Chau Doc - We love you!

This was such a pleasant surprise to both of us, that we ended up staying an extra night.  Chau Doc has a captivating charm that is hard to describe.  Originally, we headed here mainly to catch a boat to Phnom Penh, but were immediately drawn-in by the energy of the city.  We didn’t have a place to stay in Chau Doc upon arrival so we had our driver drop us off at an internet cafe.  After a couple of milk coffees we found a nice, but basic hotel called Hai Chau.  The hotel was situated just a short walk from the central market, riverfront, and the town square.

The highlight of our stay had to have been our trip to Tra Su Bird Sanctuary.  Despite doing a terrible job of negotiating a taxi price (it cost $30 return), the sanctuary was just what our nature loving souls needed.  The sanctuary tour includes both fast and row boat tours of the area.  Sitting in the dugout being rowed through Cajeput Tree forest in lilly filled waters, and being greeted by birds in every direction fulfilled my visions of the Mekong waterways. 

We saw a variety of birds, highlighted by huge flocks of storks soaring just overhead from the view deck.  I mustn’t forget to mention the lovely lunch that we enjoyed with a Vietnamese couple that invited us to join them.  The lunch consisted of fish soup, rice noodles, and barbequed field mouse…that’s right mouse.  Everything was quite tasty per usual, and the mouse tasted a lot like chicken, but harder to eat.  A trip to Chau Doc would not be complete without visiting this little bit of paradise.


Aside from this birding mission, we just enjoyed strolling through town, eating a local eateries, walking the waterfront, and drinking coffee in the town square.  There are a number of other foreign travelers in Chau Doc because it is an entry/exit point for Cambodian travel, but the town still held its authenticity.  A beautiful place to stay.