During a morning stroll through the Old Market area of Siem Reap, I met a young woman setting up her stall for the day’s trade.
She told me that she was a student from the town of Kratie on the Mekong River, who worked three days a week in Siem Reap and went home to school in Kratie for the rest of the week. After being conjured to be her first client of her day, she proceeded to tell me about her city and what she had to offer. It must have been a compelling story because a week later she was boarding a riverboat in Phnom Penh to travel up the Mekong River to Kratie.
The slow boat started the journey down the murky colored Mekong River as it is during the rainy season. About 10 kilometers upriver, the boat crossed the long island of Koh Pach and observed communities and also a large temple. In the dry season, the island is a popular weekend retreat for Phnom Penh residents, as it has a large area of sandy beach for them to enjoy.
The ship stopped in the town of Kampong Cham, where some of the local villagers disembarked. The rest of the travelers took the opportunity to head to the local market, where we were introduced to a local delicacy. Vendors were quickly on hand to offer their trays of cooked spiders. A local traveler said that cooked spiders were the sweet treat of the areas and after trying a selection, I would have to agree with him.
The inland areas around Kampong Cham are the only places in Cambodia where it is possible to catch black ground spiders. A notable feature of this riverside town is the strong French influence in the architecture of the building and houses. The entire area is kept in good condition without the areas of deterioration seen in the other towns.
Once back on board and underway, the ship passed under the only bridge over the Mekong River in Cambodia. The appearance of this man-made structure seemed in complete contrast to the nature of the river. This two-lane bridge links Phnom Penh to the remote eastern provinces of Ratanakiri and Mondulkiri. After a relaxing journey following the winding course of the river, the ship docked at its pier in Kratie and the passengers went their separate ways. Kratie is a small town dominated by its market with a few guest houses around it. The river front was home to a number of small beer stalls, all of which offered a great selection of local dishes.
While Kratie gives the appearance of a town you pass through on your way somewhere else, the town’s treasure is its depiction of Cambodian daily life off the beaten tourist track. Its relative isolation and relaxed pace of life allows the tourist to converse with the locals and in a small way integrate into the local way of life even for a brief period.