49)“The Wild East”

I just got back from a trip to Sen Monorom, which is sometimes called “the Wild East”. According to some sources “Provincial capitals don’t get more remote or inaccessible than Sen Monorom”. This is a land where tigers still roam, and tribal villages exist much the same way they have for hundreds of years. So, naturally I loved the idea of traveling there. I really had no plan going into this side trip, and actually I had not planed on going to Sen Monorom at all. I started out by traveling to Kratie, and intending to just stay there (the sunset pictures are from Kratie). But one thing led to another, and eventually I met some Ausies who turned out to be great people, and offered for me to come along on their elephant trekking trip. I agreed to their offer and the next thing I knew I was in the jungle on the back of an elephant. The elephant proved to be extremely uncomfortable so I eventually decided to just walk, which was a lot nicer for me. The trip was great, this area of the country is full of beautiful rolling hills with prairie on top, and jungle in the valleys. The sound of the cicadas, crickets, birds and river mixed in with views of the lush green life of the jungle to create a great stimulous for the senses. The other nice part about this area was it was a lot cooler. The nights and early mornings were pretty cool, and the days were hot, but nothing like in other areas of Cambodia.