CAMBODIA (9)
220 Km - 7 Days
25 January – 1 February 2019
CAMBODIA (9)
220 Km - 7 Days
25 January – 1 February 2019
MAP
PHOTOS
25 January - Ban Phakkat, Thailand – Pailin,
Cambodia – 20 km
In the morning, a short bike ride took us to
the border, where we’d a breakfast of noodle soup and omelette before
continuing to the immigration office. For our exit stamps, locating the
departure office was surprisingly tricky. A massive and brand spanking new
building loomed ahead but without a single occupied office. Instead, we were
pointed to a pre-fab building where one got stamped out of Thailand. Then on to
the Cambodian immigration where a 1500 Thai baht visa allowed entry into
Cambodia.
Janice didn’t feel her usual energetic self
as she suffered from a cold and an upset stomach. Still, she managed to make
her way up the hill until reaching the first settlement in Cambodia.
A sign to the Bamboo Guesthouse lured us in.
On closer inspection, it turned out to be lovely bungalows with a swimming pool
and top-class restaurant, all in a beautiful setting between bougainvillaea.
The price for the room was the “exorbitant” sum of $12. We happily offloaded the
bikes to enjoy a day at leisure.
The restaurant served delicious food, and we couldn’t
believe our luck scoffing massive plates of wholesome Cambodian cuisine, all
washed down with an Angkor beer. Mercifully, we got away by paying in Thai baht
as there was no ATM nearby, all making a comfortable and relaxing day, albeit
its history.
Pailin is where numerous Khmer Rouge leaders
came from and retreated after their fall. It’s said practically 70 per cent of
the area’s older men were fighters for the Khmer Rouge but, sadly, none have
yet been brought to justice.
26 January - Pailin - Sdao – 60 km
First thing in the morning we searched for an
ATM and bought new SIM cards. Janice also bought a blanket to use when camping.
Then, on spotting a pharmacy, we picked up an entire box of Royal-D – the Asian
oral rehydrate.
The day was marred by rutted dirt tracks
where we bounced along to the delight of kids. Water stops came with plenty of
stares and it appeared a rarity to see foreign women on bicycles. However, our back
road eventually spat us out on the main road from where it was easy riding to
Sdao.
Roadside stalls never fail to amaze and
offered, amongst other things, horseshoe crabs. The fascinating part is that the
earliest horseshoe crab fossils date back roughly 450 million years! Another interesting
fact is horseshoe crabs use hemocyanin to carry oxygen through their blood.
Because of the copper present in hemocyanin, their blood is blue. Also present
was the immensely popular grilled chicken tails and, of course, the
ever-present mice, rats and squirrels.
Janice wasn’t feeling well and camping was early
at a Buddhist temple in Sdao. Supper was somewhat of a disaster as I went to
the shops while Janice set up her tent. I found cup noodles and the famous
Cambodian baguette. Sadly, Janice found the cup noodles too spicy and didn’t enjoy
the strange variety of ingredients on the baguette. It’s a tricky thing to buy
food for others. Sorry Janice.
27 January - Sdao – Moung Ruessei – 68 km
The monks were still chanting prayers when we
departed. Ladies were selling pork pau outside the temple gates in a typical
Cambodian setting under a huge tree. I’d the feeling the entire community came
to watch two “farangs” having breakfast. With dust swirling, our path continued
along a dirt track past naked-neck chickens and bare-bum kids playing in the
dirt.
While overtaken by carts carrying monks under
yellow umbrellas, I realised how foreign we must seem to rural Cambodians. The
cultural gap felt even more significant as I watched elderly ladies shuffling
along the dusty track. In contrast, others sold beef feet or carried massive
piles of hay on their heads to wooden carts. Our path was highly rural and offered
sights of houses on stilts where cattle were kept in the front yard.
Having
had enough of the jarring and dust, we headed to the paved road passing carts
laden with pottery. Janice felt unwell and, covered in dust, Moung Ruessei came
as a welcome sight. The highly comfortable Kheang Oudom Hotel sported a swimming
pool and all the necessary facilities. We wasted no time dipping our dusty
bodies in their pristine pool. I smiled at our fortune, sipping a Cambodian
beer on one of their deckchairs.
The next
day was also spent in Moung Ruessei.
I
was dragging Janice to Phnom Penh to meet Megan and Erma for a month-long cycle
ride around Cambodia. Both Megan and Erma hailed from Namibia. I couldn’t imagine
two more contrasting countries! Namibia is a desert and the driest country in
Sub-Saharan Africa, whereas Cambodia has a tropical climate. Namibia measures
825,419 square kilometres and has a population of 2,620,000. On the other hand,
Cambodia only measures 189,000 square kilometres with a population of 16,382,000.
In addition, the average rainfall in Phnom Penh is 1,407 mm per year, whereas
Windhoek has a mere 370 mm. Megan is a talented photographer (see https://www.24atlantic.com), and Erma a pharmacist
and avid hiker.
29-30 January - Moung Ruessei – Pursat – 62
km
A highway ran to Pursat, which didn’t make exciting
riding. Janice’s backside needed a rest and the paved road made more
comfortable cycling than the rutted dirt track. Nothing of interest happened
along the way and we soon arrived in Pursat, capital of Pusat province. Janice
once again picked up the tab for the room. A short walk led to a lively market housing
a warren of covered stalls.
An additional day was spent in easy-going
Pursat as Janice felt unusually tired. Pursat is an old railway town but, visiting
the old railway station, we found it demolished. Later we returned to the
market where the hunt was on to find cooler clothes suitable for cycling, not
an easy task in Cambodia, where people are tiny. There wasn’t significantly more
to do in Pusat but eat. Although several interesting restaurants and street vendors
were scattered about, ordering remained problematic as our lack of Khmer and
their lack of English made communication a tad difficult. Still, that’s what
makes travelling so interesting.
31 January - Phnom Penh
Being out of time I believed it best to take the
bus to Phnom Penh. I wanted to get there before Megan and Erma arrived. A room
at the Golden Boat Guest House was our abode of choice. Although not the
cleanest of places, the room was reasonably priced at $15.
We trundled to the waterfront in the cooler
evening air and later met up with friends Dan, Chop and Teressa for a beer.
It’s always a pleasure seeing them and an enjoyable evening was spent in their
company.
The following day was spent wandering about
town, not doing a great deal apart from visiting the central market and searching
for a bike shop where Janice wanted to purchase an inner tube.
1 February - Phnom Penh
Jogging along the riverfront is thoroughly
enjoyable when in Phnom Penh. The promenade makes a perfect running route, as
it comes with grand vistas of the river as well as a sunrise. Our amble to the
supermarket necessitated weaving our way through bumper-to-bumper traffic, and
one can only stand in awe of drivers’ patience. Walking in the road, trying our
level best not to get knocked down, was more doable than the pavement. The
pavement was taken up by mobile carts, motorbikes and baguette vendors. The
baguette remains a favourite in Cambodia.
Remarkably, in such chaos, it’s possible to
round a corner and find a peaceful temple amidst extensive grounds and old
trees. By evening, the sun set over the city, monks returned to the monastery,
pigeons flew home in a golden sky, and ferries carried passengers to the opposite
side of the Mekong River. Sitting on a low wall overlooking the river, we
watched as a multitude of boats took visitors on a sunset cruise. Then off to
the night market where a considerable selection from which to choose awaited us.
