Sunset at Kratie

I spotted a very familiar photo on the Cambodian Ministry of Tourism's website just a minute ago. Above is part of the banner which appears regularly at the top of the Ministry's homepage advertising the Mekong River and the dolphins. Below is my own photo of a lovely sunset taken in Kratie in December 2000 - can you spot the difference? There isn't any. An acknowledgement would've been welcome but if it helps to promote Cambodia then who am I to quibble.

A dramatic sunset view from Kratie in December 2000

Puppetry excellence

Two of the shadow puppet characters that courted the most laughter from the watching children

The questionnaire that I completed at the end of my 4-day Mekong Discovery Trail fam trip asked me for the highlight of my tour. Without hesitation I scribbled down, shadow puppets at Wat Roka Kandal in Kratie. Not only is the venue pretty spectacular, a stone's throw from the Mekong River and on the steps of the renovated early 19th century vihear, but the quality of the performance was exceptional when you consider the artists had received only one and a half month's training before this inaugural show. With more practice and support from the professionals at Sovanna Phum, the talented girls, who provide most of the puppetry during the hour long performance, will be sensational. The musicians and the voice-overs all added to a great show and it was capped off by what seemed to be the whole village turning out for the floodlit event too, with the younger children laughing and screaming at the puppets' funny antics, as they inched ever closer to the stage. Whilst our group occupied two rows of seats near the front, hordes of villagers stood behind us enjoying it as much as we did. The shadow puppet story focused on the princess and the crocodile, which is the tale that is linked to the 100-pillar pagoda at Wat Sasar Muoy Roy, 35kms north along the Mekong at Sambor, so it was educational for everyone too. In the future, they want to offer a dinner and puppet show double-bill that will add a 'must-see' attraction in the Kratie area, which pretty much closes down for the night when the sun sets just after 6pm. It certainly gets the thumbs up from me. After the show ended, I met with the artists to thank them for the excellent entertainment they'd provided and they were simply adorable. They gave me two leather puppets to keep and then took turns to practice their faltering English with the usual array of questions that crop up on such occasions, ie. age, nationality, job, marital status, etc. In return, they rattled off their names and without exception they all looked about sixteen years old but I'm sure they were older. One girl said "I love you like my father" which made me feel very humble and pretty ancient at the same time! If you get the opportunity to see the shadow puppets at Wat Roka Kandal, make sure you grab it with both hands. More from my April visit to Wat Roka Kandal here.

Some of the children waiting expectantly for the show to begin

The musicians and singers open up the performance

A brother and sister watch the performance

The children inch ever closer to the main stage at Wat Roka Kandal

The light shines on the righteous; well on this occasion, two of the artists with yours truly, after their splendid performance

On the way back - photos

A look at the Mekong River near Sambor

These photos are linked to my On the way back story from 16 April. Unfortunately at that time, the host company for my blog was not allowing uploading of photos. Now they are, and here they are. Read the story again below.

The low level of the Mekong River exposes small grassy islands

The low level Mekong River near Phnom Sambok

Do not sin, or the poor unfortunates in this painting could be you, at Phnom Sambok

Females are having a bad time of it, having sinned and been punished on this thorny tree in hell, on the 1st level of Phnom Sambok

A distinquished looking Neak Ta on the top level of Phnom Sambok

A rather unique styled building on the 1st level of Phnom Sambok

This half-lintel at Wat Thma Krae shows a large makara eating human figures

The rather elegant looking two-storey Wat Krakor, near Kratie

Leaving behind Sambor and the 116 pillar pagoda, we retraced our steps southwards along the east bank of the Mekong River, stopping often to interact with the locals, usually kids 'cause they're the easiest to get the big wide smiles from. The Mekong River water level was quite low so exposed a lot of small grass-tufted islands, as it had in Kratie town, where a virtual beach had appeared complete with temporary sun-shades just in front of Wat Roka Kandal. At the turn-off for Phnom Sambok, we stopped for sugar cane juice before tackling the three-levels of Sambok mountain, 360 steps and its varied pagodas. At the first level we stopped to have sticky rice (a local delicacy called krolan) with the nuns who were so welcoming we couldn't resist. Through actions rather than words, we had an enjoyable half hour, sharing their food and doing our bit for English-Khmer relations before facing the rest of the steps to the top. There are great views over the surrounding river plains, though the pagodas themselves weren't much to write home about and apart from a sandstone pedestal, there was little else I could find. Next stop was the pagoda at Wat Thma Krae where I spied another pedestal and after a bit of searching, a half lintel - with figures riding a massive makara - that had been cemented into part of a bridge construction. One way to avoid it being stolen I suppose. The young monk we spoke to told us that there used to be other carvings but they had been whisked away years ago, a similar story can be heard across the country. The village of Thma Krae is where it seems everyone is involved in selling krolan packed in bamboo. Our final port of call was the distinquished two-storey pagoda at Wat Krakor, before we rolled back into Kratie town itself, in time for a shave at the local beauty salon, an hour on the internet and a fruit-shake and chat with riverside vendor Leang, who'd come to Kratie a year before from her home in Kompong Cham as business was much better here. At 27 she was looking to stay one more year before returning to her home town with her earnings and to look for a husband. Spotting a glint in her eye, it was time to say goodbye, I wished her well and walked back to my hotel for an early night, in prep for the minibus ride to Stung Treng the next morning.

Test posting for images

This is a test. I haven't been able to upload any photos for a few days now, hence the test. And what better way to test than with a small group of adorable Cambodian children, who I met by the side of the Mekong River north of Kratie at the village of Phnom Sambok. If this works, I'll post my remaining Kratie photos. Fingers crossed.

On the way back

Leaving behind Sambor and the 116 pillar pagoda, we retraced our steps southwards along the east bank of the Mekong River, stopping often to interact with the locals, usually kids 'cause they're the easiest to get the big wide smiles from. The Mekong River water level was quite low so exposed a lot of small grass-tufted islands, as it had in Kratie town, where a virtual beach had appeared complete with temporary sun-shades just in front of Wat Roka Kandal. At the turn-off for Phnom Sambok, we stopped for sugar cane juice before tackling the three-levels of Sambok mountain, 360 steps and its varied pagodas. At the first level we stopped to have sticky rice (a local delicacy called krolan) with the nuns who were so welcoming we couldn't resist. Through actions rather than words, we had an enjoyable half hour, sharing their food and doing our bit for English-Khmer relations before facing the rest of the steps to the top. There are great views over the surrounding river plains, though the pagodas themselves weren't much to write home about and apart from a sandstone pedestal, there was little else I could find. Next stop was the pagoda at Wat Thma Krae where I spied another pedestal and after a bit of searching, a half lintel - with figures riding a massive makara - that had been cemented into part of a bridge construction. One way to avoid it being stolen I suppose. The young monk we spoke to told us that there used to be other carvings but they had been whisked away years ago, a similar story can be heard across the country. The village of Thma Krae is where it seems everyone is involved in selling krolan packed in bamboo. Our final port of call was the distinquished two-storey pagoda at Wat Krakor, before we rolled back into Kratie town itself, in time for a shave at the local beauty salon, an hour on the internet and a fruit-shake and chat with riverside vendor Leang, who'd come to Kratie a year before from her home in Kompong Cham as business was much better here. At 27 she was looking to stay one more year before returning to her home town with her earnings and to look for a husband. Spotting a glint in her eye, it was time to say goodbye, I wished her well and walked back to my hotel for an early night, in prep for the minibus ride to Stung Treng the next morning.
Note: Photos to follow - Blogger.com is having a hissy fit and won't let me upload any photos. I hope it's just a temporary problem.

Relaxing by the Mekong

The vihara at Wat Roka Kandal, restored to its former glory in 2002

A couple of weeks ago, I spent two nights in the provincial town of Kratie, on my way into northern Cambodia, enjoying the dolphin activity at Kampi and the laid-back atmosphere of this colonial-infused Mekong riverside location. It was my first overnight visit to Kratie in nine years and little had changed. I stayed at the Oudom Sambath hotel on the riverfront, which was about as good as it gets in the provinces, ie. air-con and hot water, at $15/night, ate at the Red Sun Falling - where I had the best chips I've tasted since moving to Cambodia to live - and also sampled the fare at the U-Hong restaurant next to the market and a cooked breakfast at the Star guesthouse. As you can expect at any town in any province, the market was a hive of activity and the colonial buildings ringing the marketplace add a touch of faded elegance to the area, even though the smell doesn't quite add spice to the scene. The restored early 19th century wooden pagoda at Wat Roka Kandal (its original name is Wat Botumny Vannaram) lies a couple of kilometres south of the center and I remember it as a broken and dilapidated vihara when I was last in Kratie, until it received its makeover in early 2002 with financial help from the German Federation, and is now a handicraft center. It lies next to the Mekong riverbank and adjacent to a couple of decaying wooden bungalows that can be rented. Tim and I popped our heads into a couple of the locals wats, played football with a group of men at Wat Serey Santhor Vong and took the opportunity to enjoy the setting sun across the river with a fruit-shake in one hand and camera in the other. A relaxing start to our adventures.

I remember this female figure from my last visit to Roka Kandal 9 years ago

A rare wooden pediment on Wat Roka Kandal showing a sitting Buddha

A nicely decorated door panel at Wat Roka Kandal

The west-facing wooden pediment at Wat Roka Kandal

A wooden post inside the vihara which has been hand-painted with naga motifs

Did you think I wouldn't bring you a Neak Ta? This one is from Roka Kandal.

Sunset on our 1st night and the birds fly home to nest

A temporary beach near Roka Kandal, where the water level of the Mekong has dropped

The gorgeous dusk sky as the sun sets on our 2nd night in Kratie

Kratie's colonial past

One of Kratie's most recognisable landmarks - a mushroom-topped colonial relic

This government office is one of the few buildings that has retained its former splendour

Staying in Kratie along the Mekong River for my next post, this time it's a quick whizz around Kratie's French colonial legacy and the buildings that remain, though like other provincial towns which host similar fine and sturdy structures - Battambang, Kampot and Kompong Cham for instance - few have so far been restored to their former glory. Fortunately, much of the massive bombardment from the US that rained down on eastern Cambodia missed Kratie and the French legacy lives on around the busy marketplace and along the riverfront, including the Governor's mansion complete with rutting stags and volleyball court. Information about Kratie's colonial heritage is impossible to find, so you'll have to make do with my photos, and a suggestion that someone somewhere takes the trouble to record all of these semi-neglected buildings before they disappear forever. A book on the French colonial legacy buildings dotted around the country would sit nicely on my bookshelf. As it is, the two-storey shophouses you see here are common in all of the former colonial centres, with their shuttered windows and thick columns, though few have been given the care and attention they deserve.

The Governor's mansion is all its faded elegance

Next to the Governor's mansion is this restored building and two rutting stags for company

This building along the riverfront used to be a guesthouse/restaurant, it's now closed

Another government office along the riverside, now in a state of neglect

Looking out over the central market, a typical shophouse

Shuttered doors and windows and a balcony are the main features of this 1st floor view

More faded colonial elegance in the center of Kratie

These two-storey shophouses are given the sunset treatment, on a road that joins the river with the market

All these buildings need is a lick of paint and it would brighten up the center of Kratie dramatically

Kratie's most easily identifiable building, just north of the marketplace

Ripples on the river

Tim's shot of one of Kampi's ultra-friendly dolphins

When you see this sign, you know you have arrived at Kampi

Dolphins at Kratie, well Kampi to be precise. I hadn't forgotten that I was going to share with you a few more of our pictures from our dolphin encounter last month. Tim's photos were better than mine, I seemed to find the happy knack of clicking the shutter just as the dolphin disappeared from view, leaving the majority of my pics showing just ripples on the river. Nevertheless, we enjoyed considerable dolphin activity during the hour or so on the Mekong River and some of the unexpected full, body-out somersaults and vertical head-out manoeuvres were quite exciting. We persuaded our boatman to paddle to reduce the noise and in the quiet of our 6.30am start, we thoroughly enjoyed our brief flirtation with the endangered Irrawaddy dolphins. The pod that lives at Kampi is about twenty strong I'm told, and I reckon we saw most of them, though without any way to formally identify them, its impossible to tell. However, with dolphins breaking the surface at the same time in at least four directions, often in a group of four, we had our fill. As we went further out into the middle of the river our group of four dolphins followed us, deliberately teasing me and my failure to capture their antics on film - well, that's my theory. As we returned to shore, both Tim and I deemed our dolphin-watching a major success.

The sun rises over the Mekong River

Two dolphins head out to deeper water in the middle of the river

Tim captures one of the day's first somersaults

Local traffic began to pick up around 7am

If I had managed to capture the picture before the dolphin disappeared, this may've been a nice shot!Dolphin in foreground, French-colonial river markers in background, on the right

Vertical head-out pose from this dolphin, quite close to the shore at Kampi

This was how the majority of my photos turned out, an indistinct shadow and some splashes

Welcome to Kampi and the Irrawaddy Mekong dolphins - the boat costs $9/hour/person

The stretch of the Mekong River at Kampi and the tourist boats lying in wait for customers