Ancient Wonders and Everyday Life
CAMBODIA (2)
929 Kilometres – 21 Days
3 May – 25 May 2015
MAP
PHOTOS
3
May - Sa Kaeo, Thailand to Saophoan (Sisophon), Cambodia (107 km of Racing the Rain
into Cambodia)
Once in Cambodia, the route headed east toward Siem
Reap. The road was in good condition and ran past stilted houses and dry rice
paddies. I was going like the clappers, trying to outrun the approaching storm,
wondering if reaching Saophoan without getting soaked would be possible.
At this point, the trip had already turned into a
race against nature—and nature looked very confident.
4
May - Saophoan to Siem Reap (107 km, Dust, Heat, and Questionable Life Choices)
The following morning, the route was, for the most
part, in good condition, except for a section under resurfacing. The dust was
horrendous, and I had to use a buff to cover my face. Luckily, this wasn’t the
rainy season (small mercies, apparently). Being early May, the weather was
scorching, and the mercury hovered around 40°C.
To stay cool, I occasionally wet my shirt, but it
would dry within minutes—clearly, evaporation was working overtime. Like a diver
needing decompression, it felt like I needed an air-conditioned room to
“de-heat”… or perhaps just a giant fridge.
I passed by several rural communities and saw
countless schoolchildren riding their bicycles. It's heartening to see that in
this country, kids are free to ride their bikes to school—while I, a fully
grown adult, was busy melting into mine.
Coming from the countryside, Siem Reap, known for
its tourism, appeared chaotic and over-commercialised. In the rural areas, the
cost of water was only 500 riel, but in Siem Reap, some places charged as much
as 4000 riel. Apparently, the closer you get to temples, the more valuable
hydration becomes.
Ivy Guesthouse had fan rooms, but unfortunately,
the fans didn’t make the slightest difference. At 11 p.m., the weather bureau
reported a temperature of 30°C, but it felt more like 35°C. As it was
noticeably cooler outside (which says a lot), I set out to explore.
Accommodation
Hunting & Temple Dreams
By morning, I searched for better accommodation and
discovered a whole plethora of places, all roughly in the same price
range—proof that choice doesn’t always make decisions easier.
My main reason for staying in Siem Reap was to
explore the temples of Angkor Wat, and I purchased a three-day ticket. My first
stop was Angkor Thom, the last great capital of the Khmer Empire. Approaching
the site, its magnificent entrance gates came into view, flanked by 54 demons
and 54 gods engaged in an epic tug-of-war—arguably the most intense
team-building activity ever carved in stone.
Inside the gates, the old temple features 54 towers
decorated by 216 enormous faces of Avalokiteshvara (The Lord who looks in every
direction), which is said to bear more than a passing resemblance to the great
king himself. It did feel like being watched… constantly.
I felt a bit unlucky when it came to capturing
sunrises and sunsets. The previous night's sunset was without colour, and this
morning's sunrise was unimpressive. However, I still managed to snap a few
pictures, as I rarely wake up at 5 a.m., and documentation was required as
proof that it happened.
After sunrise, I stopped at the stunning Ta Prohm
temple, which became famous after being featured in Tomb Raider.
Unfortunately, the Cambodians were busy renovating the structures, making it
difficult to photograph them. However, this work is vital to keep the temple
standing. Fortunately, there were still plenty to photograph, and I
half-expected to run into a hobbit—or at least Lara Croft—but neither showed
up.
Heat Management
Like a Professional
An additional day was spent exploring some of the
more distant ruins in Angkor. With my three-day ticket, I could explore in the
morning and then return to my air-conditioned accommodation during the day,
only venturing out once the heat subsided.
This quickly became less of a travel plan and more
of a survival strategy.
8
May - Siem Reap to Kampong Kdei (61 km– The “Rested” Cyclist Who Wasn’t)
After three days of not cycling, I expected to be
full of energy. However, instead, I felt lethargic and struggled to get
going—clearly, my legs had enjoyed retirement and were reluctant to return to
duty.
My path passed typical Cambodian houses on stilts,
where people seemed to spend most of their time under their homes. This is
where they could escape the heat and rain, eat, socialise, and relax in
hammocks. Frankly, they seemed to have life figured out.
Cambodians traditionally prefer to sit on the floor
or in hammocks rather than chairs. This is a sharp contrast to other cultures,
where people usually rest or sleep in the privacy of their homes. Here,
everything felt more communal—and far more sensible in the heat.
Several vendors were selling bamboo rice and dried
fish along the way. I found the bamboo rice quite tasty, as it was cooked in
bamboo stalks over an open fire. A rustic culinary win.
Further along, I was surprised to come across an
ancient bridge built between 1181 and 1220 AD. The bridge was built along the
old road that connected the ancient capital of Angkor to the south. It was
impressive that the bridge was still in use, even though a new road had been
built to bypass it. The bridge measured 86 metres in length, 16 metres in
width, and 10 metres in height. It had 21 arches supported by 20 columns and
was adorned with a 9-headed Naga balustrade. Pedestrians, motorbikes, and
bicycles all used the bridge—proof that good infrastructure really does stand
the test of time.
The guesthouse beside the bridge made a convenient
overnight stop, albeit a tad early. These village guesthouses made interesting
stopovers. Rooms cost $6 and had a fan, an en-suite bathroom with a squat
toilet, and a mandi (a sizeable concrete tub filled with water). The Cambodians
were very diligent about complementary items such as toothbrushes and soap.
Even the most basic rooms offered a toothbrush,
soap, and the ever-present communal hair comb—and I wondered who the heck uses
a communal comb? But, judging by the blackness of the teeth, they were
well-used items!
9 May
- Kampong Kdei to Kampong Thom (90 km – “Falang!”:
Instant Celebrity Status)
Feeling surprisingly energetic after the previous day's
tiredness, I left much earlier than usual. Cycling in the cool morning air was
a pleasure. The road was crowded with schoolchildren on bikes, which surprised
me as it was a Saturday. It made me realise that, although almost all children
attend school, the ways they get there vary greatly.
As on the previous day, the route passed by wooden
houses on stilts. I heard the usual "Sabadee falang" greeting coming
from under the houses or behind banana plants. The word falang
(foreigner) appeared as a code among the younger ones—once one child spotted me,
the alert system kicked in.
Only one had to shout “Falang!”, and suddenly all
the kids in the neighbourhood would come running, yelling “Falang,
falang!”—clearly, subtlety was not part of the system.
Since it was the weekend, wedding ceremonies were
common. These events usually took place in pink and yellow marquees outside the
family homes. I must admit that my curiosity sometimes got the best of me, and
I would slow down for a quick “cultural observation,” which may or may not have
looked like shameless staring.
Tuk-Tuk Temple
Safari
Rumour had it that pre-Angkorian temples were
scattered in the forest roughly 30 kilometres from Kampong Thom. After hailing
a tuk-tuk, we set out in the direction of the site. The ride was slow and took
the best part of an hour—plenty of time to question whether this was a good
idea.
Upon arrival, I discovered various trails leading
into the woods. It was great fun locating these temples and exciting to stumble
upon these ancient ruins. More than 100 structures are scattered throughout the
forest—essentially a historical treasure hunt.
The information board provided fascinating facts
about the area, stating that it was once called Isanapura and served as the
capital of Chena in the early 7th century. Fascinating stuff—and surprisingly
easy to forget the mosquitoes while reading.
11 -
12 May - Kampong Thum to Kampong Cham (113 km – Bugs, Buddhas,
and Bad Ideas)
Shortly after departing, my route passed an area
where temple statues were being crafted. The sculptures, ranging from big to
small, were exhibited along the road. Carving these statues was an immensely
dusty process that couldn’t have been healthy—your lungs probably deserved a
souvenir too.
The path resembled a never-ending village, with
each house having a plastic contraption with fluorescent lights to trap bugs.
It appeared no one in Cambodia wanted to run out of hors d’oeuvres.
The roadside rubber plantation looked lush and
green, making me want to take a break in the shade. However, I had noticed
numerous snakes over the past few days and decided against such a
move—especially after cycling over one earlier. That tends to sharpen your
decision-making.
I found the labour-intensive process of harvesting
latex from rubber trees fascinating.
I chose to stay overnight in the small settlement
of Kampong Cham... bought a beer, gulped it down while enjoying the sunset...
stayed another day devouring anything in sight and watching the Mekong flow
past. Life was very good.
13 -
17 May - Kampong Cham to Phnom Penh (107 km - Improvisation
Along the Mekong)
I woke early to witness the sunrise and took a few
pictures. I’m not exaggerating when I say that after snapping one shot, all the
colours disappeared—as if the sunrise clocked out early.
It’s said that even the most mundane trip becomes
an adventure when travelling by bicycle… and this day delivered.
Google Maps didn’t show a road along the river to
Phnom Penh. That didn’t stop me.
The Mekong is a mighty river, so I assumed people
lived along it. Reasonable logic. Questionable execution.
Soon, the path turned into a sandy track, and I
bounced along dusty trails past villages where people reacted to me like I was
an unexpected episode of television. Kids shouted, adults stared, some
laughed—fair enough.
Eventually, a highway appeared like a reward for
persistence (or stubbornness).
Phnom Penh offered comfort, air conditioning, and
something rare: the chance to stay put for five days. Bliss.
Culture, Comfort,
and Reality
The traditional Cambodian dance show was a pleasant
way to spend an evening… even if my photography skills weren’t keeping up.
The Killing Fields was deeply sobering and
illustrated the tragic history of the Khmer Rouge.
The contrast between Cambodia’s ancient grandeur
and more recent history was impossible to ignore—and impossible to forget.
18
May - Phnom Penh to Traeng Trayueng (90 km – Traffic Chaos & Duct Tape
Engineering)
At 8h00 on a Monday morning… getting out of Phnom
Penh was an utter nightmare.
Cambodians drive in weird and wonderful ways—and on
both sides of the road. Not surprisingly, I had a minor collision with a
motorbike that ripped my front pannier.
The repair solution? Duct tape. The strongest
engineering philosophy known to travellers.
19
May - Traeng Trayueng to Veal Rinh (93 km)
The
landscape became hillier as the route headed south towards the coast. Much of
the land in the country’s southwest is covered by the Cardamom Mountains, and one
needs to cross these mountains to reach Thailand.
Upon
arriving in Veal Rinh, I was too lazy to bike an additional 50 kilometres to
Sihanoukville to check out the diving, so I opted to stay at a conveniently
situated guesthouse.
20
- 22 May - Veal Rinh to Sihanoukville (53 km - Headwinds, Hills,
and Poolside Laziness)
The road headed south into the wind—cooling but
slow, the ultimate double-edged sword.
Food stops were excellent (especially the curry
noodle soup—so good I went back for seconds).
I eventually reached Sihanoukville… found a place
with a pool… and motivation quietly disappeared. Although the diving didn’t
live up to expectations, lazing by the pool, however, exceeded them.
23-24
May - Sihanoukville to Koh Kong (By bus – If in Doubt, take a bus)
It rained. The pannier was still broken. Naturally,
instead of fixing it, I took a bus to the border. This solved absolutely
nothing—but it did involve less effort.
Arrived in Koh Kong. The pannier remained
broken—unsurprisingly. Eventually, I accepted defeat and shoved everything into
a waterproof bag. Not elegant, but effective.
Sometimes travel is less about solving problems and
more about working around them.
Jungle Adventure
& Coconut Mastery
The next day, I took a boat upriver and hiked to a
waterfall through dense forest. The guide casually climbed a tree, grabbed
coconuts, and crafted straws from reeds like it was second nature.
Meanwhile, I considered it a win when I didn’t trip
over a root.
