KRATIE – KAMPUNG THOM

There are twelve millions of inhabitants, most of which are Khmers. Till 1996 these lands were tortured by the civil war, and peace have come here only in 1998 when Paul Pot, the leader of Khmer Rouge movement was finally destroyed after ten years long guerilla fight in the jungle. 

We are knowingly driving smaller roads to get to see the social life of local countrymen, who are much alike with the highlanders of Laos. They also live this simple lifestyle of farming and self-subsistence economy and are very poor, yet kind and hospitable. Local currency, the Cambodian Real doesn’t cost a thing and all the business goes in dollars. Most of the roads marked in the map have nothing to do with the reality, and I don’t think it’s possible to drive through many places we’ve been to by car. It’s also extremely hot and wet. The gas, just in Laos is for sale from the barrels and plastic bottles, besides quality is mostly very low. To be able to drive in Cambodia, one has to have really strong nerves, or else one has nothing to do here: the streets are total chaos, the chaos we personally like a lot.