Friday, April 24, 2015

Khmer New Year. A trip to the North East corner of Cambodia

Last week was the celbration of the Khmer new year.  Phnom Penh were we live went dead.  All of the people travel back to their city of birth or where their family came from.  Some ares were really crowded and some dead.  All of the mechants and venders raised prices.  We normally pay $12-15 for nice hotel and they got bumped to $25-30.  The Khmer do not see the trash and litter every where.  We ventured into the Mondolkiri and the Rattanackiri areas in NE Cambodia.  They are elevated to about 800 meters and much cooler than the large river basin that makes up most of Cambodia.  There are conifer forest, waterfalls and deep red volcanic soils.
Out on the Mekong River looking for the pink dolfins.  They taste just like chicken.  That is our translator's wife and daughter that we brought along.
Swimming in the Mekong River.  Who was watching for the Crockes?
This is a village set up between islands to relax and have fish heads and rice.
Great place to get cooled off
When the rains start in May they take all this down.
Basaraa Falls
Indiana Jones and Companion
Ahhh. We found the bakery.
O'Sinclair falls with tons of people
Trash
View from Thy Anth Hotel
Our translator's, Seraths, daughter
Great little restaurant called the Geeks Cafe in Rattennackiri.
This liitle fishy went to market
Mekong falls on the Laosian border
That is our trusty steed.  Called a Toyota Forttuner, 2014, diesel, 4 wheel drive, 25 miles to the gallon.  Similar to the forunner sold in the states.  Nice and high off the ground.
This Wat is on a ridge top that separates Cambodia and Tailand.  They have been fighting over it for years.  There are gun placesment and machine gun nets on both sides of the ridge.
11 century Hindu Wat.
Hindu Baptismal Font.
Looks like red Daffodils.

kingdom of Wonder


On the road to check out well sites with our water specialists


This is their water in the rural areas.  The end of the dry season and water is short.
B52 present leftover from the 70s used as a school bell.  We are here with H.E.Hung Vibol, Assistant Minister of Cult and Religion.  We are the cult.
Rainwater catchment system.
In the rural areas there is no electricity.  Every Khmer has a tv, 1 florencent bulb and a cell phone in their house powered by a car battery. This is a chargiing station using a deseil generator.
    Yum!!! Clean water.
Checking out a pump that needs repair.

The boats that they use to ferry kids to school in the wet season
The candy lady.  Treats after the children sang to us.
While in Battambang we participated in 3 wheelchair ceremonies for 65 reciprientsCheck out the high water mark on this med clinic.  This clinc is on an island in the Tonli Sap lake