How to Visit Prey Veng (Second Edition)

My latest (and fourth) adventure in Prey Veng Province centered around partner visits. I had wanted to visit our rural ag partners but the opportunity took a while to present itself but when new people arrive on staff, all the good partner visits occur. I surmised our "rural ag partners" by definition were quite far outside Prey Veng town. But somehow 90 minutes is much different on a moto then in your head. I love the driving puzzle of people and vehicles. But that's driving in Phnom Penh. But then there's driving in Prey Veng Province.

Day One involved a visit to CSUK, a small rural university where MCC has seconded a short-term staffer as an economics and marketing prof. How does one get there? "Drive to Vietnam. If you get to the boarder, you've gone too far." Thankfully it's only two turns and it's right off the main road, even though we thought we got lost going out (you just keep driving). Highways for motos however are terrifying. You can actually go up to 60kph (one never gets about 40 in Phnom Penh), except the chickens, dogs, small children, bikes, and massive transport trucks will demand a piece of the road with you. It's also brutally hot in the sunlight on black tarmac at 11am in 88 degree weather with 100% humidity. However, we drove out there all 90 minutes of it, met with the director, visited host families, and ate fried rice. I drove back, and ran over a dog's back leg and tail. That was exciting. 

Day Two was the epic voyage out to our flagship agricultural partner ODOV in Mesang District (which just received the prestigious "good governance" certification from the overarching NGO forum). It was truly over and hour and a half getting out there on mostly dirt roads through villages and rice fields going 25 kph to avoid small children and animals. Yet hours later when we got there, we were allowed to dig in the demonstration garden and learn about a few Cambodia gardening techniques adapted for global climate change. 

Next on the list was yet another partner NILH, another small agricultural partner also working in health. We drove another 45 minutes to get there on dirt roads. We did two site visits with them in very rural communities to see the chickens, pigs, ducks and rice fields. After that, very tired, mildly sunburned, and definitely dirty, we headed back to Prey Veng central. It was yet another hour and  half journey, expect this time, there were massive passenger buses flying by towards Vietnam which have the magnificent power to completely rattle little moto drivers. There was also some brilliant high speed winds coming from a giant black thunderstorm dead ahead which serves to both terrify little moto drivers, and provide incentive to drive faster.

We couldn't work all the time. Over the weekend, there was a long bike ride in the flooded rice paddies and a boat ride on the seasonal lake, craft projects, movies on newly obtained flat-screens, and make-shift smores over a Cambodian charcoal fire. The province should bring out your adventurous side, and your creative side.

The moral from this visit to Prey Veng, you too can drive like a maniac. And secondly, respect must be given to long-distance rural moto drivers (including my colleagues who work out there) because they are truly the fearless ones. And how does one drive in rural Cambodia? Avoid all oncoming objects when possible (not always possible), and really, when you end up in these situations, you'll be surprised what natural instincts kick in.