Eastern Cambodia - Cambodia - page 575

Srey Mom Internet ( Click here ) hires out motorbikes (from US$5) and 4WD Pajeros (per
day US$45).
Motodops hang out around the market, and some double as guides. Figure on US$15 to
US$20 per day for a good English-speaking driver-guide (less for a Khmer speaker). A
moto to Yeak Lom costs US$3 to US$4 return; to Veun Sai is US$15 return; to any water-
fall is about US$6 return.
Remorks have finally made it to Ban Lung, but there are only about eight of them in
town and they are expensive by Cambodia standards - about double what a moto costs.
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Around Ban Lung
Veun Sai
Located on the banks of Tonlé San, Veun Sai is a cluster of Chinese, Lao and chunchiet
villages. Originally, the town was located on the north bank of the river and known as Vir-
achey, but these days the main settlement is on the south bank.
From the south side, cross the river on a small ferry (500r; 3000r with a motorbike) and
walk west for a couple of kilometres, passing through the Khmer village, a Lao commu-
nity and a small chunchiet area, before finally emerging in a wealthy Chinese village com-
plete with large wooden houses and inhabitants who still speak Chinese. Note how neat
and tidy it is compared with the surrounding communities.
The Veun Sai area is known for Tompuan cemeteries, but most of them are closed to
outsiders these days. The bans are at least partially the result of tourists flaunting behavi-
oral protocols.
At the time of writing, the closest cemetery to Veun Sai open to visitors was an ethnic
Kachah cemetery in Kaoh Paek, a 45-minute boat ride upriver from Veun Sai. Expect to
pay around US$40 for the boat trip from Veun Sai, or about half that from Kachon, 10km
upriver (east) of Veun Sai. Tour companies in Ban Lung charge US$50 for an excursion
here.
Veun Sai is 39km northwest of Ban Lung on an unsealed but smooth all-weather road.
It is easy enough to get here under your own steam on a motorbike or with a vehicle.
English-speaking guides ask US$15 or so return to take you out here on a moto .