Trekking in Ban Lung

The bus dropped us off right at our homestay for the night in Ban Lung, which was owned by the man organizing our trekking for the next few days. The home also doubled as a supplementary school for local children to learn English, led by the mother/wife of the family hosting us. We got to say hello to the children and pronounce some words for them, as well as picking up headlamps from a local shop with the advice of our hosts. We met the two men who would be our guides, a friend and a brother-in-law of the man running the trekking company. We had an early night and awoke the next day to a delicious breakfast cooked by the host mother- a pancake made of flattened rice mixed with turmeric, filled with bean sprouts and chicken, and topped off with a sweet-sour tamarind sauce. We were given hammocks and some food/dishes to pack along with the rest of the things that we intended to bring for the trek, quite a different set up from my last trekking experiences in Thailand and Laos. After we had all of our things packed up and breakfast in our stomachs, we took a long ride in two tuk-tuks (seven of us total, including two guides). This ended on the banks of a sizable river, where we hopped off, got all of our things on our backs, and took a short boat ride across the river for the trekking to begin in earnest on the far side. To start, we simply hiked through a small village, then down a long red road running parallel to the river. At some point, a small black dog from one of the houses we passed ran out to join us. One of our guides explained that the owner was his friend and another trekking guide, and that the dog was comfortable in the jungle, often accompanying other guides on treks for multiple days. With our new companion, we continued to walk, eventually turning away from the road and river and onto paths winding between dispersed houses and farms. We passed through the farms and eventually found ourselves at the edge of the jungle, where trees had recently been clear cut in order to make room for more farming land. After this final stretch, we found ourselves in the genuine jungle, tracing much smaller paths marked by machete cuts left in trees. We all had a nice lunch, cooked the same morning and brought along. In the jungle, mosquitoes were noticeably worse, and at some point the guides even warned us to be alert for leeches. Newly aware that leeches don’t all live in water, I passed the next kilometers attentive to my ankles, but without the presence of mind for many photos. After quite a few close calls with the leeches but no bites on me (Frank and the dog weren’t so lucky) we finally made it to our camp for the night, situated on a large rock slab by a river and relatively protected from the leeches hunting us. We pitched our hammocks under a bamboo frame left from previous trekkers, and our guides put tarps over the top to protect from rain. We enjoyed a brief dip in the water and watched as our guides cooked a wonderful dinner, including a delicious mixed vegetable dish cooked in bamboo the guides had just cut for the purpose. We also snacked on a few small fishes caught by net from the river, and though the small ones weren’t cleaned and hence fairly bitter, it was an interesting experience! After dinner we drank a little rice wine out of freshly cut bamboo cups alongside our guides, then without real lights or any cell signal, we all found ourselves in bed nice and early.

Our next day I woke up early and got to hear the morning calls of the gibbons echoing through the forest. I then took a short walk up the river, making sure to stay on the rocks for fear of leeches. I returned to camp in time for a nice breakfast of scrambled eggs in bread, topped with a little soy sauce and some chilis. Water was also boiled for instant coffee packages and tea made from nearby plants. After we had all woken up and eaten, we packed up our things and set off once again into the jungle. The day’s route took us up and over a ridge via a fairly steep path. There was, once again, a non-negligible leech population, especially for the first hour or so. Eventually we got far enough up and away from the river that they weren’t really an issue. On top of the ridge, we got caught in a brief rainstorm and took shelter under some trees. During the pause, our guides pointed out some half eaten fruit along the ground, evidence of a gibbon troop in the area earlier that day. Once the rain slowed down, we began the hike down from the ridge, contending with especially slippery wet ground. Our guides, unbothered by the terrain, managed to harvest some bamboo shoots and an entire nest of the now familiar edible ants, preparing to cook some delicious fresh food when we made it to camp. The river that would supply our next camp with water was notably larger, but luckily was not a breeding ground for leeches the way the last night’s had been. We made our way down the side of the ridge with only a few slips on the muddy ground, and were quite happy to have our guides point us towards a sizable pool under a waterfall near our camp. While we enjoyed a swim, our guides cooked a wonderful lunch of bamboo shoots with egg and a little cured pork, as well as a quick stir fry of ants, ant eggs, chilies, and kaffir lime leaves. We returned after a short swim to eat lunch, and then spend the rest of the day relaxing in the jungle, listening to the sounds emanating from the surrounding jungle, swimming in the river pools, helping out guides to fish, and of course playing with the dog who had continued to tag along with us all day. Eventually we had a nice dinner of instant noodles cooked with the same chili, soy sauce, lime leaf, and pork combination. This of course featured the occasional roasted fish straight from the river. After eating we wound down with some rice wine and card games before once again settling into our hammocks and falling asleep.

Our last day began with more tea and coffee, and one more breakfast with the last of the eggs and the usual seasoning. Finally, after packing up once again, we set out trekking through the jungle. This day was by far the most overgrown, featuring paths that I almost certainly would have missed without the expertise of our guides. This was further complicated by lots of large fallen trees, requiring us to adjust our path on the fly. Finally we made our way out, back into the newly cleared land on the edge of the forest, through the farms and dispersed houses, and all the way back to the road we had first left just two days ago. When we passed the house of our canine companion, the dog ignored the insistence of our guides and his owner, instead continuing to walk along with us and exciting one of his brothers at the house into tagging along for the last stretch of our trek as well. This couldn’t last forever though, and when we finally made it back to the small town and boarded the river ferry, we had to part ways with both of our adorable new friends. From there things ended almost as they began, we reached the other side of the river, boarded tuk-tuks, and despite one of them breaking down en route, everyone was back to the homestay before too long. We celebrated heartily that evening, eating a final delicious dinner from the mother of the house and buying lots of beer to share with our wonderful guides and everyone else who cared to join. Tired and happy, I slept early that night. When the morning came, I once again enjoyed the rice pancake/filling dish from our first morning. Everyone else joined me quickly and we brought out our reorganized backpacks, ready for our impending bus ride. Goodbyes were difficult, I think we all felt quite grateful for the two men who had led us through the jungle, teaching us how to avoid leeches and warding off snakes. I believe we had also ingratiated ourselves well with all of the previous night’s beer. Finally our bus (really minivan) arrived and after a final round of goodbyes, we were off. We found ourselves jammed in with all sorts of bags, several Cambodians, and somehow a motorcycle, heading towards Siem Reap, the home of Angkor Wat and the biggest tourist destination in the country.