Doctor warns against staying too late at night with Facebook

In Western countries, research has found that social network sites such as Facebook could be addictive. And some even sought treatment for Facebook addiction.

Here in Cambodia, a healthcare expert has recently warned against staying up late at night with social network sites.

The expert says insufficient sleep as a result of using Facebook could affect one’s health.

CNC interview with Janet Steele, professor of journalism from George Washington University, United States

Recently, a professor of journalism from George Washington University, United States, was on a five-day visit to Cambodia.
During the visit, Janet Steele has had a number of meetings with Cambodian journalists and talked to media students at a few universities in Phnom Penh.

CNC’s Ung Chan Sophea has sat down with Professor Janet Steele to discuss press freedom and the importance of an independent press in a democracy.

The professor also talked about the difference between social media such as Facebook and journalism. And later in the interview, she has also given her advice to those who want to become journalists.

In Kratie, there’s plenty to explore

If you talk about Kratie, people will quickly think of the Mekong dolphins, Kampi resort, 100-pillar temple et cetera.

Upon arrival at the Kratie town, if you continue your journey of another 15 kilometers north of the town, you will reach one of the most popular tourist attractions in the province. That’s Kampi resort – well known for its swirling water – where you can have an ideal picnic and a view of Asia’s rare Mekong dolphins.

Every year, from January to late April or early May, water level at the Kampi resort is shallow enough for a wooden bridge to be constructed across the river and thatch-roofed huts built for the convenience of holiday-goers.

At thatched huts or kiosks built on wooden stilts over the river, people enjoy their freshly cooked food of fresh fish; some happily bathe in cool water and others relax on a hammock breathing in fresh air while listening to the sound of flowing water and occasional laughter of the nearby holiday-goers.

Kimsieng, in her 40s, is from neighboring Kampong Cham province.

“I come to visit here every year. I feel happy. The water is cold,” she says.

A man by the name of Ny, in his 40s, is also from Kampong Cham province. He says he often takes his family to the Kampi resort when time allows.

“I visit here once a year. I like the cold water here. As my family’s living condition is improving, we can travel to many resorts around the country,” says Ny while bathing nearby his kiosk.

Kampi resort is only open to tourists from January to late April or early May when the water level of the river is shallow.

On weekdays, the resort welcomes local and foreign visitors in their hundreds, but during main public holidays such as Khmer New Year holiday, the resort attracts thousands of holiday-goers coming each day.

In fact, according to Mom Kunthy from the provincial office of tourism, on the first day of the Khmer New Year holidays, the resort received roughly 7,000 visitors, about 10,000 visitors on the second day and approximately 4,000 to 5,000 visitors on the third day.

 
In addition to being a tourist attraction, Kampi resort also provide seasonal jobs for local residents who generate their income from selling food and tokens of souvenir to the visitors.

In the afternoon, when you finish your picnic and bathing at the Kampi swirling water resort, you can continue a journey of around one kilometer to see the endangered Mekong dolphins nearby.

At the dolphin seeing place, foreign tourists are required to buy entrance tickets while local visitors are not. However, everyone has to rent a boat if they want to have a close view of the dolphins. The boat rent may cost 10 dollars for four to six people per boat.

Most of the boat pilots are former fishermen. They have been turned from the persons who threaten endangered Irrawaddy dolphins (or Mekong dolphins) into protectors of the species. They earn from guiding tourists with their boats to see dolphins in the river.

Besides the Kampi resort and dolphins, there are many other tourist attractions around the province including Koh Trong, one-hundred-pillar temple, islands and waterfalls. 

So if you want to explore other resorts around Kratie, you may be required to stay one or two nights.

Some facts about Kratie:

Kratie is located some 340 kilometers northeast of the capital Phnom Penh if you take national road #7. However, it’s just approximately 240 kilometers if you take a shortcut at Dambe district, Kampong Cham province. The Mekong River flows from the north to the south of the province in the approximate length of 140 kilometers.Kratie is administratively divided into five districts, one town, 46 communes and 250 villages with the total population of 331,592.