We’re leaving on a jet plane…….

2nd March 2007

The trip from Kampot to Kratie warranted a bus change in Phnom Penh and an overnight stay in Kompong Cham. Sounded straight forward. Should have known better I guess!

The bus breakdown on the way to Phnom Penh was inevitable considering oil had been leaking and smoke had been emitted since leaving Kampot. We watched the locals get off the bus and make themselves comfortable in the nearby field and then traced their footsteps ever mindful of landmines!. We then watched the driver tinker away for the best part of an hour before flagging down three other vehicles, each time exchanging his spanner for a different size! Once the correct sized spanner was located we were back on the road although we had long since missed our connecting bus in the capital.

We eventually boarded our bus to Kompong Cham and it was at one of the many food breaks that the drivers take (we reckon they must have a bowl of rice at least every two hours!) we took the opportunity to browse the local market stalls……only to be faced with this sight!

Yep they are spiders – fried spiders to be exact! Guess you will all be wondering if we tried one? Did we heck!!! It’s all well and good trying to eat like the locals but there has to be a line right? And those spiders are quite clearly way on the other side of that line!

We arrived in Kompong Cham exhausted (and a little hungry 😉 )and flopped into bed. The next morning it was another early start to board the bus to Kratie where we arrived around 2pm. We dropped our bags off at the hotel and immediately booked two motos for 3pm to take us out to see the rare Irrawaddy river dolphins giving us just enough time to grab some food. A little pushed for time we went to the restaurant run by the hotel and we were both presented witha meal which made those spiders look appetising! So for the first time on this trip we paid the money and left without touching our food.

Our empty stomachs were soon forgotten once we hopped on our motos and cruised, in the mid-afternoon sun northwards along a lovely stretch of road which was lined with traditional Khmer houses on either side. 18km and a couple of near misses with pigs crossing the road later we reached the point in the Mekong River which these dolphins call home.

The Irrawaddy dolphin does not fit the typical dolphin image that everyone holds; it has a large round head and its beak is indistinct. There are very few of these animals left in the world (it is thought there about 70 or so in Kratie). As an endangered species, they are legally protected from hunting, and encouragingly there is a conservation project being run in Kratie to educate the locals about the importance of the dolphins aside from the fact they are the big ticket attraction in Kratie for tourists like ourselves. The dolphins suffer from sensitive hearing and so motors are not permitted in the stretch of the river they frequent.

The dolphins are shy in nature and consequently do not get that close to the boat. That said we managed to see about eight or so throughout the trip. and managed to get a couple of photos although the moment had usually passed by the time the shutter closed. With just us and a Japanese lad on the boat the trip was incredibly peaceful and serene giving rise to an afternoon we both enjoyed.

Later that night we headed to the Pagoda next to our hotel as a celebration was in full swing. We asked reception what was the cause of the celebrations to be told the head monk had died and the locals were celebrating his life. We had a quick wander around the pagoda to take in the atmosphere but left shortly after we realise we had both become the main attraction (Chris’s height and my blonde hair and blue eyes always seem to attract the odd stare), but not before we were tapped on the arm by 12 year old Rochina. Rochina’s english was fantastic and we spent ten or so minutes chatting to her before she became our unofficial tour guide of the stalls. When we asked Rochina who she had come with she pointed to a very proud looking mother who was stood about 5 metres behind us watching her daughter converse profficiently in another language. I would be lying if I said we didn’t have our travelling ‘guard’ up when we met Rochina but it was refreshing that she just wanted to speak with us and practice her english without selling us something or asking for money. Having thoroughly enjoyed Rochina’s company we paid for her to have a go at popping the balloons with darts to win a prize; unfortunately neither I nor Rochina came away a winner but we had a few laughs in the process!

18th January 2007

We boarded the Ileola, a 60-foot, three-masted schooner, built in 1952 carrying plenty of history and charm. The ileola has covered over 600,000 sea miles and competed in numerous ocean races including the Sydney-Hobart race.

We chose the ileola for numerous reasons…..we both wanted to be on a sailing boat, we both wanted a chilled experience not one of the party boats, we both wanted a more personal boat (the ileola carries 12 passengers whereas some carry up to 40) and some might say the main reason it was the only boat which published the three day menu which included three course meals and chocolate cake!!! The company is run by an Italian, Massimo, who has always been in the restaurant business and prepares the pasta sauces from scratch. The food lived every bit up to our expectations …it was truly delicious.

Our fellow passengers included Sue and Tom from Ireland, Matt, Phena (who got engaged on board the Ileola), Chris and Lizzie from England/Australia, Todd and American, and Bronwyn, Russ and Andy from Wiltshire. The crew consisted of the Skipper Tony and the Deckie Geoff.

As no one else was forthcoming at Tony’s offer to sail the first stretch I took the helm whilst Chris got aquainted with the others on the boat. The first day (well all of them really) was spent
lounging, chatting, eating, snorkelling and in Chris’s case playing Texas Hold-em poker….a life we grew accustomed too very quickly! The snorkelling was great fun giving rise to our first sightings of turtles which were not at all bothered by us allowing us to get very close. At night we could see small reef sharks splashing around at the stern of the boat.

In order to secure our place on the Ileola Chris and I had to forgo a double cabin which proved to be a blessing as we decided to sleep on the deck underneath the stars with Tony and Geoff (but sadly not clutching that bottle of Jim Beam, Pete!). The next morning we woke to find that although we went to sleep with four of us on the deck there were now at least nine of us on deck! Apparently the cabins were so warm it was unbearable so during the night the others made there way up on deck.

The second morning of the trip was the headlining act -a trip to Whitehaven beach. Whitehaven Beach is almost 6km long and consists of a very fine dazzling white sand that is 98% pure Silica! It really is a picture postcard scene! The beach is fringed by brilliant blue water and lush tropical island, is one of the jewels of the Whitsundays and recognised as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

After a trip to a look-out over the beach we retreated to the beach and all made a beeline for the water….but not before we put on our much advised stinger suits! Stinger suits are pretty much like the bodysuit I used to wear when I was swimming but with a hood and mittens. They are much needed at this time of year as the box jellyfish, along with many other types, are rife….and believe me you don’t want to get stung by one of those babies. You have virtually no chance of surviving the venomous sting, unless treated immediately. The pain is so excruciating and overwhelming that you would most likely go into shock and drown before reaching the shore. So with that in mind it was never a question of whether we should or should not wear the suit. The suit was also a stark reminder that it may look like paradise from the beach but you simply do not know what lurks beneath the water…but was that going to stop us – was it heck!

After three glorious we were very sad to say goodbye to the Ileola and the wonderful Whitsundays but not for the first time this trip very much looking forward to a proper shower and a nice bed.

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