Banlung

Waterfall we've forgotten the name of.
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Ben's diary:

We had planned to go to Stung Treng, as a base from which to creep into Lao. On the bus we get chatting to an Aussie guy on his way to Banlung. A quick read in the guidebook is enough to persuade us this is a good idea, so we divert. This is another long bus ride. We set off at "7:30", but as with so many other departure times, this slips by an hour or so. Not least as five minutes out of town we stop for an impromptu change of tyre. Very speedily done though it has to be said.

Point the toes.
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At 3pm we turn off the main road down a dirty track and the going gets pretty rough. As darkness descends I think about how much the scenery has changed as slowly we have drifted northwards over the last few weeks. The scrub and sparse trees could be Scottish, if not the temperatures. Nor is this land farmed to nearly the extent of that further south in Cambodia. Finally we arrive in Banlung in the dark, the very dark.

We're off on two motos to a guidebook guesthouse. It's not up to much, the sign saying there were rats in the room did it for Becks! So we're off on two more motos for a 6K ride out to an eco (eco for economy) on the edge of the jungle. Another more bumpy dirty track, riding with heavy bags through pitch black. Our moto drivers are racing each other. We get the feeling they're trying to scare us, but it's more fun than anything else. We arrived to find the gate closed and no sign of life whatsoever. Back to town again on the motos! Next bet is the best hotel in town. It's a good choice, twice the price of the guesthouse at $10 but much better value. We have though, had our first taste (quite literally) of the Banlung dust; red and everywhere.

We're still picking the dust out of our nails!
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Next morning we sort out onward travel after walking around the market. This is striking for two reasons; the poverty very visibly on display here and amongst the rubbish and dirt, the abundance, quality and freshness of the produce proudly on display. We also discover Banlung is a spread out town. Our first impressions formed in the dark, there is a little more to it than we first thought.

That afternoon we hire a motorbike and drive to a nearby lake which fills and old volcano crater. We wander the 3K around its perimeter amongst bamboo thicket. The lake is 50m deep and has clear blue water. The unspoilt beauty of the place is unfathomable. Our swim in the lake is refreshing and somehow cleansing. Not purely because of the perfect warm water. A couple of guys come to perve on Becks in bikini, as everyone swims in their clothes here, no bikinis for the girls!

Five minutes on the bike is enough to undo all the washing in the world and cover us in dust once again. We drive to a waterfall. This time up even more difficult to find tracks. Could do with an off-road bike here. Some villagers aren't expecting visitors and we catch them in the buff. The waterfall is deserted and beautiful. We walk behind it and it forms a curtain between us and the lush jungle which surrounds the river beyond.

Back in Banlung there is a great Khmer dinner waiting for us in a restaurant that has a Christmas tree; the only remind of what time of year it is. It's quite, the owner tells us this is because there's a local wedding that night. There must be something in the Cambodian air, there are weddings everywhere we go!