Cambodia Adventure

Bicycle tour in Cambodia

After cycling Tibet in 2005 and the Golden Triangle (Northern Thailand) in 2006, Mike and Glen decided it was time to try Cambodia. Along with Katherine, Mike's sister, we joined three other Canadians, including Scotty Robinson, the organizer from Canada and a Cambodian guide team from the “Dancing Roads” company. We flew into Phnom Penh for a couple days of general sight-seeing and then, on Monday morning, we loaded the bikes on a pick-up truck to avoid the first forty kilometers of deadly highway traffic on Highway 6.

Reaching the appropriate intersection, we off-loaded the bikes and began cycling along a reasonable dirt/gravel road which meandered north among a constant stream of villages along the edge of the Mekong River. After 68 kilometers, we eventually arrived at our first over-night destination of Kampong Cham having enjoyed several scenic rest -stops along the river. Our first cold beer, sitting in front of the “Mekong River Hotel” over-looking the river was a delight.

Day Two found us continuing 40 kilometers north along the river until we reached the small town of Stung Trang, stopping at the Han Chey Pagoda along the way. We then left the river and headed 30 kilometers northerly, on sandy roads through old French Rubber Plantations and fording a small stream on the way to the tiny town of Samraong (which we couldn't find on any map). We camped overnight in the local school yard surrounded by friendly members of the local community.

Day Three started with the bikes loaded on the pick-up truck for the ride back to Stung Trang. From there, we cycled west and northwest to the town of Kampong Thnor (63 kilometers) where we re-joined Highway 6 and, once again wishing to avoid the frantic fast traffic on the paved road, loaded the bikes on the pick-up for the ride to the provincial capital of Kampong Thom, making a stop at the locally-famous Phnom Santuk Temple along the way.

Day Four cycling was straight north on gravel “highway 64” which became progressively less inhabited away from the more fertile land which borders the Tonle Sap (the largest lake in South-East Asia). As on previous days, children delighted in calling out “hello, hello” as we passed. We stopped, after 75 kilometers, at the small village of Phnom Deik where we passed the night at a local “home-stay” house, with lots of stimulating cold water for bathing. The next day, we continued heading north to the town of Tbaeng Meanchey, stopping for a break at the first “Angkor” period pagoda we had seen. It was also the first place where we saw a sign informing us that the temple area had been cleared of land-mines. In Tbaeng Meanchey, we spent a considerable amount of time looking for a silk-weaving project which employs disadvantaged people who have been handicapped by land-mines and purchased some silk gifts for taking home.

Day Six was our longest day yet, at 80 kilometers, cycling west to the Angkor-period ruins at Prasat Koh Ker. We visited several temples at the site, the most interesting being a 40-meter high “pyramid”-shaped one which we climbed. We stayed at a nearby home-stay house and vicariously enjoyed watching the local beauties getting prepared for a wedding. The next day started with a ride in the pick-up about two-thirds of the way back to Tbaeng Meanchey. We then cycled north 74 kilometers to the famed Angkor-period ruins along the Thai border at Prasat Preah Vihear. This included a 500-meter ascent up an incredibly steep track, which only three of the riders managed by bicycle. These ruins are easily visited from the Thai side of the border, where it is accessible by a paved highway but we all felt great to have visited them from the much more challenging Cambodian side of the border. The next day was a “rest day” so we stayed for two nights at a very basic guest-house in the nearby Khmer village. A moonlit nighttime visit to the ruins proved a highlight.

Day nine found us back-tracking by pickup truck to the intersection at Choam Khsart where we commenced cycling west for 80 kilometers to the town of Anlong Veng, the last stronghold of the Khmer Rouge which only surrendered in 1998. Hot water at the guest house was a great treat. The last day saw us doing a whopping last stretch of 127 kilometers to the town of Siem Reap, home of the world-famous Ankor Wat ruins. The next two days were spent sight-seeing, the first by van to the site of the Beng Melea complex, some 50 kilometers from Siem Reap. The next day was spent cycling and walking around the most famous trio of sites: Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom (which includes the Bayon temple) and Ta Prohm. On Saturday, we boarded the fast boat (6 hours) for the trip down the length of the Tonle Sap to Phnom Penh.