Islands to Hill Tribes

Back on the beaten path! I'm in Kratie to potentially view some of the last remaining fresh water dolphins on earth and then down to Phnom Penh and back to water. During this leg, I've been able to understand how the water is used and misused across from Laos to Cambodia so it will be nice to revisit the people in the villages.

Don Det IslandWe took an overnight bus from the Laos Capital, Vientianne, to the snmall city of Pakse. We arrived at 7am and decided to head to the islands that day...no point in staying in a boring town for a full day. We found ourselves on a public 'bus' once again and eventually dropped off at some dusty non-white of a village. After a ferry across the Mekong, we ended up on an island full of peace and incredibly new to tourists. It felt like more of a community style of visit than a druken binge for young travelers. I loved it. I met a few business men and we talked a lot about ecotourism. I would love to come bakc here and help out Mr.Boun. There were nothing but good honest people on this island. I even had a chance to take in some Lao boxing and a local boat race. We spent two nights here with no access to communication and only local food...mmmm...rice.

Border Crossing
There is something mystic about this bording crossing as it's not official nor smooth. A few obstacles to get over include the shitty road, the rushing of tourists, the sketchy 'admin' fees, and the dead zone between Laos and Cambodia. I could sense the history and the tension this area once held. The crossing went very well and found ourselves among the dustiest roads on this plabet. We made it to Stung Treng ferry and looked for our next stop.

Hill Tribes
An incredibly beautiful part of North East corner of Cambodia...the people here are not Kmer but speak their own tribe language. Ban Lung is way off the track and is only accessible by hired taxi. It simply means that a foreinger pays about $7US for the 150km journey and then the driver looks for locals to fill the car. It sounds like a scam but really, the people here don't have a government to support public transportation so I have no problem stuffing 8-12 people in a Toyota Camry...awesome cars with incredible tires. The roads are identical to those found on rally car races with some added sharp boulders and deep trenches across the roads.

We took a trek with a local guide, Ren. He comes from the tribe of Yakhlom and gave us an incredible insight in how he lives. From drinking rice wine out of a clay jar and smoking wild tobacco in a banana leaf to watching blankets being hand woven and a squirel dinner be prepared, it was a full day adventure...and lots of walking. The people walk everywhere and i was very humbled to what I have (or don't have) back home.