Ban Lung, Cambodia

We try and wake Emily up to say goodbye, as she's heading back to the UK, but it's impossible so we just leave. We're picked up by bus #1 at 5:30am (without checking our tickets) and we're taken to a hub where the main bus would leave from, where they decided to check our tickets. Wrong bus! We're quickly whisked back on bus #2 to where we started just in time for the correct bus to collect us. Quite a relief! We get on bus #3 (making sure they check our tickets) and we're taken out of town to a dirt patch, where we switch to bus #4. This has all the usual features you could want while bus travelling through Asia including Arctic aircon and deafening Thai karaoke DVD's. The countryside up here in Northern Cambodia is barren; scorched trees and burning land make way for huge rubber tree plantations for the Chinese, who help by building roads up and through Laos to China. This journey should take us 12 hours in total at a cost of $16 and at 3pm we're already nine hours in and we stop at a town called Kratie. A standard town with a simple bus station, beautiful temple, and some street vendors and cafe's - I like it. We're told bus #5 isn't going to leave until there's enough people to fill it so we head out and grab some delicious pork and rice from a little family home/shop around the corner.

Bus #5 - with driver waiting patiently for people (bus #4 behind)

Once done we head back to see the situation; some more people have gathered but still not enough to go so we wait. There's a family waiting also, and their 3 year old driving his toy truck around in the dirt. The wheel falls off and Talitha pops it back on for him. We have a drink, pet the local wildlife and chat to a local who told us he's contracted malaria in Ban Lung and wouldn't go back there.Well, he's still alive, so that's good!

I  think around 6pm we finally get enough people crammed into the back and cabin of the bus and we set off with the setting sun. Inside at the front is a motorbike (of course) and strapped to the back is another motorbike. To exit the bus for toilet you must use the back windows. I'm right at the back-left corner, pressed up against the seat in front; luckily I have a window and I can put my head out in my usual dog-like fashion. Poor Talitha is crammed next to me so I have her bag on my lap. Next to her is a stocky English chap we met on the way; equally as crammed. I truly love these journeys; they're far more memorable than an easy journey on a comfortable coach; I find myself smiling at the sheer ridiculousness as the bus bumps its way along the unlit road through Northern Cambodia. I had a great moment with my head out of the window, trees dashing past, wind massaging my hair follicles, looking up at the brilliant stars and listening to Rano Pano by Mogwai - everything was perfect.

Everything was perfect, until we arrived at Ban Lung and the bus driver (after dropping everyone else where they wanted to go) decided to take us to his friends hotel. Bearing in mind it was now midnight and we'd been travelling for 17 hours we firmly said thanks but we're good, and we'd like to go to the place we'd booked. He refused to take us, so having no idea where we are we refused to leave the bus until we were there. Reluctantly the driver eventually dropped us off and we unloaded the bags and woke the lodge owner up. We'd booked a room for two but had now adopted Josh. Luck would have it they had a triple cabin (double and single bed) for $15 where we crashed out, big style.

Treetop eco lodge - triple room

Ban Lung is a busy working town with a friendly feel, the occasional tourist can be seen wondering about. It's pierced by an unusually wide main road and surrounded by lush green forests. The eco lodge is perched on a hillside above a valley amongst the trees. The walkways to the cabins weave through the forest. Taking breakfast on the open wooden balcony is lovely. The owners, their kids and their pets all hang out there with you. The dogs are particularly cute.

The mother - Ludu

Walkways

Communal area

We meet an Australian girl and grab some bicycles to head to a volcano lake for a swim. It's a quick jaunt up the main road to get there then off a side road, down some steep hills then up, up, up! Working up a little sweat on this 7km ride feels great - it's been a while since I've done much cycling. We arrive at the lake much to the happiness of some local kids who hug our legs and laugh hysterically! The lake is a perfectly circular 3km surrounded by thick shrub and forest. There is a path all the way around with main bathing points, all containing happy locals having picnics. We find a spot a little further around with some fallen trees we can jump off into the clear warm waters. I've not been fresh water swimming for a while; you dramatically notice the extra work required to stay float when not in salt water! 

Josh in a tree 

That evening we get a now typical Cambodian thunderstorm followed by a beautiful sunset, we sit about in the communal area and catch up with emails, chat and be entertained by the children and animals. Earlier that day we'd seen the family eating a delicious looking feast and we asked if we could have this for dinner, over anything on the menu. They agreed and went to the market to get the ingredients. It was huge plate of vegetables and edible flowers, with some smaller dishes of spicy fish and cooked vegetables with rice. Very delicious and filling.

Next day Josh has left for Laos leaving the three of us. We ask the Australian girl if she want to move to the single bed in our triple room, but she declines, needing her own space, so we move to another double room, nowhere near as nice in a series of rooms but still good for $5 each. Later we're back on the bikes again, this time searching for waterfalls. We have a basic map, which looks good, but turns out to be quite misleading, missing junctions and it completely not to scale! We have fun exploring though and get lost in some dusty friendly villages; everyone would say hello to you! Eventually we find the right track to a particular waterfall; we cycle past cleared land ready for rubber tree planting and down through more dusty villages before the heavens open and we take shelter in a tiny shop in the middle of somewhere. We have a quick peanut snack and drink then say bye to the shopkeeper and head down to the waterfall when the rains stop.

Little Hoochie, little Hoochie, on the dusty road... 

Land clearing 

Quick e mart

  The Cha Ong waterfall is big and rocky! You can't swim in the base but you can stand under it like a power-shower, although it feels like it's removing a layer of skin. There's also a huge overhang behind the waterfall, it's not often you get to see waterfalls from this angle. It's slippery to walk about on the mud and rocks. As far as waterfalls go it's a beauty! We sit at the bottom for 20 minutes gathering up some scattered sunshine then slip our way back up for a quick photo in some (we're told) matrimonial huts then it's back to the bikes for the journey home. On the way I ask some local kids, who ran over, if it's OK to take a picture; they all said yes, but one didn't seem too happy when I started snapping.

Matrimonial huts - roles reversed  

Not happy!

Relaxing beer after a hard day 

Our last stunning Cambodian sunset