Among many highlights of our recent trip to Cambodia and Borneo were treeswifts––the ultimate in avian elegance! Related to swifts and hummingbirds, treeswifts comprise one small family of only four species. For a long time they confounded ornithologists, who placed them with swallows. Even their … Continue readingTreeswifts––Pure Elegance!
Our next stop is Okoki, famed for its White-winged Ducks––yet another endangered species that finds refuge in Cambodia. We arrive mid-afternoon at this remote site, only about 10 miles from the Laos border. As soon as we pull into the campsite, local guides meet us. … Continue readingOkoki’s White-winged Ducks, and More!
When we were setting up this Cambodia trip through the Sam Veasna Center for Wildlife Conservation, and saw the price breakdown for different items, Jim emailed us something to the effect of “and we get a cow, too! What’s that about?” A critically-endangered Red-headed Vulture … Continue readingThe Vulture Restaurant
Anyone considering a trip to Cambodia may be interested in seeing what accommodations at Tmatboey are like. The villagers involved in the ecotourism program were unfailingly helpful and friendly. The cabins are duplexes. Like elsewhere in Cambodia, people are asked to remove their shoes before … Continue readingHome Base at Tmatboey
Let’s return to the field with our trusty guide, Nara, and a local guide from the village. Mardy, who guided us at the temples of Angkor Wat, has also come at our invitation. He is eager to see Prey Veng for the first time, and … Continue readingPrey Veng’s Birds and Leps
What fine examples we found of ecotourism bringing needed revenues to small, impoverished villages! The organizer and catalyst for ecotourism in Cambodia is the Sam Veasna Center for Wildlife Conservation, working in conjunction with its international partner, Wildlife Conservation Society. WCS founded SVC in 2006 … Continue readingConservation in Cambodia
Let’s move back in time to January in Cambodia. The hour is pre-dawn. I’m writing by lantern light outside my tent, which has been provided by the local community of Prey Veng. Here at our campsite, sounds are in transition from the unearthly, resonant songs … Continue readingThe Road to Prey Veng
Angkor Wat in the early morning (Photos by Narca) Angkor Wat is, to my mind, one of the true wonders of the ancient world, on a par with Egypt’s and Greece’s antiquities and Peru’s Machu Picchu. For our first three days in Cambodia, Alan, Jim, … Continue readingTemple-trekking at Angkor Wat
Our birding trip in Cambodia was organized by the Sam Veasna Center for Wildlife Conservation, based in Siem Reap (the city close to the famed temples of Angkor Wat). The center’s work in meshing ecotourism with village economies is the most impressive example I’ve ever … Continue readingCambodia: First, the Khmer Rouge’s Legacy
When there’s a long break in my blog posts, you can bet I’m on the road. We have just returned from nearly a month and a half in Southeast Asia––Cambodia, Thailand, and Singapore––and is there ever a lot to report! Here is a quick preview … Continue readingStay Tuned: Cambodia!