Kratie

Thursday, March 13, 2014

After having picked up our Chinese visas, we headed off to Kratie, the long way around. Ok, we got lost, but only twice. I think our GPS got confused; actually our GPS got confused twice. Once it thought there was a bridge, when in fact there was none and the second time it could not find the route between where we were and where we wanted to go as it did not think that there was a road there when in fact there was a ferry. But we got there in the end.

Part of the problem was that our GPS kept wanting to route us via National Highway 6 out of Phnom Penh (no matter what we tried to deter it). Having come in on that road and knowing its dismal state, we wanted to avoid it at all cost.

So once our GPS and we were on the same page, and we got on the National Highway 1 out of the city, the road to our next stop, Kratie, was fine.

We arrived in town just after 4pm and by 5pm, after looking at a few accommodation options, we’d checked into to the one we liked.

There’s not much to Kratie. It’s a sleepy town on the Mekong River – so yes, we were reunited with the river – but not much activity on it here. It’s one of the places one might see the Irrawaddy Dolphin. We weren’t that lucky. The heat (35-37 C) was not conducive to much activity. In fact, we spent most of the time in our hotel room (Santhepheap Hotel) where even the A/C had trouble keeping up. We found a nice place for food and, more importantly, a cold pitcher of beer just next to our hotel, so we were happy 🙂

Red Sun Falling

Friday, March 14, 2014

Amazing how quickly one adjusts to ‘sleepy hot town mode’. We slept in and then went in search for and found breakfast at the cafe of You Hong Guesthouse. And just when I thought I had the whole coffee ordering thing sorted out (and I mean in the small towns without the coffee shops) – ‘coffee with milk no sugar’ – I get coffee with sweetened milk….

Back to our airconditioned room to cool down. Some time later we ventured out for a walk and some lunch, but again the unrelenting heat had us back in the room after about 35mins. A good time to start plotting our high-level route in Laos.

Later that afternoon we went out for a another coffee…. When I saw coffee with ‘sweetened or fresh’ milk I thought ‘yes’! Until I sipped it…. the milk was right, but don’t ask what they did to the coffee but it was very sweet and just about the worst cup I’ve ever had. Better luck next time.

Dinner that night was at ‘Le Bungalow’, also on the riverside and not far from the hotel. Decent meal. Over dinner we decided to add a little detour to our trip. Instead of heading directly north to the next town before the Laos border, we decided to head east, then north and west. This adds 400 kms and about 8 hours driving to the trip, but means we will see some mountains and forest scenery. And it should be cooler (at least for one night). There are mixed reports about the road forming the northern leg of this detour. In the past this was apparently nothing more than a goat track which only the very ambitious motor bike rider would attempt. But now it is a fully fledged road, albeit still under construction.

Sunset on The Mekong River.