Cracked about Kratie

Ok, so I've met a few obnoxious travellers the last few days...asking me with their condescending snorts 'Three days in Kratie? Eh, why? We just spent 12 hours on a bus here from Laos and we are out of here first thing in the morning to Phnom Penh - where there's some life.' Yup, two solid days on a bus sounds like a great plan, good luck with that. 

I don't know what their problem was because Kratie to me is an absolute no-brainer. I extended my stay by an extra night I loved it so much. Okay, I didn't get off to the best of starts with the bus journey, it took 9 1/2 hours instead of 6. The bus seats weren't even bolted to the floor but we got there in the end. An unexpected highlight of the journey was stopping at a roadside restaurant and realising the locals were buying and eating big, hairy TARANTULAS. I was tempted but I didn't indulge. Sorry to say the below isn't my own picture but I wanted to 'play things cool' being the only non-Cambodian on the bus and all, didn't want them laughing at the funny 'barang' (foreigner) who doesn't like snacking on big, hairy spider legs. 

When I got to Kratie I was fit for nothing. I managed to catch up on a bit of reading and went to bed at 9 like the party animal I am. The next morning I got up and queued for the ferry across to Koh Trong. I sat in the boat for 45 mins, watching the local 'strong men' carry anything and everything up and down the steps to the boat for a couple of riel. Then off we went. But not before changing seats having realized the boats dirty, diesel engine was pouring toxic fumes into my lungs. No one else seemed to mind so much. We got to the island, walked the 1km over the sand bank to the local tourist office to rent a bike for the day. The office was packed full of children practicing traditional dancing, it must have been a lunch-break or something but was nice to watch. Then I got cycling. 9km circuit round the island. There's lots to do here but I just went off by myself. I actually went off the road. No joke, I found myself negotiating marshy meadows with cows staring at me. But I found the track and on I went. The highlights of the island are the following:

•     Possible home-stay with local families.
•     Rice planting
•     Reforestation projects
•     Floating Vietnamese village
•     And then the island itself is just unbelievably beautiful to spend a few hours there. 

I ended the evening with a quick cycle around the town. I managed to get stuck in mud so thick it looked like my sandals were platform shoes and my bike wheels were all jammed. A local couple stopped to help me fix my bike. When they were finished I tried to offer them some money (in fairness I could see the ramshackle house they were living in) but they refused and were embarrassed. I must have looked like such a western d*ckhead. 

My third day in Kratie, I booked a days tour with Sithy, a local the same age as me, who gives tours around the less-explored West Bank of Kratie where he grew up. Sithy is basically everything I want to be; young with a beautiful family, has his own business and bags of potential to grow it. He basically wants to grow from doing small basic tours of the village and surrounding ares into more adventure-type tours, focused more on the experience. He can totally do it. He has a nod from the Lonely Planet, glowing TripAdvisor reviews and a popular Facebook page. I learned more from Sithy in a couple of hours than I could have had from any book. He told me all about ancient Khmer society, the background to the Khmer Rouge and the years following, how Buddhism and Hinduism intertwine and all about how local people make a living. He even went out of his way to show me a local beauty spot where children and the rare Irrawaddy dolphins were splashing around within metres of each other. If you find yourself in Kratie make sure and look Sithy up at www.cambodianpridetours.com 

Sithy showing me a local farming family harvesting crops. 

House for drying tobacco leaves.

Local women making noodles from rice-flour.

So you see my dear, condescending, rat haired, hippie-pants wearing, travelling friends, 3 days in Kratie was very much needed and I think I'll stop here again on my way back down from Ratanakiri next week but we'll see about that in a few days. 

Right now, I'm taking it easy in anticipation of my early bus tomorrow morning and drinking lots of tea since I seem to be slowly but surely losing my voice.