MONDULKIRI - NATURAL RESOURCES

This province is chock full of natural beauty, with thickly forested mountains, powerful
waterfalls and the lush green rolling hills of the western side. Add to that the
communities of hill tribe people who are not affected by mass-tourism, as they are in
neighboring Thailand, and you have an area that is very attractive to the adventure
traveler. The town of Sen Monorom is the best base camp for travelers who want to
explore the surrounding areas.

A quiet but beautiful town nestled into the hills; it has a lot of potential to develop into a
center for non-intrusive eco-tourism. At present, it’s very undeveloped, which gives you
a feeling of going somewhere off the beaten tourist trail. Also interesting is the variety
of languages being used: Khmer, hill tribe languages, Vietnamese and Laos.
   
Tourist sites:

Boo Sra Waterfall:

Locates at Pich Chinda District in 43
kilometer distance from the provincial town
by red soil road. Boo Sra is the most
beautiful waterfall in Modulkiri and shared
into three stages:

-First stage: The waterfall has 15-meter

diameter and 15-meter to 20-meter height in
rainy season, and 20-meter diameter and 18-
meter to 25-meter height in dry season. The
second stage of waterfall has 150-meter
distance from the first stage.
-Second stage: The waterfall has 23-meter diameter and 15-meter to 20-meter height in
rainy season, and 20-meter diameter and 18-meter to 25-meter height in dry season. The
second stage of waterfall has 150-meter distance from the first stage.

-Third stage: The waterfall has stronger speed than the second stage. This stage can not
be reached because it locates in the thick forest, lacks of transporting mean and is
dangerous due to having fierce-wild animals.

Sen Monorum Waterfall:

Locates at Sen Monorum District in five-
kilometer distance from the provincial town by
red soil trail, Along either sides of the trail, there
are industrial plantations like rubber, coffee and
cashew as well. The local people usually meet
each other at Sen Monorum waterfall during the
holidays and national festivals because it closed
to the provincial town.

Sen Monorum waterfall has three stages:

-First stage: The waterfall has slow speed, one-
meter height and 2-4 meter diameter.
-Second stage:  During the rainy season, the
waterfall has strong speed, 6-7 meter height and
8-meter diameter. During the dry season, the
waterfall has 7-9 meter height and 4-5 meter
diameter. At the waterfall, there is a large space of
resting and enjoying.
-Third stage: Locates at one- kilometer distance
from the second stage. The waterfall has 1.5-
meter height only.

Rum Near Waterfall:

Locates at Sen Monorum District in 10.5
kilometer distance from the provincial town. The
waterfall has good location, which is closed to the
industrial plantations like rubber, coffee, cashew,
mango, Avocado and Pres as well. During the
rainy season, the waterfall has five-meter height
and 10-meter diameter, and during the dry season.
The waterfall has six-meter and eight-meter
diameter only. At the waterfall, there are many big
trees projecting the cool shadow to the area.
 
Chrey Thom Waterfall:
Locates at Sen Monorum District in 43-
kilometer distance from the provincial town.
During the dry season, the waterfall has 15-
meter height and 2-meter diameter, and
during the rainy season, the waterfall has 11-
meter height and 8-meter diameter. The
waterfall surrounded by the plantation of Sro
Lou and there is a big and brandy tree of
Chrey. The Provicail Tourist office in
cooperation with the territorial authority has
arranged this waterfall spot as the tourist site
instead of Boo Sra waterfall that unable to be
accessible during the rainy season.

Riverside:
Locates at Koh Nhek District in 150-kilometer distance from the provincial town. The
riverside has red and golden colored sand, and stretches along the Sre Pork River
mixing with many small islands. The riverside is the leisure place for the local people of
Koh Nhek District.

Plantation of Pinetrees:
Located at Sen Monorum District in six-kilometer distance from the provincial town by
the National Road No 14. The plantation of pine trees located on the highland, which
there are many pine trees remain since 1970 and growing on line, these pine trees have
the same height. The ground covered by a lot of lollen leaves. It look like the golden
colored carpet. Tourists can enjoy and rest on it without matting. The history said that,
 these pine trees were planted before the Sang Kum Reas Ni Yum time.

The Romanea Pee (II) Waterfall is located in Pourang Village, Sèn Monorom Commune,
Oreang District; 12 km from the provincial town. It can be accessed by the Road No. 76.

There are more than 108 families living in the Romanea Pee area, whose main occupations
are farming.

This resort is managed by the Romanea Pee Waterfall Managerial and Developmental
Commission vested by the provincial authority in collaboration with the provincial executive
committee. It is partly supported financially by the DANIDA Organization of Denmark.

During the rainy season, the waterfall is 3 meters in height and 10 meters in diameter. During
the dry season, the waterfall is 4 meters in height and 6 meters in diameter. At its base, there
is a big water reservoir in which tourists can swim happily. Besides, there are many big trees
providing cool shade for them.

Its main points of interest are a spectacular waterfall, dramatic mountainous forest,
impressive undulating hills, and fresh air.

The Yok Sros Phlom or Phnom Dos Kramom Resort is located in Dos Kramom Village,
Sokhdom Commune, Sèn Monorom District; 3 km away from the provincial town. It can be
accessed by path.

There are more than 2,092 families living in the Phnom Dos Kramom area of over 100 ha,
whose main occupations are farming.

This resort is managed by the Department of Culture and Fine Arts. Its main point of interest
is the mountain covered by grass from its foot to its top, which big trees hardly grow on
except near valleys and streams. The mountaintop overlooks the beautiful landscape of the
provincial town of Mondul Kiri and majestic natural mountainous forest.

Pine Plantation, Mondulkiri Province

The pine plantation is located in Spean Meanchey Commune, Sèn Monorom District; 5 km
away from the provincial town. It is accessed by the Road No. 76.

There are more than 2,092 families living in the pine plantation area, whose main occupations
are farming.
This resort is managed by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Its main
points of interest are extensive ranges of pine trees, dramatic mountainous forest, and fresh
air.

INTRODUCTION ABOUT PHNORNG PEOPLE

The Phnorng are the indigenous peoples of Mondulkiri, although

considered a 'minority' they in fact make up the majority of the
population of Mondulkiri Province

The Phnong are believed to have been living in the Mondulkiri

area for around 2,000 years, they traditionally have a strong link
with their natural environment, hunting in the woods around
their villages as well as collecting foodstuffs and other non-food
products (such as timber or tree-sap) from the woods.
Traditionally the Phnorng do not take products from the forests
that they do not need themselves, and therefore have a minimal
impact on their environment. The Phnorng's religious/spiritual
beliefs are animistic, this is to say that they believe all things
have spirits - animals, plants, hills, stones, jars, buildings - everything.

Their ancestors are also represented by spirits. If these spirits are unhappy because of some
human action they can intervene in the life of the Phnorng, to harm or protect them.
Sometimes it is necessary to appease the spirits with ceremonies/rituals, including animal
sacrifice.

The Phnorng area a traditionally autonomous and self-governing society in which village
elders are looked to to solve internal disputes. If it is decided that a 'law' has been broken then
it may be that the guilty party would have to pay a fine to the village, and also need to carry
out some ceremony as noted above. Crimes which are relatively common in the West and in
much of 'developed society' as a whole - such as thefts, physical violence, rape, and murder -
are practically unheard of in Phnorng society.

History
There is little documentation of the Phnorng
up until the French colonized Cambodia in
1864. A road was built linking Sen Monorom
to Kompong Cham, though Mondulkiri
remained sparsely populated (as it does today
with only 2 people per square Kilometer). In
the 19th century the Phnorng had a reputation
for being particularly warrior-like in their
resistance to the French army.

In 1969-1970 Mondulkiri fell under Khmer Rouge control and as a consequence much of the
population was displaced to Koh Nhek, where the people were forced to work in rice paddy
fields. It was not until the 1980's that the Phnorng were allowed to return to their villages and
traditional homeland. Then they were provided with weapons to protect themselves from
possible Khmer Rouge attacks. Also at this time they were told to move their villages closer
to roads in order for the government to supervise their activities.

Traditionally the Phnorng are essentially

subsistence farmers who practice some trade
with surplus products. Today this is more or
less still the case, with the Phnorng relying
heavily on their hillside rice and bananas. For
a number of reasons they have begun to
diversify the crops which they cultivate, now
Cashew trees, Sweet Potatoes, (OTHER
CROPS) are becoming more popular.

It has long been an ideal for the Khmer

government to teach the Phnorng how to "live
and behave like Khmer" and this has had some success. The desire for the Phnorng to be
more like Khmer people - more modern - has led to a greater number of Phnorng men getting
jobs - ie a career -some of the Phnong men are employed in the police or army services.

The small wages that these men receive - and the greater exposure to Khmer and Western
culture has led to a demand for Khmer style housing, motorbikes, and electrical products such
as Radios and Televisions.

Land
Strangely, even though it is recognised that the Phnorng have occupied the lands in the region
for thousands of years, they are not entitled to a legal right to their lands. This makes them
extremely vulnerable to logging and land-grabbing which are becoming increasingly
problematic in Mondulkiri Province. This point is highlighted by Sidel (2005)
"Economic and infrastructural development promoted by the Royal Government of
Cambodia, spontaneous or encouraged immigration and the impact of the market economy
present difficult challenges for indigenous peoples in the country. The single biggest concern,
however, is the loss of access to and control over their land and natural resources."

ou Sra Waterfall

Busra waterfall is located in Pich Chenda district about 43 kilometers northeast of Mondulkiri
provincial town, Sen Monorom. Busra is considered by many to be the most beautiful
waterfall in Mondulkiri. The waterfall is divided into three stages:

 First Stage: The waterfall fall is 8 to 12 meters high and 15 meters wide in rainy season
and 10 to 15 meters wide in dry season.
 Second Stage: The waterfall fall is 15 to 20 meters high and 20 meters wide in rainy
season and 18 to 25 meters high and 13 meters wide in dry season. The second stage is 150
meters from the first stage.
 Third Stage: The speed of waterfall is faster than the second stage. This stage cannot be
reached because it is in the thick forest. There are no marked paths and dangerous wildlife
inhabits the area.
The double-drop waterfall is very popular with the locals who use it as a bathing and picnic
spot. Its top level is around 10m in height, and the lower level drops down 25m to the gorge.
It is in a scenic and pristine setting and offers great photo ops. Nearby is the ethnic Phnong
village called Pichinda which has a small guesthouse. Some snacks are available at the falls,
but bring food if you would like something more substantial. Then we head northeast to Bou
Sra. We never rode north on this road before and I am surprised that right behind the first hill
it is getting rougher than most we have seen yesterday. We cross a small river on an
improvised bridge and are charged 500 Riel each by a bunch of kids.

After that the road is getting somewhat smoother but still requires a lot of attention. There are
deep grooves in the road, most likely left behind my heavy cars. Once you get into one of
those it leaves you with only very few options other than just following it hoping not to get
stuck. Yet the ground is solid and provides good grip for the tires. We keep going and after
some time we do not see settlements anymore. The forest is relatively dense and in some
places impenetrable. Both of us have to restart the bike a number of times and while we
proceed with moderate speed it remains a challenge in many places to maneuver those
relatively heavy bikes.

The way I start this bike many times is I put it on the stand, climb on the moto and start it
from this relatively comfortable position, before I flap the stand and go. However, I realize
that the stand is about to break off and can hardly support the bike anymore. The road is
getting tougher; there are many rocks and countless obstacles, sometimes forcing us to ride
next to the road. And hills are pretty steep in some instances. Overall we move quite slowly.
After about 40 minutes we have a break. I try to figure how Pongro is riding down those hills
and ask him. I learn that he controls the speed entirely with the clutch.

I am about to suggest using a lower gear. To demonstrate how he does it he takes the clutch
clever and holds it tight. Oddly, at precisely this moment the clutch cable breaks. I does not
take us long to realize that it is impossible to ride this bike without clutch. Ironically, today is
the first day we go without the heavy set of tools and spare parts we usually carry and which
includes a clutch cable. Pongro is still confident that we can manage to fix the bike here.
Once in while people pass on small, old Honda's, sometimes badly overloaded but always
very skillfully finding the way between all those rocks.

We learn that the way to Bou Sra is still longer than the way back to Sen Monorom.
Furthermore the road is getting tougher from here. And it is very unlikely we find somebody
there who can fix the bike.One of those guys stops for some time and Pongro borrows some
tools and wire in order to try fixing the moto. The Phnong guy joins and for some time they
try hard. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that this won?t work out