Dirt Bikes and Cambo-Kids in Flooded Forest of Kompong Phhluk
So recently a list of the top 10 most disappointing sites of interest around the world was published. The Eiffel Tower ranked most disappointing. It got me to thinking about what my top 10 most rewarding travel destinations have been, and Kompong Phhluk won hands down.
Last December, I spent close to a month backpacking through Cambodia with a a friend that was born in Phnom Penh. Together, we traveled to some very remote sites in Cambodia. A day or two after celebrating New Year's Eve together in Siem Reap, we took a tuktuk out of the city and into a remote village. We stopped for a moment to load up on fruit as we had a long day ahead of us visiting Kompong Phhluk.
Fruit in Cambodia is cheap and plentiful. You can buy it in the markets or on the sides of the roads. It is as though no matter where you are in Cambodia, you're never any further than a few steps away from fresh fruit.
After loading up, we took the tuktuk to a little shack where we parted ways with our driver and each hopped onto the back of a different motorbike. Our drivers took us out of the village and into the country, down white sandy paths across the flattest land I had ever seen. After an hour or so of riding, we approached canals that had been dug out of the earth, and met up with our next driver, the captain of a wooden dugout with a large motor on the back.
We hopped into the dugout and made our way through the canals, frequently getting caught up in the trees and weeds around us. We traveled through a flooded forest on the way to the village of Kompong Phhluk.
I could hardly believe what I saw as we approached the village. All of the buildings are raised 30+ feet in the air on wooden stilts. During the rainy season, the water may reach the bottom of these buildings, and the inhabitants of the village make their way from building to building by boat. It's almost like a poor man's Venice.
When we reached land we left our boats and started walking through the village. Young kids ran around playing games, while some of the older ones were working, some of them drying shrimp in the sun. At this point, we were hungry and climbed the wood planks to a makeshift restaurant, where we ate our fruit and were served fish and shrimp.
After lunch, it was back to exploring the village. We walked down a the main drag of the village, a long, sandy path with small wood buildings built on either side and lifted high into the air.
As we walked, the local kids took notice and started to follow us. First it was just one little girl in a green skirt and dress, but she called to her friends and before we knew it, dozens of kids were following behind us and they all called for the rest of the children in the village to see us. My friend translated much of what the kids were yelling toward each other.
"He's got the biggest nose I've ever seen! It's beautiful!"
"Come see this man! He has red hair!"
"His skin is so light I don't think he's ever seen the sun!"
Had these kids ever seen a fair skinned Caucasian before, you'd have never known it.
We sat down on a bench at the end of the trail and the kids gathered all around us. As I took their pictures, I turned the camera around for each to see their image on the screen. Some of them were amazed to see themselves on the camera and laughed with their friends. Anywhere I pointed the camera, the kids ran toward its line of sight to be sure to included in the picture. We spent a good hour just hanging out with all these little kids before we made our way back toward the boat to return to Siem Reap.
How in the world is the Eiffel Tower supposed to compete with that?
More pictures from Kompong Phhluk here.
Last December, I spent close to a month backpacking through Cambodia with a a friend that was born in Phnom Penh. Together, we traveled to some very remote sites in Cambodia. A day or two after celebrating New Year's Eve together in Siem Reap, we took a tuktuk out of the city and into a remote village. We stopped for a moment to load up on fruit as we had a long day ahead of us visiting Kompong Phhluk.
Fruit in Cambodia is cheap and plentiful. You can buy it in the markets or on the sides of the roads. It is as though no matter where you are in Cambodia, you're never any further than a few steps away from fresh fruit.
After loading up, we took the tuktuk to a little shack where we parted ways with our driver and each hopped onto the back of a different motorbike. Our drivers took us out of the village and into the country, down white sandy paths across the flattest land I had ever seen. After an hour or so of riding, we approached canals that had been dug out of the earth, and met up with our next driver, the captain of a wooden dugout with a large motor on the back.
We hopped into the dugout and made our way through the canals, frequently getting caught up in the trees and weeds around us. We traveled through a flooded forest on the way to the village of Kompong Phhluk.
I could hardly believe what I saw as we approached the village. All of the buildings are raised 30+ feet in the air on wooden stilts. During the rainy season, the water may reach the bottom of these buildings, and the inhabitants of the village make their way from building to building by boat. It's almost like a poor man's Venice.
When we reached land we left our boats and started walking through the village. Young kids ran around playing games, while some of the older ones were working, some of them drying shrimp in the sun. At this point, we were hungry and climbed the wood planks to a makeshift restaurant, where we ate our fruit and were served fish and shrimp.
After lunch, it was back to exploring the village. We walked down a the main drag of the village, a long, sandy path with small wood buildings built on either side and lifted high into the air.
As we walked, the local kids took notice and started to follow us. First it was just one little girl in a green skirt and dress, but she called to her friends and before we knew it, dozens of kids were following behind us and they all called for the rest of the children in the village to see us. My friend translated much of what the kids were yelling toward each other.
"He's got the biggest nose I've ever seen! It's beautiful!"
"Come see this man! He has red hair!"
"His skin is so light I don't think he's ever seen the sun!"
Had these kids ever seen a fair skinned Caucasian before, you'd have never known it.
We sat down on a bench at the end of the trail and the kids gathered all around us. As I took their pictures, I turned the camera around for each to see their image on the screen. Some of them were amazed to see themselves on the camera and laughed with their friends. Anywhere I pointed the camera, the kids ran toward its line of sight to be sure to included in the picture. We spent a good hour just hanging out with all these little kids before we made our way back toward the boat to return to Siem Reap.
How in the world is the Eiffel Tower supposed to compete with that?
More pictures from Kompong Phhluk here.
