One Year Away

Penny

Photos have been added to the Cambodia Album… Take a look!

After our very long motorbike ride through the jungle, we arrived in Stung Treng.  The town of little over 20,000 people is considered the gateway to excursions to eastern Cambodia.  There we were able to arrange a trip to the Ratanakiri province through a local guesthouse.  The 3 day trip would allow us to see some of the province’s highlights – unfortunately, it also meant more time on a motorbike.

The base for our travel in Ratanakiri was the capital called Ban Lung.  The town has been nicknamed Bad Lung by many travelers because of the incredible amount of red dust that is always in the air.  From there we were able to go to Crater Lake which is a lake created in the crater of an extinct volcano, we visited a local mining family and learned about the small scale gem mining that locals do and we had the chance to ride our first ever elephant.

Life in these remote parts is simple and most people are involved in small scale agriculture.  Most families have a few heads of cattle or water buffalo, a pig or two and a few chickens.  As simple or as poor as it may look in our eyes, the families seem happy and the children well cared for.  Children often do not have toys or even clothes and shoes, but a smile is always there to greet you!  Plus, pulling a water buffalo’s tail seems to give them loads of fun and laughs.