Traveling Ratankiri Cambodia was amazing! As many of you know, I was recently in Cambodia teaching English, studying the Khmer language, working with NGOs, and traveling around the beautiful country.

We made a trip to Ratankiri, a small province (even for Cambodian standards) of less than 100,000 inhabitants, felt so different from Siem Reap. The population and commerce in Siem Reap is heavily concentrated in a relatively small area whereas Ratanakiri is spread out with far less people.

Prior to traveling Ratanakiri Cambodia, we were privy to a presentation by a well spoken, highly intelligent professor named Krishna. Krishna’s presentation about Ratanakiri and the Jurai people was incredibly interesting! It was amazing to me that she lived with the Jurai people for so many years.  She lived the same way they did and learned from them which is admirable!

I was sad to learn that the local village is being destroyed because of outsiders taking their land and using it for commercial use, for rubber trees, etc. In 1997, 80% of Ratanakiri was covered by forest/jungle. This number is swiftly decreasing. Krishna explained that the Khmer Lou village people she knew may have already been forced to flee the area. Consider this: The Khmer Lou native villagers have been in this area for 1,000 years. It’s a sad reality that in Cambodia and other areas of the world (tribes in South America, Native Americans in U.S., and more), native traditions that have been practiced for so many years (handed down from generation to generation) are now being destroyed in the name of “progress.”

This is why the work of anthropologists is so important. It’s also crucial that our generation learns about cultural traditions from our parents & grandparents. This is the best way to ensure that traditions are remembered and passed on.

Where is Ratanakiri Cambodia? What’s the terrain like?

Located in the remote northeast corner of Cambodia, near Vietnam, Ratankiri is well known as an exceptionally beautiful area of Southeast Asia. Ripe with mountains, lakes, tropical jungle and waterfalls, travelers can simply enjoy the wonders of nature.  The vast array of waterfalls was amazing.

The final waterfall that Maya and I visited was my favorite.  Laying on the flat rocks and gazing upwards toward the water falling was mesmerizing.  I could trace with my eyes a tiny droplet fall from the top all the way down.  I did my best to soak in the image in my mind, but something tells me I will need to go back one day to remember 🙂

Boat Ride to Villages in Ratanakiri

The boat ride to visit the villages was a spectacular highlight of traveling Ratanakiri.  It felt nice to be on the water in such solitude, away from the honking and trucks on the streets in Siem Reap.  I enjoyed trekking through the villages to see the cemeteries.

Cemeteries in Ratanakiri

I am curious as to how they decide on what images to paint on the wood grave placements and how they decide for each person.  Is it spur of the moment?  Or does the family ask what images they’d like to be painted?  I saw many different designs, images of people, images of animals, and images of events being partaken (drinking rice wine, hunting, etc.)  Additionally, I’m interested in the color selection and how they acquire the different paints.  What do they use to make the paint?  It is all so complex, yet very simple at the same time (brush strokes, structure, and positioning).

Visting Ratanakiri: Where to Stay

I was surprised that there were many other tourists at Tree Top Guesthouse, where our group stayed.  I didn’t think many tourists would come to or even know about Ratanakiri — although the scenery is magnificent which gives reason as to why many others would come!

Summary of Ratanakiri Trip

Ratanakiri was a great trip and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing more of Cambodia.  It is also interesting to note that the one time I felt “threatened” here in Cambodia was not from a Khmer person, but instead a foreigner.  Let’s hope there won’t be any more bizarre events like that one!  — although they do make for good stories to laugh at afterwards 🙂

Ratanakiri is a terrific place for travelers who are seeking to get off the beaten path and find a culturally rich “hidden gem” of Southeast Asia. If you appreciate underdeveloped cultural destinations, Ratanakiri is for you. But be sure to respect the local culture and while you’re there, see if there’s anything you can do to help the Khmer Lou people 🙂

I was recently in Cambodia studying the Khmer language, teaching English, working with NGOs, and traveling around the beautiful country.

This is a reflection from my time in Koh Ker Village Cambodia. Koh Ker Village is located deep in the Cambodian Northwest Countryside near the Thai and Laotian borders.

Location of Koh Ker Village Cambodia

Koh Ker Village Cambodia

Upon reflecting this week, it was great to visit Srayang School/Dormitory in Koh Ker Village Cambodia.  Srayang is yet another school/organization that PLF (the NGO I’m working with) has helped evolve. I enjoyed visiting the remote village for our one week stay. The scenery was beautiful and it was nice to be detached to the internet/connection and busy-ness that bigger towns like Siem Reap encompass.

Seeing the sun rise at dawn from the guest house.

Casually passing through a herd of cattle on the way to school.

Teaching English in Koh Ker Village

I was also glad to begin teaching my first English class. The students of Srayang School that I taught were incredibly sweet. They are the first students in the village since 1979 to complete schooling beyond 3rd grade. It was obvious they were much less educated than the students in Siem Reap, but they they still knew quite a bit. Their ability to read/pronounce words in their workbook was outstanding, however, the students struggled understanding the meaning of the words they were saying.

Srayang Dormitory

Learning in the classroom at Srayang Dormitory!

I was so glad the classroom had a huge map of the world. This map came in handy the first day of class. I showed them where “Axel from Norway” (a character in their workbook) lived on the map and then I showed the locations of countries they’ve studied such as Cuba, Argentina, and Italy. They didn’t understand what continents were, but I did my best to explain, and I think they (eventually) caught on . . .

Evolution of Srayang Dormitory and Guesthouse in Koh Ker Village

Our group’s stay at the guesthouse was terrific. The Cambodia food they cooked for us (see below) was so delicious. It was interesting to hear the history of how not only Srayang School evolved, but Srayang’s budding guesthouse as well. It is so great that PLF is not only improving the lives of the students at school, but also the surrounding communities. Lori (President of PLF) provided the family who runs the guesthouse with key information to help them run a more successful guesthouse for visitors (cooking meals to pay for electricity at night and tips on cleanliness). I can’t imagine what it must have been like for Lori when she first visited all these places for the first time . . . and now seeing how everything has developed . . . and still seeing what improvements can be made.

The guest house we stayed at!

Breakfast: simple and delicious!

A Touching Story in Koh Ker Village

I enjoyed hearing a story Lori shared about a Canadian man who initially came to Cambodia to become a monk but instead ended up teaching at Srayang after talking with Lori.  He was a Buddhist man who one day decided to drop all his possessions at home and become a monk in Cambodia.  After speaking with Lori, he had a change of heart.  The clincher was when Lori said to him:

“If you go become a monk, you will be Being, not Doing.  Your purpose is to be of service, you can find that at Srayang as a teacher.”

He accepted her advice, deciding that helping PLF and Srayang School would be a wiser and more compassionate decision because they were in need of an English teacher when Srayang first opened. He then moved to Koh Ker and hit the ground running with the students who did not know a word of English.  After some time, he returned back to Canada (with much sadness to leave the village) in order to take care of his elderly mother.  Having spent so much time learning from the people of the village while also having a large impact on the community, I wonder if he will ever come back to Cambodia . . .

The Future of Srayang Dormitory and Guesthouse

My hope is that they will be able to find a teacher that can stay there 5 to 7 days a week to teach the students English. With all that PLF has done so far, I am confident it will happen in the near future.

In the comments section, let me know if you have any questions about traveling/living in Cambodia or any questions about the work that we’re doing here 🙂 You also might be interested in my other posts on living, working, and traveling in Cambodia:

• Khmer New Year in Cambodia — So Much Fun!
• Siem Reap Travel Week 1
• Cambodian Money — 5 Things to Know When Traveling
• Angkor Wat, Ta Prom Temple and More 

I saw this interesting lookin’ fella at the Angkor Centre for Conservation and Biodiversity. ACCB is the first nature conservation centre in Cambodia. The centre features a variety of birds, monkeys, and more. It was established to preserve and breed rare wildlife in Cambodia. It’s a 1.5 hour tuk tuk ride from Siem Reap town and you can enjoy beautiful scenery along the way.

Exploring Ta Prohm Temple and Siem Reap

I was recently in Siem Reap Cambodia, teaching Art and English and learning the Khmer language. Here’s a reflection I wrote about my second week in Cambodia. Hope you enjoy. 🙂

Upon reflecting on my second week in Siem Reap, Cambodia I feel I’ve settled in more and my schedule has not been as hectic (click here for Week 1 Siem Reap reflection).  I was still busy teaching at Pchey school, attending classes, and helping TGC for their Khmer New Year party, but it all felt easier this week. I knew more staff and students by name and I knew how to get around the city on my bicycle. This last week was also nice because students were on break so I did not feel the pressure to prepare for lesson plans.

The bike ride to Phnom Krom on Friday morning was great. I did not realize Hannah, Abby, and I hiked all the way up such a large hill until our way back — we had stopped to take photographs at a lotus flower field and I saw Phnom Krom in the background and said, “Did we really just hike all the way up that?!”  It was such a treat to experience temples for the first time, even if Phnom Krom is considered small.

At the top are the temple ruins of Phnom Krom.

A view of Phnom Krom from the lotus flower field.

Practicing lotus pose in a field of lotus flowers ~~ how fitting! 🙂

Traveling to Angkor Wat, Angor Thom , and Ta Prohm Temple with Ponheary was incredible. These sites were a stark contrast from Phnom Krom.  The structure of the temples and the details engraved are unbelievable!  It was a long 8 hour day, but I was thankful we took an air conditioned van.

Angkor Thom translates in English to mean “great city” in Khmer — this is a fitting description. It is believed that at one point in time, over 1 million people lived here. The temples were then consumed by the forest until hundreds of years later. Check out the amazing engravings (believed to have been from the year 1150) below.

Incredible engraving at Angkor Thom.

It is so impressive that Ponheary (as well as others) were/are able to withstand a career as a tour guide day in and day out.  The heat of the sun, long hours of trekking, and ability to remember and articulate the immense amount of history is a great skill.

I found it interesting that Ponheary is still a tour guide.  I thought that she now dedicated all her time to PLF and the guesthouse, but I guess I was wrong. Ponheary was confused why we chose this particular weekend out of all 10 of our weekends to go to Angkor Wat because of the vast amount of tourists during this time for Khmer New Year, but we coexisted, the other tourists only enhanced our fun.

Ponheary ~~ our amazing tour guide! 🙂

We asked Ponheary what her favorite temple was and she said, “all of them.”  For me, I think Ta Prohm Temple was my favorite because I love how the trees are a part of the structure.  It’s so interesting that the trees grow through, around, and on top of the walls.  I also like that it Ta Prohm Temple is smaller and less popular than Angkor Wat.  Ta Prohm Temple is a place where one can read, relax, and enjoy the day in a comfortable area.  I am so thankful I was able to go on the tour with such a great tour guide and I look forward to seeing more of Cambodia’s historic constructions in these upcoming weeks!

Huge tree surrounding Ta Prohm in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

What are your thoughts on this area of Cambodia? Have you ever lived/traveled in Southeast Asia? Feel free to leave a comment in the comments section of this post!

I found this plant particularly striking because of its radiant color.  What do you think?

I recently took this shot of a pink lotus flower in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Hope you enjoy 🙂

I took this photo at the Phare Cambodian Circus Show in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Hope you enjoy 🙂