A New Road for Chanleas Dai

In 2010, Chanleas Dai is starting off the year with a new sleek look, one of pavement.In two weeks, a shiny asphalt road will make its way from Kralanh town all the way to Chanleas Dai and beyond, stretching to the provincial capital of Odor Meanchey and past to the Thai border.

Construction has already started, as last month bulldozers and trucks came in to flatten and widen the existing road.Cutting down trees and bushes for three meters on either side, the construction has already changed the landscape of Chanleas Dai, as houses and shops have been pushed back, and the greenery lining the road aggressively chopped.For now, that means that the area looks a bit like a no man’s land, a sea of dust and stumps, with several felled trees lining the roadside.Soon, it will mean that a remote area has become accessible, with greater access to markets, health centers, and education.

We couldn’t be more excited.Many of you who read this newsletter have traveled with us to visit our projects in Chanleas Dai.Whether in a car, in the back of a pickup truck, a bus or in the PEPY biodiesel machine, I’m sure you all recall the rocky red highway that leads from Kralanh town to Chanleas Dai (and all the dust that comes with it).The first groups who traveled with us before 2006 might even remember the three rickety wooden bridges, unstable enough that we unloaded our tour vans before crossing them.

Those of you who joined us before April 2009 will also recall the poor condition of the road from Siem Reap town to Kralanh, a mess of sand and rock in the dry season and thick red mud during the monsoon months.When this road was paved earlier in the year, it cut our travel time to Chanleas Dai down by half and considerably eased the ride.Before, our staff would dread the dusty trek back in the PEPY truck, a converted flatbed that had few shocks to ease the ride.After upwards of an hour and a half of hanging on with kroma-covered faces, we often applauded when we reached pavement.Now Road 6 is a fast and easy 40 minutes to Kralanh with as smooth a road as any in the country, no kroma required.Soon, we’ll be able to say the same for the road to Chanleas Dai as well.

 
By Maryann Bylander, Managing Director

In 2010, Chanleas Dai is starting off the year with a new sleek look, one of pavement.  In two weeks, a shiny asphalt road will make its way from Kralanh town all the way to Chanleas Dai and beyond, stretching to the provincial capital of Odor Meanchey and past to the Thai border.

Construction has already started, as last month bulldozers and trucks came in to flatten and widen the existing road.  Cutting down trees and bushes for three meters on either side, the construction has already changed the landscape of Chanleas Dai, as houses and shops have been pushed back, and the greenery lining the road aggressively chopped.  For now, that means that the area looks a bit like a no man’s land, a sea of dust and stumps, with several felled trees lining the roadside.  Soon, it will mean that a remote area has become accessible, with greater access to markets, health centers, and education.

We couldn’t be more excited.  Many of you who read this newsletter have traveled with us to visit our projects in Chanleas Dai.  Whether in a car, in the back of a pickup truck, a bus or in the PEPY biodiesel machine, I’m sure you all recall the rocky red highway that leads from Kralanh town to Chanleas Dai (and all the dust that comes with it).  The first groups who traveled with us before 2006 might even remember the three rickety wooden bridges, unstable enough that we unloaded our tour vans before crossing them.

Those of you who joined us before April 2009 will also recall the poor condition of the road from Siem Reap town to Kralanh, a mess of sand and rock in the dry season and thick red mud during the monsoon months.  When this road was paved earlier in the year, it cut our travel time to Chanleas Dai down by half and considerably eased the ride.  Before, our staff would dread the dusty trek back in the PEPY truck, a converted flatbed that had few shocks to ease the ride.  After upwards of an hour and a half of hanging on with kroma-covered faces, we often applauded when we reached pavement.  Now Road 6 is a fast and easy 40 minutes to Kralanh with as smooth a road as any in the country, no kroma required.  Soon, we’ll be able to say the same for the road to Chanleas Dai as well.