Signs For Koh Trong

There is currently a lack of any clear signage on Koh Trong. Whilst this isn't really a problem for the residents, some simple signage and information can be really useful for self-guided tourists.

We are currently working with the community tourism chief Mr. Bun Ban to create a cohesive network of signs for the island. We aim to identify the 'top sights', have k.m. markers for the main circuit, direction signs where needed, a new large map, and later on some information on the sights and island life.

As a test we painted k.m. 'beach' signs to look at the colour combinations. We are using the only type of paint available in the whole of Kratie, which is a high gloss enamel, great for metal but not so easy to use on wood! The wood we are using is salvaged boards that are used in cladding the houses here.





We met with Mr. Bun Ban again once these initial signs were completed and it was fantastic to see how pleased he was with them so far. During the time we were painting them we had daily visitors, young and old all showing real interest in what we were doing. It was only once we had written the Khmer under 'beach' that the work was fully understood. The Khmer script actually reads "beach of the river Mekong" as "beach" in itself doesn't translate correctly.

The colour chosen for us to use throughout was green as it related to eco-toursim and we learnt a valuable lesson regarding the lettering. It is required by the government that all signs must have the English script positioned after the Khmer so it's lucky that we didn't proceed as we had started. We'll also use the correct Khmer abbreviation for 'k.m.' on the new signs.

So we now have 7 location sights, 7 direction arrows, and four K.M. signs to create. These so far have all been cut and the backgrounds painted green. We'll show the progress in further updates.

Cooking Kralan

Kralan is something of a speciality in Kratie. It is not uncommon to see sellers dotted along the roads with bundles carefully weighed and bound into neat parcels. If you are unfamiliar with Kralan it is a dish of sticky rice and beans cooked inside bamboo. The recipe itself is quite simple, using ingredients and bamboo packaging that are found in abundance. The preparation and cooking are a different story all together. 

Cooking started at 8am, the beans were toasted (check out the slippers) and steamed and the rice was washed and covered to stop the chickens from feasting. Meanwhile the men set out to find the perfect bamboo just outside the front of the house.

Three hours later it was time to start mixing things together, we had 10kg of rice and there was a lot of debate over how much sugar, salt, condensed milk and fresh coconut to add. The debate draws in a few more cooks and soon there are 5 women tasting, mixing, adding and re-tasting. By the time the final mix is agreed upon the men have got to work cutting the bamboo and the children have got hungry and started to drink the condensed milk.

At 1pm we were ready to start filling the bamboo. The end is capped off with the fibres from the fresh coconut and soon there is a wall of fire burning just behind us. Each Kralan is roasted against the fire for 3-4 hours and turned regularly for even cooking. I am jokingly invited to warm myself by the blazing fire and reminded that it is cold in my county.

At 4pm the first batch is ready but it can’t be eaten yet, first the outside of the bamboo must be carefully peeled away. One by one children and adults walk away with their prize and the cooking goes on until 10pm, a full 14 hours since we started.

Road Building On Koh Trong

As you leave Kratie town and travel into rural areas in all directions the roads quickly become dusty tracks. It is rare for there to be a concrete road other than the main highways.

Koh Trong is no exception but the island is gradually becoming fully paved. The main roads on the eastern and southern sides of the island are fully paved. The majority of the western road is dirt but is currently seeing some construction work.

Each year the city council of Kratie provide funds to build 600m of road - this is then allocated to different areas of the island in varying lengths. However the local residents still have to pay around 10% of the overall cost each year in order to have the requisite funds.

The roads are constructed in lengths of a anywhere between 50m and 200m. Before work begins piles of sand and shingle are laid out along the route. The workmen then use 3m sections of boarding to make a frame for the concrete which is mixed and poured in situ. Each section is 1.5 m wide, and leaving a gap of 3 m the next part of the road is framed and concrete poured. This process is repeated and in a day 3 or 4 sections are made. The following day the gaps created in-between the new sections are constructed thus linking all the short sections together.

The first roads were built back in 2009 so the process is fairly stop start and will take a few more years before the 9 km of roads are fully sealed. Once the entire island is paved the next job is to widen the existing roads to 3 m.

Although the dirt roads do give areas of the island a very rural and timeless feel, the benefits of the paved roads with regards to dust and ease of transport is a massive boost to the local people.

At the end of a hard day's work the only blemish for the worker's is the obligatory trail of dog paw prints. However last week were were told that despite the best efforts to stop them, a tourist cycled straight from the dry path into the wet concrete section.

Cooking Grilled Banana With Sweet Rice

Shopping on the Island is never a fruitless experience. On the occasions when a shop has run out of stock it is not long before a neighbour pays us a visit bearing a gift. This time we were presented with a huge bunch of bananas fresh from a tree in the garden. The banana here are delicious but these things ripen at a rate of at least 10 a day. 

To avoid several days of bananas for breakfast, lunch and dinner I called on my friend So Tee to show me how to make grilled bananas with sweet rice. Within minutes she had arrived at our house with family in tow. After realising I did not have enough coconut milk So Tee called to our neighbour and soon came back with a coconut and this intimidating contraption that I soon realised would help us to make the fresh coconut milk.

So Tee put me to work grating the coconut while she prepared the rice, boiling it with coconut milk a little sugar and salt. 

Once the rice was ready and all of the kids had approved the taste we got to work shaping it into thin sheets and carefully wrapping it around the bananas.

Everything was tightly rolled inside a banana leaf which was then secured with bamboo skewers ready to grill.

The process takes time and we were all getting hungry so we recruited an extra chef to help us.

There is a lovely shop on the Western side of the island that sells these tasty snacks for just 500 riel. They take time to make so you will often only see them in the afternoon. Keep your eyes open as you travel around and if you see them make sure you stop to buy one or two.

Swimming In The Mekong

Kratie is a long way from Sihanoukville but perhaps can boast a cleaner and certainly more deserted beach!

Going for a swim in the Mekong probably isn't the first thing on your mind when you make the trip to Koh Trong but it is a really unique experience and very easy to do. On the western side of the island there are several places where you can head across the large sand dunes to the river's edge. Just look out for the narrow paths that cut down from the main cycling route, they take you through a thin strip of bamboo forest straight onto the sand.

You may see ox carts on the sand laden with sawn timber or other supplies, these regularly come from the villages on the western bank of the Mekong. You're also certainly see some fishing boats and maybe some cows being taken for a bath but it's unlikely you'll see any other tourists.

The water is pleasantly warm and clean but be careful as the current can be fairly strong once you're deep enough not to be able to touch the bottom. We were told that over the far side of the river the depth is around 7-10 meters and the current very strong.

Along this side of the island there are several places to grab a cold drink and if you can't find anywhere to gain access to the dunes someone will point you in the right direction.

Good Food Good Health

With great care, time and effort the families on the island ensure that there is an abundance of fruit, vegetables, herbs and rice. There is in fact little that need to buy from the market across the river. Chickens are free range or 'freedom food' as they were described to me, fish and crab can be caught in the Mekong or local ponds. 

Several times now I have made the return ferry ride from the Market in town only to be told that the food I have brought is available on the Island where it is much tastier, much healthier and of course a better price. I am learning very quickly thanks to the ladies who dutifully pick through my shopping and ask me how much each item costs. I think they also like to see what I cook and how much I know about Cambodian food, I hope they are pleasantly surprised. 

In an effort to learn as much as possible I have found a good friend So Tee who is willing to swap cooking classes with me. I teach one recipe, So Tee teaches me one in return and of course the produce must come from the Island. The first dish I have been taught is a nutritious fragrant stew called Samlor Kakor. The stew is packed full of freshly harvested veg and a prime example of the variety of produce grown on the Island. There is a good recipe and description for this dish on the KhmerFood.Bizz website if you would like to try cooking it. 

http://khmerfood.biz/index.php/soups-curries/20-recipes/soups-curries/133-soup-samlor-kako

The key to this dish is the fresh green kroeung spice paste that is carefully minced and crushed in a pestle and mortar. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the lemongrass leaves were used to give the paste its colour and extra flavour.

So Tee added a selection of green papaya, green banana, aubergine, green bean and pumpkin all fresh picked from the garden.

After frying off some prahok, diced pork and the curry paste she added the veg and cooked everything together with water and coconut milk.

The finished dish was as good as promised, a fragrant lightly spiced soup packed with vegetables and filling enough to eat on its own.

Getting A Cambodian Hair Cut

Surprisingly for an island of only around 1200 people there are three different barber shops all of which are located on the Kratie side of the island. I was in need of a smarter haircut with Christmas, New Years Eve and an island based wedding fast approaching.

We found the small blue painted sign with the quoted prices and entered the barber shop which consisted of a chair and mirror underneath a house. First things first I needed to choose a style and was handed a stack of DVD music covers to select my look from.

Once we had decided upon a suitably good looking pop star as a guide the barber set about the task fairly tentatively.

My hair has always been a bit of a mop and it did't take long before the clippers were clogged up. A squirt of oil later and things were progressing once more. Next the top was neatly scissor cut, the sides were faded nicely and the edges were finished off using a fresh razor blade.

After about fifteen minutes the job was done and I'm pretty pleased with the finished hair cut. This cost 3000 Riel and can be found if you head north from the bike hire, it's the second barber along the stretch.