Around Cambodia pt2

MAP of my journey HERE & HERE

LIST OF CONTENTS

16/06/15 – Sihanukville to Veal Rinh – 50km – Easy

17/06/15 – Veal Rinh to Kampot – 50km – Easy

19/06/15 – Kampot to Angk Ta Soam – 90km (approx) – Easy

20/06/15 – Angk Ta Soam to Phnom Penh – 75km – Easy

29/06/15 – Phnom Penh to Prey Veng – 80km – Easy

30/06/15 – Prey Veng to Kampong Cham – 77km – Easy

01/07/15 – Around Kampong Cham – 46km – Easy

02/07/15 – Kampong Cham to Chamkar Leu – 66km – Easy

03/07/15 – Chamkar Leu to Kampong Thom – 65km – Easy

05/07/15 – Kampong Thom to Rovieng – 88km – Easy

06/07/15 – Rovieng to Phumi Khvau – Kampong Thom – 55km (approx) – Easy

07 to 11/07/15 – Kampong Thom – Phnom Penh – Kampong Thom – By bus

12/07/15 – Kampong Thom to Phnum Daek – 75km – Easy

13/07/15 – Phnum Daek to Preah Vihear (Tbeng Meanchey) – 63km – Easy

14/07/15 – Preah Vihear – Chhaeb – Preah Vihear – 80km – Easy/ disaster

15/07/15 – Preah Vihear to Sra’aem – 86km – Easy (but disaster hits)

16/07/15 – Sra’aem to Siem Reap – By share taxi

19/07/15 – Siem Reap to Sisophon – 106km – Easy

20/07/15 – Sisophon to Poipet – 47km – Easy

21/07/15 – Poipet to Aranya Prathet – 10km – Easy

CONCLUSIONS & OVERALL COSTS

16/06/15 – Sihanukville to Veal Rinh – 50km – Easy
MAP of today's journey;- HERE

I find the coastal road between Sihanukville & Veal Rinh is the perfect start to my cycling trip. It’s short enough that I can slowly transition from my unhealthy nocturnal living with a midday start & with a second half of undulating roads it’s enough of a work out to shake the cobwebs (& excess alcohol) out of my system.

Sovans full English breakfast to get me going & then headed past the old ferry port towards Stueng Hav. I endured heavy traffic for the 1^st few km’s but it soon thinned out after the port & thereafter it was a tranquil cycle ride on good roads with extremely sparse traffic. It’s a picturesque, scenic journey as the road passes fishing villages, boat repair yards & beautiful, deserted beaches.

Not long after Hun Sen beach the road swings to the right & the undulating hills begin, nothing overly strenuous (perhaps 20 to 30 meter ascents) but enough to realize how out of shape I am. The coastal scenery is replaced by rolling green hills with the mist shrouded mountains of Bokor National Park in the distance. An extremely pleasant cycle made all the more enjoyable by kids rushing out to yell cheery “hellos” as I cycled by.

Arriving at the junction with highway 4 I endured 2km of heavy traffic, although with a decent shoulder it wasn’t oppressive, before arriving in Veal Rinh & heading to their wonderful “point & order” restaurants directly opposite the market (see note 1). Stir fried beef & green pepper in a dry curry sauce + rice for $1.50 was delicious.

Headed off to Leng Try guesthouse for a nice $8 fan room & because it’s located on road 3 (rather than highway 4) it’s always extremely quiet. By night another great meal at the fast food restaurants before picking up a bag of beers & some ice for the room.

NOTE 1;-  Khmer fast food restaurants – Throughout Cambodia you will see restaurants with stainless steel pans in a display case or simply sitting on a table. This is the Khmer version of fast food. Simply open the lids & look at what’s on offer then point to what you fancy & it will be served up with a big plate of steamed rice & usually unlimited free iced tea. Some places reheat the food before serving but this is not always the case. It’s generally as cheap as eating out in Cambodia gets & the dishes can vary from pretty wonderful to downright awful. I’m by no means a fussy eater but tend to peruse the offerings for something without too many bones (i.e. pork or beef although very occasionally they use boneless chicken). It’s a great way to experience Cambodian food, there’s no language barrier – just point at what you want, the staff are invariably very welcoming & it won’t break anyone’s budget.

17/06/15 – Veal Rinh to Kampot – 50km – Easy

Actually my plan had been to cycle over the Cardamom Mountains to Thailand but I realized yesterday I was loving everything about Cambodia just now & didn’t want to leave. This morning I decided to head to Phnom Penh & extend my visa instead.

A great start to the day when I cycled to the restaurants opposite Veal Rinh market & bumped into a fellow cyclist. A long, leisurely breakfast swapping tales & cycling routes ensued. Setting off into a cool, overcast day initially the brooding, mist shrouded Bokor mountains dominate the scenery. After a few km’s the road swings to the right & runs perpendicular to the mountains with a good flat road surface & again extremely sparse traffic.

It was effortless cycling through tranquil, peaceful countryside; rice fields, small homesteads, fishing villages, occasional sea views & offshore islands, crossing river estuary’s lined with mangrove swamps & all the time the dramatic Bokor mountains to my left. Lots of waves from the locals & cheery “hellos” from the kids.

It felt so wonderful to be out & about in Cambodia that I knew I’d made the right decision to remain here a while longer. Most of the houses had a scarecrow adjacent to the main gate presumably to ward off evil spirits or ghosts.

Arriving in Kampot I headed straight to Kampot 2 Guesthouse for a $6 fan room. Fairly basic rooms but with a comfortable mattress, cable TV & quiet garden setting it’s good value & meets my needs. By night an aimless stroll around town & I bumped into a couple of mates I’d not seen for some time. It meant a few too many beers being consumed & suffering a god awful hangover the next day.

19/06/15 – Kampot to Angk Ta Soam – 90km (approx) – Easy

I’d plotted a route from Kampot to Takeo which avoided the main roads & passed through what looked to be interesting countryside as it passed hilly terrain & skirted some lakes. 97km over winding dirt tracks would be a challenge especially awaking to heavy rain & knowing those dirt tracks soon turn to mud.

A quick rice & pork breakfast before heading off for Angkor Chey & true enough it wasn’t long before I was plowing through muddy tracks. The Cambodian countryside is not at its best just now with the rice fields brown & arid but a backdrop of green rolling hills made for pleasant enough scenery.

Completely lost

Around 20km in I knew I’d taken a wrong turn & tried to get a fix on my location on Google Maps. Unfortunately Google Maps decided this was a perfect time to completely fold on me & kept giving me a blank screen. A few moments of panic ensued as I realized I was in the middle of nowhere with no idea which way to turn. My best guess was highway 3 should be North & a left turn away. A half hour of cycling over more muddy tracks & a couple of checks of my location with some locals found me meeting up with highway 3.

It was a disappointment to have to use highway 3 as I’ve already seen pretty much everything it has to offer & had wanted to avoid main roads today, plus I’d wanted to have a look around Angkor Chey.  That said with a good road surface, decent shoulder & fairly light traffic I made good time & enjoyed some reasonable scenery.

Arriving in Angk Ta Soam I headed straight to Sokhom Guesthouse for a $5 fan room. Set back from the main road it’s very quiet & has secure parking for my bike. The only problem was when the owner showed me a room there was a frightened sparrow flying around inside.

“OK” the owner asked.

I pointed out the bird ever more frantically fluttering around to which the owner laughed & pointed to a hole in the wall through which it must have entered. He was completely unperturbed & didn’t seem to understand why I would have a problem with a bird fluttering around (& shitting) in my room. “Wait “I said in my best Khmer & opened the door & both windows. There ensued a few minutes as I tried to direct the ever more frantic bird outside, the owner looking on perplexed as to why I would have a problem with a sparrow in my room.

Finally managing to coax it out the window I said “Yes OK, I’ll take the room”. The owner gave me a look that said “You Barangs are a funny lot sometimes.”

 20/06/15 – Angk Ta Soam to Phnom Penh – 75km – Easy

Not much to report today.  An easy cycle on highway 3 with a good road surface, flat terrain & a decent shoulder most of the way. The scenery was OK but the dry, brown rice fields are desperately in need of some rain to bring a bit of colour to them. Some green hills in the distance & colourful Khmer street life were enough to keep me occupied & ensure I enjoyed the route.

Coming into Phnom Penh Google Maps had plotted me an interesting, if convoluted route through Phnom Penh’s slums, much of the time following an absolutely filthy river. Thick tar black water covered in decomposing garbage with a stink that was overpowering. It made me want to gag the whole way yet people were living right by the riverbank & I guess the poor can get used to anything after a time. An intensely interesting look at Phnom Penh’s suburbs.

Arriving just as a prolonged spell of rain began I headed straight to Green Guesthouse & was glad to find my favorite room was available. $8 with extensive city views & safe bike storage. I’m going to have a few days in Phnom Penh sorting out a visa extension & hopefully catching up with a few mates. 

29/06/15 – Phnom Penh to Prey Veng – 80km – Easy

MAP of today's journey;- HERE

I’d spent longer in Phnom Penh than intended as I tried to shake off a persistent cold.  A short cycle through the city streets found me embarking on a 12 cent ferry journey to the suburbs. Landing, I was surprised to find extremely basic shacks all along the waterfront & had expected land this close to Phnom Penh would be prime real estate.

Disembarking, a short cycle before taking a right turn onto road 380 & thereafter I just kept hugging the bank of the Mekong as much as was possible. It was a lovely road to cycle as I passed through farmland whether stilted wooden houses with haystacks & cattle nearby, vegetable plantations, the ubiquitous rice fields, often with the languid Mekong river as a backdrop. The peaceful, tranquil air of the Cambodian countryside enveloped me for the whole route.

Temple complexes appeared every few km’s & every hour or so I’d cycle into one & enjoy a cigarette & water break in shaded, calm surroundings.

A road surface of compacted clay varied dramatically from a pleasant smooth cycle to extremely rough & bone shaking segments, some sections with loose sand as a topcoat were somewhat treacherous unless taken very slowly. It was often slow going but when I’m in such tranquil surroundings I never feel the need to rush anywhere.

Lots of locals cycling to & fro with the school kids yelling out hearty “hellos” as I passed by. At Phum Thmei I took a small family run ferry (20 cents) across to Peamro before picking up road 11 to Prey Veng. It was actually nice to be back on a tarmac road where I could rest my butt & rattle in the km’s. Traffic remained fairly light all the way.  

I hadn’t found anywhere to eat all day other than a sickly sweet Khmer desert in Peamro market & arrived in Prey Veng absolutely famished. A short cycle around & I soon spotted some stainless steel pans & had an absolutely delicious pork, cabbage, carrot & onion stir fry. Amazing value at $1 including rice & free iced tea.

Sign in my hotel

A cycle up to Angkor Thom Hotel for a nice $6 fan room (no English spoken). By night I enjoyed a few beers & some snacks in a small nightmarket near the hotel before picking up a bag of beers & ice for the room. I was pleasantly surprised to find Angkor Thom Hotel had a really strong wifi signal something I hadn’t expected in a quiet backwater like Prey Veng.

 NOTE;- There were lots of places to buy water & cold drinks today but almost no place to get any food. I was really glad I had some spare rations in my daypack to keep me going.

30/06/15 – Prey Veng to Kampong Cham – 77km – Easy

I enjoyed my usual lazy start to the day needing 2 coffees & ½ a pack of cigarettes before I can really face the world. It meant, as usual, I wasn’t loaded up & off until 10AM.

I knew from previous experience there were good services in Svay Antor & so skipped breakfast reasoning I’d put in a few km & build up a healthy appetite first. Arriving in Svay Antor at 11am I cycled up & down looking for stainless steel pans but all the restaurants were offering was basic pork & rice. Settling for a bland pork & rice by the time I’d finished it & cycled back through town all the restaurants were full of steaming pans of Khmer stir fries, curries, soups & stews. I realized I’d arrived 30 minutes too early & that these restaurants don’t really get going until just before the midday rush.

The scenery for the 1^st 40km was typical Khmer flatlands with green rice fields stretching to infinity dotted with coconut trees & traditional stilted wooden houses, not unpleasant but it can get a bit boring after a time.

It wasn’t until I exited Ou Reang that the scenery improved as I passed through farmland with well tended vegetable plantations & occasional rubber plantations. All the way there was a wonderful aroma not dissimilar to pine drifting in on the breeze.

Finding lots of services at the junction with road 7 I stopped for a tasty Khmer stir fry before heading along road 7 to Kampong Cham. I remember a picturesque section of this road as it passed photogenic houseboats with fishing nets suspended in the air but today the water levels were too low & the houseboats currently marooned in a muddy swamp.

In Kampong Cham I checked into Leap Viraksar Hotel, #20, 3^rd village for a $6 fan room with cable TV & good Wi-Fi. The internal rooms which the Khmers prefer are damp & dank but the rooms with a door & window onto the communal balcony are fantastic value. Staff are friendly but don’t speak much English.  

01/07/15 – Around Kampong Cham – 46km – Easy

My plan had been to cross the bamboo bridge to Koh Pen, apparently an impressive sight & feat of local engineering which is rebuilt every dry season. Unfortunately I was too late in the season & found it was already washed away. Shunning the ferry across to the island I decided to have a cycle along the Mekong to Kang Meas instead.

It was a pleasant leisurely cycle passing pleasant Khmer riverside scenery. The road, much of it shaded by mature trees varied from a good tarmac surface to a bumpy, dusty track. A few cars passed but mostly I was in the company of local cyclists & motorbikes. Traditional Khmer stilted wooden houses lined the roadside often with an old man sitting in the doorway watching the world go by, the womenfolk coloufully adorned with kroma’s congregating below to gossip & watch the kids play.

All day I was met with cheery “hellos” from the passing kids, the braver ones rushing out to high five me as I passed by.

One great thing about these riverside roads is temples appear every few km. The perfect place to pull in & rest up from the baking sun. There was a strong Muslim influence to much of this route whether passing mosques, headscarf clad women, kids with colourful headscarf’s & occasionally bearded men with flatcaps & flowing white robes.

 02/07/15 – Kampong Cham to Chamkar Leu – 66km – Easy

MAP of today's journey;- HERE

It’s been a great days cycling through idyllic Cambodian countryside. I begun by cycling along Kampong Cham waterfront & from there followed the Mekong all the way to Stueng Trang.

This really was a wonderful cycle route. Shunning the main road & sticking to the small (but good quality) roads running alongside the Mekong river meant I was rewarded with river views including large islands the Mekong circumnavigates in these parts; passing through picturesque villages of stilted Khmer houses often set back from the road & surrounded by dense green vegetation, moving onto lanes shaded by mature trees. With cow pens built beneath the houses, haystacks in each yard alongside rustic plows & wooden oxen carts, it had the feel of passing through land that time forgot & a tranquil, peaceful air enveloped everything.

Lots of Khmer temples & mosques dotting the roadside & once again a strong Muslim influence to much of the route, not least in the local dress.

It felt great to be cycling through such idyllic countryside & my pace slowed in tune with the languid surroundings. Naturally the kids yelling hearty “hellos” & rushing out to high five me enhanced the experience.

A pit stop in Stueng Trang where I enjoyed a stir fry over rice before turning off onto road 222 to Chamkar Leu. Stueng Trang was a fairly small town but I did notice one guesthouse in town. It looks newly built & fairly fancy from the outside. Ferries operate from Stueng Trang to the Eastern banks of the Mekong.

Leaving Stueng Trang the shaded tree lined roads & Mekong scenery gave way to more open, less shaded roads through flat Cambodian plains. The flat plains of green rice fields studded with coconut trees can soon get somewhat monotonous. A few minor hills caught me unawares & had me dropping gears for the 1^st time on this trip.

Arriving in Chamkar Leu (the junction with road 71) my first stop was for a wonderful liver & green beans stir fried in a spicy peanut sauce ($1.25 including rice) before looking for a guesthouse. There’s a cluster of 3 just off the main road & I chose Chamreun Meandeak GH, their $5 single rooms were damp & depressing but the $7 twins with outside window were OK. That said I regretted not checking the guesthouse on the main road where I could have spent the night sipping beer on the balcony & watching life go by.

Guesthouse in Stueng Trang

Returning to the guesthouse at 9pm with a bag of beers & ice, a young lady was waiting for me to tell me smoking wasn’t allowed in my room. I said “OK, give me my money back” which she completely ignored. It wasn’t until I quickly packed & made it plain I was moving out that the elderly mother got involved & told her daughter/ daughter in law (??) to shut up & stop hassling guests in her house. Turning to me & despite having no English she made it plain I could smoke all I want & that I should ignore her rude daughter. 

03/07/15 – Chamkar Leu to Kampong Thom – 65km – Easy

A dreadful start to the day as I was awoken by a repetitive recording of someone’s breakfast offerings. The same phrase loudly repeated time after time meant I couldn’t get back to sleep & consequently I’ve felt knackered all day.

A quick pork & rice for breakfast before setting off up road 71. The initial 30km was pleasant cycling on a good road surface with light traffic passing through rubber plantations, vibrant green countryside & villages of stilted Khmer houses.

I was glad I’d had an early breakfast in Chamkar Leu as despite there being cold drinks available all route I didn’t spot any food services & even passing through Kampong Thma I was surprised I didn’t spot any restaurants (NB – If I’d been desperate I’m sure a better look around & I would have spotted something).

The final 30km on highway 6 was a chore as I found myself cycling into a strong headwind on long, straight, featureless roads. The scenery was bland & boring & it was one of those times to put my head down & concentrate on clicking off the km’s.

Arriving in Kampong Thom I headed straight to Arunras Hotel, 39 Eo Sereipheap Street & got a really nice, comfortable $6 fan room with good Wi-Fi, outside balcony & well located next to the local night market.

(Note to myself; - 25km before Kampong Thom there is a guesthouse with a few basic services nearby).

05/07/15 – Kampong Thom to Rovieng – 88km – Easy

Arunras Hotel had been an extremely comfortable place to stay & great value for $6. Leaving Kampong Thom the traffic was heavy & for the first time on this trip it felt oppressive. It wasn’t until I turned off highway 6 & onto road 64 that I could relax & enjoy a lightly trafficked road again.

The rest of the day I’ve enjoyed a good road surface with extremely light traffic. Due to the periodic standoffs with the Thai Military over a dispute regarding ownership of Preah Vihear temple the roads in this area have been rebuilt/ resurfaced to allow fast movement of troops & armaments. It means they are some of the best roads in the country at the moment.

The scenery wasn’t dramatic but pleasant enough with trees lining the roadside & sparsely populated countryside. Indeed it’s on roads such as this you realize how sparsely populated parts of Cambodia are with only occasional houses dotting the roadside & large areas of scrubland. In Vietnam there would be wall to wall houses & every inch of land being cultivated.

Even the usually colourful roadside activity was less evident with fewer kids cycling by & long stretches where I never passed anyone. Cold drinks were available all day but other than a small village 26km from Kampong Thom where I had a quick stir fry & Phnum Daek (lots of restaurants) there was no food options. Phnum Daek has 2 guesthouses, one of which (Toape 2 Guesthouse) looked comfortable from the outside.

Passing one village I noted every house had a scarecrow guarding the entrance, some of which were very elaborate & indeed fierce as the sported wooden guns. According to Google Maps I’ve climbed up to 100 meters a few times today although I can’t say I ever noticed & it must have been on extremely gentle gradients.

Deforested  & desolate

Arriving in Rovieng I had the choice of 2 guesthouses & opted for Toape GH with a clean, comfortable $6 fan room. It turned out to be a great choice as the whole towns had no power all night & Toape has an extremely quiet generator which they run from 6pm. Unexpectedly I’ve had a great Wi-Fi signal as well. (NB – The sign says Toape GH but the name card & literature says Two Lions guesthouse). Lots of my fellow guests were Chinese who seem to own the concession to a local gold mine.

Rovieng’s an extremely quiet & boring town by night, not helped by there being no electricity but I did manage to get a really nice fried noodles & pork ($2.50) from the restaurant opposite my guesthouse & a bag of beers & ice for the room.

06/07/15 – Rovieng to Phumi Khvau – Kampong Thom – 55km (approx) – Easy

I had thought about going north from Rovieng over intriguing roads that would bring me out North East of Preah Vihear. A sixth sense told me to play safe & stick with the main roads & thankfully I listened to it otherwise I would have ended up stranded in the middle of nowhere.

My usual slothful start to the day saw me underway at 09.30 retracing the 14km to Phnom Dek junction that I’d cycled yesterday. A moderate headwind & no breakfast meant I noticed the inclines much more today. There was nothing overly strenuous but it was enough to wake me up & get the blood pumping. According to my altimeter app I climbed to 130 meters. It was a good road surface & traffic was virtually nonexistent.  

Arriving in Phnom Dek with a healthy appetite I wolfed down a lovely pork & ginger stir fry with rice ($1.25) with the Khmer customers surprised & delighted to see a foreigner enjoy Khmer food.

Continuing on up road 62 it was back to a good road passing through sparsely populated countryside with much of the land uncultivated & left to grow wild. The scenery was once again pleasant enough, if undramatic & often I had the road completely to myself. The later stage of this route the scenery became more dramatic as the road began to skirt a range of forest clad mountains, a nice change from Cambodia’s usual flat plains.

Just as I was really enjoying the scenery & cycling along in a nice tranquil groove disaster struck as my back wheel began to wobble horribly. Pushing the bike back to a small village I found some shade & investigated.  The bearing in my back wheel had completely disintegrated & the ball bearings were loose & spilling out. Realising I’d have to go back to Phnom Penh to find a new spindle assembly I sat around until I managed to flag down a mini bus going to Kampong Thom. I was pissed off

having to curtail the journey but part of me realized how lucky I was that I hadn’t taken the remote back roads & have the bearing give out in the middle of nowhere.

As I was sitting in the mini bus with my bike strapped on the rear rack I realized in my relief at finding a lift, I’d not actually agreed a price in advance & began to worry the driver could charge me whatever he wanted. I should have known better & that I’m amongst honest Khmers out here, 90 minutes & 115km later he charged me $5 for transporting me & my bike.

Dropped right outside Arunras Hotel I got my old room again (304) & it was as comfortable as ever. 

07 to 11/07/15 – Kampong Thom – Phnom Penh – Kampong Thom – By bus

07/07 – I traveled by mini bus from Kampong Thom to Phnom Penh. It cost me $5 for me & my bike with the dubious pleasure of having the front seat to myself; - sometimes it’s better not to be too aware of the manic driving, overtaking & near misses going on. With the bike securely strapped to the back rack I enjoyed a pleasant, if uneventful journey to Phnom Penh.

 In Phnom Penh I tried a couple of bike shops around Ou Ruessei market who didn’t have the parts or expertise to take on the repair. It appears I have to replace the whole centre spindle assembly & only the Giant dealership could take on the repair. It meant waiting around for a few days but I had no other choice.

11/07 – Retraced my steps with an uneventful $5 mini bus ride to Kampong Thom, again fantastic value for both me & my bike. Back to my $6 room at Arunras hotel & I’m really looking forward to getting back on the road tomorrow, even if it’s only retracing my steps to Phnum Daek.

12/07/15 – Kampong Thom to Phnum Daek – 75km – Easy

Arunras Hotel was again comfortable & great value for money although it was noisy with ongoing construction work during the day.

A pleasantly overcast day made for enjoyable cycling as I repeated my run up to Phnum Daek as recorded on 05/07/15. Once again the scenery was undramatic but it just felt great to be back in the saddle.

Nicer than I expected

Arriving in Phnum Daek just after 3pm I first killed an hour with a leisurely meal of stir fried pork & ginger ($1.25 with rice) before checking into Toape 2 guesthouse. $6 for a fan room (no TV) & reasonable Wi-Fi; - It’s not as nice as Toape 1 in Rovieng but still much nicer than I’d expected in such a backwater & the bed was really comfortable.

With no TV my plan to watch the Wimbledon men’s final came to naught but I did find food, beer & ice so all’s well. 

13/07/15 – Phnum Daek to Preah Vihear (Tbeng Meanchey) – 63km – Easy

It was a struggle to get out of bed at 8am today, I really just wanted to turn over & sleep some more. Testament to how comfortable the beds in Toape 2 guesthouse are.

The 1^st 40km found me retracing my steps from 06/07/15 through sparsely populated countryside on a good road surface. Arriving in Phumi Khvav absolutely famished I spotted one extremely rustic restaurant with only spare ribs on offer. When I indicated to the wizened old lady I wanted some she was absolutely delighted & I’m sure served me an extra large portion. They were absolutely delicious & when I told her “chanang nha!” she broke out into the most wonderful toothless grin & went round telling all the bystanders the barang thought her ribs were delicious. $1.25 for some great food & a wonderful experience to boot.

Setting off again the road continued to undulate as it skirted a range of hills. The gradients were very modest & the climbs never severe but still enough to have me working up & down gears all day. At one point I reached an altitude of 160 meters with pleasant views of the Cambodian flatlands below.

Light traffic & pleasant green countryside all around has made it a pleasant days cycling. Arriving in Preah Vihear just as a heavy downpour descended I headed straight to the market area & took the 1^st room I looked at. Chhieng Hour guesthouse with an $8 fan room, small but well appointed with flat screen TV & comfortable bed.

As the rain continued all afternoon & evening my plans to change money & complete some errands came to naught. A quick dash to a small restaurant for a lovely beef stew & rice ($1.25) before picking up the customary bag of beers & ice for the room.

14/07/15 – Preah Vihear – Chhaeb – Preah Vihear – 80km – Easy

A completely wasted day & all due to my own incompetence. Heading out towards Sra- aem or so I thought & somehow I managed to veer onto road 64. I’ve no idea how I managed to cycle 40km before realizing I was going in completely the wrong direction & I really must pick up a compass one of these days.

It wasn’t until 10km outside Chhaeb when I spoke to some locals that I realized my mistake. The worst aspect was it had been a bland, boring road to cycle with unappealing scenery & I had to about turn & redo the whole 40km.

I was starving when I made my about turn & yet knew I hadn’t passed any restaurants since the outskirts of Preah Vihear. To round off a shit day the rain came on with a vengeance, blowing straight into my face & the wind reducing my pace to 10km per hour.

Arriving in Preah Vihear once more soaked through I stopped at the 1^st restaurant I saw. I can’t even remember what I ate but do know not a grain of rice was left on the plate, the Khmer customers amazed a barang can eat just as ferociously as they can.

In no mood to search around town for a room I headed back to Chhieng Hour guesthouse & an $8 fan room.   

15/07/15 – Preah Vihear to Sra’aem – 86km – Disaster strikes

Kicked off the day with a basic pork & rice breakfast & for $1.25 it’s a cheap, filling start to the day. After yesterdays wrong turn I decided to play safe & stick to road 62.

The initial 10km was an extremely pleasant cycle as the road headed towards a range of forest clad hills, a nice change from the flat, mundane scenery of much of Cambodia. Thereafter the road took a turn North & skirted the hills, again very pleasant cycling with lots of dense green vegetation in view.

Arriving at the junction with road 64 (the turnoff to Kulean) I spotted a few restaurants & decided to fill up whilst I could. A basic sweet & sour pork & rice cost an extortionate $2 & it’s the 1^st time in a long, long time I’ve felt ripped off in Cambodia. Perhaps avoid the 1^st restaurant on the left but it is well worth filling up here as there was no services whatsoever for the next 40km including nowhere to buy water.

The following 40 (service less) km past through woodland with lush green vegetation, extremely sparse traffic & was an extremely pleasant cycle ride as I listened to birdsong & the occasional insect choir.

Around 25km outside Sra’Aem I heard a loud, frightening crack from my back wheel as a spoke snapped. It’s the 1^st time I’ve had a broken spoke & meant disconnecting my rear brakes & nursing her slowly into Sra’aem with a severe buckle in the back wheel.

I’m beginning to wonder if this whole trip is jinxed & getting frustrated at how much is going wrong all of a sudden. After 15,000km of sterling service my trusty steed is becoming distinctly untrustworthy of late especially as I’m at the base of Prasat Preah Vihear temple – the whole point of this particular journey (other than just cycling for cycling’s sake of course).

Checked around Sra’aem & all the guesthouses were overpriced by Cambodian standards & wanted $10 for a fan room. I opted for Soksan 66 guesthouse as the best of a bad lot, not least the only one that had decent Wi-Fi.

As I see it I’ve 3 choices;-

1)      Risk trying to climb the 500 meters to Prasat Preah Vihear with a buckled wheel & descend with a disconnected rear brake.

2)      Try to cycle to Anlong Veng with a full load & buckled wheel.

3)      Bus it to Siem Reap & get repairs done. The most sensible solution with time on my visa rapidly running out. 

 16/07/15 – Sra’aem to Siem Reap – By share taxi

All night I’d contemplated trying to cycle to Prasat Preah Vihear despite my buckled wheel but decided it just wasn’t practical particularly the return journey & descending with no back brakes. I’ve since read David Holmes report of cycling this route & I’m glad I didn’t attempt it with my crocked bike. His report is HERE

Cycling down to the transport hub & I asked around for a minivan to Siem Reap but it seems mini vans don’t ply this route & the only option was a share taxi. It took some hard bargaining but I finally agreed a fare of $10 for me & my bike. I then had to sit around for 3 hours until there were enough passengers to fill the taxi, finally setting off at 1.30pm.

It’s an uncomfortable way of traveling & I was squashed into the back seat with 3 other adults & 2 kids. 2 adults are squeezed onto the front passenger seat & a final passenger is shoehorned between the driver & his door. 7 adult passengers, 2 kids & a driver in a normal 4 person sedan.

As the driver continually stopped to pick up & disgorge luggage I had to switch off & stop worrying how well he was re securing my bike at the back. Stuck in the middle of the back row it’s nothing I had any control over. (NB – If you need some comfort then you can pay double & have the front passenger seat to yourself).

An uncomfortable stop, start journey took over 4 hours & initially I was glad I hadn’t tried to cycle it, the 1^st 100km was bland, boring countryside as it passed through yet more deforested landscape. Around 20km north of Banteay Srei to Siem Reap looked to be lovely countryside to cycle through as we passed roads shaded by mature trees with lush green forest, hills & picturesque local villages to enjoy. It did look like a lovely 60km to cycle.

Arriving in Siem Reap just before 6pm I raced around to Grasshopper & caught them just as they were closing up. Past experience means I don’t rate their abilities too highly but they are the only bike mechanics I know in Siem Reap. A service, new spoke & wheel balance will set me back $16.

A wander around & I ended up at Sam So guesthouse, #164 Wat Bo Village with a $7 fan room, hot shower, cable, good Wi-Fi & set in a nice quiet area. Realizing I hadn’t actually eaten since breakfast & that suddenly I was ravenously hungry I headed straight to Khmer Taste restaurant for a lovely chicken amok & rice ($3) washed down with 50 cent draft beers.

19/07/15 – Siem Reap to Sisophon – 106km – Easy

Boring roads all day

Knowing I’d a fair distance to cover I wanted an early start but found my back wheel as flat as a pancake. Stripping it down & I found the puncture came from exposed spoke nipples & Grasshoppers, incompetent as ever, hadn’t replaced the rubber sheath that protects the tube from the nipples. By the time I’d walked down to Grasshopper, got them to fit a sheath, returned & refitted my back wheel it was almost 11am before I got off.

A fairly bland, instantly forgettable cycle followed with long straight roads & rice fields stretching to infinity. I really didn’t enjoy today’s cycling especially as the late start meant pushing to make Sisophon before dark. Traffic was heavier than I’ve become used to but with a good road surface & wide shoulder it was never oppressive.

Delicious beef skewers

Strong crosswinds hindered me all day & around 3pm the light drizzle intensified into a prolonged downpour & I arrived in Sisophon once more soaked through. I wasn’t in the mood to hunt around for guesthouses & took the 1^st room I looked at. Golden Crown GH with a basic $6 room got me out of the rain if nothing else. I’m sure there are better deals in town if you’re in the mood to look around.

As the rain continued into the evening I only ventured out to buy some grilled meats & cakes from the bakery otherwise contenting myself with some beers & ice in the room. (Actually the beef skewers wrapped around string beans were wonderful & the pork sausage pretty delicious as well). 

20/07/15 – Sisophon to Poipet – 47km – Easy

Boring road

Another unenjoyable days cycling as I spent the whole route battling fairly strong winds with bland, boring & uninspiring scenery. It was a good road surface but lacking any shoulder although the moderately heavy traffic never felt oppressive.

Boring scenery

I was glad it was a short run today & over fairly quickly & 1.30pm found me searching for a room in Poipet. The guesthouses were a pretty sorry lot & most wanted $6 to $8 for really worn, unappealing fan rooms. I finally stumbled upon Song Dara Hotel (on the main road as you come into town) & their $8 fan rooms were clean, comfortable & way better than anything else I’d looked at.

I headed out to buy a few cartons of cigarettes that I pray Thai customs won’t notice tomorrow & by night enjoyed some food & beers at the local street stalls.

 21/07/15 – Poipet to Aranya Prathet – 10km – Easy

Poipet, dusty & noisy

A delayed start to the day when I found my back wheel completely flat. It meant locating a bike shop & buying a new tube before I could get off. A stop for my last Cambodian meal meant I didn’t get to the border until midday.

It was a bad time to arrive as it coincided with busloads of backpackers & immigrations lunchtime. With only 3 of the 6 windows open it meant standing in long, slow moving queues getting bumped & battered by their bloody backpacks. It took around 90 minutes until I got through to the better organized, more efficient Thai immigration. Finally stamped into Thailand I retrieved my bike & as I was cycling into Thailand an elderly cop gave me a salute & said “welcome to Thailand” It was indeed a lovely gesture.

A short cycle to Aranya Prathet where I checked into Market Motel & got a nice fan room with hot shower for $8, a good deal for Thailand nowadays. By night it was a bit of a shock to find a big Chang beer is $1.60 from the 7’11’ nowadays & I’m going to have to cut down my drinking if I’m to stay on budget. I’d been really looking forward to some Thai street food but was frustrated to find the local night market is takeaway only & I don’t have a plate or bowl to eat out of.

At the moment I’m feeling a bit unsettled to be back in Thailand & I’m not sure if I’m going to enjoy it this time around. In many ways I feel like heading straight back to Cambodia. (NB - I actually went on to have a fantastic month’s cycling in Thailand & absolutely loved my time there).

CONCLUSIONS

There were some wonderful days cycling especially the coastal roads from Sihanukville to Kampot & cycling alongside the Mekong around Kampong Cham. BUT & it’s a big but, there was also tedious, boring days cycling through deforested landscape especially between Kampong Thom & Sra’aem, what I’d naively called scrubland or uncultivated land I came to realize was in fact recently deforested wasteland.

Still it’s always a joy to be amongst such friendly, good natured people & I do love the colourful street life & roadside activity evident almost everywhere.

It’s undoubtedly the cheapest country in the area to travel in, particularly with my lifestyle (heavy smoker & drinker) & when you get to know Cambodian food it can be delicious & certainly great value.

Cambodia does lack the dramatic scenery of its neighboring countries but for me the warmth & boisterous good humor of the Khmers always makes it an extremely rewarding country to cycle in.

OVERALL COSTS

I spent $876 in 36 days or $24.30 per day.

Very approximately my daily costs were;-

$7 – Accommodation

$6 – Beer (i.e. 12 cans)

$6 – Food

$2 – Misc including water, soft drinks, cigarettes, toiletries etc

$2 – Bike repairs & transport costs

$1.50 – Visa costs (see note below)

NOTE; - Bad planning meant I was on a one month extension to a tourist visa & at $48 it’s the most expensive option available. A one month tourist visa would have only been $30 therefore $1 per day. 

COMING SOON……ISH;-

Thailand – A wonderful cycle alongside the Cambodian border & then following the Mekong to Nong Khai.