Takeo and the canals-wow
Takeo and the canals-wow
Yesterday three of us set off for takeo in a taxi and about 10am boarded the fibreglass dinghy and powered down the canals to phnom dah.
One of the best cambodian experiences ever for all of us and hardly a tourist in site.The canals are fascinating with fishermen netting and lots of people with long rakes harvesting cockles as well as workers in the ricefields.The rice fields either side stretch as far as the eye can see,this area has very rich soils because it is inundated for the whole wet season.Even yesterday in places the water level is only a few hundred mil below the rice.
After about an hour one comes to phnom dah, a really nice hill temple with only three other tourists.
Then on to angkor borei,and on this leg one could see that the canal network is huge.After looking at the map on returning home I could see that both sides of the bassac have canal networks connecting to vietnam and down to the old funan port at oce,kampot.
Angkor borei was huge walled city dating from the first century.The lovely museum was opened up for us and there was pottery from 2500 years ago and a photo of a grave site with a skeleton from the same era.
This is truly an ancient place by any standard.
Apart from the museum there is a lovely colonial mansion,boarded up.
Angkor borei is quite a bustling settlement and port,being so close to the bassac river.
On the way home we went north up the bassac which narrows right down here,as does the mekong.Probably because so much water flows into the delta down the waterways.
The whole canal system is a masterpiece which is still functioning well today,unlike the angkor hydraulics.
The early civilisations could set up in the delta because the viets hadnt started heading south.
We left phnom penh at 8 and returned at 1.30,an incredible day of sight seeing.We saw a lot of birds including a pair of black and white king fishers,anyone else ever seen these?
The boat trip was $35,a bargain.Our driver was like a mad tuk tuk driver but on water.In places the water hyacinth blocked the channel and he would smash the boat through it at high speed.He powered into sweeping corners like a rally driver and we surfed over bigger boats wakes.
Why local tour guides dont cater to tourists to the canals beggers belief.The same old oudong,S21,killing fields,shooting range blah blah blah.
Might be time I set up in business and offered tours to much better places,phnom sa ang is brilliant as is much of kandal province.
Two mornings ago I was riding the moto early in the morning in rural sa ang-just incredibly tranquil with wonderful sylvan scenes.
Off the beaten track cambodia is still a lovely country.
One of the best cambodian experiences ever for all of us and hardly a tourist in site.The canals are fascinating with fishermen netting and lots of people with long rakes harvesting cockles as well as workers in the ricefields.The rice fields either side stretch as far as the eye can see,this area has very rich soils because it is inundated for the whole wet season.Even yesterday in places the water level is only a few hundred mil below the rice.
After about an hour one comes to phnom dah, a really nice hill temple with only three other tourists.
Then on to angkor borei,and on this leg one could see that the canal network is huge.After looking at the map on returning home I could see that both sides of the bassac have canal networks connecting to vietnam and down to the old funan port at oce,kampot.
Angkor borei was huge walled city dating from the first century.The lovely museum was opened up for us and there was pottery from 2500 years ago and a photo of a grave site with a skeleton from the same era.
This is truly an ancient place by any standard.
Apart from the museum there is a lovely colonial mansion,boarded up.
Angkor borei is quite a bustling settlement and port,being so close to the bassac river.
On the way home we went north up the bassac which narrows right down here,as does the mekong.Probably because so much water flows into the delta down the waterways.
The whole canal system is a masterpiece which is still functioning well today,unlike the angkor hydraulics.
The early civilisations could set up in the delta because the viets hadnt started heading south.
We left phnom penh at 8 and returned at 1.30,an incredible day of sight seeing.We saw a lot of birds including a pair of black and white king fishers,anyone else ever seen these?
The boat trip was $35,a bargain.Our driver was like a mad tuk tuk driver but on water.In places the water hyacinth blocked the channel and he would smash the boat through it at high speed.He powered into sweeping corners like a rally driver and we surfed over bigger boats wakes.
Why local tour guides dont cater to tourists to the canals beggers belief.The same old oudong,S21,killing fields,shooting range blah blah blah.
Might be time I set up in business and offered tours to much better places,phnom sa ang is brilliant as is much of kandal province.
Two mornings ago I was riding the moto early in the morning in rural sa ang-just incredibly tranquil with wonderful sylvan scenes.
Off the beaten track cambodia is still a lovely country.
- the_purple_turtle
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Hey nice trip Ken. My folks are visiting in a few weeks and I think they'd enjoy this. Is the fiberglass dingy easy to find? does it follow a set route?
He was probably traveling too fast to notice them, but I'm sure they were there.....we'll read about it in the CD 2moro...Banker wrote:Good story Ken BUT......................................NO dead bodies
Saw a lot of those black and white kingfishers heading down the Stung Sen river from KPT to the southern end of the Tonle Sap.
Also a small heron or stalk. I plan to go down again in march, as the bird reserve will have a lot of birds due to the water being low and makes for easy fishing for them.
Anyone know of a good SE Asian bird identification book? Bird watching is big business apparently. In fact any hobby or pastime that becomes an obsession is good business. e.g. trout fishing, bird watching, golf, sex..........
Also a small heron or stalk. I plan to go down again in march, as the bird reserve will have a lot of birds due to the water being low and makes for easy fishing for them.
Anyone know of a good SE Asian bird identification book? Bird watching is big business apparently. In fact any hobby or pastime that becomes an obsession is good business. e.g. trout fishing, bird watching, golf, sex..........
Some men you just can't reach. So you get what we had here last week, which is the way he wants it... well, he gets it. I don't like it any more than you men.
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Great story and very worthy tour tip, Ken.
"We want our country to develop step by step. But that is such a long way off . . . as far away as the stars."
Jobless father in documentary Cambodia: Country of Scars.
Jobless father in documentary Cambodia: Country of Scars.
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"Why local tour guides dont cater to tourists to the canals beggers belief.The same old oudong,S21,killing fields,shooting range blah blah blah.
Might be time I set up in business and offered tours to much better places,phnom sa ang is brilliant as is much of kandal province. "
Oh crap..... now i gotta move again.
where exactly did you get on and off the boat?
Might be time I set up in business and offered tours to much better places,phnom sa ang is brilliant as is much of kandal province. "
Oh crap..... now i gotta move again.
where exactly did you get on and off the boat?
Why, oh why, didn't I take the Blue pill?
- Lucky Lucan
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Sounds like a great trip. I think it's easy enough to find a boatguy on the east of Takeo City where all the water is.the_purple_turtle wrote:Hey nice trip Ken. My folks are visiting in a few weeks and I think they'd enjoy this. Is the fiberglass dingy easy to find? does it follow a set route?
Romantic Cambodia is dead and gone. It's with McKinley in the grave.
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I used to visit Takeo about once a month for work and always thought it a very charming town. Nice dilapidated colonial part overlooking all that water. Very pretty. I don't know about it becoming a major tourist attraction. I'm afraid for most tourists it's a bit out of the way and a bit too boring, but you never know...
The topic or post you are looking for does not exist.
The beauty of these sort of places is that they won't become major tourist destinations. But some people like to visit places like that. I gave my Dad a choice of a slow boat down a little local river or Angkor Wat, and he chose the slow boat.Sok Poupe wrote:I used to visit Takeo about once a month for work and always thought it a very charming town. Nice dilapidated colonial part overlooking all that water. Very pretty. I don't know about it becoming a major tourist attraction. I'm afraid for most tourists it's a bit out of the way and a bit too boring, but you never know...
Some men you just can't reach. So you get what we had here last week, which is the way he wants it... well, he gets it. I don't like it any more than you men.
- Lucky Lucan
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I often see kingfishers in the wetland south of Phnom Penh, and there is a flock of Egrets there too.MoodyMac wrote:Saw a lot of those black and white kingfishers heading down the Stung Sen river from KPT to the southern end of the Tonle Sap.
Also a small heron or stalk. I plan to go down again in march, as the bird reserve will have a lot of birds due to the water being low and makes for easy fishing for them.
They have a few at Monument. $15 for the cheapest, wouldn't mind one myself.Anyone know of a good SE Asian bird identification book?
Romantic Cambodia is dead and gone. It's with McKinley in the grave.
Really easy to find the boats.
Just turn left off the main road at the edge of town and head towards the water.The old colonial buildings are nice here,one still has bullet holes.
And there is a row of shop houses completely falling down.
There are many boats and some fibreglass or plastic viet longtails.
We had the 40 horse motor not the 60 but I wouldnt like to go too much faster.
I have the card of our boatman but not his name,I forget.
Just turn left off the main road at the edge of town and head towards the water.The old colonial buildings are nice here,one still has bullet holes.
And there is a row of shop houses completely falling down.
There are many boats and some fibreglass or plastic viet longtails.
We had the 40 horse motor not the 60 but I wouldnt like to go too much faster.
I have the card of our boatman but not his name,I forget.
I've only been there in the rainy season, also nice but of course you don't see the canals as it's a vast expanse of water but the only way to get to Phnom Da.
One of our staff comes from there and once a year she invites us out. Been lucky so far with the rain
One of our staff comes from there and once a year she invites us out. Been lucky so far with the rain
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