Kratie

After my travel buddy Don flew back to the Philippines, I wanted to see more of Cambodia. I rode a bus to Kratie (pron. "craw-chay") Province in the east.

Our bus stopped at Skuon for a stretch and snack. Residents here breed tarantulas in burrows, which are cooked and sold on platters. Juicy!!! Care for a nibble?

 

Eastern Cambodia during the dry season is hot, dusty and red.

 

Kratie is the provincial capital, a quiet town of 79,000 situated along the banks of the Mekong River.
I spent two days here, walking around and talking to people (my usual m.o.)

 

Like other towns in Cambodia, Kratie is full of beautiful, crumbling French colonial buildings.

 

Most residents live in simple houses on stilts, protection against flooding during the wet season.

 

The market is a happening place.

 

Just down the riverbank from town lies one of the great rivers of the world.

 

I jumped on the first boat I saw and it carried me across the river to a small village full of cattle and friendly children.

 

The Mekong is the artery of Southeast Asia.

 

 

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