their lowland Khmer neighbours. Pepper- a world away from their lowland Khmer neighbours. and looks, these people are Trekking, biking, thundering waterfalls, lakes and meandering rivers. are crater ing the area corner of kayaking to take off in this remote all activities beginning and elephant rides are making seekers. Cambodia, it a must for adrenaline about as likely tigers, leopards and elephants, although the chances of seeing some these are The and the country’s national symbol – still living in forests. – a wild ox as the kouprey , which can freshwater Mekong is home to dwindling numbers of the rare Do the maths: it all adds up to an amazing experience. near Kratie. be viewed year-round Eastern Cambodia Cambodia Eastern the illusion that of landscapes and peoples, shattering is home to a diversity Cambodia Eastern plenty of those in the lowland prov- are There the country is all paddy fields and sugar palms. mountains of Mondulkiriinces, but in the northeast and Ratanakiri, they yield to the forested from the dragon’s tail stretching is a vast region, This both up-and-coming ecotourism areas. meet, to near enough the dragon’s mouth and the borders of Cambodia, where the mighty Mekong continues its journey into delta and on to South China Sea. where into the fields, blanketing life and its tributaries snake through the land, breathing river The for millions of people. a livelihood and providing the landscape in dazzling greens a home to many ethnic minority groups known as provide rolling hills and lush forests The (Upper Khmer) or Khmer Leu ὄὄ ὄὄ ὈὈ ὈὈ

EASTERN CAMBODIA 276 Tani Wildlife Sanctuary Kulen Kulen PrumTep NH4 EASTERN CAMBODIA

Temple Udong Tbeng Meanchey

NH5 NH3 River To SiemReap Kompong Sap Tonlé Chhnang Phnom ATR ABDA CAMBODIA EASTERN NH2 Den Choam Takeo Takhmau Ksant TAKEO Phnom Prasat Kuk Yeay Hom Dek Phnom Pros& NH6 NH64 PHNOM Kompong Thom Phnom Srei THAILAND Rovieng PENH Baray NH21 Tinh Bien

KANDAL Skuon

NH1 VIHEAR NH6

PREAH

Tonlé

Bassac Stung Luong Chau Doc Neak Ferry

Chor Prey KOMPONG Sen Chaeb Samnor NH71 Kaam Kompong THOM Suong

NH7

Spoe Tbong Mekong Hanchey Bridge NH11 Wat

Vinh Xuong Stung Trang

NH1 Chakrey Neak Luong Banteay Ba Phnom River VENG Chub PREY Krau Kompong Cham Muang Khong KOMPONG Khanh

CHAM Binh Mekong Ko Chheuteal Suong Thala Boravit RIENG SVAY Phnom Sombok Thom Trapeang Thlong Mekong Sandan

River NH73 River O Svay Chiphu Kratie Kampi

Mekong Hat Xai Khun Nakasong Chhlong KRATIE River Voen Kham Stung Treng Sambor Xa Mat ὈὈ ὈὈ ὈὈὈὈὈ ὈὈὈ ὈὈὈ ὈὈὈ Bavet Dom Kralor NH7 O PongMoan Tay Ninh Memot Tonlé Siem Pang LAOS Moc Bai Kong NH7 Snuol TRENG STUNG

Tonlé Sanctuary Trapaeng Wildlife San Snuol Loc Ninh Sre MONDULKIRI NH19 HO CHIMINH CITY Wildlife Sanctuary Phnom Prech Voen Sai VIETNAM Ban Lung Sanctuary (SAIGON) Lumphat Wildlife Mimong Koh Nhek NH78A Khao SiMa RATANAKIRI Kachon NH76 Boeng Yeak Sen Monorom 30miles 50km 0 0

Lumphat

Lom Tonlé Ta Veng Putang National Park Phulung Andong Virachay Meas Mondulkiri Romanear Waterfall Ὀ Ὀ National Bokheo lonelyplanet.com Forest

Phnom Namlier

O Yadaw Srepok Sanctuary Wildlife Waterfall Dak Dam Wilderness Srepok Waterfall Area Bou Sraa Thailand Gulf of Le Tanh and their Khmer and theirKhmer Rouge allies. fell communists totheVietnamese Cambodia erupted. Injustafew months, much of eastern andopenwar they couldnotpossiblymeet, anultimatum withinoneweek, from Cambodia communist forceswithdraw that allVietnamese the overthrow of Sihanouk,LonNoldemanded had moved intothecountry.Following deep communists and incursions, theVietnamese decade, astheUSAbeganitsbombingraids via theportof . Bytheendof the communists withweaponsfromtheChinese, supplytheVietnamese and cutadealtotacitly creasingly anti-American asthe’60sprogressed, of PrinceSihanoukbecamein- theVietnamese. much of thearea washeavily undertheinfluence the fire of powerandmight theUSarmy,and toescape ineastern sanctuary Cambodia sought communistforces In the1960sVietnamese History lonelyplanet.com border crossings in this region. Samnor–Vinh Xuong. See p328 formore on Mekongevocative River crossing atKaam on theroad toHoChiMinh City,andthe ing theold favourite Bavet–Moc crossing Bai of border crossingswithVietnam,includ- travellers. of East are plenty ever-more popularroute foradventurous tothenorthisan sharedKham with Laos Mekong River borderatDomKralor–Voen and itsneighbours. Cambodia Thetween international border crossingsbe- portant im- ishometoseveral Cambodia Eastern Getting There&Away soar. prices commodity dustry bouncesbackandstaple an economicrenaissance astherubber in- that were tothe close border.Vietnamese Rouge keptthe Khmer wellawayfromareas the countryduringmuch of the1980s,as The eastbecameoneof thesafest areas of Rouge leadership totheThaiborder. toflee invasionforcedtheKhmer the Vietnamese tussle lingered untilDecember1978,when Rouge factions.This Khmer war between down provoked whatamounted toacivil was independentandstrong,thecrack- easternwill ontheeast.Militarily, Cambodia the centralgovernment their triedtoimpose try anditwasn’tuntil1977thatPolPot more moderate thanotherpartsof thecoun- Rouge, theeastern zoneswere knowntobe During much of theruleof the Khmer These daystheregionThese isexperiencing SVAY RIENGPROVINCE much of thewar,there wasnosuch thing duringcommunists hiding inCambodia there were undoubtedly alot of Vietnamese version of thePentagon was situated. While was where communists’ theVietnamese American forceswere convincedthatthis the parrot’sbeak.During Vietnam War, sticking intoVietnam,anarea knownas This smallprovince occupiesajutof land ext SVAY RIENGPROVINCE and journeytimesbecomehit and miss. road canturnbadinamatter of months many of the roadsinasorrystate. Agood leavethe punishingrainsof thewetseason and the border.Lao rebuilthas been allthewaytoStungTreng in fineshape allthewaytoborder. NH7 1(NH1)toVietnamisNational Highway plytheroutes. andtaxis minibuses buses, many of theroadshave upgradedand been asaround thelowlandsiseasyenough, Getting wetanddryseasons. widely between parts of thecountryandconditionsvary isoneof Cambodia themoreEastern remote Getting Around end upstrandedinthe wet season. days. Butbeaware thatyoustillsometimes nections, aroundtripcanbedoneinfour more and,withgood con- straightforward afastpace).Mondulkiriis days (ifyouset Penh byland can take justsix toRatanakiri a few years ago. Around tripfromPhnom in theregion inoneday,unthinkable just it ispossibletoreach almostanydestination Ratanakiri. of andthepopularprovince thecapital tween the major cities,plusirregular be- flights with ahostof reliable roadsfanningoutto Penh istheusualgateway totheregion, a subsistence living based onfarming anda subsistence living based of its land.Most of the population eke out poorest provinces of because thepoor quality fora Vietnamese ground assault. and in1970joined forceswiththeSouth began unauthorised bombing inthisarea as aPentagon. In1969theAmericans The northeastisadifferent matter, as As overland travel takes inCambodia, off already PhnomFor those inCambodia, Svay Riengis considered one of Cambodia’s ‘ s à ayerog

277 EASTERN CAMBODIA CAMBODIA EASTERN EASTERN CAMBODIA wanting thelocaltouch, aswellsome Svay Rieng(Svay RiengMarket) forthose tion of favourites.Khmer sharp andthemenuincludesahealthy selec- is town.Service passingthrough with Khmers this woodenrestaurant isconsistently popular 9.30pm) owned bytheNational Police Chief. shouldbepretty good here,Security asit’s andincludecableTV.basic butcomfortable The onlyreal hotel intown,theroomsare achancetaking witha share bathroom. butcheaperfriendly enough, roomsinvolve is thebestof amediocre bunch. Thefamily are tral junctionisagroupof andthis guesthouses without bathroomUS$4/3) Guesthouse Samaki Sleeping &Eating along the main drag. is intermittently available intelephone shops to change travellers cheques. Internet access the IndependenceMonument,isplace Acleda Bank Information of the Mekong. townisTonléWayko,atributary way through literally nothingtodohere, butwindingits Penh andHoChiMinhCity.There isquite Phnom when makingthejourneybetween thatmanytravellersvincial capital whistlepast Svay Riengisablink-and-you’ll-miss-it pro- s SVAY RIENG it ontheirway to Vietnam. tors here, which iswhy99.99%zoomthrough fishing. There is really nothingtoattractvisi- 278 border crossing withVietnam maybe more hours, onedeparture a day). Phnom Penh to Svay Rieng(8000r, three person. direct HuaLianoperates buses from east of thecity.Thecostisabout10,000r per Penh’s Chbah parkinthesouth- Ampeau taxi Share forSvay taxis Riengleave fromPhnom Getting There& Away beer. cold alongtheriver thatsell snack stalls atnight 044 /pop21,000 Travelling to Svay Rieng fromthe Bavet There are cheap aroundPsar foodstalls Restaurant Boeng Meas Tonlay WaikorHotel à ayerog RYVN RVNE • ryVn ••Prey VengPREY VENGPROVINCE Welllocated onstiltsneartheriverside,

( 945545) (

Clustered aroundacen- , afew blockswest of

011 888412;St113;rwith/ (

(NH1; mainsUS$1; 945718; NH1;rUS$10; h 6.30am- a )

and cable TV. spotless rooms. Allinclude hot-water showers this isthe smartest hotel intown, offering Preyof buildings inlow-rise Veng, thetaller Hotel Angkor Thom Sleeping &Eating can cashUSdollar travellers cheques. quicktransfers, needing Union forthose and Acleda Bank Information and thelocalfarmers cultivate rice. but fromMarch toAugustthisevaporates a vastlake marksthewestern edge of town, centre.important Duringmostof theyear tures aroundtown,attesting toaonce- Cham. Kompong ternative route Phnom between Penh and escape theirfellow tourists,itoffers anal- whowantto in bedby9pm.Butforthose and mostof thepopulationistucked up Kompong Cham.Notalothappens here backwater NeakLuongand sleepy between Few travellers make itto Prey Veng, a «¨BEvg PREY VENG linkingNH1 traffic light and NH7. placeonNH11,aprettyis asleepy roadwith experienced few visitors; theprovincial capital area Phnom. Itisaprovince aroundBa thathas pre-Angkorian kingdomswaslocated inthe history,asoneof in Cambodian theearliest today, butitmayhave playedasignificantrole intheprovincelittle of significancetobeseen aretations onlyjustbeingredeveloped. There is Veng’s prewar economy,butmostof theplan- the Mekong. Rubberplayedalarge partinPrey ricultural region nestledontheeastbankof Prey Veng is a smallbutheavily populated ag- ext PREY VENGPROVINCE people off nearPsar Svay Rieng. atSvayoff Rieng(US$2).Taxis usuallydrop with othertravellers andasktobedropped way toPhnom Penh. yourselfintoataxi Stuff lucrative optionof foreigners taking allthe drivers taxi because preferdifficult themore 043 /pop55,000 There are afew decaying colonialstruc- ‘ «¨BEvg Book yourstayonlineatlonelyplanet.com/hotels

( 944555)

( 393929; rUS$5-10; represents Western a ) One

27 share (8000r). taxi connected byminibus(5000r,1½hours) and full. Prey Veng and KompongChamare also (7000r)departwhen two hours); minibuses link Phnom Penh withPrey Veng (10,000r, 78km southof KompongCham.Share taxis Prey Veng is90km eastof Phnom Penh and Getting There&Away and Chinese Khmer, dishes. Vietnamese Themenuispacked withinexpensive service. has anebullientmanager whoensures speedy Hotel,mentioned Mittapheap thisrestaurant 4000r) value. good owners andit’s runa clean establishment men amongPrey Veng’s hotels. Thefriendly crossroads intown,thisistheelderstates- Occupying aprimepositiononthecentral lonelyplanet.com passenger toll(100r)tocrossthe Mekongpassenger on Psar ThmeiinPhnom Penh andpaythefoot- is totake anair-con bus(4500r,hourly)from yet to begin. butworkis discussed Luong haslongbeen atNeakCham. Constructiononasecond Mekong’s isinKompong girthin Cambodia Thefirstto Cambodia. bridge to spanthe from Vietnam,itisanoverwhelming welcome other unidentifiable foodonsticks.Coming youstrange-looking and to trysell insects chugs backandforthgivingkidsampletime Mekongcross themighty River. Thecarferry borderhaveVietnamese toslowastop Phnomlers Penh between speeding andthe Neak Luongisthepointatwhich travel- G NEAK LUONG 043 /pop22,000 ~ kelOg Mittapheap Hotel Mittapheap Mittapheap Restaurant Mittapheap waytogetThe moststraightforward here Neak Luong isdepicted intheopeningsequencesof THE BOMBING OFNEAK LUONG most miserable ofsideshows. which pretty much summed uptheAmerican attitudeto thepriceofCambodian lives inthis offered compensation ofUS$100per familyandthenavigator oftheB-52 wasfinedUS$700, to travel tothecity byriver andpublicisethe truescaleofthe tragedy.The US ambassador themedia out,butSydneySchanberg,keeping playedbySamWaterstone inthefilm,managed 137civiliansandwounded268.The USgovernmentbombardment killed tried tocover itupby to thegroundinan attempt RougeadvanceonPhnom tohaltaKhmer Penh. The intensive about thecivilwar andgenocide. InAugust razed 1973,AmericanB-52s mistakenly thetown Under the same ownership Underthesame astheafore- ••NeakLuong PREYVENGPROVINCE

( 012 997757;rUS$3-10;

( 011 939213;mains3000- a )

Suong, about 9kmeastof NeakLuong.Follow head eastonNH1andturnnorthat Kompong tunately little to see. history; forthecasualvisitorthere isunfor- who have akeen interest inearlyCambodian It isonlyreally worththe detourforthose slope tosomesmall ofhill andaseries concrete steps leadupthe undera set corrugated roof. original blocksandawholelotof cement,all rebuilt bythelocalmonastery using afew destroyed bytheravages of time,buthasbeen as kitsch ruinsof an11th-centurytemple known extremity of thesmallgroupof hillsliethe ing thesite’s extensive history.Attheeastern out finally stamped in 1872. rifices were carriedouthere andwere only side: accordingtoFrench records, humansac- 19th century,butitspastconcealsadarker to beaplaceof spiritualsignificanceintothe empires of Chenla andAngkorcontinued place of pilgrimage forkingsof thesubsequent ofcapital Angkor. Itremained animportant way thatPhnom Kulenisrevered asthefirst place of nation,inthesame theCambodian Funan. Somescholars consideritthebirth- 5th centuryADandthetimeof themysterious dating backtothe cultural sites inCambodia, Phnom isoneofBa theearliestreligious and VP BA PHNOM Penh andChauDoc, see p328 . Delta. Formore Phnom ontheroute between (45km), gateway toVietnamandtheMekong Prey Veng (30km) orsouthtoKaam Samnor continue easttoSvay Rieng(64km),northto the ferry. FromNeakLuong,itispossibleto Preah Vihear Chann Vihear Preah To get to Ba PhnomTo get fromPhnom toBa Penh, Today there consider- islittlelefttosee There isamodern The Killing Fields M ~ (1984),thedefinitive film . The temple was evidently . Thetemple wasevidently pagodas wat at the base of atthebase the onthesummit.

279 EASTERN CAMBODIA CAMBODIA EASTERN EASTERN CAMBODIA kramas in thisprovince andmostof thecountry’s of finestsilkisalsoproduced Cambodia’s stretching eastwards fromtheMekong. Some war industryandthere are huge plantations Mekong River. Rubberwasthe major pre- lives, livingoffthelandorfishing alongthe Most KompongChamresidents enjoyquieter Head andSenate Minister CheaSim. HunSen political heavyweights including Prime plied asteady stream of current Cambodia’s KompongChamhasalso sup- Cambodia, secondary prioritise road improvements. too bad,asthelarge populationhashelpedto themainroads,travelto Kratie. isnot Beyond to theexcellentconditionof NH7 alltheway about hasbecamealoteasierthanksGetting the surroundingcountrysideisvery pretty. an accessiblesliceof and thereal Cambodia or motorbikers. Theprovincial offers capital riverbankas somepleasant ridesforcyclists Angkorian andtemples, aswell pre-northeast. Attractionsincludeseveral visitors thankstoitsroleasagateway tothe Kompong Chamdrawsagrowingnumberof ext PROVINCE KOMPONG CHAM Neak Luongforabout US$5 round trip. of a canengageout wheels theservices and headtothebottomof with- thehill.Those another 7km,turnleftunderawat-stylearch ofbearing eastalongthebase thehill.After this dirtroadfor3kmbefore and turningright 280 The mostheavily populated province in silk is stillpretty popularinthecities. are The scarves madefromcotton orsilkandthemostfamous knownasthe scarf checked The colourful CHAMELEON KRAMA and for many Khmers, wearing one isanaffirmation oftheiridentity. and for manyKhmers, Theyusing pick-up have boatservices. becomevery trucksor taking much asymbolofCambodia tyresmotorbike intheadvent ofremote punctures – thelistisendless. upon chairsorbeds aspillowcovers, andstuffed motorbikes usedtotowbroken-down inside the body,knotted attheneckasdecorations, tiedacrosstheshouldersasbaby carries,placed visit. However, theyare alsoslungaround thewaistasmini-sarongs,used towelsfordrying the dustandwind, anditisforthisreason manytouristsendupinvesting inone duringa OPN HM POIC • KmogCa KOMPONG CHAM ••KompongCham PROVINCE Kramas Kramas ‘ k kramas (scarves) (scarves) originate here. M Bg are throughoutCambodia soldinmarkets andare anessentialpurchase fortravellers have amultitudeofuses. They are primarily used toprotect Cambodians fromthe sun, comefromKompong ChamandTakeo Provinces. ’ cam moto krama in isalmostuniversally and wornbyrural Khmers are nowcontinuingthe family trade. speaks EnglishandFrench andhischildren Mekong, he’lllikely findyoubefore long.He drinkoverlookingif yousipanevening the Mr Vannat isanexperiencedlocalguide,and Information west of the river. andhotels. Themarkethouses isafew blocks up attheMekong, nearmanyof theguest- Arriving fromPhnom Penh, allroadseastend big. Navigating onfootisstraightforward. larger make cities,butthatdoesn’t itvery Kompong Chammaybeoneof Cambodia’s like Kratie and Mondulkiri. cutting journeytimestopopulardestinations the Mekong’s dramatically widthinCambodia, role hasgrownthankstothefirst bridge tospan to eastern andnortheastern This Cambodia. travelimportant hubandactsasthegateway Sihanoukville. KompongChamremains an fast-growing touristtownsof SiemReapand somewhatleftinthedustby Cham hasbeen Phnom Penh lately Kompong andBattambang, tened yet classic buildings. thestreetsas youwanderthrough of chas- during theFrench period,thelegacyevident the Mekong. tradingpost Itwasanimportant provincial spread capital alongthebanksof quiet townthanabustlingcity,itispeaceful pretty watsandfishingcommunities.More a alandofCambodia, picturesque villages, Kompong Chamisagateway tothereal k Orientation KMOG CHAM KOMPONG 042 /pop46,000 M Bg Long considered thirdcityafter Cambodia’s ’ cam lonelyplanet.com access. plus a ATM.working inKompongCham (thetimestheyare achangin’), banking lonelyplanet.com to Phnom Penh, and take theleft forkat the Buddha. reclining and their hiddenshrines. There is also alarge peaceful to wanderamong themanyalcoves only afew monksinthecomplexandit is shrines forworship. there Onweekdays are incorporated intothenewbuildingas been many of theolderbuilding’sarchways have and laterite. Itisa kitsch kind of placeand Mahayana Buddhistshrine of sandstone into thewallsofsqueezed an11th-century US$2) The originalfusiontemple, vt WAT NOKOR Sights cash advancesandMoneyGram MasterCard transfers. currencies, Visaand and travellerschequesinvarious Bank Canadia ANZ RoyalBank ABC Computer 1 3 2 KOMPONG CHAM ‘ To get here, head outof townonthe road nKr isamodernTheravada Buddhistpagoda Lazy MekongDaze...... Hao AnRestaurant...... Spean ThmeyGuesthouse...... Phnom ProshHotel...... Mekong Hotel...... Cheap Guesthouses...... Bophear Guesthouse...... Canadia Bank...... ANZ RoyalBank...... ABC Computer...... Sorya PhnomPenhTransport..... GST Buses...... Fast BoatstoWatHanchey...... Caltex PetrolStation...... Two DragonsRestaurant...... Mekong Crossing...... aiPr...... C2 Taxi Park...... TRANSPORT EATING SLEEPING INFORMATION AC (Preah MonivongBlvd)Canhandlecash (Preah (11AngDuongSt;perhrUS$1)Internet (Preah MonivongBlvd)International (Preah KOMPONGCHAM ••KompongCham PROVINCE 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 D2 C2 D2 C1 D2 C2 D2 C1 C1 C2 C2 C2 D2 C2 C3 D2 Wat Nokor Srei(7km); To WatNokor(1km); Phnom Penh(120km) Cheung Kok(9km); Phnom Pros& B

(entry Kosamak Neary Roth St Roth Neary Kosamak NH7 12 island. Thebestway toget about theisland is in thispartof appeararoundthe Cambodia, thing toabeach sandbars, theclosest several Duringthedryseason, tobacco andsesame. locals make alivingfishing, aswellgrowing There are plentyof local watsontheislandand looking like itismadeof matchsticks fromafar. builtbyhandeach totally yearand in itself, Thebamboobridge is anattraction season. oralocalferry inthewet in thedryseason Cham townbyanelaborate bamboobridge connected tothesouthernreaches of Kompong Koh Paen isaruralisland intheMekong River, ekaHEb KOH PAEN temple isattheendof thispretty dirt road. large roundabout about1kmfromtown.The was an abandoned shell, but hasrecently been town isan old French Foryears lighthouse. it Looming over theMekong River opposite b OLD FRENCH LIGHTHOUSE some of thebudget guesthouses in town. by bicycle,which ispossible toarrange through 15 13 ” mTen

Preah Monivong Blvd16 1 9 Ang Duong St " n Rue Pasteur  b 3 i T

7 Jayar 2

Psar

man VII St VII man Vithei Pasteur Vithei

Preah Bat Sihanouk St 17 Soc Trang St Trang Soc 5 4 8 Chup RubberPlantation(15km); 200m 0.1miles 0 0 Spean KazunaBridge 10 6 11 Snuol (125km);Kratie(140km) To BoengTonléMeas(2km); 14 Prey ChungKran(24km); Wat MahaLeap(20km);

To KohPaen(400m) Mekong River Rana Homestay(9km); D Memot (78km); Hanchey To Wat (20km)

281 EASTERN CAMBODIA CAMBODIA EASTERN EASTERN CAMBODIA Samdech Hun Sen, Cambodia’s primemin- Cambodia’s Samdech HunSen, of town,thisplaceisownedbyanephewof Roth St;rUS$6-12; tournament. football are sovast,theyare forafusball begging water. Ask foraMekong view.Thecorridors 10 buckswillguarantee air-con andhot but to age. Allroomsinclude satellite TV, theyarevalue rooms,although beginning with aprimeriverfront locationandgood a reasonable range of food, including pizzas. with aprivate bathroom.Therestaurant serves Mekong bridge. Theroomsare allfan-cooled BatSihanoukSt;s/twUS$4/5) Preah ensuite. an ing thatextracashforthebigger roomswith have ashare bathroom,soitisworthsplash- expect forthiskindof budget? rooms Cheaper r US$2-4) onefor consider taking a night. tomention,cells, butifmoney’stootight by thehour,soitcouldget noisy.Roomsare topay most‘guests’seem 5000r, although of cheap guesthouses One street themarket off hasawholerow is alotof assoonthesuncomesup. noise andahotel here,eral guesthouses butthere with aviewover theMekong. There are sev- Many visitors prefer on theriverfront, tostay Sleeping across theMekong from the summit. as itisalongwaydown.There are great views attempt theclimbifyouare scared of heights, more likestaircase, of aseries ladders. Don’t renovated, includinganincredibly steep metal 282 bo ahead. book They only have capacityfor five guests, so includes all mealsandtours of thelocalarea. intolife The price sight inruralCambodia. offersKompong Cham,thishomestay anin- per night) .blogspot.com; onenight US$16,twonightsormore US$14 water. hot fridge and trimmings such assatellite TV, to worryabout. The roomsincludeallthe shouldister, be onelessthing sosecurity this guesthouse has sweeping viewsover hassweeping this guesthouse the ‘new bridge’, soit’shardlysurprisingtofind St; rUS$6-12; Rana Homestay Rana Prosh Hotel Phnom Hotel Mekong Guesthouse Spean Thmey Bophea Guesthouse OPN HM POIC • KmogCa KOMPONG CHAM ••KompongCham PROVINCE It’sbare bones,butthenwhatdoyou Located inthecountrysidebeyond a a ) It’shardtobeatthishotel,

) ( Alarge hotel inthecentre ( 012 686240;www.rana-cambodia 941536; Preah BatSihanouk 941536; Preah

(

advertising rooms for ( 012 796803;VitheiPasteur; 941444; KosamakNeary Thenamemeans

( 012 831329;95 Brit after all. –it’srunbya home-comfort food.Plusbeer of andThaiclassics,plusaselection Khmer to whileawaysometime. Themenuincludes is –asthenamesuggests –arelaxing place txs (12,000r). taxis do therun (8000r),asdo super-fast share also minibuses hours, hourly).Overcrowded (10,000r,two Kompong Chamandthecapital and GST ( p110 ) offer air-con between buses Phnom Penh SoryaTransport (Sorya; p110 ) andtheroadisingoodshape.the capital Kompong Cham is120kmnortheastof Getting There& Away beers. cold cheapa numberof sell drinks and stalls Try the and allhave agoodrange of favourites. Khmer Some have live bands,others goforkaraoke Bridge inPhnom Penh.the ChruoyChangvar mini versions of huge restaurants those across stilts totheothersideof theriver. Many are awhole rashofhas brought restaurants on who plugtheirbrandsatanytime of day. girls isslick,includingbeer ites andservice favour-includes amixof andChinese Khmer criss-crossingKhmers thecountry.Themenu diner isstillgoingstronganddrawsalegionof mains 4000-20,000r) of travellers in town. itdoublesasabaranddrawstrickle night, ites like bigburgers By sandwiches. andtasty mix of curriesandWestern favour- Khmer anenticing riverfront, this old favourite serves St; mainsUS$2-4) 12,000r) authentic foodandarange of specials. a steady crowdof thanks toits Khmers 4000-10,000r) shake) nearthe stalls police station. in themarket andanumberof the market. There are stop-and-dipfoodstalls cheaper hole-in-the-walldives dotted around cluding acoupleof Western places,andalotof There are goodrestaurants several intown,in- Eating waterfront outsidetheMekong Hotel, where by manylocalsasthebestof the bunch. Mekong Crossing Mekong Daze Lazy Mekong Two DragonsRestaurant The advent of thebridge over theMekong Hao AnRestaurant In the early evening, localsgather onthe In theearlyevening, AWestern spotontheriverfront, this Boeng TonléMeas Thisfamily-runrestaurant draws Book yourstayonlineatlonelyplanet.com/hotels Nowonaprimecornerthe TheoriginalKompongCham

( (Preah BatSihanoukSt;mains4000- (Preah

( 012 427432; Preah BatSihanouk 012 427432;Preah 941234; Preah MonivongBlvd; 941234; Preah

(NH7; US$2-5)

(Ang DuongSt;mains tukalok , regarded (fruit lonelyplanet.com estations, he demanded her handin marriage.estations, with hisown mother. herprot- Disbelieving only toreturn apowerfulman whofallsinlove which describesachild taken awayatinfancy of locallegends withmanyvariations, oneof ‘Man hill’and‘Woman Hill’are thesubjects P Phnom Pros& Phnom Srei hotel. or atyourguesthouse negotiations with staff motorcycle rental can bearranged through 1000r orso;alittlemore Bicycleor atnight. Most Getting Around details. more for asliceof ruralriver life. See p287 for should considerfollowingtheMekong route the smoothestwayto get about. and thenumberof stopstheymake, thisisn’t givenHowever, atwhich thespeed theytravel be possibletoarrange passage onacargo boat. runningontheMekong, butitmay services hours) passthrough around 10am. toKratie(17,000r,three Hua Lian.Thebuses ers inKompongChamifspaceallows,asdoes Penh toMemot and Kratiethatpickuppunt- fromPhnom shape. Soryahasbusservices AROUND KOMPONGCHAM M ~ ¨b Motorbikers travelling northto Kratie There are nolonger boat anypassenger NH7 toKratieandStungTreng isingreat the years of rule, when food was in short supply. Rougerule,whenfoodwasinshort the yearsofKhmer some have suggested thatthepopulationmayhave developed ataste forthesecreatures during excrement; spidertruffles,perhaps? to befilledwithsomepretty nasty-tastingbrownsludge,whichcouldbeanythingfromeggsto photo, justbite thethinginhalfandhopeforbest.Watchout abdomen,whichseems indeed forarachnophobes. They Alternatively, taste chicken. abitlike…mmm fora memorable experiencepulling thelegsoffonebyone,bringing thejuiciestfleshoutwiththem–acathartic dining experience. They are besttreated thebodyopenand acrabandeaten like bycracking but don’tgettoocomplacentasthere are nearby. usuallylive sampleslurking goodies thefoodsellersare offering. The creatures, decidedlydead,are piledhighonplatters, Cambodia’s more exoticculinarydelights–thedeep-friedspider. This visitors,butitisthecentre ishardlysurprising,asithasnothingmuch toattract ofone Siem ReapandPhnom Penh passthroughSkuonwithout ever realising theyhave beenthere. eat eight-legged furryfriendsforbreakfast, lunchanddinner. Mosttouriststravelling between Locals inthesmallCambodian townof Skuon (otherwiseknownaffectionately asSpiderville) INCY WINCYSPIDER u sP No-one seems to know exactly how this micro-industry developed howthismicro-industry aroundSkuon,although seemstoknowexactly No-one The spiders are ofSkuonandare hunted quite inholesthehillstonorth aninteresting acareful sotake lookattheeight-legged abathroomstopinSpiderville, Buses usuallymake moto M ~ ¨s journeysaroundtownare only I KOMPONGCHAM ••AroundKompongCham PROVINCE that populate thetrees. Thehillsare about a colddrink,among theinquisitive monkeys mount) statue. Phnom Prosisagoodplacefor able Nandin(sacred bullthat wasShiva’s andavery stroke-side duringthewetseason local village selling handicraft products. other crops.There isalsoasmallshop inthe rice,sugarpalmand visitors aboutharvesting .amica-cambodge.org, inFrench) Kompong Cham.RunbytheNGO aimed atintroducingvisitors torurallife in village, hometoalocalecotourisminitiative own herbsandspicesasthe story unfolds. Locals love torelay each this tale, addingtheir tools andtheimpendingmarriage wasfoiled. laydowntheir thisforsunrise, men, mistaking with theflamesreaching intothesky.The high thewomenbuiltafiretoiled intothenight, won, she wouldnotgive herhand.As they hillbydawn.Ifthewomen to buildthehighest herteam oftween womenandhisteam of men adeal;competition be- cunningly devised Desperate toavoid thisdisaster, themother temples in Cambodia, asitis oneoftemples inCambodia, thelast isone of Wat Maha themost sacred Leap vtþ mhalaP Wat Maha Leap (round trip)depending on wait time. and canbereached by 7km outof townontheroadtoPhnom Penh Phnom Srei hasgoodviewsof thecountry- A short distance fromhereA short distance lies moto , villagers canteach foraboutUS$4 Cheung Kok Amica

(www 283

EASTERN CAMBODIA CAMBODIA EASTERN EASTERN CAMBODIA diamond anddottessellations are formedat to watch isthedyeingprocessastypical ion andtradition.Themostinteresting thing Wat Hanchey from Wat Maha Leap. this stage. Prey ChungKranisabout 4km they workdeftlytoproduce cool shade provided bytheirstilted homes, hasaweavinghousehold loom.Underthe onthebanksofset theriver andnearlyevery silk. Thetinyvillage of Prey ChungKranis Kompong Chamisfamousforitshigh-quality PUmiERBkcRg Prey ChungKranWeavingVillage other sideof the Mekong River. It isabout 20kmfromKompongChamonthe as there are lotsof smallturnsalongtheway. without aguideorsomeknowledge of Khmer, venir, towearsome itisadvisable old socks. geon poop.Sounlessyouwantaspecialsou- a temple, butthisoneiscarpeted inthickpi- scenes of Buddhaand his teachings. is adornedwithcolourfulfrescos depicting to itsoriginalglory.Upabove, theceiling but themonkshave sincestrippeditback designs tomatch theiraustere philosophies, Rougeroyal blue. painted TheKhmer over the tree trunks,resplendent ingildedpatterns and umns supportingthestructure are complete by a tranquil garden. thrown intograves onsite, nowcamouflaged rounding fieldsperished here; 500bodieswere whowerethe Khmers puttoworkinthesur- they converted Many itintoahospital. of bythe devastation Rouge becauseKhmer More thanacenturyold,itwasonlyspared remaining woodenpagodasleftinthecountry. 284 Borei (nearTakeo tothe south),and Sambor (near StungTreng tothe north) andAngkor theancient citiesofbetween ThalaBoravit transitstopon journeys animportant been the time of the Chenlaempire, thismayhave the foundations of others. During several datingfromthe8th centuryand sanctuary a large, contemporary wat,there isa brick best Mekong As viewsinCambodia. wellas Chenla period,and todayoffers someof the centrean important of worship duringthe Wat Hanchey isahilltoppagodathatwas vt It is necessary toremoveIt isnecessary toenter yourshoes isbeautiful.Thewidecol- The pagodaitself ‘ Wat Maha Leap ispretty tofind Wat Maha difficult Leap han OPN HM POIC • Mmt KOMPONG CHAM ••Memot PROVINCE Õ C & y û an kramas of fash- of r US$4-10; Angkor Chum Guesthouse thatgetthose stuck should hit the the new and improved connections,but road ally let you in. buttheguardianscan usu- may lookclosed, east ifyouhave yourowntransport.Thegate initiated, butbreaks thelongoverland journey in theMemot region. It’s onlyreally for the villages, manyof which have discovered been exhibition onIron Age circular earthwork admission free; namely the withakeen interestthose inprehistory, way to Mondulkiri. onthe for Michelin, butplentypassthrough is littleof interest unless you happentowork Province. Very few visitors stophere asthere ofber plantations eastern KompongCham a surprisinglylarge amidtherub- townset Pronounced more like ‘may- emmt MEMOT spot to visit. Kompong Cham,remains themostpopular and Hill were idealforthecultivationof rubber it wasdiscovered thatrich soilsfromChup open coconutshells ontheground.In1921, appears,trunks untilthesap drippingintothe extended scrapinginstrument,theygrazethe largest canbevisited. plantations Using an of themare backinbusinessandsomeof the stillstretchtations acrosstheprovince. Many rubberindustryandplan- Cambodian Kompong Chamwastheheartlandof the c Plantations Rubber this couldbeagoodwaytopass a day. If youcanget yourhandsonadecentbicycle, thepretty through riverbankseason villages. boats witha40HPengine are 80,000r. 15HP enginecostaround60,000r,whilefaster Hotel ( p282 witha ) inKompongCham.Boats to charter anoutboardfromneartheMekong east). the Preiand Banteay Nokor (near Memot to Prei Kuk(nearKompongThomtothewest) 042 /pop35,000 M karekAs There here, is noreal tostay need with Local expatslike tocycleuphere inthedry There isonesmallattractionintownfor The simplestwaytoget toWatHanchey is Chup RubberPlantation Õ a ß U h ) , asmart place withcheap, clean Memot Centre ofArchaeology Centre Memot 8-11am &2-5pm) , about15kmeastof

( . It houses asmall . Ithouses lonelyplanet.com 012 317272; NH7; moot’, Reaksmey Reaksmey thisis

(NH7; is the the river it’saremote andwildlandthat ing fromthemotherriver’s waters. Beyond much of Kratie’spopulationmakes itsliv- A pretty province spanningtheMekong, ext KRATIE PROVINCE shouldcost taxi about 6000r. inasharecan connecttoMondulkiri,aseat (10,000r). Heading ontoSnuol,where you faster and more frequent are share taxis aday),but Cham (7000r,1½hours, several standards. Khmer location. central optionalair-con anda fan roomswithTV, lonelyplanet.com best Mekong There inCambodia. sunsets is has an expansive riverfront andsome of the erside town, Kratie (pronounced kra- in ever-diminishing numbers. Alively riv- dolphins, which live intheMekong River the rarein thecountryto see Irrawaddy Itis in southernLaos. Champasak ling overland Phnom between Penh and ral placetobreak thejourneywhen travel- Kratie isathriving travel hubandthenatu- ¨kecH KRATIE making itamajor cultural crossroads. borderto thenorth,Treng andtheLao and Phnom Penh tothesouthandStung now connected byNH7toKompong Cham ince were pretty Kratieis nasty.However, boat thanbyroad,asmostroadsin theprov- Rouge on30 Khmer December 1978. forcesintheoverthrowVietnamese of the provincial tofalltheliberating capitals ning theshow.Itwasalsooneof thefirst communists whowereVietnamese run- years itwasinfactthe forseveral though Rouge controlinthecivilwar,al- Khmer the surrounding countryside. makes fromwhich toexplore agoodbase The townof Kratieisalittlecharmer and found 15kmnorthof theprovincial capital. to therare freshwater Irrawaddydolphins few outsiders.sees Mostvisitors are drawn 3000-8000r) 072 /pop79,000 Buses connectMemotBuses withKompong The mostreliable restaurant intown In thepast,getting about waseasierby This wasoneof thefirst areas tofall ‘ ¨kecH Soy TryRestaurant , withaninexpensive range of KRATIE ••Kratie PROVINCE

( 012 708095;mains the place cheh ) a showroomfor localwicker handicrafts. turnedinto style andtheinterior hasbeen the region. Theroof isin the classic Khmer the early19thcentury,oneof theoldestin 5pm) a localboat(US$2)to get here. the littleferry fromtheport(500r)orcharter turtles chance toencounter oneof therare stupa in years tocomeandattractionsincludean life. of ThiscouldbetheDonKhong Cambodia bicycle intowandenjoyasliceof ruralisland middle of theriver. Crosshere byboatwitha island of river dolphin ( p288 ). is thechance tospottheelusive Irrawaddy The mainactivitythatdrawsvisitors toKratie Sights &Activities of information available. arehouses pretty switched onwithawealth the province, the recommended budget guest- on the(theoretical) opening hours! the river inthesouthof town,butdon’tcount new branch onRue Preah Sihanouk. dollars andeuros)hasrelocated toaswish can change cashandtravellers cheques (US internet shopsinthevicinityof the market. around themarket, plusthere are several Telephone are available atkiosks services the credit) inthesummer of 1970. Rouge later buttheKhmer took Vietnamese, Rouge (actuallyitwastheNorth the Khmer was oneof thefirst townstobe‘liberated’ by stroyed somanyotherprovincial centres. It it wasspared thewar-time bombing thatde- a rich legacyof French-era architecture, as te Mekong. the cluster of on thebanks of wooden houses near Chhlong, analmost medieval-looking the handicraft village of of Kratie ontheroad to Chhlong. the province. Thetemple isabout 2kmsouth at giveaway prices,alltohelplocalwomenin Baskets, bags,slippers andmore are available Information Wat Roka Kandal Kandal WatRoka Lying justacrossthewater fromKratieisthe For general informationongetting around There isa Acleda Bank It isalso possibletoarrange avisitto isabeautifullittletemple datingfrom andasmall whoinhabitthewestern shore. Catch Koh Trong tourist office tourist

( 971707; floating village , an almighty sandbar in the inthe sandbar , analmighty (www.cambodian-craft.com; (www.cambodian-craft.com; ( h h Chheu Tiel Ploch Krom 8-11.30am &2-5pm) 7.30am-4pm Mon-Fri) , as well as the , aswellthe Mekong mud mud Mekong h 285 8am- by old old

EASTERN CAMBODIA CAMBODIA EASTERN EASTERN CAMBODIA 286 Trong (1km) To Koh 4 6 1 3 2 5 KRATIE Sen Monorom(215km) Stung Treng(141km);LaoBorder(198km); Sambor (35km);Snuol(84km); Phnom Sombok(8km);KampiDolphins(15km); To MlopDuongRestaurant(2km); 3 2 St 5 RTEPOIC • Kai KRATIE ••Kratie PROVINCE

(200m) To AcledaBank

10 Mekong River Mekong Wat TRANSPORT EATING SLEEPING INFORMATION Taxi Park...... Rith Mony...... (see10) PPPT Buses...... Port...... Riverfront FoodStalls...... Red SunFalling...... Heng Guesthouse...... You HongGuesthouse...... Santepheap Hotel...... Riverside Hotel...... Oudom SambathHotel...... Tourist Office...... u inBss...... A5 Hua LianBuses...... A 4 St 7 Chhlong (32km);Kompong Cham(140km); 7

St 8 11 Chheu TielPloch Krom(27km); To WatRokaKandal (2km);

8 St 9 Phnom Penh (260km) 0.1miles 100m 0 0 12

6 St 10 9 5

St 11

Psar Rue Preah Suramarit Preah Rue

St 12 Rue Preah Sihanouk Preah Rue 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

A4 A4 A4 A5 A4 A5 A4 A4 A4 A4 B6 B Preah Mohaksat Iranie Kosomak Iranie Mohaksat Preah

St 13 1

St 14 bit out of the way for riverfront aficionados, (ie porridge). (rice nothing, including bargain breakfasts of dishesfornext to andVietnamese Chinese of cheap hawkingCambodian, foodstalls By day,the doubles upasacheap drink. spotfora sunset shop overlooking theMekong, andthisarea up set whenfoodstalls during theevening Cheap diningis available ontheriverfront Eating &Drinking details. for Chhlong, 32kmsouthof Kratie. See opposite be findingsomeonewith a key. The onlydrawbackmay soak upthesunset. andeach hasabalconyto surprise pleasant the perfect sliceof river life. Hotwater isa the Mekong, woodenbungalowsoffer these completely onthebanksof different… Set and hotwater. Popularwith tour groups. shapes andsizes,somewithaplush woodtrim bathroom. Air-con roomscomeinvarious and rooms atthebackforjustUS$5withTV hotels inKratie,thislarge placehaslarge fan rUS$5-20; Sumarit; RuePreah yahoo.com; breakfast. early restaurant wantingan downstairs forthose withthecash. There forthose is alively TV rooms withair-con, hotwater andcable hotel ontheriverfront, thishotel haslarge rUS$5-15; Sumarit; Rue Preah for ing ourvisit,solooksset bigger things. hot water and cableTV. Itwasexpandingdur- rooms here are enticingthankstoareal bath, r US$5-12; nection (per hr US$1). travel info. Italsohas areliable internet con- restaurant andbar,plastered wall-to-wall with ples are justUS$5.Downstairs isalively little andtri- pricedroomsincludeaTV Higher and bagaroomatthefrontwithview. overlookinghouse thebustlingmarket, try 91St8;rUS$3-5; yahoo.com; clusteredguesthouses aroundthe market. The cheapest inKratieare placestostay the Sleeping Sumarit; rUS$8-15; Sumarit; Santepheap Hotel Santepheap Oudom SambathHotel Hotel Riverside You HongGuesthouse Mlop Duong Restaurant There boutiquehotel in isalsoahigh-end Bungalows Kandal Wat Roka a Book yourstayonlineatlonelyplanet.com/hotels psar ) Anewriverfront property,the a (market) hastheusualrange

( ) Andnowforsomething 012 779255; Rue Preah Sumarit; Sumarit; 012 779255;RuePreah

( ( i 012 957003;youhong_kratie@

971537; santepheaphotel@

(NH7; mains US$1-3) ( a ) Agreat littleguest- 971502, fax971503;439 ) Anothersmart

( a 971729; Rue Preah 971729; RuePreah ) Thedonof bobor It’sa

five bor- hours) at7.15/9/10.45am;theLao world of and Cambodian cooking. Chinese 3), Heng Guesthouse popular localrestaurants tothe isattached good restaurants Oneof attached. themost drinkers. the it’sabaranddraws made brownies.Bynight, and Western meals,includingmoisthome- ofkitchen turnsoutasolidselection Asian tle tunesandasmallbookshop byday,the party hattoplay.Arelaxed ambience,sub- whentheownerputsonhis place kicksoff One of theliveliest littlespotsintown,this dancing in Cambodia. band and Khmer-style out,complete night withalocal border, thismaybeyourfirst chance fora but ifyouhave bolted downfromtheLao lonelyplanet.com , check out p302 . about four hours orsoon a trail bike. smallruralvillagesful ridethrough andtakes ChhlongtoKratie.through Thisisavery beauti- continuing upthe eastbankof theMekong and crosstheMekong onasmallferry before far asStungTrang (pronouncedTrong)district the river roadnorthoutof KompongChamas route thatfollowstheMekongseason River. Take that meansjustfour hours to the capital. Suong districttosave moneyonpetroland take Chhlong to thedirtroadsouththrough Cham andUS$7toPhnom Penh. Mosttaxis that costaboutUS$4perplaceto Kompong hours) at 1.30pm. 9.30am; andonetoStungTreng (18,000r,two Phnom Penh (US$5,five hours) at7.30amand 12.30pm. (US$12,six hours) at at 9am;andBanlung Monorom(US$10,five hours)1.30pm; Sen (US$10,fourhours) Kham at der atVoen ( (18,000r, twohours) at1.30pm. 7.15am and9am;onetoStungTreng toPhnom Penhbuses (US$5,five hours) at neys straightforward. road issurfacedallthewaymakingjour- Penh and141kmsouthof StungTreng. The NH7 putsKratie348kmnortheastof Phnom Getting There&Away 012 535387) Several guesthouses andhotels alsohave guesthouses Several SunFallingRed For thelowdown ongetting fromKratieto More frequent andfaster are share taxis For motorbikers, there isamore scenic dry- with alltheleadingluminariesfrom Rith Mony Rith rom vong, has buses toPhnom Penh hasbuses (US$4, KRATIE ••AroundKratie PROVINCE

(Rue Preah Sumarit; mainsUS$1-4) Sumarit; (Rue Preah

(

the closest thingtoline theclosest (Rue Preah Sumarit; mealsUS$1- Sumarit; (Rue Preah 012 991663) SPPT

( 092 181806) has buses to hasbuses Hua Lian has

gvrmn forces. government Rouge to acquireKhmer armsfromcorrupt wayfor theuntil 1975,probably auseful somehow heldout againstthecommunists Duringthecivilwar,Chhlongbetween. sion, butothervisitors are few andfar French touristssometimesmake adiver- a wealthof beautifuloldFrench buildings. Chhlong isathrivingriverside portwith qøÚg CHHLONG it’s about35km in total. left alongareasonable 10kmstretch of road– Kampi roadnorthtoSandan,before veering Kratie Province. Toget toSambor,followthe a minorplaceof pilgrimage forresidents of at thebackof thecompound.Thistemple is temple, afew pillars of which are stilllocated structed onthesite of a19th-centurywooden Moi Roi;100ColumnsTemple), itwascon- Known locallyas Wat MoiRoi(WatSorsor wat which islocallyfamousforhaving thelargest remains inthemoderntownof Sambor, Prei KukandtheChenlaempire. Notastone Angkorian cityduringthetimeof Sambor Sambor wasthesite of athrivingpre- smº Sambor the dolphinsforanextradollar or so. here caneasily becombinedwithatriptosee Mekong onthisstretch of theriver andavisit Kampi. Thehilloffers thebestviewsacross tive wat,located ontheroadfromKratieto Phnom Sombokisasmallhillwithanac- P Sombok Phnom visitorsset upwith a bicycle. US$6 toUS$10)andshould alsobeable to hotels canarrange motorbikes (withdriver urbs youventure. Mostof and theguesthouses 1000r orsodependinghowfarintothesub- A Getting Around te region. the residence in thatisone of the bestpreserved pillars a hundred in Phnom Penh. Furthernorthis the 1920s, any of which wouldbeprimereal estate are grandoldbuildings fromthe several AON KRATIE AROUND ~ M s moto Behind themarket ontheriverfrontBehind road in Cambodia, complete with108columns. inCambodia, M b è N u k ridearoundKratietownistheusual

á , a huge old wooden Khmer , ahuge old woodenKhmer house of

287 EASTERN CAMBODIA CAMBODIA EASTERN EASTERN CAMBODIA fallen off themap,butnewroad provides ing of theroad.Itstillfeels alittlelike ithas This wasasorrylittletownbefore thecom- s SNUOL Penh. Phnom stoponthe long roadjourneyfrom sensible motor bike orcarfromKratiecan make a prices are pretty steep for the provinces. and are decorated, the thoughtfully although a private restaurant. Roomshave ceilings high cilities includeaninvitingswimmingpooland ontheriverfront, fa- with justsixrooms.Set 100; de Chhlong an ambitiousrenovation andisnow 288 p331 pick-ups take onthe roadto ). Several mote crossingisnow opentoforeigners (see north of borderand thisre- theVietnamese of Kompong Cham.It is onlyabout 15km of Mondulkiri Province and 135kmeast several local restaurants. around the the Mekong. toget Itiseasyenough a feed MondulkiriProvincebetween andtowns on to have to change vehicles when journeying ing atleastonemeal here, asitiscommon a quickwayout.Alotof folkenduphav- 072 /pop19,000 Chhlong is easy enough toaccessbyChhlong iseasyenough The oldgovernor’s residence given hasbeen Snuol isapproximately 125km southwest Conservation Project Conservation although theyare seldomseeninthesea. Formore onthisrare creature, seethe recognisable bytheirbulging foreheads and smalldorsalfins. They canlive infresh orsaltwater, ets inBangladeshandMyanmar. The darkbluetogrey cetaceansgrowto2.75mlongandare numbersinhabitingstretches oftheMekonginCambodiashrinking andLaos,isolated pock- The freshwater Irrawaddy dolphin DOLPHIN-WATCHING AROUNDKRATIE border withLaos. also possibletoseethematOSvayvillage( p290 ) inStung Treng province, neartheDomKralor engine aslittlepossibleoncenearthedolphins,noiseissure todisturbthem.Itis the dryseason;US$5/4/3inwetseason,fixed price. Encouragetheboatdriver tousethe the dolphins atclosequarters. ItcostsUS$3/2.50/2perpersonforone/two/three peoplein around US$4dependingonhowlongthedriver hastowait. ofKratie,ontheroadtoSambor.about 15kmnorth A Mekong betweenKratieandtheLaobordernearDonKhone. Itispossibletoseethemat Kampi, ing thePolPotregime, manywere hunted fortheiroilsand numbershave plummeted. ~ ç l as TN RN POIC STUNG TRENG PROVINCE There are local motorboatsavailabletoshuttlevisitorsoutthemiddleofriver toview believe alike thereLocals andexperts maybeasfew as75Irrawaddydolphinsleftinthe Before thecivilwar,localssay,Cambodia washometoasmany1000dolphins. However, dur-

) , anatmosphericboutiquehotel ( psar 012 501742;www.nicimex.com;rUS$80- (market) where there are

(MDCP; www.mekongdolphin.org) (trey pisaut) Le Relais Le Relais isanendangered speciesthroughoutAsia, with two factors thatsuggest there isdefinitely National Park, accessible fromSiemPang – the western chunk of the massive Virachay minority groupsandis home toseveral some remoteway tosee areas. StungTreng to placeslike SiemPang, willbeadifferent that boattripsup theMekong’s tributaries, itispossible andCambodia, Laos between but asmore travellers hit theoverland route course, the Mekong. Kong, TonléSan, TonléSrepok and,of ers traverse theprovince, includingTonlé travelstraffic major bywater, asseveral riv- of thecountry,but much of Stung Treng’s New roadshave nowplugged itintotherest ThailandandVietnam. Laos, Cambodia, commercial crossroadsfortrade between is yettotake itisemerging off, asamajor Whiletourism insouthernLaos. Champasak Provincenary siblingsof and Ratanakiri the lumi- dle child, between sandwiched Poor old Stung Treng istheneglected mid- ext STUNG TRENG PROVINCE hour). (one with KompongCham(1½hours) andKratie connectSnuol four hours).andtaxis Buses Monorom(inside/onthebackUS$7/4, Sen . Visitor attractions are limited fornow, moto ‘ s forthe30kmroundtripshouldbe æ w gE¨tg Mekong Dolphin lonelyplanet.com the border.Lao key Kratieand linkinthenewroadbetween a major newbridge acrosstheSan,which isa rivers merge 10kmeastof town.There isnow two asthese ‘Tonlé Kong’orSekong’, of thecity.Somelocals call TonléSanthe Mekongthe mighty onthewestern outskirts on thebanksof TonléSan,which flowsinto are nolonger overnighting here. Itislocated andmanytravellersit easiertopassthrough Treng backonthemap,theyhave alsomade While newroadshave helpedtoput Stung s STUNG TRENG near the border.Lao Irrawaddy dolphinsinthevillage of OSvay, as analternative locationtoviewtherare infrastructure off Itisalsotaking develops. some tourismpotential astheprovince’s lonelyplanet.com the effort for thecasual visitor, buttemple the effort today. It is hardly worth is very little tosee and Angkor Borei. For allitspastglories, there ancient cities of SamborPrei Kuk (Isanapura) reaches of theChenla empire, includingthe sacred temple of WatPhu withthesouthern necting theancient cityof andthe Champasak period tradingtown ontheriver route con- Thala Boravit Chenla- wasanimportant f THALA BORAVIT Sights &Activities source useful of information. travellers are andlocalguesthouses amore convenient forthecentre of town. Fellow cated nearthenewbridge, notparticularly fishing for money. isAnyone whotriestotell youotherwise intoLaos. paperwork toexitCambodia there isnolonger toarrange anyneed any the Internet access isavailable inshopsaround phone kioskssprinkledaroundthe market. excess kip. Lao alsobethelastchancemight toget ridof any Western Unionmoneytransfers. StungTreng can change travellers cheques andarrange Acleda Bank Information 074 /pop24,500 Â ab There isanew Assuming inhand, visa youhave aLao trythemobile For telephone services, æ w gE¨tg psar U rav i t atUS$2 per hour.

( 973684) STUNGTRENG ••StungTreng PROVINCE , nearthe tourist office tourist psar

( (market), 973967) lo- road toKompong Thom orTbeng Meanchey (US$5 orso). Itisfrom here that thejungle boats (1000r), ratherthan charter anoutboard towait forlocalstofillup theregularenough Treng theday. Itshould beeasy throughout River andirregular boatscrossfrom Stung Boravit isonthewestbankof theMekong fiends mayfeel theurge Thala totickitoff. 4 1 3 2 5 STUNG TRENG Laos (50km);Kratie(125km) Thala Boravit(2km); To MekongRiver(500m); Phnom Penh(489km) Ban Lung(165km); To Kratie(141km); ὈὈ ὈὈ ὈὈ Hospital 3 A NH7 8 2 6 TRANSPORT EATING SLEEPING INFORMATION Taxi Park...... Sorya PhnomPenhTransport...... Laos...... Sorya Restaurant...... Sok SambathHotel...... Guesthouse...... Ou DynakRedGuesthouse...... Guesthouse...... Acleda Bank...... Rith Mony...... (see 4) Boats toKratie,ThalaBoravit& Riverside Restaurant& Kong RatanaSambath

7 Tonlé San Tonlé Psar 200m 0.1miles 0 0 9 4 Tourist Office(2km); New Bridge(2.5km); To LeTonléTraining To OSvay(49km); Mekong Blue(4km) B 5 Centre (500m); 1 Airport (5km) Laos (56km) 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

289 B1 A2 A1 A2 B2 B2 A1 A2 B2 EASTERN CAMBODIA CAMBODIA EASTERN EASTERN CAMBODIA Centre. Mekong inexquisite Bluespecialises of theStungTreng Women’sDevelopment of the border, with the Cambodian and Lao of and Lao theborder,withCambodian sidepolitics muddiesthewaters ontheLao rare freshwater dolphinsof theMekong. As is emerging asanalternative placetoview the This smallvillage neartheborderwithLaos G SVAY O know the place. about 4kmeastof the centre andmotodrivers plusacafé. Thecentresilk onsale, islocated a smallshowroom of onsite withaselection able orimpoverished backgrounds.There is this centre, mostof whom comefromvulner- thedyers andweaverssible tosee inactionat andexport.Itispos- silk productsforsale Stung Treng, A silk-weaving centre ontheoutskirtsof emKg MEKONG BLUE for more details. viathevillagestarts of Chaeb.See opposite 290 www.cepa-cambodia.org) Association Preservation here.stay the Contact ( above ) anditispossible toarrange a home- is nowpart of theMekong Discovery Trail have nocovers so bring ahatorscarf. OSvay fornowtheboatsUS$5 perhour,although here. Boatrental isalsoavailable forabout is possibletoview thedolphinsforjustUS$1 chance with alocalfamily,it forahomestay forward. Afriendly village thatalso offers the profit fromthedolphins,OSvay isstepping authorities arguing over to whohas theright blue.com; U rs kayaking options,check out thewebsite. kayaking to protect theIrawaddydolphinandotherrare speciesonthisstretch ofriver. asitintends tooffer support, fishingcommunitiesanalternativebut deserves incomeinorder pretty stretches ofriverand kayaking renowned fortheirbirdlife. The isstillinitsinfancy, project suchas activities KohTrong,opposite ontraditionalislandslike Kratietown,mountain biking homestays andpagoda-staysalongthelengthoftrail.There are alsoplansforeco-friendly Kratie. The includes project homestays inOSvay( below ) and dolphin vistsnearby,plusplansfor and learningaboutthelocallifestyle incommunitiesalongtheriver and betweenVoenKham (www.mekongdiscoverytrail.com) wild andbeautifulstretches inStungTreng andKratieProvinces. The are underwaytoopenupthe Efforts the Mekong River forcommunity-basedtourism,particularly MEKONG DISCOVERY TRAIL TN RN POIC • SugTeg STUNG TRENG ••StungTreng PROVINCE Ã ay To stayup-to-date withthelatest developments onthetrail,includingmore homestaysand ð b h æ è 7.30-11.30am &1.30-5pmMon-Sat) Mekong Blue Mekong for details.

Culture &Environment Culture (

( 973858, 011 724250; 973977; www.mekong isanewinitiative togetvisitorsspendmore timevisitingvillages ispart but don’t let that put you off, as the service is asthe service but don’tletthatputyouoff, Sorya Restaurant Eating prices although may rise. so thenewplaceshould onlyimprove things, andair-con,place hadhotwater, cableTV new locationoverlooking the river. The old was onthemove duringourlastvisittoa Long thesmartest hotel intown,thisplace water. hot pensive roomsare more spaciousandinclude beforeeven theair-con kicksin.More ex- in town,theroomshere are naturallycool 25; whack US$14roomsinclude hot water. friendly andthewelcomewarm.Only thetop- also an excellent restaurant. fan, butinvolve ashare bathroom.There is industry. Roomsincludemosquito netand ileged localsahelpinghandintothetourism doubles asatrainingcentre togive underpriv- rUS$6) .tourismforhelp.org; information. travel prices. Thisplaceisalsoareliable sourceof rooms. Roomsare pretty basic,butsoare the rant (US$1toUS$3)downstairs andcheap and south,thankstothelively littlerestau- ular crossroadsfortravellers headingnorth theriverfront area,Overlooking thisisapop- Guesthouse Riverside Sleeping near themarket, thiseatery offers apick near the Tonlé Kong, this small guesthouse near theTonléKong,thissmallguesthouse r US$5-14; Sok SambathHotel Guesthouse Ou DynakRed Le TonléTrainingCentre Kong Ratana SambathGuesthouse Kong Ratana a ) Oneof thenewbreed of guesthouses a ) Book yourstayonlineatlonelyplanet.com/hotels Thenameisabitof amouthful,

( 011 908584; US$1-3) Mekong Discovery Trail Located inashadyspot (

( 012 439454;rUS$3-4; 973790; rUS$8-55;

(

011 963676;rUS$7- ( 973638; www

( Located 012 964483; a i

) )

northern Cambodia fromStung Trengnorthern Cambodia to 470km) that pass through Kratie(US$5),all 470km) thatpassthrough to Phnom Penh hours, (US$9/9/10,eight Hua LianandRithMonyalloperate buses daysandthejourneyisabreeze.these Sorya, NH7 southtoKratie(141km)isingreat shape Getting There&Away diners. drop-in lunch anddinner,astheydon’tget thatmany best tocallaheadandmake abookingfor inthecountrysideoutsidetown.Itis is set café offers flavours traditionalKhmer and programme forunderprivileged youngsters. gotohelpingthetraining food. Allproceeds andinternational Khmer tion of affordable thisrestaurantTraining Centre, offers aselec- beers tohelpwashthe meal down. ofThailand andChina,plusafairselection and mixof Asian flavours fromCambodia, lonelyplanet.com locals. FromChaeb, there isan oldlogging overnight inChaebthe watorwithsome trail conditions are to badyoumay need leads west tothelarge village of Chaeb.If to Thala Boravit fromwhere ajungle trail ride itisanoption. First, cross theMekong don’t mindavery longandbumpy bike this route, butforadventure addicts who fortheaverageIt isunwise traveller totake either TbengMeanchey orKompongThom. objects. immovable thing whentheirboatshave collidedwith touristshaveeach yearandseveral lostevery- localsdieonthisstretchwith death.Several ontheMekongspeeds inthedarkisdicing as theyhave andtravelling nolights athigh oneof boatsintheafternoon,taking these appearing everywhere. Donotbetalked into river canbeperilouswithrocksand sandbars Kratie (US$100orso,three hours), butthe rocketlongtail boatsfromStung Treng to see with Laos, p328 . hotel. their 7.30am dailyandwillpickuppunters from three tofourhours) which leaves around Lung(US$8, toBan There isaminibusservice see Treng LunginRatanakiri, andBan p294 . run toKratie(US$4, two hours). leaving around7am.Share alsomake taxis the Mekong Blue Mekong Le Tonlé There is alsoatrailthatleadsacross The adventurous canalsocharter small For theinsidestoryonbordercrossing For the scoop on the road between Stung For thescooponroadbetween

( 973638; US$2-4)

( 973977; US$2-4) Part of Tonlé Le Thisrelaxing country’s contemporary tragedy, byserv- old asthe hills themselves. ered intoadream deal,asgem scamsare as compared withtheWest,butdon’tget suck- semi-precious stones.Thepricesare low eral partsof theprovince aswellother There isgoodqualityzirconminedinsev- translates as‘hillof theprecious stones’. hardly surprisinggiven thenameactually plenty of thataswell–before it’s too late. one wakes upand smellsthecoffee –there’s cashew-nut farms.Itistobehoped some- ing rate, replaced and byrubberplantations atanalarmingandaccelerat- disappearing dition of collective ownership. Theforest is minorities are losingout thankstotheirtra- in thebattleforland,andslash-and-burn isthefrontline der theplacefirst. Ratanakiri lowland politiciansandgenerals don’tplun- totake butthatisifthe off, Tourism isset vast Virachay NationalPark –it’sallhere. anelephantortrekterfalls, glimpse inthe in clearvolcaniclakes, showerunderwa- heard invillages such as Sai. Voen the province andmultiplelanguages willbe is alsoalarge populationthroughout Lao languages, traditionsandcustoms.There peoplewiththeir own (UpperKhmer) Leu Tompoun, BrauandKreung are the Khmer offor amosaic minoritypeoples.TheJarai, natural beautythatprovides aremote home asdiversefor itself region of outstanding Up-and-coming ismakinganame Ratanakiri ext RATANAKIRI PROVINCE should notbeattempted inthe wet season. cover thecostof theirreturn. Thisroute cost aboutUS$20,asthedrivers to need A from KompongThomtoTbengMeanchey. road westthatjoinswiththemain ing on dust; the wet season, sliding about in ing on dust;the wetseason, means chew- thedryseason as thesights: province. the headquarters inTa Veng in the northof Ieng Saryfled here in1963andestablished ship duringmuch of the1960s. Pol Potand Rouge leader- forthe Khmer ing asabase moto Ratanakiri Province playeditspart inthe Ratanakiri miningisbigbusiness inRatanakiri, Gem Adrenaline activitiesare plentiful.Swim Roads in Ratanakiri are notasimpressiveRoads in Ratanakiri ‘ rtnK toorfromTbengMeanchey should I r I

291 EASTERN CAMBODIA CAMBODIA EASTERN EASTERN CAMBODIA cheaper. Internet accessisavailable in townbut mobile-phone kiosksaroundthemarket are butthe that offers international phoneservices, to credit cards. is alocalATM here, which maybeupgraded fers Western Unionmoneytransfers. There ket), canchange travellers cheques andof- Acleda Bank use among locals. name of Lunghasgraduallyslippedinto Ban beforeLabansiek thecivilwar,butdistrict more lively centres in the province. atthemarket,and sell makingitoneof the surrounding villages Lungtobuy cometoBan complaint. Many of theminoritiesfrom just ashort hopaway,there islittleroomfor Yeakbut withattractionssuch asBoeng Lom isn’tthemostinspiring, dust. Thetownitself are else, everything cloaked inablanket of all yearround,butit’sjustthattheleaves, like romps.It maylooklike autumn Ratanakiri Lung provides forarange of apopularbase earth) after itsrustcoloured affliction, Ban Affectionately knownas‘ Vnl BAN LUNG option. realistic lated tomake river travel intoStungTreng a for scenictrips,buttheprovince istooiso- and tan orange hair. which willleave youwithafakeRatanakiri’, Prepare todobattlewiththedust of ‘red earth ideal timetoexplore isDecembertoFebruary. sothe carrot soupduringthewetseason, mud… take yourpick. The roadslooklike 292 beyond. For details onlakes,beyond. For details waterfalls, mi- There are noreal intown, butplenty sights Activities Ratanakiri. in .yaklom.com for more ideasonwhatto do Café rates are low.Try speed high, in thequestforknowledge. Checkoutwww orhotel tobeoftheir guesthouse more use it openinthelast decade. Visitors willfind the centre of town,butwehave seen never Information 075 /pop25,000 There is a smallprovincial The townwasoriginallyknownas Boats are apopularmeans of transport There isa

(per hr10,000r) AAAIIPOIC • BnLn RATANAKIRI •• PROVINCE u g

( post office 974220) or Cyber Sophat , nearthe on the road to Bokheo ontheroadtoBokheo dey krahorm

Redland Internet Internet Redland (per hr US$3) tourist office tourist psar (mar- ’ (red . in budgets. Pricier rooms include hot water, ofhealthy selection rooms catering toall tribal about thishuge place,but there is a r US$3-20; and whenflights are operating. places offer free pick-upfromtheairportif accommodation is growingbytheyear. Most overland mapof andthe choice of Cambodia isnowfirmlyentrenched on the Ratanakiri Sleeping can alsohelpoutwith budget treks. guesthouses Recommended (opposite ). Lodge are Terres Rouges ( opposite ) andYaklom Hill Thebestplacestoarrangeaffordable. trekking really tolinkupwithagroupmake need it and lodgingalongtheway.Budget travellers for agoodguideandmore fortransport,food route, butfigure onUS$15toUS$25aday See p297 Thecostdependsonthe fordetails. the mostwildandremote areas inCambodia. areand these agreat waytoexplore oneof There are nowmultiday treks intothepark, much of zone. thetimeinparkbuffer treks barely andspend scrape theparkitself, National Park, butbeaware thatsomeof these way. the tobesureapace youneed of conditionsalong district, butwithdeforestation continuing Veng, andJarai villages upinAndongMeas including Kreung villages neartheroadtoTa villages andscenic spotsaroundtheprovince, lots of popularroutes thattake inminority get whatisexpected outof atrip.There are arrangements withyourguidetoensure you tomake butitisimportant clear Ratanakiri, Trekking hasreally totake started around off TREKKING option. popular Mondulkiri Province ( p301 ) remains themore person perhour. Forlonger elephantrides, Theusualchargeplantations. isUS$10per beautifulrubber one hour,passingthrough lar waterfall of Ka Tieng. Theridetakes about is fromthevillage of Kateung tothespectacu- local waterfalls. Oneof themostpopularrides short elephantridesfromnearbyvillages to andhotels canarrangeMost guesthouses ELEPHANT RIDES Lung, beyond Ban see p296 . nority villages, nationalparksandgem mines Tribal Hotel Tribal Many visitors optforatrek intoVirachay a Book yourstayonlineatlonelyplanet.com/hotels ) There isnothing particularly

( 974074; [email protected]; Boeng Kansaign, thisisthebestall-rounder Boeng .com; r inclbreakfast US$10-22) lonelyplanet.com forsig plants. flourishing here, andthere isalocalrestaurant amidthe it’sall smart rooms. Hotwater, cableTV, a choice of attractive garden bungalowsor inalush garden,there Lung.Set is in Ban .com; rUS$5-20; barbecue. tabletop pleung or asignaturegood placeforabeer mation here andthelively restaurant isa bathrooms. There isplentyof travel infor- has large roomscomplete withhot-water structure wasoriginallybuiltasahomeand the irrepressible thiscotton-candy MrLeng, cuisine. Asian of andto US$3)withagoodselection Khmer garden includesabigrestaurant (mainsUS$1 clude singleswithbathroomforUS$3. The are dotted aroundthehuge gardenandin- andafridge, whilebudget rooms cable TV www.chhenglok-hotel.com/index.htm; chhenglok@yahoo 1 3 2 Kinchaan Waterfall(9km); Waterfall (8km); Chaa Ong Waterfall (8km); Ka Tieng To Kateung(7km); Kratie (265km) Stung Treng(165km); Lumphat (37km); BAN LUNG Yaklom Lodge Hill Star Hotel Hospital Bar (200m) Restaurant & Sal's Lakeside ChhengLok Hotel Lakeside 9 8 (hillof fire), DIY abeef-and-vegetable Kansaign Airport Boeng AC

a ( 10 012 958322;rUS$5-10; ) RATANAKIRI ••BanLung PROVINCE 4 Inaprimespotoverlooking 14 1 16 11 18 19

( Restaurant (200m); To BoengKansaign Virachay National Voen Sai(35km); Ta Veng(57km) Kachon (30km); Psar 012 644240; www.yaklom Park(50km); 6 17 20 For analternative 7 a

13 3 B ) Runby ( phnom 390063; 15 2 12 5 Bokheo (28km);BeiSrok(29km); Meas(80km);Vietnam(105km) Lumkut Lake(45km);Andong fr hire. for specialities, plus dirt bikes (perdayUS$25) cess. There isalso a restaurant with Swedish a DVDplayer,plus there’s free internet ac- and Rooms are stylish andincludecableTV Yeakful locationontheroadtoBoeng Lom. resort isexceptionalvalueandsitsinapeace- yaklom.com; rUS$25; ing Thaiand food. Khmer pheric restaurant (mainsUS$2toUS$4)serv- There thenight. work through isan atmos- power duringtheday,butfan and lights ethnic minorityhandicrafts.There isno bungalows are decorated thoughtfully with forest about6kmeastof town,thewooden amidlush onlyecolodge. Set Ratanakiri’s experience totheplacesintown, make for creative touches, but andChinese Khmer of allfinished with roomsinthe mainhouse, shores of Kansaign. There Boeng isa range residence onthe hasanimperious setting provincial thisformergovernor’s Cambodia, of in the mostatmosphericplacestostay -lodge.com; rUS$32-75; Yaklom HillLodge(6km); BoengYeakLom(5km); Norden House Terres RougesLodge Tuk ChrouuBram-pul Norden House(4km); Waterfall(35km); To BoengYeak;

ai ( SLEEPING INFORMATION Taxi Park...... Hua Lian...... Cheang TornMoto...... Bona Transport...... Bike Shop...... Gecko House...... Coconut ShakeRestaurant...... A'Dam Restaurant...... Tribal Hotel...... Terres RougesLodge...... Star Hotel...... Sovann KiriHotel...... Lakeside ChhengLokHotel...... Lake ViewLodge...... Kim MorakatHotel...... Headquarters...... Tourist Office...... Redland Internet...... Post Office...... Cyber Sophat...... (see19) Acleda Bank...... TRANSPORT EATING Ly HengExpress...... (see17) Virachey NationalPark ai 012 880327;www.nordenhouse

) ( Thisnewbungalow ) 974051; www.ratanakiri 200m 0.1miles 0 0 Undoubtedly one D 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

293 B3 A3 A3 B3 A3 B3 A1 B3 B3 A1 A2 A3 A2 B2 B3 B2 A3 B3 B3 A3 EASTERN CAMBODIA CAMBODIA EASTERN EASTERN CAMBODIA taurant doubles up as a bar by night, thanks doubles upasabarby night, taurant water isblissful ona hot day. make upthemenuandbreeze across the dishes andChinese local restaurant. Khmer and unwindonthe shores of the lake atthis tional wooden house ontheedgetional woodenhouse of town, US$1.50-5) doubles asa lively bar. After andsandwiches. darkitpizza, pasta classics andsomeWestern dishessuch as Themenufeaturesnight. Thaitastes, Khmer and soft thisisagreat lighting, placebydayor charming littlerestaurant withinvitingsofas toast?). (French Dare totrythefriendfrieortoes ( try theaptlynamed desserts by night. also thearea tofind Psar LungMarket) Lung(Ban Ban andthisis cheapest foodintownisfoundandaround ofselection restaurants aroundtown.The hotel restaurants, there isnowanimproving As wellastheaforementioned and guesthouse Eating &Drinking Hotel Kiri Sovann Lodge View Lake Hotel Morakat Kim (mains US$2 to US$5). ofselection Asian andEuropeanfavourites open tonon-guests, which offers ateasing There isalsoapopularrestaurant andbar, open-plan bathrooms. beds andBalinese-style decorated withantiquefurnishings, sleigh garden are of aseries exquisite bungalows, only somehave air-con. inthegorgeous Set 294 a dart board… almost a British pub. to oneof Lungand inBan theonly pooltables worth the wait. canbeslow, butit’s and great burgers. Service home, includingIndian curries,spicyMexican is theplacetocomeforcomfort food from popular with Khmers. inthemiddleoftown,thishotelisgoodvalueand Right that ensures the rooms are smart and that ensures theroomsare smart comfortable. ofconcrete but new hotelonthewayintotown,itisariot and good-value grub. padhaseightrooms thisbackpacker Located nearthelake, 012 416234; Boeng Kansaign; meals4000-10,000r) 012 416234;BoengKansaign; Sal’s Restaurant &Bar Sal’s Restaurant House Gecko For thebestcoconutshake inthenortheast, A’Dam Restaurant Other goodoptionsinclude: Boeng Kansaign Restaurant Boeng Kansaign AAAIIPOIC • BnLn RATANAKIRI ••BanLung PROVINCE This restaurant-bar, inatradi- set

( ( ( ( 092 785259;rUS$5-15; 974001; rUS$5-15;

012 422228;mainsUS$1-4) (mains US$1-3) 974121; rUS$5-10; tukalok Coconut Shake Restaurant Coconut Shake

(

(fruitshakes) and (mains US$1-4) 012 284377;mains Thislocal res- a a a ) Ahuge ) Relax ) A . for hire intown. from mostguesthouses Motorbikes, cars and4WDs are available Getting Around almost impossible in the wet season. one day,assuming youdon’tget lost. Itis coming thisway on thebackof a An increasing numberof travellers are also compass shouldmake forasmootherjourney. bike spares, copiousamountsof water anda of opportunitiestoget lost.Arange of motor- a localwhoknowstheroute, asthere are lots considering thisoptionshould linkupwith soul withanironbackside. Anyoneseriously of bikingexperienceorare anextremely hardy few years, butonlyattempt itifyouhave years bikers have usingthisroute over been thepast Mondulkiri Province. Ahandfulof hardcore ox-cart tracksuntilKoh Nhekinnorthern by ferry, of itdescendsintoaseries sandy Lumphat, butafter crossing theTonléSrepok may show.There isaroadasfar southas to Mondulkiri,contrarywhatolder maps Heng Express Penh. Try offering shared peoplecarriers toPhnom 6.15am. There are alsoprivate companies a dailybusineitherdirection, departingat in justonedayandHuaLian(US$17.50)run make theoverland journeytoPhnom Penh longer. considerably five journeytimescanbe hours). Wet-season LungandKratie(30,000, Ban run between orhotel. Directfrom yourguesthouse taxis Stung Treng (US$8), which offers pick-ups to There isalsoaprivate minivanservice four hours) are slowerandless comfortable. pick-ups (inside/ontheback25,000/15,000r, (25,000r,threetaxi hours) isthewaytogoas is currently undergoing renovation. Share Treng onNH7)isinreasonable shapeand Moan (thejunction19kmsouthof Stung cancellations are common. mind thatschedules cannotbetrusted and operatingagain,butbearin They maystart suspendedformorehad been thansixmonths. At thetimeof toRatanakiri writing,allflights Getting There&Away Nhek, which makes thejourneypossiblein rebuilt MonoromtoKoh theroad fromSen have military it’s punishing. TheCambodian and leaving at 6.30am. There is no real road linking Ratanakiri There isnoreal roadlinkingRatanakiri One wayortheother,itisnowpossibleto LungandOPong Ban The roadbetween Bona Transport

( 012 724096) , bothcostingUS$15

( 012 567161) lonelyplanet.com moto, or but Ly but maintenance isanissue. NordenHouse 250cc dirtbikes available forUS$10perday, rapidlythefurtheryouwant rise to travel. 4WDs fromaboutUS$50aday,butprices areCars available fromUS$30adayand Motorbikes are usuallyUS$5toUS$8aday. lonelyplanet.com Cheang TornMoto she mayreveal hersecret past. only person whoknowsthe truthisPniengRochum. Fornowshe remains silent,butintime for atime?Whathappened toheryoungcousin? of Tarzan andJane?Didshe strayacrosstheborderintoVietnam andendup forcedintoslavery by ajunglemanandforcedtoforagewith him,aCambodiangirl. version Wasshekidnapped malaria andotherdangers.snakes, Itisanunforgiving ayoung place foranyone,particularly old girlinthe jungleforsomanyyears?The Cambodian survive jungle ishometopoisonous with thespirits,or possibly saidafinalfarewell toher junglemancompanion. she mayhave spentsometimeacrosstheborder. Herparents believe shehadmadeherpeace Vietnamese andJarai,suggestingShe alsoseemedtounderstandsome language,particularly in November 2007andshehadputonweight, couldbarely containhersmileandsangsongs. again forninedays. Shewaseventually found,achangedwomanonherreturn. Imetheragain in whichtheybelieve. Their fears were realised inthesummerof2007when Pniengvanished every move watched. care anewbornbaby,unabletotake like ofhermostbasicneeds, spoon-fed, washed,andher asmallanimal,’explainedhermother. strange soundslike not understand.‘Shemakes Shewas distant, almostautistic. toherselfatnight,muttering She talked noisesthat thefamilycould the spiritsofjungletogive backmydaughter every night.’ for hersafe return. tobringbackmy daughter,’ ‘Moneywasnoobject saysherfather. ‘Iasked but thejunglespiritsdidnotwantto lethergo.’ Ceremonies were heldtopraythespirits banks ofajunglestream neartheirricefields,’saysRochomChey.‘Ithoughtwemight findher jungle andtravelling fromvillagetovillage. ‘Somevillagerssawsomesmallfootprintsonthe water. somedrinking gone tocollect The parents searchedeverywhere, wandering throughthe village ofTen. PniengRochumandheryoungcousinvanishedin1988whenmotherhad andmoving withastoop,’continuesthewoodcutter anddirty fromthenearby‘She wasnaked out ofthejungleandIwasafraid’,saysCherTam, thefirstpersontoseteyes onherfor18years. she disappeared.’ she toldme. ‘Iknewitwasherbecausesister accidentallycutherwithaknife justbefore war. Backatthevillage,hermotherbathedher. ‘As Iwashedher,sawascaronherforearm,’ toldhimthiswasthelittlegirl andsilent,instinct naked hehadlastseenduringCambodia’s civil lost daughter.’ itwashisdaughter. Herfather,LouSal,alocalpoliceman,wasalsocertain Filthy, was thehappiestmomentofmylife,’ shesays. intohereyesandknewthiswasmylong ‘Ilooked the familywhenresearching This isherstory. thisguidebook. alloverbroke theworld.Icovered the storyfortheUKmediaandfollowedupwithavisitto theinternationalWhen thestorybroke, press descendedonthisremote villageandthestory 2007, sheemerged fromthejungletobereunited withherfamilyinOYadaw villageinRatanakiri. old In 1988,nine-year Pnieng Rochumdisappeared inaremote cornerofCambodia. InJanuary THE JUNGLEGIRLOFRATANAKIRI Even isthatalittlegirl today,nobody knows. disappeared What iscertain 18years ago. The The junglegirl storyisbaffling. There are more questions thananswers. Howdoes aneight-year Her parents were terrified shewouldreturn spirits tothejungle,reclaimed bythepowerful When IfirstmetPnienginJanuary2007, shesatandstared intospace,traumatised and claimedshe waswithawildmanwieldingsword.‘Shealone.Early reports Shecame For eighteen years,hermotherRochomChoyprayedforthesafe return ofherdaughter. ‘It RATANAKIRI ••AroundBanLung PROVINCE

( 012 960533) hassome Pnieng Rochum currently lives inOYadaw village with her parents. Nick Ray mentally friendly,considerabicycle(US$1 mentally oflevel English andwhere youwant to go. US$8 toUS$15dependingontheirexperience, ices aroundtheprovince andrates range from Local guideswithmotorbikes offer theirserv- ( p292 ) hasreliable ones,butatUS$25aday. For somethingcheaper andmore environ-

295 EASTERN CAMBODIA CAMBODIA EASTERN EASTERN CAMBODIA an hourtoget toonfootfrom Lung. Ban the driver hastowaitaround.Ittakes almost around US$2return, butexpecttopaymore if of theminorityfamily. atthestatue offtheroadtoBokheo Turn right improving life inthe nearby villages. fromthe entryfee gotowards and proceeds administered bythelocalTompuonminority suggested walksaroundthelake. Thearea is in theprovince, and localhandicraftsforsale tion) the water’s edge, plustubes for rent. in theafternoon, asthere isawoodenpieron place totake adipearlyinthemorningorlate and thewater isextremely clear. Itisagreat hastooffer ful, beautifullocationsCambodia waters of thelake. Itisoneof themostpeace- oftalk mysterious creatures thatinhabitthe Yeak Lomasacred placeandtheirlegends ity peopleinthearea have longconsidered the circleissoperfect. Theindigenous minor- must have formedbyameteor strike been as 700,000 years agoandsomepeopleswearit gle. Thelake tohave isbelieved formed been amid thevividgreens of thetoweringjun- (admission US$1) At theheartof theprotected area of b Boeng YeakLom villages. their tive tooutsiders juststompinginandoutof ity peoplearoundtheprovince are sensi- astheminor- when exploringRatanakiri, Try tolinkupwitharesponsible localguide AROUND BANLUNG bike shop onthe main drag. per day),available fromsomehotels andthe 296 Ka Tieng is the most enjoyable, asit drops fall orventure underneathfor apowershower. gorge andyoucanclamber behind the water- of the three inajungle isChaaOng, asitisset about 5km westof town.The mostspectacular from themainroad towardsStungTreng, are2000r admissionfee, andthese signposted ChaaOng The three mostcommonly visitedseason. are andlackingmuch water inthedry wet season ince, butmanyare toreach difficult inthe There are numerouswaterfalls intheprov- Waterfalls w gyk§eLam There isasmall Boeng YeakBoeng Lomis5kmeastof Lung. Ban that hasinformationonethnicminorities AAAIIPOIC • Aon a ug RATANAKIRI ••AroundBanLung PROVINCE , a Tieng Ka isabeautifulbluecrater-lake set and visitors centre Kinchaan Motos are available for , allattractinga

(admission bydona- Yeak Lom

(500r) andwalkwestforacouple of kilome- is possibletocrosstheriver onasmallferry tiers, located about35kmsoutheastof Ban impressive hour boat rideeastof Sai andhasan Voen the forests of Ratanakiri. are many cemeteries scattered throughout guard over tostand ceased thegraves. There of effigies thede- amidst thejungle, carving The kEn Cemeteries Chunchiet motorbike or vehicle. togetenough tounder yourownsteam ona Lung onanaverage-to-poor road.Itiseasy communities. surrounding out howneatandtidyitiscompared withthe Check whostillspeakChinese. inhabitants lage complete withlarge and woodenhouses finally emerging vil- onawealthyChinese community andasmall tres, the passingthrough village, aLao Khmer and several settlement river isthemostinteresting, withan is onthesouthbank.Thenorthsideof the daysthemainsettlement Virachay, butthese the northbankof theriver andknownas villages. Originally,thetownwaslocated on andKreungSai isacluster of Lao Chinese, Located onthebanksof theTonléSan, Voen pop 3000 v Voen Sai active. still but check Lungthattheminesare inBan Take alocalguideforthiscombinationtrip, foramethystandzircon. intheirsearch tally pit inthegroundandthentunnelhorizon- mines littering theroadside. Localsdigalarge hot spotfor can becombinedwithavisittothecurrent a gentle theforest. walkthrough Avisithere Accesstothewaterfall involveswet season. any timeandpretty much impossibleinthe Lung, butthetrailtoget here at istough 2000r) for some Tarzan action. far sidethatare toswingon strongenough the waybehind.There are somevinesonthe over arockshelf allowingyoutoclamberall u W n«s Tuk ChrouuBram-pul Voen Saiisabout 35kmnorthwestof Voen Ban  gbBa chunchiet chunchiet is a popular waterfall with seven gentle isapopularwaterfall withseven thatdates back more than100years Í ¬ HsBB Tompuon cemetery Lao andchunchietvillages gem mining of Ratanakiri burytheirdead of Ratanakiri Y kCnCat (O Sin Laer Waterfall; admission (O SinLaerWaterfall; in Bei Srok,with inBei gem chunchiet i Kachon

(admission US$1) lonelyplanet.com area, before isaone- nearby.It old Chinese in walk through thehealthcentrewalk through located at Sai.Togetposite tothecemetery, Voen villages op- andLao jaunt totheChinese SaitoKachon,trip fromVoen includinga lagers orguidesfor suggested sites. Jarai villages have smallcemeteries; askvil- act respectfully. Many otherTompuonand local Tompuonpeople–touch nothingand rape. Rememberthatthisisasacred site for villagers, tocultural somethingtantamount frompoor buyinguptheoldeffigies been thropologists fromEuropehave reportedly unscrupulous artcollectors andamateur an- like shadesandmobilephones.Sadly,some in concrete andshow somemoderntouches tombs of wealthyindividualshave cast been and have abandonedtothejungle. Newer been Some of tombsdate backmanyyears these likenesses of elephanttuskstothestructures. wooden a bigcelebrationandaddtwocarved period of mourningiscomplete, villagers hold the forest beyondthevillage. When alengthy lonelyplanet.com that affords someofthat affords the province’s better views. on arollercoaster themountains road through Ta Veng had electricitybefore the war. in adismal signof decline,they point outthat ing remains of theremote todayalthough, base noth- inthe1960s.Localssay their guerrillabase other leaders of the Rouge established Khmer the Ta Veng districtthat Pol Pot, Ieng Saryand gateway toVirachay NationalPark. Itwasin ern bankof Tonlé San,butactsasanalternative Ta Veng isaninsignificantvillage onthesouth- taEvg Ta Veng Lungtothesouth ofBan district. Bokheo a beautifulspotandliesabout45km from making swimmingachallenge. it’s However, the oldpierhasalready rotted intothewater, but itisnotasaccessibleYeak Loamand forestand hemmedinbydense onallsides, have youbelieve. Yes, itisalarge crater lake Lungwouldthat iswhatsomeguidesinBan YeakLumkut isthenewBoeng atleast Loam, b Lake Lumkut junction. major south outof Saiandturnleftatthefirst Voen also possibletoget toKachon byroad–head fromthevillage.is justashort distance Itis the river Thecemeterybank andturnright. w gl Expect topayaroundUS$15fortheboatExpect Ta Veng isabout 57kmnorth of Lung Ban M Kt RATANAKIRI ••AroundBanLung PROVINCE visitor andinformation centre atthe benefit localcommunities. There isasmall trekking. Theprogrammeaimsto involve and small-scale culture, nature andadventure focusingon ism programmeinCambodia, nated anAsean Heritage Park in 2003. park totheMekong region thatitwasdesig- isthe from theparkboundary.Soimportant are as100m,but these many days’hikeas high alsosuggest thereRangers are or kouprey (wildoxen), butthisisunlikely. that there beisolated mayeven rhinoceroses phants, leopardsandtigers. Optimistsspeculate to anumberof larger mammals,including ele- fullyexplored been never andislikely home west toStungTreng Province. The parkhas and 3325 sqkmeasttoVietnam,north Laos protected areas stretching inCambodia, for Virachay National Park isoneof thelargest ÓT´anCat Virachay NationalPark duetothe higher slightly involved.distance threeroad taking hours. Transportpricesare 80km northeastof Lungonareasonable Ban about US$10byboat.AndongMeas liesabout possible toreturn toAndongMeas byriver for banks of theTonléSan.Fromcemetery itis from AndongMeas toaJarai cemetery onthe last coupleof years. There isawalkabletrail there widespread hasbeen deforestation inthe lages, larity thankstoacombinationof minorityvil- Andong Meas districtwasgrowinginpopu- pop 1500 GN US$30 forthethree-hour tripto Sai. Voen Veng forriver jaunts;US$5inthelocalarea or Travel bymotorbike orcharter a vehicle. this reason itwouldn’tbemuch funintherain. are somevery andfor steep climbsinsections where itispossibletobreak thejourney.There several through The roadpasses and community guide. and must beaccompanied byaparkranger wish toenter theparkrequire anentrypermit out thelatest information.All visitors who cursions here, fees andfind pay thenecessary of Environment. Visitors canbookparkex- .org.kh) National Park Headquarters Adn Meas Andong It ispossibletoarrange smallboatsinTa Virachay hasthemostorganised ecotour- ‘ è gmas in Ban Lung,located attheDepartment inBan Jarai cemeteries i v I r:C & y and ashort river trip,but

( 974176; www.bpamp waterfalls minority villages minority Virachay Virachay , some , some 297

, EASTERN CAMBODIA CAMBODIA EASTERN EASTERN CAMBODIA tion, if it can even becalledthat, forhard- tion, ifitcaneven 1970s. Thisisalsothelastgaspof civilisa- US sustained bombing raidsintheearly daysthanksto thing of townthese aghost on thebanksof theTonléSrepok, issome- The formerprovincial of capital Lumphat, pop 2000 l Lumphat the TonléKongisbefore you sign up. boat (30,000r),buthave alookathowrocky connected toStungTreng rocket bylongtail Sai.Itisalso a three-hour ridefromVoen sible bymotor about bike inthedry season, wildlife SiemPang inthissection. isacces- way totheparkanditcanbeeasierspot really. SiemPang actsasthewestern gate- the StungTreng it’sallrelative side,although 298 Ban Lung Ban for 5000r. an hour and pick-upsdo afew runsfrom ing south. The35kmjourney takes around to Stung Treng forabout 15km before head- Kurtz, playedby Marlon Brando. of insearch renegadeCambodia Colonel upriver into Willardgoes Benjamin Captain Apocalypse Now river anti-warfilm depicted intheseminal to Mondulkiri Province. core bikers trails headingsouthonthetough M pat To get here Lung, take the road fromBan The TonléSrepok tobethe isbelieved The parkisactuallymore accessiblefrom „ „ „ workout. There are three maintreks availableinVirachay, trek fromagentletwo-day toaweek-long TREKS IN VIRACHAY NATIONAL PARK

ODLIIPOIC MONDULKIRI PROVINCE the Tju Preah rapids.the TjuPreah second day,continuetoPhnom Gong,asacred mountainfortheBraupeople,andswimat Onthe fromnearKoklakvillageandincludesanightbytheChaiChanangWaterfall. starts through beautifulareas ofevergreen forest. Duetotheterrain, trekkers needtoberelatively fit. deer, gibbon, langur,wildpig,bearandhornbill.Trekkers return viaadifferent route andpass ofthePhnom Vealdeep intotheheart Thom grasslands, anarea richinwildlife suchassambar fromTainto Virachay starts Veng withanovernight homestayinaBrauvillage. The trek goes O’Lapeung River Valley Trek ChhouySacredKalang MountainTrek Phnom Veal Thom WildernessTrek Brau village,youreturn toTa Veng byinflatablekayak. Trailanditmaybepossibletoseesomewarrelics.Ho ChiMinh After asecondnightinthe the O’Lapeungvalleytoacampsite. Onthethirdday,route ofthe passesalongasection trekkers experienceahomestay.The trek continuestothesummitofPhnom Meive andinto with aboatrideontheTonléSanandOTabok Rivers totheBrauvillageofPhum Yorn,where ’ ’ , inwhich Martin Sheen’s

(4 days/3nights;perpersonfromUS$85)

(8 days/7nights;perpersonfromUS$170)

(2 days/1night;perpersonfromUS$40) grants inrecent years, drawn totheabundant population. There aninflux of has been mi- minorities makingupmuch of therest of the from the Pnongminority group,withother come per sqkm. Almosthalfthe inhabitants province inthe country,withjusttwopeople warm. something 800m, itcanget quite chilly socarry atnight, with more rain.Atanaverage of elevation like Tasmaniasunshine; inthe wet season, itisalittle like Waleswith In thedryseason an aptsobriquetforalandof rollinghills. as goodwinning the lottery. chances them arealthough of about seeing are more numerous here thanelsewhere, falls. Wildanimals,such asbears andtigers, into forests of jadegreen andhiddenwater- and windsweptvalleysthatfadebeguilingly a seductive mixof pineclumps,grassyhills learn howtobeamahout.Thelandscape is is possibletovisittraditionalvillages and Pnong peopleandtheirnobleelephants, it the heatof theplains.Hometohardy another world,which comesasarelief after country. Climaticallyandculturally,it’salso ofMondulkiri istheoriginalWildEast the A worldapartfromlowlandCambodia, ext MNUKR PROVINCE MONDULKIRI Mondulkiri isthe mostsparselypopulated Mondulkiri means‘Meeting of theHills’, ‘ mN ë lK This fromTa trek starts Veng I r I The longesttrek This short trek This short lonelyplanet.com in town and doublesasa lively littlebar by SEN MONOROM ahead at weekends. an explosionof domestictourists,sobook of bygoneyears. Improved accesshasfuelled to Koh Nhekisunrecognisable fromthemess hours. Theroad journey timesdowntoseven in pretty goodshape mostof theway,bringing toPhnomince, butthemainhighway Penh is is already digging around, literally. one of theworld’slargest miningcompanies, queuing upfornaturalresources. BHPBilliton, facing off againstspeculators andindustrialists tourismactivities,butareinitiating sustainable the province, creating wildlife and sanctuaries have grandplansfor norities. Conservationists mains theprofession of choice formanymi- areplantations poppingup,buthuntingre- land andbenignclimate. Fruitandvegetable Book yourstayonlineatlonelyplanet.com/hotels around the town. Lodge IIHill Arun Reas Internet accessisalsoavailablenight. atthe per hourUS$2) Penh or Vietnam. has tobeshippedinfromPhnomeverything thaninotherpartsofhigher thecountry,as change major currencies. Prices are slightly the mainroadfrom Phnom Penh and can Hurrah, Information some warm clothing. cooler thantherest of sobring Cambodia, 800m, whenthewindsbillowit’s notably atmorethe immigrantlowlanders. than Set backs makes themeasytodistinguish from the distinctive baskets theycarryontheir Monorom totrade,and villages cometoSen time. Many of thePnongpeoplefromnearby falls, makingittheidealplacetospend some with minorityvillages andpicturesque water- Monorom ispepperedThe area aroundSen ers tocallit‘TheSwitzerlandof Cambodia’. of townhastwolakes, leadingsomedream- spot where thecentre thefamoushillsmeet, village. Acharming inthe communityset Monorom islittlemore thananovergrown The provincial of capital Mondulkiri, Sen Esnmenarm´ calls canbe madefrom mobile phones 073 /pop7000 Roads are pretty theprov- poorthroughout Green House Green Acleda Bank hasthecheapest internet access (www.thegreen-house.blogspot.com; hasopeneditsdoors on

(per hrUS$4) . Telephone MONDULKIRI PROVINCE •• Sen Monorom ••Sen MONDULKIRIPROVINCE ted across theprovince canbearranged te wealth. the travellers to,which isagreat waytospread hasapreferredguesthouse village tosend an overnight withthecommunity. Each stay andhotels, including guesthouses through there’s and plentytosee do nearby. but Monoromitself Not much happensinSen Sights &Activities (p301). Guesthouse intown,such asLong Vibol ing guesthouses inminorityvillages,stays ascan thelead- can arrange elephanttreks andovernight speakgoodEnglishandFrench.staff They Falls (3km) To Monorom 4 1 3 2 SEN MONOROM Chuw (6km) To PhnomBai Chhlong (210km); Kratie(210km); Trips outtothePnongvillages dot- There isasmall Mimong(47km); Snuol(130km); Kompong Cham(250km); To AcledaBank (300m); Arun ReahIIHill Lodge (400m); Putang (9km); Phnom Penh (370km) A Wat TRANSPORT EATING SLEEPING INFORMATION ors fie...... A3 Tourist Office...... Taxi Park...... Orchid Restaurant...... (see4) Bananas...... Phnom MeasGuesthouse...... Pech KiriGuesthouse...... Mondulkiri Hotel...... Mahogany Guesthouse...... Long VibolGuesthouse...... Green House...... tourist office tourist 2 9 5 Hospital 0 0 Thmei Psar Bou SraaWaterfall(32km); 6 1 intownand 4 B To Phulung(7km); Koh Nhek(93km) Lodge (800m) 0.1 miles 8 To Nature 200 m 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 299 B3 B4 B3 B3 B4 B3 B3 B3

3

7 EASTERN CAMBODIA CAMBODIA EASTERN EASTERN CAMBODIA 300 Photographs „ „ „ Shopping „ „ „ „ „ Gifts „ „ „ „ „ „ „ Interaction the benefitsofyourstayoutweighcosts. prostitution andtheerosionoflocalvaluespractices. increased litter andpollutants,dependencyontouristdollars,proliferation ofdruguseand handicraft industries. However, there are alsothenegatives: theovertaxing ofnaturalresources, andtouristdollarssupporting infrastructure, goods,employmentopportunities cheapermarket Tourism canbringmanybenefitstohighlandcommunities:cross-culturalunderstanding,improved TREAD LIGHTLY INTHEHILLS „ „ „ Travel „ „

Donotgive children sweetsormoney; itencouragesbegging andpaves thewayforprostitu- Trytolearnsomethingaboutthecommunity’sculture andlanguageteach something Donotengageinsexualrelationships withlocalpeople,includingprostitutes. drugs–youngchildren Donottake tend toimitate tourists’behaviour. Donoturinate ordefecate nearvillagers’households; buryfaeces. Minimise litter. Dress modestly. Bepolite andrespectful. Trytobooktours withresponsible tourismoutletswho employhill-tribe peopleorcontribute Stay,eatandtravel withlocalbusinesses. Travel insmall,lessdisruptive groups. apicture, Ifyoutake doitquicklyandavoidusing aflash.Ifyoupromisetosendcopies,keep permission–thisincludes children. Somehilltribes Donot photographwithoutfirstasking Don’tbuyvillagetreasures, suchasaltarpiecesortotems. Donotasktobuyavillager’s personalhouseholditems or thejewelleryorclothestheyare Hagglepolitely andalways paytheagreed (andfair)priceforgoodsand services. Nomatter howpoor theyare, villagersare extremely hospitable;however, feeding aguest Individualgifts create jealousyandcreate expectations. Instead donationstothelocal make Don’tgive andthemedicinemaynotbe medicines–iterodestraditionalhealingpractices Donotgive clothes–communitiesare self-sufficient. ODLIIPOIC MONDULKIRI PROVINCE If youvisitCambodia’s apositive hill-tribe communities,make contributionandensure that tion for‘gifts’ andmoney.Sweetsalsocontribute totoothdecay. good aboutyours. to community welfare. your word. believe thecamerawillcapture theirspirit. Don’tphotographaltars. wearing. generous contribution. can result Ifyou acceptaninvitationtoshare infoodshortages. ameal, besure tobringa school, medicalcentre orcommunityfund. correctly administered. lonelyplanet.com with anovernight inaPnongvillage, stay strain. the after acoupleof hours; carryapillowtoease pretty upontopof uncomfortable anelephant transport toandfromthevillage. Itcanget for aroundUS$30orso,includinglunch and as thetouristoffice, canarrange daytreks aroundtown,aswell mended guesthouses range anelephanttrek. Mostof therecom- of town,are themostpopularplacestoar- 9kmsouthwest Monorom,andPutang, Sen The villages of Phulung, 7kmnortheastof ELEPHANT TREKS have namedit of tree avastsea tops,hencethelocals seeing the emeraldforest. youare Itlooksasthough Monorom,forajaw-droppingviewofof Sen Bai Chuw lonelyplanet.com tree trunks androots andhas agood range of viting restaurant isdecorated withabandoned with sunken bedsandhidden rooms.Thein- incredible Swissfamily Robinson-style chalet commodation withshared hotshowers andan this quirkyeco-resort hasbasicbungalowac- Located onawindswept hilltopneartown, back tonature oncetheydiscover thisplace. cambodia.com; rUS$4-10) available. bungalows underway, butthere are stilllotsof bargain keeps expanding,withanoversized newwing the lively direction of Madame Deu.Theplace intown anditisstillgoingstrongunder house Once uponatime,thiswastheonly guest- woods. the forair-conditioningno need inthisneckof flasks of boilingwater forbathing.There is out hot-water showers canusuallyprovide Placeswith- can dropdramaticallyatnight. this partof thecountry,astemperature tors alike. Hot water is more in important uptheliveslighting of residents andvisi- Monorom, Electricity hasfinallycometoSen Sleeping &Eating p302). (see out of towntotheElephantValley Project waterfall. a an overnight orcampingoutby homestay costing fromUS$60toUS$80perperson with Check out the observation deckof Check outtheobservation Guesthouse Pech Kiri For thecomplete elephantexperience,head It isalsopossibletonegotiate alonger trek Nature Lodge Nature (Raw Rice Mountain), 6km RiceMountain), (Raw northwest Samot Cheur MONDULKIRI PROVINCE •• Sen Monorom ••Sen MONDULKIRIPROVINCE

Everyone willwanttoget ( 230272; www.naturelodge

( 012 932102;rUS$3-10) (Ocean of Trees). Phnom Phnom

ommended above, there isalso theinviting in the extensive gardens. some bungalows and Pnong-styledwellings andfridge. There arerooms, cableTV also All are equippedwithair-con, smartbath- roomsintown. conceals themostcomfortable rolling hills,butthehulkingconcrete exterior It looksoutof placeinthispristinelandof tional breakfasts, including quality coffees. food.It’salsoafinespot for interna- Nepalese an unexpected range of authenticIndianand intheprovince,best pizzasandpastas plus someof the rant (mainsUS$3to$7),serving stillistheexcellentrestau- upgraded. Better with hotwater, andtheyare steadily being in themiddleof rooms,all townhaseight rUS$8-10) .mondulkiri.info; gular hutsnear the entrance. have cableTV. Checkoutthecurioustrian- huts. Mostroomsincludehotwater andall verdant gardendotted withbungalowsand favourites, withmainsfromUS$1 to US$3. restaurant of hasasmallselection Cambodian tion andareliable placetoarrange trekking. The Mondulkiri, makingthisatopspotforinforma- amongthetourguidesof the elderstatesman pricesincludehotwater.and higher Vibolis a lush garden.Therooms are cleanandspacious Vibol’s isanattractive woodenresort amid set thatfancya those little workout. to US$3)foralocalbite, plusfree bicyclesfor There isacavernous restaurant (mainsUS$1 good value,includinghotwater andcableTV. the hillsof Mondulkiri.Thebungalowsare wooden lodge boastssomefineviewsacross This mindasthisisafineplacetostay. never haven’t worked outwhere ArunReahIis,but rUS$5-10; [email protected]; for owls. night traveller fare. There’s alsoabarandpooltable and spirits flow. beers onlife Bynight, sight inCambodia. ofand Flemish stew, withadose expatin- up Western favourites like shepherd’s pie mains US$2-5) dishes onthemenu. with someflavoursome andChinese Khmer Orchid Restaurant Next doortoVibol’s,the‘GoldenHill’hasa Aside restaurants fromtheguesthouse rec- Hotel Mondulkiri Guesthouse Mahogany Guesthouse Long Vibol Lodge IIHill Arun Reah Phnom Meas Guesthouse Meas Phnom is a new restaurant-bar serving is anew restaurant-bar serving

(mains US$1-3)

( Thissmallguesthouse 390139; rUS$15-30;

Bananas (

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( ) Westill 092 412680; ai 301

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EASTERN CAMBODIA CAMBODIA EASTERN EASTERN CAMBODIA heading to Sen Monorom (inside/on the heading toSen Penh Monorom(inside/ontheback toSen There are alsopick-upsheading fromPhnom up duetosteep hillsandunexpected rains. itissafer totakelocals say acarorpick- However,hours, 7.15am)inthedryseason. Phnom Penh Monorom (US$10,ten andSen and beautifulroads in Cambodia. Si Ma districtandisoneof themostdramatic somewildjungleafter Khao through passes The stretch Monorom fromSnuoltoSen p294 formore onthishardcore details route. –see a third,harsh trailnorthtoRatanakiri Monorom,and roadfromSnuoltoSen logging both of of which section old includethesame upgraded to bitumen. a major which isslowlybeing dirthighway and thisispretty thanksto straightforward to thisuniqueregion have tocomeoverland, Fornow,visitorsat Putang. whowanttoget and there are anewairport planstodevelop soldoff Monoromhasbeen The airstrip atSen Getting There&Away 302 20,000/15,000r, three hours). Monorom (inside/on theback pick-ups toSen 1½hours).by taxi, FromSnuol, there are tofirstusually necessary gotoSnuol (12,000r Monorom,soitis to Sen few direct services limited. are travel withadriver, toarrange asplaces a seat to themarket thedaybefore youwantto Thmei soonafter 6am,butit’s besttohead hours),US$12/6, eight leaving fromPsar From Kratie there are direct pick-ups There is usuallyonebusdailybetween There are twowaystoget toMondulkiri, Coming fromKompong Cham,there are the birdlife andwildlife oftheregion. trained upsomeformerhunters guidesandtheseguyshave astrekking insideknowledgeof of longerimmersioncourseswiththeelephants. hasalso coordinatorJackHighwood Project Thereof Mondulkiri. are planstobuildbungalowsatthesite, whichmayoffer uptheoption are tohelpprovide ploughedbackintotheproject veterinary elephants care fortheworking butnotlunch.Allproceedselephants are The broughtintotheproject. priceincludestransport per persondayuptoamaximumoffourpeople,althoughthisnumber mayriseasmore a dipinthewater, it’spossibletohelpwashdowntheelephants. The experiencecostsUS$50 After getthechancetoexperiencealongerelephantridenearbywaterfall. nabee mahouts the chancetotryaseriesofshort elephant ridestobuildtheirconfidence. After lunch,wan- beforeof theproject learningaboutthebody languageofelephants. Studentsare thengiven withatour foraday.The tripstarts ofthemahout .elie-cambodia.org), visitorscanlearntheart [email protected]). Part ofthe For anoriginal elephantexperience,visitthe THE ELEPHANT VALLEY PROJECT ODLIIPOIC • Aon e ooo Monorom ••AroundSen MONDULKIRI PROVINCE Elephants Livelihood Initiative Environment trip. If walking, head straight on beyondtrip. Ifwalking, head straight out here forabout US$2or sofortheround 3km northwest of town. has anattractive location intheforest, about Monorom.It public swimming poolfor Sen This smallwaterfall thingtoa istheclosest T Monorom Falls and more againinthe wet season. Monorominthe dryseason, or soaroundSen be chartered fortheday.Itcosts about US$40 more muscle. Pick-uptrucksand4WDscan hire oneinPhnom Penh ( p111 ) ifyouwant 250cc dirtbikes available forrent here, so or negotiate witha around town.Ask orhotel yourguesthouse Motorbikes costfromUS$5toUS$10rent Getting Around trailsto tough be found. you get toMondulkirithere are still plentyof pared withtheolddays, don’tworry:once sound challenging com- enough If itdoesn’t Monorom. toSen dirtroadsthrough enough roads allthewaytoSnuolandthendecent days,onsurfaced runthese straightforward arrange forthepick-ups to collect. no change isrequired, can plusguesthouses most localsare goingbeyondSnuolandso of destinationsisgenerally easier,as these tochangeneed vehicles in Snuol. morning. Anyoneleaving later willprobably back 30,000/20,000r,five hours) earlyinthe AROUND w ke¨CaHmenarm´ Elephant Valley Project Experienced bikersExperienced will finditapretty Getting fromMondulkiriProvinceGetting toany moto Motos driver. There are no ( lonelyplanet.com cantake people 017 613833; (www are 3000rforasmallmotorbike, 5000rfora get outhere, just45minutes. Prices taking Monorom,thankstoanewtollroad to Sen down. get to thebottom;ittakes about 15minutes to thatcontinues path toaprecipitous staircase of thelowerfalls,crossriver andfollowa river thatfeeds thefalls.Toget tothebottom the upperfalls,take aleftturnjustbefore the thundering 25mdrop.Toget tothebottomof lowertierwitha some 10mandaspectacular this double-dropwaterfall hasanuppertierof pressive falls.Famous thecountry, throughout below, thisisoneof thecountry’smostim- jungle Cambodian Plunging intothedense T Waterfall Sraa Bou forks,takeeventually the left-hand side. Sihanouk’s abandonedvillaandwhenthetrail lonelyplanet.com to find without assistance, soit’sbesttotake a to findwithoutassistance, Monorom, and Sen clude Other popularwaterfalls inMondulkiriin- Other Waterfalls something more sophisticated. able atthefalls,butpackapicnicifyouwant snacksanddrinksarein agroup.Basic avail- Hire a large motorbike and15,000rforacaror4WD. east of Sen Monorom.Both areeast of very Sen difficult w ke¨CaHb Bou Sraaisaneasy35kmjourneyeastof the WWF website or the oftheprotected area.lodge intheheart However, allthisissomewayoff, socheckinwith showcase minority cultures andlifestyles. There are eco- alsoeventual plans forahigh-end rangers are currently undergoing trainingtoprepare will ofthe project forvisitorsandpart andbird watching. Villagers and kayaking mountainbiking, homestays, elephant trekking, currently underwaytodevelop here ecotourismactivities during2009,which willinclude that provides ahometotigers,leopards, bears,langurs,wildcowandrare birdlife. Plans are Protected Forest, oftheMondulkiri oneofthelargestthe heart protected areas inCambodia World WideFund forNature bush meat. UgandaandotherAfricantook itstollandlike for countries,thousandsofanimalswere killed the experiencetoSerengeti andtheannualwildebeestmigrations. Sadly,thelong civilwar banteng andwildbuffalo. Visitors luckyenoughtowitness theirannualmigrationscompared were hometohugeherdsofgaur, Mondulkiri Before thecivilwar,vastgrasslands ofnorthern MONDULKIRI PROTECTED FOREST: THEAFRICANEXPERIENCE INCAMBODIA by roadand trailfromthere. Phnom Penh. resume, then itwillbefaster Ifflights toRatanakiri tofly toBanLung andtravel twodays fromup andrunning, accessispossible viaSenMonorom andKohNhek, butittakes A project iscurrentlyA project underwaytoreturn thisarea to its formerglory.Aninitiative fromthe Romanear Waterfall moto ß U ¨sa driver forthedayorcharter acar MONDULKIRI PROVINCE ••Mimong MONDULKIRIPROVINCE Dak DamWaterfall , 18kmsoutheastof Phnom Penh office

(WWF; www.wwf.org/cambodia) , 25km

( four hours). There isamajor of set fallsinthe another NH7 toKratiethewest(taking and itispossibletocarryonlink upwith improves ontheothersideof slightly Mimong cover Monorom.Theroad the47kmfromSen road issobadthatittakes aboutfourhours to accidents each year. minersthe faint-hearted diein andseveral going toadepthof 100mormore. It’snotfor nected tododgy-lookingwinches, sometimes the pitsonancientminecartsthatare con- Monorom.Minersthat of descendinto Sen overgrown village mayactuallybeequalto the trailof wealth.Thepopulationof this from asfarawayVietnamandChinaon its rush lives on. Mimong districtisfamousfor whereWelcome totheWildEast, thegold m MIMONG make yourself understood. and localsare abletoleadthewayifyoucan metres beyondthePnongvillage of DakDam volume of water. kilo- Thewaterfall isseveral to theMonoromFalls, albeitwithagreater Monorom andSnuol.DakDamissimilar II Waterfall, knownratheroriginally as ming holes.There Romanear isalsoasecond wide waterfall withsomeconvenient swim- moto 023-218034) , which is near the main road between Sen , which Sen isnearthemainroadbetween I m The mainproblem isgetting here, asthe gold mines u g driver orlocalguide. Romanearisalow, , theSrepok Wildernessarea isat tofindout thelatest. Once itis and thishasdrawnspeculators Romanear

303 EASTERN CAMBODIA CAMBODIA EASTERN EASTERN CAMBODIA ing toputupforeigners for10,000randcan Province. FriendlylocalsareRatanakiri will- overland Monoromand routeSen between ince isastrategic placeonthechallenging this remote village inthefarnorthof theprov- The finalfrontierasfarMondulkirigoes, pop 6000 ekaHEjk NHEK KOH is alsoanightmare to reach. Mimong area called 304 the above - ‘Do the right thing withour content.’ the above -‘Do theright thetermsand conditionsonour siteforalongerway ofsaying youknow,or resell it.See everyone site,mass emailitto only. Inother words,please don’t uploadthischapter toapeer-to-peer In return, wethinkit’sfair toaskyouuseit forpersonal,non-commercial purposes restricted. © LonelyPlanetPublications. iteasierforyoutouse, accesstothischapterisnotdigitally Tomake © LonelyPlanetPublications ODLIIPOIC • KhNe ••KohNhek MONDULKIRI PROVINCE Tan LungWaterfall , butthis se p294. see Formore onthisroute,Lung inRatanakiri. really requires alocaltoshow thewaytoBan web of ox-cart trailsafter Koh Nhekandit the roadsimplyvanishesintoaspider’s hours tocover the93km.After Koh Nhek, is ingoodshape andtakes justacoupleof you get here. –well-earnedonceincluding coldish beer There are alsobasicsuppliesinthevillage, prepare somebasicfoodforasmallcharge. The road from Sen MonoromtoKoh Nhek The roadfromSen lonelyplanet.com