Clinging to the capsized

kayak, I block out thoughts

of the many crocodiles that
share the murky water with
me. Twenty metres away,
a herd of aggravated water
buffaloes pace the sandy
bank, trying to intimidate the
now-sodden intruders to their
natural habitat.
As dusk turns to night
and with clothes, bags and an
expensive camera drenched
my fellow kayakers and I
navigate onto a protruding log,
and brainstorm how to get back
to camp. It would be just one
hiccup of many while exploring
Koh Kong provinces isolated
Areng Valley.
Into the
Mist
Writer Joanna Mayhew and photographer Conor Wall enter
the Cardamom Forest to discover the natural beauty of the
mysterious Areng Valley, an area facing an uncertain future.
TOURISM
FOR A CAUSE
With development and
agro-industrial economic
land concessions common
across Cambodia, few, if any,
places remain as untouched
as Areng. The area is home
to approximately 1,300
indigenous people, rich in
biodiversity and inhabited by
31 endangered animal species,
including the worlds second-
largest population of wild
Siamese crocodiles.
Though life in the valley
feels stable, the long-proposed
and controversial Cheay Areng
hydropower dam threatens
change in coming years. The
undertaking would food the
area, eradicate key species and
lead residents to lose homes
and livelihoods, according
to Alex Gonzalez-Davidson,
co-founder of local non-proft
organisation Mother Nature.
Mother Natures Wild KK
Project is promoting tourism
as a way to preserve Arengs
pristine landscape and diverse
wildlife, while providing
visitors with a rare glimpse
of the valley through action-
packed trips that include
kayaking, mountain biking and
trekking.
The founders hope that
increased tourism, along
with community advocacy
Though life in the valley feels stable, the
long-proposed and controversial Cheay Areng
hydropower dam threatens change
in coming years"
AsiaLIFE Cambodia 33 32 AsiaLIFE Cambodia
and the creation of social and
environmental research sites,
will draw enough attention and
alternative revenue streams to
the valley to give developers
and ofcials pause for thought.
True to its name, the projects
jungle outings are nothing
if not wild, with our group
encountering crocodiles, bears,
monkeys, snakes, spiders and
colourful Great Hornbills
during a week-long trip.
Though not for the faint of
heart, the excursions ofer rich
rewards if youre game for
putting your muscles to work.
INTO THE DEEP
Getting into the valley makes
visitors appreciate just how
remote it is. From Phnom
Penh, we travelled on two local
minibuses and an SUV to get to
the town of Thma Bang in Koh
Kong province. From there,
entering the valley consists of a
steep 16-kilometre-long, mostly
downhill, bike ride.
We each took a good-luck
capful of local rice wine before
setting of down the carved
up and winding path, lined on
both sides by thick forest. The
three-hour ride was made more
challenging due to half of it
taking place after dark. With a
procession of headlamps, we
attempted to light the dusty
path blocked at one point by
a venomous green pit viper
until arriving safely at camp.
Once in the valley, excursions
difered by day and were
often unplanned. Groups are
encouraged to stay at least fve
days, and our time only allowed
for scratching the surface of
what there is to see.
Appropriately, most action
revolved around the Areng
River, whether following it via
trails, swimming, kayaking,
bathing or taking a break on
its shores. The river is shallow
and impressively diverse. It
transitions from clear sandy
stretches to pebbled rapids and
mossy patches strewn with
trees. The waters teem with
soft-shell turtles, Oriental Darter
water birds, Kingfshers, and
the endangered green and silver
Asian arowana, or dragonfsh.
Gibbons can be heard howling
in nearby trees.
Kayaking takes you through
calm waters surrounded
by mango trees and sand
banks covered with crocodile
footprints and tail marks. You
can occasionally spot a blessed
tree, ordained by monks and
wrapped in safron-coloured
material, representing Mother
Natures intention to catalogue
and preserve the forests most
precious species. But you will
be hard pressed to see another
soul, aside from the infrequent
lone fsherman sporting Lexus-
branded underpants.
Intrepid visitors can search
for the elusive Siamese
crocodiles in Arengs oxbow
lakes, rumoured to house
50 crocs. Led by our three
reliable and passionate Khmer
guides, we attempted to hike
quietly over the crunchy leaves
underfoot. After an hour, our
eforts paid of in a rare and
abbreviated sighting of a small
three-foot specimen.
But the most spectacular
scenery is discovered while
mountain biking. Tight trails
scattered with thick branches
wind madly through jungles
dense with Bayon trees. Narrow,
fimsy bridges dot the rides, with
one 30-metre-long crossing only
three planks wide. Forests give
way to rutted paths that lead you
across dusty felds of high reeds
and past bored bufalo under
pale pink sunset skies.
Camp is portable and difers
each night. When not set up
riverside, we camped at the
abandoned village of Sre
Khuanh, where residents were
exiled under the Khmer Rouge.
Today there is little evidence
of life in the expanse of burnt
felds that have replaced the
town, but the surrounding
mountains and large watering
hole ofer a stunning backdrop
to the absence. Evenings were
spent under starry skies, eerily
quiet aside from the sounds of
crackling fres and perhaps too
stereotypically a strummed
guitar. Dinners by frelight were
accompanied with a hot cup
of traditional, amber-coloured
medicine water and followed
by nights in mosquito-netted
hammocks, with a nearby fre to
combat the cold.
ANCESTRAL TIES
Throughout trips, visitors
dine at local homes to make
the logistics easier for guides
and provide additional income
for community members. All
food is locally grown, which
results in eclectic dishes like eel
curry and peanut and lobster
paste, as well as fsh soups and
unending piles of rice.
Villagers the majority of
whom are Khmer Daeum ethnic
minorities have deep ties to
the valley, with ancestral stories
going back hundreds of years.
They are overwhelmingly
friendly and hospitable and in
a country where the majority of
people are, it says something to
stand out.
Locals seemed in equal
parts pleased and amused that
tourists would make the trek
to their remote villages, and
at their urging we attended a
lively village wedding, a rice
festival where monks received
grain oferings, and a mid-
day Chinese New Year feast
replete with pork, noodles
and warm Anchor beers. With
no electricity or cell phone
access, life seems reminiscent
of a simpler time, down to
the natural resin torches, or
chon loh, used to light homes.
Disconnected from the outside
world, youre forced to slow
down. Communicating has its
challenges, though, as villagers
dialect proved a stumbling
block for even the most fuent
Khmer speakers among us.
THE JOURNEY BACK
The last night, our group hiked
a steep hill above Chumnoab
village, following our guides
faming torch over rustic fences
and through thorn-laden felds
sprinkled with animal traps. We
shared a fnal late-night feast
of two chickens before sleeping
under a triangular wood shelter
used for storing crops.
Following a 6amwakeup, the
misty valley seemed hesitant
to release us. The vehicle slated
to save us the uphill bike ride
out was stuck in a ditch. After
passing hours in the village, we
were carted on motorcycles over
the bumpy path and, eventually,
out of Areng.
I emerged from the jungle
with a smattering of bruises,
a kilo less of weight, and a
renewed appreciation for
showers. But, like the rust-
coloured dust that stubbornly
coated my backpack, clothes
and the insides of my ears,
thoughts of the valley stuck
with me long after departing.
Whether or not the dam
proceeds, other threats will
inevitably arise, and the valley
will not always remain as it
is. But at least for now, the
opportunity exists to explore
Areng in its majesty, and to
provide support as it faces a
fragile future.
With no electricity or cell phone access, life seems
reminiscent of a simpler time, down to the natural resin
torches, or chon loh, used to light homes
34 AsiaLIFE Cambodia AsiaLIFE Cambodia 35