There is always something interesting to snap down by the river's edge here in Steung Kach, whether fungi, plants, or creatures.
First, Over The Mountain Pass ⛰️
6 days a week, rain or shine, there have to drive the tuk-tuk over a long mountain pass to pick the kids up from school, and occasionally I have to take them too if our neighbor is unable to drop them off on his way to work. By the time I arrive back home from the drive, I usually want to go to bed and give up on the day, but there are unending works that need to be completed.
Forget It, Let's Swim 🏊♀️
If the drive back home is exceptionally brutal and the weather is good, it almost certainly means a quick swim is in order. On this day our little neighbor boy Ah-Bom was with us. We asked if he liked swimming in the river, and he told us he goes all the time, loves it. Well, upon arriving at the mouth of the river, Ah-Bom came clean and let us know he's not been to the river much at all in his three years of existence.
I was already at the river trying to take fungi and insect pictures before the kids arrived, knowing once they'd joined me that would be impossible. The river is so loud that we have to communicate with hand signals, so I motioned to Monkey-B to descend and take Ah-Bom with her.
Once Monkey-B and Ah-Bom arrived at the river's edge, I noticed he was nervous even in a very safe place with only a few centimeters of water. I let Monkey-B down by telling her she'd have to stay with her little buddy whether he chooses to enter the water or not. He didn't want anything to do with a lifejacket, and instead played with a much more familiar friend, mud.
Quick, Nature Photos Now 🍒
I knew Monkey-B would have little patience for playing with mud for long, so in a period of about 3-4 minutes I managed to find a few interesting things to snap. There is a massive black and yellow spider that I'd love to shoot, but it has spun a web far too high to get a decent shot, so you'll just have to believe me, and probably don't eat anything bright red. I don't know if these berries are edible, but they sure are beautiful, one of the few red things to be found in this forest.
There is much more fungi to discover than anything else. The place is full of tiny tributaries, and there is lots of shade and rotting fallen trees, so it's a natural fungi nursery. There are only two or three mushrooms in Cambodia that I am comfortable picking and eating, and none of the ones I've shared with you are any of those.
This above fungi reminds me of snow fungus a bit, something we usually buy in dehydrated form. I am not sure if this is some kind of snow fungus, but it certainly is beautiful. I definitely need to return with my Nikon for some better shots. It's not a DSLR, but I feel it takes better pics than my iPhone 8.
Of course this would involve ferrying my camera across the water and also taking pictures where I could easily drop my camera in the creeks or river. As soon as I saw the above multicolored beauties, Ah-Bom was getting bored with the mud, so I had to call it quits and make this my Hive content for the day. Peace out from Steung Kach yo!
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