Saturday
Our alarm buzzed at 7.15 to which we both grumbled, tossing and turned. We've both been sleeping really well in the bungalow we've been staying in, and the bed reminds us of Nicolas bedroom at her nanna Carole's. After clambering out of bed around 7.35 we had our washes, gathered our things and headed out for breks around 8am. Today we were being met at 9am by some students from our evening class who said they wanted to show us around some local waterfalls.
We nommed our food and were met pretty much bang on 9am by two students and their motorbikes. Unfortunately they didn't have any helmets for us, so we had to borrow some from Bill, which were both bright pink. A good look for Nicola, but not so good for me! We hopped on the bikes and off we went. It only took 15 minutes before we arrived at the waterfall. It was considerably big for what we thought it was, with a big drop off and a huge pool at the bottom. We learned that you can actually jump off the top into the pool at the bottom, which would have been amazing. We would love to have done it but unfortunately we couldn't have anyway as it completely poured down the day before, monsoon style, so the water was considerably higher than normal and really dirty. We hung around the waterfall for around half an hour, walking around and down to the bottom,chatting away, before we eventually headed back to the bikes. We said we wanted to come back when it was safe next week, so hopefully we will be able to do some jumps off the waterfall then!
On the way back towards town we stopped off at one of the students houses, where we were shown around. It was quite a lovely house and wasn't too dissimilar to a house in England, I'd say imagine a one floor flat made of wood. Not just simple wood, very nice dark wood that's been varnished. We were really surprised how modern it all was, considering from the outside how old and simple these places look. It had two bedrooms, one living room space, a kitchen and a bathroom. They had a tv, a computer, the usual common commodities. They were a really lovely family. We met his mother and father and his younger brother. His father was a police officer, quite decorated from the pictures we saw around the house and his mother was a teacher. we chatted in the house for 15 minutes before saying our goodbyes.
We got back onto the bikes and were offered to go to a nice view point up a hill to see the whole of sen monorom, which we did. it took us around fifteen minutes, we hopped off the bikes again and got some great photos of the view. On the way back to the bikes we got told that one of the people who were also there at the view was a famous Cambodian actor and host on one of their major tv channels. The students got really flustered and nervous so he must have been big here, we asked if they wanted us to take a photo of them with him but they said they were too shy.
The students dropped us back where we had breakfast earlier on at around 1130 and offered to take us out again in the evening at 5pm which we agreed to. We stopped for a drink and some dinner, then had some more beers and wandered back 'home' to the bungalow where we lounged around having a nice relax for once, watching tv and had a long nap. At around five the students called us and we agreed to meet at our bungalow to make things easier for us. Before we knew it we were back on the bikes again being whisked off to the 'sea forest'.
It was a beautiful place that was exactly what it said on the tin. We went to the top of another tall rolling hill, where when we looked out looked like miles and miles of trees, forest and jungle as far as your eye could see. It was a great place that looked like something straight out of a magazine. It looked more like Africa than Cambodia. we got some photos, not as great as we hoped due to it being cloudy and the sun starting to set in the opposite direction. We left the hills and headed back to be dropped off at the restaurant where we were due to have tea. Before we went inside we were again offered to do something later in the day, being asked to join one of the students and some of his family for a walk around a local park. lovely. We didn't have time for some tea so we grabbed another drink and waited around until 7 to meet them for the walk.
The park wasn't too far from the restaurant, only a short two minute walk from where we were. We bumped into them and started to walk around. The park was actually just a strip of grass around 2m wide, with two paths and some benches in the middle of a dual carriage way type place. We still enjoyed walking around and talking and we eventually bumped into another student where we chatted to him for twenty minutes too. He told us about how he was working in his families restaurant and pointed it out to us, so we said we would visit for tea on Sunday night which he was really happy about.
We walked back to the restaurant around 7.45 and grabbed some great food for tea. It's called luk lak and is basically, rice, beef, lettuce, tomato, onion, a fried egg on top of the rice and some chips. A massive meal which we thoroughly enjoyed, polished off some more drinks whilst we were at it. After the food we spend half an hour on our iPads posting some photos and catching up with news before we headed back to the bungalow around 9. Here we are now in bed watching animal planet about to doze off to sleep. In fact I actually fell asleep writing this blog.
Sunday, another new day, we again were waterfall bound. The usual morning routine took place, wake, wash, wear, walk, w.. .. ... eat. We were due to be met at 9am again by the same students as yesterday. Today we are visiting Busra waterfall, one of the biggest in Cambodia. I could have packed swimming trunks but chose not to, I don't really know why, but whatever the reason it paid off later in the blog.
The students arrived promptly just as we were polishing off our morning brew. Greeted by their lovely smiles we headed out the front of the greenhouse (where we eat most days) and boarded the bikes. We were advised yesterday that the journey would take around 45 minutes to the waterfall, as it was 30km away from the town. I slight understatement, as it took around an hour. Not a lot at all really considering were used to 8 hours plus to places, but on the bike of a motor bike, down dirt roads that are extremely bumpy, it's fair to say the Crown Jewels took a battering. Keep that up for an hour.
In terms of the scenery it was a pleasant journey, plenty of small villages, little shops, fields, forests, rivers and people going about their daily lives. When we arrived at the waterfall there were a few guards at the entrance asking us to buy a ticket. Apparently it is unusual and we weren't expecting it, but then it was explained that it was the national water festival celebrations and because Busra was one of the biggest waterfalls many people from all across Cambodia visit. In the water festival the Khmer people celebrate a victory that was won many years ago against Thailand. It was primarily a war that was fought on the water, so that's why it's called the water festival.
We paid the money, 5000 riel each, only being about 80p each, and parked up the bikes. Only Nicola and I had to pay as one of the students, Sonu, knew one of the guards. He said it was his brother, but from our experiences in the past it never is the brother, probably some family friend or 3rd distance cousin. So the students got in for free. It was quick to pick up that it was somewhere lots of people came as there were little stalls from people trying to sell the typical touristy stuff. Fruits and souvenirs etc. We weren't hassled as we headed down to the waterfall, only from a few children half begging but not really being too fussed. You could hear the water by now as we headed down.
When we arrived there were a fee locals there. Some were wearing strange costumes, presumably to do with the festivals and we taking pictures of each other. Other people were lounging around, enjoying picnics and relaxing. The initial look at the waterfall that was in front of is wasn't that impressive. It was bigger than yesterday's, lots rocks around the bottom so no jumping off. This made me glad I didn't bring my trunks to swim, and also with all the people around and no one else in the water, may have looked silly. we walked around a bit, enjoying the area, until we were beckoned over to where the water from after the first waterfall dropped off into seemingly nothing. it wasn't until we walked up to the edge that we then saw the real waterfall, and it was definetely big. Looking down at the ground below proved this, a sheer drop with the river flowing off into the distant trees below. The students said we could go down to the bottom, with no obvious path. We agreed and then were told the path to get there was over the other side of the water.
At first we thought we would have to wade across, but it wasn't until it was explained we had to go back outside to the road and around, crossing a bridge. We did this, eventually reaching the other side. Now the fun part began. Because it was so far down, we had to navigate rough terrain. We went over small rivers using fallen logs to cross, down huge rocks, across mud trails until we reached some stairs going down a cliff face. These weren't ordinary stairs may I add, it was essentially a cross between a ladder and stairs. They were sticking out at an angle of maybe 20 degrees from the cliff face, and was just something someone had knocked together to aid getting down. Everyone was nervous about doing it, but we took it in turns one by one heading down, clutching to the rail like it could snap at any moment, step by step. It was fun thinking about it now and a sense of relief washed over us when everyone reached the bottom safely. A few more rocks and paths later we arrived at the bottom and it was totally worth it. It's best to wait for some of the pictures to see!
After about an hour, and getting soaked from the mist coming from the waterfall, we decided we'd had enough and clambered back up through the assault course, the stadder (stairs and ladder) being a lot easier on the way up. When we arrived at the top, we hopped back on the bikes and headed back to to town.
After an hour, bums numb, jewels sore but in one piece we were dropped back off at the greenhouse and said our goodbyes to the students. We had a delicious lunch, beef curry, and plenty of beers, before lazily heading back to our bungalow for an afternoon nap. We hung around the bungalow, Nicola sleeping more than me, watching abit of tv, and generally enjoying a day off, until around six thirty. Liverpool were playing tonight, 8.30pm our time, so we went out abit earlier for tea. We headed to the students restaurant from saturday, that wasn't a restaurant it turned out, and sat down asking what food was available. only juice apparently, a let down considering it was 'restaurant'. It clearly wasn't a restaurant after we looked as they were selling paint and brushes, and very few house hold goods. Still we sat outside with the student chatting and enjoying a fresh apple smoothy. At least that was good.
We were still hungry after finishing there, so we decided to call in at the greenhouse after picking up some drinks to watch the football with later. Nicola wasn't too hungry, so I ate some beef noodles, we paid and then headed home. Once we were back, I settled down to the football, a boring nil nil draw, and Nicola mucked about on her iPad and read a book. once the game finished we both wrapped things up ready for bed, washing etc, and dozed off to sleep.
