We had a full on three days out in the jungle eating snakes, staying with hill tribes, making bamboo rafts and then paddling down rapids. This was a great tour and we had a lot of fun.
DAY 1 - Ban Lung to Waterfall Camp(in the jungle)
Today we started our jungle mission. We had a great English speaking guide and two young rangers who led us from their village into the jungle.
From Ban Lung it was an hour moto ride with packs on to the river where we got an involuntary spray tan from the dust on the road
We then took a small boat up river to a remote village where we swam in the nicest waterhole in Cambodia.
Buffalo swimming on the way up river
We started treking through some scrub and forest until we came across these large taratula holes. We did some taratula fishing by sticking a piece of grass down the hole which they grabbed onto. This was an extra big angry one.
We found a few really good sized ones
Along sections of the path we came across these hundreds of termites walking across. I stuck my finger out and one pierced right into the flesh and I had to rip it out.
Later in the day we swam across a small river and found ourselves in thick dense jungle. This was the start of the Virachey National Park. We had to check our feet and legs every couple of minutes and pull off the leeches. I have about 10 leeces on me (5 between my toe).
We reached out campsite for the night which was below this waterfall on the edge of the stream.
Tommy was our guide who spoke really good English and we had local rangers Nga and Ngo who lead the way.
They cooked up a mean three course meal for us.
They built a fire and cooked the food in bamboo.
I tried my luck at fishing with a simple bamboo made rod. I got a few bites but the fish were all small.
Getting ready for bed for a night out in the jungle sleeping in hammocks.
DAY 2 Waterfall camp to Hill tribe
Great day treking through the jungle, making a raft, relaxing by the river and staying with a Hill tribe. We found out the 50 uses of bamboo - water sourse, for cooking, making cups, shelter, raft, paddle, firewood, fishing rod, ramp.
We woke to fresh coffee in bamboo cups.
After packing up camp we were on our way again and came across this plant which you can get get water from.
We found this really cool spider where you could pick it up from its spike.
Really nasty red ants. They were really big and gave a goods sting
When we reached the river it was time to make our raft. We cut down several lengths of bamboo and dragging them down to the river
Nga and Ngo tied it all up to make a raft big enough for the 6 of us.
Trying out the raft the make sure it floated
They caught a snake in thier fish net so we cooked it up for lunch. First it was thrown in the fire for a minute....
....and then boiled in a pot with all these herbs.
Karen enjoying some freshly caught snake. It was really tasty.
After laxing in the warm river water we headed off in our raft.
Nga and Ngo even made paddles from bamboo for us
We stopped on the side of the river at a lagoon where there were resident crocodiles but we didnt spot any. This was one of their holes.
After an hour on the raft we reached the hill tribe village were we were to stay the night. We went for a walk into their banana plantation and watched sunset from the top of the hill
Sunset over the Virachey National Park.
We stayed with this hill tribe family. They live a very simple life trading bananas for other things. The old man was 80 years old by very agile.
We sat down with the family to try their special rice wine. This vase is full of the fermented rice which has been turned into wine. As you suck through the straw it is topped up with water.
It didnt take us long and we were laughing away having a great time.
DAY 3 - Hill tribe to Ban Lung
After a rough sleep and the roosters waking us we were feeling a bit jaded so sitting on the raft most of the day was great. When we finally got back to town a hot shower was paradise.
After a small river crossing in the morning to portage some rapids we were back on the raft for most of the day.
The further down river we got the more villages and signs of life we saw.
Our packs got wet on the raft as we had a whole in the bag so we dried our gear while having lunch at the rangers village. We then tramped out of the bush before catching a ferry across the river and then got another moto back to town.
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