Kampong Speu

My past couple of entries have been about journeys to stunning places, full of amazing things to tell you about. This entry? About an odd place, that was more adventure than good time (granted, riding a moto in monsoon rain for two hours might have heavily contributed to that). Last weekend I went with a few friends off the beaten track. And by off the beaten track, I mean a four hour round trip moto ride to a place not even mentioned in The Lonely Planet. Our destination? A small picnic spot/resort along the river just outside of the town of Kampong Speu where there was a literally a stick to keep nearby monkeys away (and I used it).


Besides the close encounters with wildlife (did you know rabies is 100% fatal? This is what I get for going on trips with friends who work for health organizations), there wasn't much. An adorable wooden suspension bridge of questionable soundness, a temple, and a dozen identical restaurants set up on stilts along the riverfront. After exhausting the sightseeing by crossing the bridge, we quickly sought shelter from the rain in one of the wooden restaurants. Relaxing in a hammock and eating fried noodles after getting drenched is a perfectly respectable way to whittle away a Saturday afternoon, in my opinion.

The place was pretty, and I'm sure on a typically sunny day would have been lovely. As it was, we didn't linger for many hours, and after determining the rain wasn't going to let up we headed home. Including a pit stop at Mike's Burgers, for those that were still hungry. Regarded as the best burgers in Phnom Penh, I regret to inform that as a vegetarian I have no opinion on the matter. However, my friends seemed to enjoy them and the fries were good.

(This cow did not want to be my friend)

Maybe the most interesting part of the day was driving past all the garment factories. I didn't get a photo of this, but we passed by as they were letting out for the day and it was incredibly distracting traffic. Mostly women, but a few men, packed into trailers like cattle, 13 people long and 5 deep all standing squished together. A lot of NGOs here are doing vocational training with women, teaching them sewing skills. Having seen the melee outside the factories though, I have to wonder if that is really the path to a better life here.