Cambodian wilderness

Stride from Ben Loong TO KRATA first day in Cambodia brought a perfect storm of events. However, it should be noted, I was ready for it. We had to spend several hours in the company's guards before entering into the country. Despite the fact that all documents were in order, we for some reason is strictly forbidden to cross the border between Laos and Cambodia. But in the end, the problem goes away extra five-dollar bills. Following this ordeal began quite uncomfortable, I would say, a curious trip to the Ben Loong. At the end of my trip I felt much better, freed from captivity, the so-called "common taxi. The idea of ??this, I may say so, the vehicle is to stuff into one car so the passengers as possible physically. Feeling the earth under their feet has never seemed so enjoyable! Using clues "Lonely captivate» («Lonely Planet» - popular worldwide travel guide, prim.perev.), We managed to rent a room in a fairly comfortable, in my opinion the hotel. Compared with those apartments, which had to stop for many months of travel, this place seemed a luxurious royal palace. For the first time Cambodian cuisine I was lucky enough to try the restaurant "Soup 63. Dish "Ratonkiri Beef" was a revelation. I would call this dish "DIY": you make the dishes, foods, beef, pasta, vegetables and spices, and offer to cook it all yourself. Taste simply divine! If you ever see this name on the menu, my advice to you: Try! Hit Cambodian cuisine in a series of "DIY" - "Ratonkiri Beef" Ben Loong was tiny and dull town, without any infrastructure was fun. Most tourists use this settlement as only a place overnight, before heading to Siem Reap. But for me there lurked something unknown, something that makes you want to dig deeper. So I spent the Ben Lunge few days, and it seemed to me, I'm very close to the knowledge of himself, the true spirit of Cambodia. First I've only heard about the lakes located on site of an ancient volcano crater. Information about how far is this place from the hotel, virtually non-existent. But the thought of swimming in the stunning lake is so fascinated me that I had to decide on his quest. I was on a dried, orange dust from the road about 5 km away and somehow got in the right place. I always knew that the "scent" the traveler never fails. And maybe I helped local boys, for whom I went the whole way. I thought, we follow the same direction. Whatever it was, lucky me, and for turning in front of me lies a fairly large, is simply stunning lake. Children happily flop to its shores into the water, swam and had fun. Do not hesitate a single second, I joined them. Diving again and again and again, I felt happy child. We happily laughing together, competing with someone who can make a very strong surge. Every time my body is submerged in warm water, I felt completely free, those moments were for me boundless joy. The beauty of nature replaced the stress, all the troubles of life. The kids at the water the next day, again on the advice of the guide, taking with him a group of boys from our hotels, such as a tourist, I went in search of what the local language called "serene waterfall. But we did not think we need a lot of time to get there. Therefore, almost the whole day we spent on the road, but this fact did not upset me. It was one of the most magical trips in my life. And gave her a magic not even picturesque landscapes and unusual people and places of interest, who met us on the road. Trying to find a serene waterfall waterfall, we walked along the path of two of the village. Apparently, representatives of the European race is a rarity. In any case, the appearance of two white travelers called the present turmoil here: all the people wanted to come out and greet us with a special delight we were met by children. They ran after us, smiling and shouting a few words in English: "hello", "bye bye" and "good." The order of these words had no meaning for them, they rejoiced us an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge. My heart melted at the sight of their innocent, good-natured smile. I so wanted to hug them! However, the purpose of our trip was a waterfall, we had to say goodbye, though it was not easy, we did not want to go. Then we passed another village where we were greeted as warmly, and all the people we met were cheerful and friendly. In the afternoon we reached the waterfall, he was not such as I had imagined, but after such a tiring trip, I gladly jumped into the muddy cold water. We spent some time in this quiet place, fending off intrusive thoughts about the upcoming road back. However, on the way to the hotel we were very lucky. We were only an hour when we stopped next to a motorcycle. A guy named Chan, who works at our hotel, generously offered to drive us home. And, while we were sitting three to a small motorcycle, no need to walk was a real good luck and with a vengeance offset the discomfort of the whole! Small and little-known town of Ben Loong was inhabited by a huge number of good-natured people I ever met. The more I traveled to Cambodia, the more I recognize the heavy, tragic history of this country. All this inspired me a great respect for the Cambodians and their inflexible spirit. Time passed quickly, alas, it's time parting with Ben Loong. Hostess advised us to go in summary, which is the attraction of rare iravadiyskih dolphins. Mention of them was quite enough, so I happily agreed to go there. Iravadiysky dolphin The next morning I was in the company of six other travelers squeezed into a very small car. This time I took the front seat, which, except for me, sitting just only one person. This was clearly more comfortable than sitting in the backseat, where you will find five of our satellites. On the way, in summary the driver told us about many unexploded landmines, which were literally strewn with land in Cambodia. Therefore, when we did stop, he was advised not to go far into the bushes, because the probability of stepping on one of the mines was very high. This story made me think about the terrible war, rumbles are more than thirty years ago, as seen with its consequences Cambodians are constantly faced today. A few hours of discomfort finally expired and we got to the staging point. Here, I hired a motorcycle to go in search of those same dolphins that are found in the Mekong River. I must confess I do not have a driver's license, but I managed to keep the motorcycle is not worse than the experienced local drivers. Once in Thailand, I was given a twenty-minute driving lesson, and that was enough, at least for this country. A trip to the Cambodian villages was indescribable. People who I met, always greeted me with smiles and waving hands. Of course, at my blond hair once it was possible to guess that I'm a tourist. But it did not create any problems, moreover, it caused the local residents even more excitement and joy. If you're going to do the repairs, but do not know where to start - contact us today and you will save both time and money. We will gladly take care of all, the idea of ??design to its realization design and repair. I soon came to the shore, where, having paid for the boat, I finally found itself on the waters of the Mekong giant. A moment later came the very iravadiyskie Dolphins. From afar, they looked normal, all well-known dolphins, however, looking more closely, you could see the main difference: a flat snout, they did not have the usual long and extended forward of the nose. The animals looked quite unnatural and at the same time, fantastic! Drowning the engine and listened to the quiet lapping of the river, you could hear the breathing of dolphins splashing in the air, and then see their own, appearing and disappearing under water. Faced with the sunset with these magical creatures, you had to go back. The fact that I was lucky enough to see, really worth it spent time and effort. The way back home was more comfortable. And here I am again in Ben Lunga, where seldom set foot traveler. I will always remember this is my first trip to Cambodia. I think I could much better understand the history of this country than those who simply read the tourist guides. At times I felt sad, but the cause of this sadness were not people, but the fate of this remarkable country that has suffered and is still experiencing much pain. But if you look at the faces of the Cambodians, you will not find no sign of sadness, only laughter and joy. Ben Loong and short - two unknown city of Cambodia. And the fact that tourism is in them still underdeveloped, making them more attractive to travelers. See also: The little people with no arms - not the people