Cambodia - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 114

EATING
A'Dam East of the centre T 012 411115. This little pavilion
restaurant is generally quiet (sometimes bordering on
comatose), but the food more than compensates, with a
good selection of fresh and flavoursome Chinese dishes,
plus a few Thai and Khmer options (mains $2.50-3). Daily
8am-10pm.
Café Alee East of the centre. The newest kid on the
Banlung block, with a telephone directory-sized menu
stuffed with all the usual Western and Khmer favourites
(mains $2.50-4) - from cookies and fruit bread through
to pancakes and popcorn, plus an interesting selection of
local coffees. Doubles as the o ce of DutchCo (see below)
in the evenings. Daily 7am until late.
Gecko House East of the centre T 012 422228. In a kind
of jungle lodge-style thatched construction, Gecko is
usually the liveliest place, and can get a bit of a party
atmosphere if there are enough trekkers in town. The
big menu features Thai, Khmer Western and Chinese
options (mains $4-5.50), although the slightly above-
average prices aren't always reflected in the quality. Daily
8am-11pm.

8-11am & 2-5pm in theory, assuming
there's someone around to sit behind
the desk; T 075 974013, E virachey
@camintel.com). Prices start from around
$90 per person per night for the short
treks in a group of two, falling to as little
as $40 per night in larger groups on
longer treks. All treks feature a visit to
a chunchiet village, a night or two in a
hammock and a ride downriver on a
bamboo raft. Excellent (and relatively
affordable) treks and other trips in and
around the park are also run by DutchCo ,
(c/o Café Alee T 017 571682,
W

2

EcotourismCambodia.info).
Voen Sai itself is home to an unusual
mix of ethnic minorities , predominantly
Lao and Chinese, but also Kreung. A
small boat (2000 riel) connects Voen Sai
with villages on the opposite bank - to
the right, there is a small Lao settlement,
and to the left a Chinese community.
It's best to visit these places with a local
guide, as you'll need someone to act as
an interpreter and smooth the way. he
easiest way to get to Voen Sai is to rent a
moto from Banlung (around $12).

DIRECTORY
Banks and exchange There are ATMs at the Canadia
Bank (Visa and MasterCard) and Acleda Bank (Visa only)
in the centre of town.
Internet Try Srey Mon Internet Café, near the Tribal Hotel ,
or the well-equipped GreenNet close by on the side road
just before A'Dam restaurant. Both charge $1/hr and are
open from around 9am to 9pm.

SEN MONOROM AND AROUND
he smallest of all Cambodia's provincial
capitals, SEN MONOROM (420km from
Phnom Penh), is slowly coming onto the
tourist radar, and has a surprisingly good
selection of places to stay and eat. It's a
friendly little place, too, with a small-
town atmosphere, and makes a good base
from which to explore the surrounding
countryside and chunchiet villages.

VOEN SAI AND VIRACHEY
NATIONAL PARK
he road north of Banlung winds its way
past numerous chunchiet villages until,
after around 38km, it reaches the village
of VOEN SAI , located on the San River,
the headquarters of Virachey National
Park and one of the most accessible
villages in the region.
Covering more than 800,000 acres,
Virachey National Park is a haven for a
variety of endangered species, including
deer, rare hornbills, and kouprey, the
almost-extinct jungle cow; tigers are also
said to lurk here, although most sightings
appear to have occurred after a few too
many bottles of Angkor beer. he only
way of getting into the park is on one of
the various treks (1-7 nights) organized
through the park headquarters in
Banlung, northeast of the market (daily

WHAT TO SEE AND DO
Locals will direct you to the Monorom
Falls (Sihanouk Falls), a peaceful nook on
the edge of the jungle where a 10m-high
cascade of water drops into a swirling
plunge pool. You can either walk the few
kilometres here or hire a moto along the
easy road. he path ends at the top of
the waterfall, where brave (and possibly
stupid) souls hurl themselves into the
deep water during the rainy season. he
more distant but spectacular Bou Sraa
Falls , about 40km northeast from Sen
Monorom, can be reached by moto by