The wildfires all around us have slowed down our fence project, so we've been using spare wood from the former hammock huts to create something new.

No Roof & No Walls = No Worries 🏞️

     In the year or so we've lived here in Steung Kach we've learned that the rainy season is relentless and the dry season is full of wildfires due to careless cigarette butt flicking and also folks who want free land. Even though it's illegal to burn the forest of a wildlife sanctuary, the government is not trying to catch anyone doing this, and quite often the arsonist works for the government in some way, shape, or form.

     There is no telling how much longer Cambodia's last forest will last, but I would like to see the nearby forest last another 5 to 10 years if possible, a sad but realistic wish. In this time I hope we can give folks a glimpse of Cambodia's rapidly disappearing wilderness, and possibly even foster a respect for nature. The extreme floods of last year brought us a couple of landslides that destroyed one of our hammock huts and put one in a precarious position for the next rainy season.

     Back to the subject matter I meant to discuss, the deck we are building in roughly the same location where our last hammock stood. We decided to disassemble it and repurpose the wood instead of watching it fall into the river later this year. I couldn't rest easy at night with guests sleeping in the hammock hut because I knew it wasn't 100% sturdy or safe, but this new deck is a nice replacement. Our hammock hut flooded several times all the way to the roof, and because the roof and partial walls created a lot of hydro drag, parts of it were washed away.

The Family Needs A Relaxation Spot 👨‍👩‍👧‍👧

     The new hut we are building is not a hut at all because it will be roofless and wall-less, basically a deck with a rope barrier around the exterior to prevent any falls. With strong footers and a thin profile in potential floodwater, I don't have any worries this new structure will be washed away with floods. The new deck will be useless for several months of the year due to nonstop rains, but it will also be a cool place to see the stars and sky when weather permits.

     We did have to buy a couple of posts, but this project will be mostly built from scrap wood we have lying around. My wife wants an outdoor area to cook and relax, and although she would've preferred a bungalow or hut, this would require purchasing building materials that we don't have on hand. Because the fence is the priority at the moment, I figured this would be an easy and cheap project to keep the guys busy when pickets for the fence aren't available.

     I envisioned this deck as having a standing bar on the river's side, and on the uphill side a built-in bench with backrest, and all other exposed sides to be closed up with a rope handrail/barrier. I've seen some high tensile strength sun shades online that can be hung from above, so perhaps a future upgrade will be to stretch a sunshade from the trees to the fence, and that would provide some protection from the weather without compromising the view.

     We are getting a bit tired of being in the house all day because the guys are living in the cabin while we do construction and we don't want to use the porch while they're occupying it. This new deck might become my go-to posting area if I can make a little workspace down here. I have a portable battery for my pc, so it is very possible, so stay tuned for updates on how this project moves along.

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