For a view of the route map refer here - http://goo.gl/maps/VD698
(NB - It only seems to work on my laptop & not my phone)
(NB - It only seems to work on my laptop & not my phone)
LIST OF CONTENTS
19/08/14 – Sihanukville to
Veal Renh – 45KM (APPROX) –Easy
20/08/14 – Veal Renh to Kampot – 55KM (APPROX) – Easy
21/08/14 – Kampot to Takeo – 90KM (APPROX) – Easy
22/08/14 - Takeo to Phnom Penh – 78km – Easy
27-08-14 – Phnom Penh
28/08/14
– Phnom Penh to Kompong Chhnang – 91km – Easy
29/08/14
– Kompong Chhnang – Pursat – 95km – Easy
30/08/14 – Pursat to
Battambang – 105km – Easy
31/08/14 – Battambang -Bike Cleaning
02/09/14 Battambang
to Battambang – 20km - Disaster
03/09/14 – Battambang
to Sisophon – 68km – Easy
04/09/14 – Sisophon to
Siem Reap - 105km – Easy
05/09/14 – Siem Reap
07/09/14 – Siem Reap –
Bike repairs
08/09/14 – Siem Reap to
Stoeng – 97km – Easy
09/09/14 – Stoeng to
Kompong Thom – 50km – Easy
10/09/14 – Kompong Thom to
Kompong Cham – 110km – Medium
11/09/14 – Kompong Cham to
Prey Veng – 75km (approx) – Easy
12/09/14 – Prey Veng to
Phnom Penh – 91km – Easy
16/09/14 – Phnom Penh –
Attempted bike repairs
17/09/14 – Phnom Penh to
Angk Ta Saom – 93km (approx) – Easy
18/09/14 – Angk Ta Soam to
Kampot – 75km (approx) – Easy
19/09/14 – Kampot to
Sihanukville – 100km – Medium
Conclusions & overall
costs
19/08/14
– SIHANUKVILLE TO VEAL RENH – 45KM (APPROX) -Easy
A great start to my day with Sovann’s full breakfast – 2 fried
eggs, 2 bacon, 2 sausage, hash browns, baked beans & baguette for $2.50.
Washed down with a Royal D (* see note 1) to offset the excess of beer consumed
last night.
I finally got off around midday & immediately hit the hills
going out of Sihanukville. Nothing too taxing but after 6 weeks of soft living
I found it more difficult than it should have been. After 10Km’s of ups &
downs (NB the 1st hill is the hardest) highway 4 levels off &
from then its flat all the way to Phnom Penh. Services were available all the
way.
I took it really easy, with lots of rest stops & arrived in
Veal Renh shortly after 3PM. Coming into town I spotted 4 guesthouses, one of
which looked a fairly fancy affair but I opted to turn off onto highway 3 &
after a few hundred meters came to Leng-Try food shop & Guesthouse. My
logic that highway 3 is a much quieter road & I wouldn’t have to endure the
noise of buses & trucks passing proved correct. For $8 I got a much nicer
room than I’d been expecting to find in Veal Renh. A sparkling clean big fan
room, lots of cable channels & very quiet. Note – No English spoken. Their
A/C rooms are $15.
At 6PM I headed out for some beer & some food, I’d noticed a
row of Khmer fast food restaurants (* see note 2) opposite the market & in
one I got a huge bowl of pork, shrimp, onion, green pepper, & Chinese
mushroom & a large plate of steamed rice for $1.25. Unlimited free iced tea
complimented a superb value meal. I enjoyed a few more beers wandering around
& chatting to some of the moto drivers & although I didn’t need it, I
couldn’t resist some barbecued pork to top off my night. Veal Renh has been friendly, honest &
great value but isn’t the most exciting place of an evening so a bag full of
beers, some ice & my $2 worth of barbecued pork saw me retire to my room to
enjoy Willie Russell’s “The Wrong Boy”
NOTE
1 – Royal D is a sachet of electrolyte powder & when mixed with
cold water it makes a wonderfully refreshing drink at anytime, but especially
after a long day in the saddle. It’s also a pretty effective hangover cure.
They cost around 15 cents a sachet.
NOTE
2 – 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.
20/08/14 – VEAL
RENH TO KAMPOT – 55KM (APPROX) – EASY
Enjoyed
a great nights sleep & I’d really recommend Leng Try Guesthouse – very
peaceful & quiet. I got on the road around 10AM & highway 3 to Kampot
proved the perfect cycling road. Mountains in the background, passing
picturesque fishing villages, flat terrain, sparse traffic, a good road
surface, friendly locals, lots of services & to top it all a pleasantly
overcast day. A great days cycle. 20Km into the trip I stopped for some
breakfast & waited out a rather heavy downpour. Stir fried squid &
onion with black pepper + rice cost $1.75. A bit expensive but it was tasty
& I love drinking gallons of the free iced tea. 
In
Kampot I headed straight to Kampot 2 Guesthouse for a $6 fan room where I can
lock my bicycle in my room. By night my 1st stop was the supermarket
to pick up 2 packets of Britannia Bourbon biscuits – the perfect cycling snack
& energy boost (62 cents/ packet). Noticing a sign advertising Rusty
Keyhole 2 Quiz night, I spent my night mixing with some of the local expats
& enjoying the social vibe quiz nights engender. Their special of Italian
meatballs & penne pasta went down a treat even although at $4.75 it’s a lot
more than I’d normally spend on a meal.
21/08/14 – KAMPOT
TO TAKEO – 90KM (APPROX) - EASY
Awoke
with a bit of a hangover & it took me some time & lots of coffee to get
myself going. Thank goodness for my element whereby I can make a few coffees
before I face the world (* see note 1). Packed up & hit the road at 10am
but it wasn’t long (about 20KM) before I noticed rows of stalls with big
caldrons steaming away – as I suspected they were sweet corn vendors & so I
stopped for 2 kernels of steamed sweet corn & a coconut (50 cents) for
breakfast.
Once
again it was perfect cycling country, good flat roads, sparse traffic, green
bucolic countryside, friendly locals & lots of services enroute. Around the
40km mark I came to Chhouk & decided to enjoy a proper meal. Outside the
market there was a large row of rustic food stalls of the “point & order”
variety. Perusing a few I found everyone was incredibly friendly & helpful.
I eventually chose one & pointed to stewed pork & egg. She reheated the
dish & served it over steamed rice. As I was eating she kept adding
spoonfuls from the other dishes on offer whilst keeping up a flirty banter,
especially when I told her I wasn’t married. I think it would be pretty easy to
find a wonderful wife here in Cambodia
if I was that way inclined. Best of all the whole meal came to only $1 –
fantastic value!
It’s
these chance encounters with wonderful people that makes traveling so enjoyable
for me. If your passing I recommend stopping at any vendor here- it’s the
friendliest place I’ve stopped for a long time.
The
road remained good until the turnoff in Angk Tasaom, then for the last 13km it
became a bit rough & it was easier to cycle on the red clay shoulder than
the main surface. The turnoff isn’t signposted but in Angk Tasaom look for a
big green petrol station with a mini- mart & turn right at this corner. In
need of an energy boost for the last 13km, I stopped for a sugarcane juice (*
see note 2) & some bourbon biscuits.
In
Takeo I stayed at Duankeo Guesthouse. The $5 fan room was a bit small but well
worth $5, next time I might get a twin room for $6 just to have a bit more
space. What I did like about this guesthouse was there are lots of private
sitting areas & balconies to enjoy a few pages of my book or update my
journal. The young guy on reception spoke really good English & was very chatty.
All in all it was another great choice.
At
night I headed to the food stalls by the lakeside. A plate of deep-fried prawns
($1.25) & a plate of deep-fried squid ($1.25) complimented a jug of Angkor
beer @ $1.75.
Note 1 – An Element – I find an essential part of my luggage is an
electric element. The spiral heating coil boils a cup of water in about 3
minutes. It doesn’t take up much room & weighs next to nothing. In addition
to having coffee & tea whenever I want, if I’m stuck for food I can always
add boiling water to some instant noodles. It’s also been invaluable on colder
nights when I can mix 2 cups of boiling water with a basin or pail of cold
water & have a lukewarm mandi.
Note 2 – Sugar cane
juice – All over Cambodia (&
Vietnam) you will see stalls like this one where sugar cane is forced through a
wringer (or mangle in Scot’s) & the juice collected. It’s a wonderfully
refreshing drink when ice is added & really does give me a great energy
boost. A glass rarely costs more than 25 cents.
22/08/14 - Takeo to Phnom Penh – 78km – Easy
Last
night I’d been sniffling a lot & today I awoke & realized I’d a full
blown cold. I felt really listless & lacking any energy at all &
considered staying another day in Takeo to try & shake it off but decided
to push on & rest up in Phnom Penh instead. It made today’s run harder than
it should have been & I was eventually resting up every 10km or so.
A
straight run up highway 2 & the road was OK with a few bumpy stretches due
to poorly repaired road surface & there were a few roadworks’s which were
rough but thankfully only lasted for a km or so on each occasion. It would have
been another very enjoyable ride except for my weakened state. At one point
whilst looking for some shade to rest up, I cycled into monastery grounds where
I found a shaded pavilion with concrete seats & tables – it was so peaceful
that I actually fell asleep for a time (*see note 1).
20km
in I stopped for breakfast & had the best bai sai-ch chrouk (marinated
grilled pork over rice) I’ve ever had – it included sliced omelet, cucumber
& a bowl of broth. It really was fantastic & all for 75 cents. The
young owner was a delightfully friendly guy & spoke excellent English –
Srey Mom restaurant really brightened my day.
Coming
into Phnom Penh I got somewhat lost but the
great thing is, unlike Saigon, Phnom
Penh has plenty of direction signs & I just
followed signs for the Central market until I got my bearings. 1st
stop was EuroAsia bakery for a pork pie & some chocolate muffins before
heading to Green Guesthouse on street 125 and I was really happy to find they
had an $8 twin room available. I could probably find a nicer $8 room in PP but
I do like this hotel with safe bike storage, an elevator to help rest my weary
legs, great views of the city, free use of their computers in reception &
they never object to me using their power washer to clean the grime off my
bike. Another snooze found me running late at night, so a quick fried noodles
with pork & vegetables ($1.50) outside the Orrasay market before heading to
Sorya centre for a few jugs of beer. 
*Note 1 – I used to cycle for
upwards of an hour desperately looking for some shade to have a cigarette &
water break until I realized I could just cycle into a wat or monastery – They
seem to be used to weary travelers & I can enjoy my break in monastic calm
(often just meters from the main road). There’s always a shaded spot to sit
down & you will either enjoy complete solitude or be surrounded by
friendly, hospitable monks. Both very enjoyable experiences.
27-08-14 – Phnom
Penh
Awoke
early today, packed & then changed my mind. I’m really enjoying PP this
time around & decided to stay on for a 6th night. I’ve been enjoying some
great food & with a few mates in town there’s no shortage of company in the
evenings.  |
| View from Green Guesthouse |
 |
I
was tempted to buy proper panniers & a front handlebar bag (available from
the main Giant shop) but actually I’ve got quite attached to my Chinese laundry
bag bungee corded to the rear rack & thought “ if it ain’t broke, don’t fix
it”
28/08/14 –
Phnom Penh to Kompong Chhnang – 91km – Easy
Checking Google Maps on my
brand new Smartphone it suggested a convoluted route out of the city. It just
looked unnecessarily complicated with too many chances of going wrong. Instead
I headed straight for the riverfront (via ABC bakery for breakfast) where I
took a left turn & amazingly quickly (around 10 to 15 minutes) found myself
on Phnom Penh’s outskirts. I’d expected to waste a lot more time fighting
traffic & waiting on traffic lights but actually PP’s a really easy city to
cycle once you know your way around (& the local road rules).
Highway 5 proved to be
another great cycling road. Flat, reasonable road surface, moderate traffic
& reasonably scenic with services available all the way, rarely more than a
km away. Primarily it was flooded rice paddies with temples glittering away in
the background, colourfully dressed Khmers laboring in the fields, kids
frolicking around or going about their chores, everyone with huge smiles &
sturdy “hellos” for the Barang cyclist passing by.
I was really enjoying
being back on the saddle & often caught myself whistling away as I rode.
Midday as I arrived in Udong I spotted a Khmer restaurant that was packed full
– always a good sign. Pointing to a pan with stir fried chicken, onion &
green peppers it was soon served up with rice & made a hearty meal for
$1.25. Needless to say I drank gallons of the free iced tea.
Back onto Highway 5 &
continued until about 3pm when the heavens opened & an absolutely
torrential downpour began. I quickly backtracked to a temple I’d just passed,
pulled in & found some shelter. I spent around 30 minutes smoking a couple
of cigarettes & enjoying some fruit cake but soon realized the rain wasn’t
going to let up & I’d have to push on to Kompong Chhnang.
I don’t mind cycling in
the rain, indeed often enjoy it but I hate when trucks drive full throttle
through deep puddles & I’m assaulted with a wall of water, occasionally
strong enough to almost knock me off the bike. It was a miserable last 20km,
heavy rain, the wash of passing vehicles & cycling through deep puddles of
muddy water unable to see the road surface.
Arriving in Kompong Chhang
I checked a couple of hotels before settling on Sokha Guesthouse where they had
$6 or $8 fan rooms. The $8 room had a hot shower & fridge & was set in
a nice courtyard with pleasant sitting areas. It proved to be a great choice. 
Unpacked & tried to
dry off what I could before heading to a small night market near Psar Leu. Not
really much on offer & I had fried noodle, pork & vegetables ($1.25) –
it was OK but I’ve also had a lot better. Back in my room I’ve a bag of grilled
chicken ($1.25) & of grilled spare ribs ($1.25) which I’m just about to dig
into along with some Angkor beers.
The cycling shorts have
made a fantastic difference & are immeasurably more comfortable than
football shorts.
NB. As I transcribe these
notes later, I can confirm both the grilled chicken & spare ribs were
fantastic, especially the chicken which was juicy, moist & well marinated
with lovely spices – more like a Thai Gay Yaang than the often tough, stringy
Cambodian chicken.
29/08/14 – Kompong Chhnang – Pursat –
95km – Easy
A really comfortable bed
in Sokha Guesthouse & I was enjoying a really deep sleep until a kiddie
started crying his eyes out around 6am. At 7am I gave up on getting any more
sleep & boiled my first cup of coffee.
On the road at 9am, which
was again flat & a decent road surface. Light to moderate traffic &
pleasant, if unspectacular scenery.
Around the 20km mark, I
was ravenously hungry & looking out for a Khmer fast food restaurant. After
5km I gave up & pulled into a very small market & settled for
marinated, grilled pork over rice. This vendor’s version came with grilled
Chinese sausage & a bowl of broth full of sliced pork. It was good &
seeing me wolf it down, she kept adding extra meat to my plate. For 75 cents it
was a wonderfully filling meal, only I had fancied something different today.
Sod’s law, setting off again & within a few hundred meters there was a
restaurant with about 12 stainless steel pans, where I could have had something
completely different.
 |
| Peaceful rest stop |
The middle section of
today’s journey wasn’t pleasant at all, not least around midday the rain
arrived & didn’t let up all day & although the road surface remained
good, the shoulder was just red mud. Traffic wasn’t heavy but seemed more
aggressive than usual & left little room when overtaking, particularly
oncoming traffic which would head straight for me forcing me down a 2 inch drop
onto the muddy shoulder. (It sometimes seemed like they were playing “chicken”
with me but actually I think car drivers just aren’t aware of the state of the
shoulder & they can’t understand why you don’t get out of their way). Add
in the rain & lack of visibility & it just wasn’t a pleasant afternoons
cycling. Thankfully the last 15km saw a decent shoulder return making for much
safer cycling.
For the last 25km I’d been
looking out for a Khmer desert stall to no avail & eventually I settled for
a coconut (37 cents) & my final slices of fruit loaf – just enough to keep
me afloat until Pursat.
Arriving in Pursat tired,
hungry & soaked through I took the first room I looked at (ably assisted by
the Lonely Planet Guide) & New Toun Sour Hotel with a big fan room for $7
was a reasonable choice. Big room, quiet, good wifi although the TV reception was
dreadful & there was only one English channel anyway. Very secure bike
storage facilities.
Brewed a coffee, showered
& hung everything to try & day it out before heading out for some beer
& food. Perhaps I was looking in the wrong places but there didn’t seem to
be much on offer food wise. I ended up sitting down to rice soup with chicken
($1.25) & then got $2 worth of barbequed pork, a Khmer desert (25 cents)
& some beers to take back to the room. Not the meal I’d envisioned on the
eve of my 50th birthday but all perfectly adequate & actually
the desert – banana stewed in syrup with coconut milk added was really
delicious.
30/08/14
– Pursat to Battambang – 105km – Easy
Awoke early after a good nights sleep & New Toun Sour Hotel
provided a quiet & comfortable nights rest. I got on the road around 9am
but after only 15km became ravenously hungry. Thankfully I soon spotted some
stainless steel pans glinting away in a very rustic looking restaurant. One pan
contained one of my favorite Cambodian dishes – stir fried chicken, liver &
ginger & in this case they had used boneless chicken. Served up with a big
pan of steamed rice, I soon wolfed it down & what a fantastic breakfast for
only $1.25. They were a really friendly family & it’s amazing but they make
you feel as if your making their day simply by stopping in their restaurant. 
A moderate headwind slowed my progress most of the day on what was
another nice cycling road. Flat, with fairly light traffic, a decent shoulder,
services available & a pleasantly overcast day. The scenery wasn’t overly
spectacular but there’s always lots of colourful activity going on & hearty
“hellos” & warm smiles everywhere you go.
Around 1pm I stopped for a tukalock (see note 1) & although it
was incredibly refreshing & reinvigorating at 75 cents I thought it was
expensive & it’s the 1st time I’ve felt overcharged on this
trip.
I was making good time when around 3pm I managed to get my first
puncture of this trip. I hate the back wheel punctures as it means I end up
covered in oil. Unpacked & got my pump & spare tube out & set about
changing tubes as about 10 kids & 2 old guys gathered to watch & comment
on my every move.
Not long after setting out again I spotted a Khmer desert stall.
Normally they are too sickly sweet for my tastes but when I’m cycling &
burning up calories they seem like perfect energy boosts & I’m keen to
sample more of them. This time I opted for a combination of boiled potato &
carrot with tapioca in a syrupy sauce, topped off with crushed ice &
coconut milk. I know! I know! – it sounds an absolutely dreadful combination
but it was actually really good, filling & a huge energy boost. I’d have
taken a photo but my hands were covered in oil. Just as I was finishing the
young vendor noticed the state of my hands & rushed off, returning with a
large bowl of water & some washing up liquid to let me wash the oil off.
The bowl of filling desert cost 25 cents, amazing value.
10km outside Battambang a heavy rain came on & once again I
arrived in town soaked through.
Thankfully my bags remain watertight & it’s
only my clothes & dustcovers that get a soaking. I wasn’t in the mood to
hunt around for a room & headed straight for the Royal Hotel where for $8 I
got a big fan room, writing desk, decent TV, Wi-fi & all the staff are
really friendly & speak excellent English. The bike is very securely stored
in a back room. There are probably better value rooms in town & I’m sure
for $8 I could probably find a room with hot shower or a fridge but I was happy
with my room in the Royal & it’s very centrally located.
 |
| Playing up for the camera |
I’d intended to celebrate my 50th birthday with an
Indian curry & garlic naan but a sudden change of mind saw me head to the
White Rose restaurant for some Koh Kua – a slowly simmered beef stew with
tomatoes, onion & star aniseed – one of my favorite Cambodian dishes. I
ordered mine takeaway with boiled rice ($3) although most Cambodians forgo the
rice & enjoy this dish with sliced baguette. A bag of beers & some ice
& I happily spent my 50th birthday in my room watching some
footy & looking forward to a relaxing day off tomorrow.
 |
| Not my photo |
Note 1 – When you see a stall like this (NB not my photo) it
reflects the vendor sells tukaloc’s i.e. sweetened fruit shakes. Fruit, ice
& condensed milk are blended to produce a cool, refreshing & nutritious
drink that’s also fairly filling. They make a wonderful drink when cycling
& cost between 50 to 75 cents.
31/08/14 – Battambang
-Bike Cleaning
Passing
a motorcycle cleaning depot, I decided to see if they would give my bike a hose
down. Pulling up, I mimed hosing down my bike & straight away the 2 young
lads attacked it with extremely high pressure hoses. They attacked it with such
vigor, laughing, joking & having a great time. They were genuinely having
such great fun cleaning the Barang’s bike that soon other staff & customers
were joining in – pointing out bits they had missed & with lots of joyous
laughter they would redouble their efforts.
 |
| Cleaned & ready for the off |
When
I stopped them they looked disappointed that the fun was over until I upended
the bike & they realized they still had the whole underside to enjoy
cleaning. It typified the good humor & joy with which the Khmers go about
their daily lives. When I reluctantly called a halt to their fun & tried to
pay, I’m not sure but I think they were intimating it was free. I forced 50
cents into each of their top pockets & headed off feeling fantastic to be
amongst such wonderful people.
02/09/14
Battambang to Battambang – 20km -
Disaster
I’d had a good relaxing time in Battambang, a friendly, laid back
town & batteries recharged I was keen to get moving again.
I expected a fairly easy 68km to Sisophon but after only 10km
another puncture struck, again to the rear wheel. I was extremely fortunate as
right across the road was a motorcycle repair shop & the guy really knew
what he was doing. He made a good job of patching the tube but soon discovered
the side wall of the tyre was torn which the patched tube bulged through.
Unperturbed he cut a section from an old bike tyre & fitted it between my
tyre & tube explaining it wouldn’t last for long but would get me to
Sisophon. He charged me 25 cents for the repair but I was so impressed with his
ability, knowledge & honest I forced 50 cents on him.
I didn’t want to risk another 58km & knew there would be more
& better quality bike shops back in Battambang. Arriving back at the Royal
Hotel I got a few strange looks from the staff who had watched me load up the
bike & leave little over an hour ago.
I headed for The Battambang Bike, a bicycle rental shop a few
meters into Pub Street at the Central Market end & a really friendly,
talkative lad had a new tyre for $6 which he fitted & despite my protestations
insisted he also clean off the fresh mud from my bike. It’s not going to be the
best quality tyre for $6 but it should get me to Phnom Penh where I can exchange it for
something of decent quality.
Off to the Central market where an absolutely huge bowl of bia
baaw sai-ch chrouk (rice soup with pork) costs $1 before enjoying another lazy
day in Battambang.
 |
| Street kids |
In the evening enjoying a chicken Amok in the White Rose
restaurant, I’d watch & as soon as an outdoor table is vacated a gang of
street kids rush in & wolf down the leftovers. They even carry large
polystyrene cups to decant the unfinished fruit shakes into. The staff watch
tolerantly until the kids have finished before clearing the table. A small
example of how wonderfully tolerant, understanding & civilized the
Cambodians can be.
03/09/14
– Battambang to Sisophon – 68km – Easy
As is always the case after an extended lay up, it was great to
get back on the road again & not for the first time I caught myself
whistling away as I cycled. Worryingly, straight off my lowest gear kept slipping
& I had to switch to the 2nd lowest all day, indeed all the way
to Siem Reap. Not ideal when the roads are so flat. A later look at the
smallest cog revealed it is worn to sharp points (rather than the castellated
teeth on the other cogs) & one tooth is broken off.
Once again it was great cycling conditions – flat road, decent
surface, light to moderate traffic & services available all the way. The
shoulder varied a lot today, sometimes it was a good tarmac surface level with
the main road and at times it was a muddy or dusty track an inch or so below
the road surface. That said, I always felt perfectly safe on the road today
& there were no dangerous or hair rising stretches. The scenery was perhaps
a bit bland but once again there was always enough colourful Khmer roadside
activity to keep me fully occupied.
Around midday I stopped in a small town & checked restaurants
offerings. One of the pans had beef, green pepper & onion which turned out
to have been stir fried in a beautiful light curry sauce. With rice it came to
$2 which was definitely on the expensive side.
I really enjoy these 70km days where I can take it really easy,
stop often & not feel the need to always be counting the km. Arriving in
Sisophon around 3pm, I looked at a few hotels, finally settling for a $7
windowless room in the Golden Crown Hotel. It’s nothing special & probably
the worst value I’ve had this trip but it will do for a night & at least
it’s very centrally located. The Lonely Planet top pick Botoum Hotel has upgraded
& is all A/C nowadays with rooms @ $15/ night. If your budgets not as tight
as mine (I sometimes wonder whose is) then it looked a good choice & the
owner was a really friendly, chatty guy who spoke excellent English.
Evening found me wandering around town, beer in hand looking for
something nice to eat. I didn’t find anything particularly exciting &
settled for a fairly decent fried noodle, pork & vegetables for $1.50.
Later I was pleasant surprised to find a couple of good bakery’s & I’ve a
chocolate cake & ginger muffin which I’m about to devour.
04/09/14
– Sisophon to Siem Reap - 105km – Easy
9am saw me packed, loaded
up & setting off into a blazing hot, energy sapping day. Once again it was
good cycling country on primarily flat roads with only one or two minor
inclines, there was a good shoulder pretty much all the way & surprisingly
light traffic. The scenery was green & pleasant, if unspectacular but once
again the Khmer street life was the main attraction. Services, particularly
food was thinner on the ground today, although never more than 10 or 15km away.
It wasn’t long before
hunger pangs arrived & around 10.30 I spotted some stainless steel pans.
The only boneless option was beef, liver & cucumber stir fried in a peanut
curry sauce – the Khmer version of Penang curry but without the coconut milk.
It’s one of my favorite dishes whether here or in Thailand & this one didn’t
disappoint, it was absolutely fantastic. With rice & free iced tea the bill
came to $1 – Amazing value!
Fortified I pushed on but
around 1pm felt weak & lethargic, I wasn’t hungry just completely lacking
energy. Eventually I spotted a temple complex & backtracked to buy some
cold water before cycling into the grounds. Finding a shaded seat I mixed a
sachet of Royal D into the water & along with a few biscuits I soon felt
great again. I suspect I was getting slightly dehydrated & the Royal D
worked its wonders once again. Around 2pm another pit stop saw me enjoying
beef, green peppers, string beans & tomato with rice ($1.50) which set me
up nicely for the run into Siem Reap.
I’d made good time all day
despite not having my lowest gear & was looking forward to a nice room in
The Yellow Guesthouse. Unfortunately I arrived to find all their fan rooms were
full & a short hunt around found me at Bun Kao Guesthouse, its ok &
does have a hot shower but I’m sure for $8 there’s better value around.
After some time in the
countryside I always find it difficult to adjust to tourist towns. The constant
propositioning, “you want ganja”, “you want massage”, “you want lady” etc, etc
can grate on my nerves until I get adjusted to the new environment. Indeed
tonight after a stroll around town I gave up & got some carry out food
& beers to enjoy in my room. The chicken madras ($3.25) from Two Dragons
restaurant is good but it’s a very Thai idea of madras. Chicken, coriander
& basil would more accurately describe the dish – thankfully I like both
these herbs & enjoyed a lovely meal.
I’m feeling a bit drained
& looking forward to a good night’s sleep with no reason to awake early.
05/09/14 – Siem Reap
Today’s priority was to
get the bike fixed but first off something I’d been looking forward to for some
time, Khmer Taste Restaurant’s $1 breakfast. 2 fried eggs, sliced tomato, a
wonderfully fresh baguette, punnet of butter & a punnet of jam. A fantastic
start to the day & even beats Victory Hill’s restaurants for value for
money.
An SOS to Khmer 440
posters had come up with a recommendation for Grasshopper tours who also do
bike repairs & servicing. They appeared to be professionally run & to
know what they were talking about & I arranged to have the back cassette
(gear hub) renewed ($12) & also a full strip down & service ($16). Only
time will tell but I just hope they are as competent as they sound. I was
disappointed to find out it would take 3 days to complete the work & I
won’t be able to get off until Tuesday (9th) at the earliest.
Otherwise a slow bike less
day in Siem Reap trying to switch off to the touts offering me ganja, massage,
temple tours etc. Evening saw me at India Gate restaurant for a chicken Thali
& garlic naan.
07/09/14 – Siem Reap
– Bike repairs
 |
| Old photo |
I’ve decided I don’t have
time to do the Anlong Veng, Tbeng Meanchey circuit & need to get to Phnom
Penh & collect my new passport. A call this afternoon from Grasshopper to
tell me my bike was ready a day early meant a mad rush to get laundry done,
change money & buy some biscuits to allow me to get off tomorrow instead of
Tuesday.
 |
| Old photo |
Going to pick up my bike I
got annoyed that they unilaterally decided to adjust my spokes & wheel
alignment & charge me an extra $12 for the unsanctioned work. They quickly
dropped the charge to $6. I got even more annoyed when I discovered the bike
flies along in bottom gear but in all other gears there’s an annoying grinding
as the chain rubs against the derailleur. Basically $34 to make the bike run
worse than it ever has & leave me with only one effective gear. I had no
choice but to reluctantly pay up but will know never to let the useless shower
of idiots touch my bike again. It’s maybe fortuitous that at the time I didn’t
realize just how badly out of tune they had left my bike as I might not have
been able to resist inflicting some serious physical damage to the **** who did
the work.
08/09/14 – Siem Reap
to Stoeng – 97km – Easy
.jpg)
A great start to the day
with another Khmer Taste breakfast then hit the road. As is always the case
after an extended layup it was great to be back in the saddle. Getting out of
Siem Reap took some time as I encountered the heaviest traffic of this trip, even
Phnom Penh wasn’t this busy. Thankfully a few kilometers after Psar Leu traffic
thinned out & I could start to make up a few km’s. I wanted to make good
time as I was unsure if I’d find accommodation in Stoeng or have to push on the
extra 50km to Kompong Thom.
Yet again I found myself
on a good cycling road with a decent shoulder & surprisingly light traffic
(I’ve slowly came to realize I’m cycling during the Pçhum Ben Festival &
perhaps that’s why the roads are so quiet). The shoulder varied a lot today but
with traffic so light I spent most of my time on the main road. Services were
more sparsely available than I’ve become used to & food could take up to
20km to locate, water & soft drinks were rarely more than a few km’s apart.
 |
| Fellow cyclists |
There were a lot of wicked
sleeping policemen today, especially about 15km outside Siem Reap (just past
the turning to Anlong Veng). The white paint has eroded away & you don’t
spot them in advance. They were vicious taken at speed & next time I will
know to drop onto the dusty shoulder for a few km’s & avoid them
altogether.
I began to get hungry
around the 15km mark but it took another 15km’s before I found any decent food
options. The village (Dam Deik, I think) has an array of Khmer fast food type
stalls. I opted for beef & liver stir fried with basil which tasted exactly
like a Thai krapow neua except this had sliced beef instead of minced beef
& less chilies than the Thai’s would throw in. What was a timely &
tasty meal came to $1.25 but disappointingly there was no free tea on offer.
After the 60 km mark I was ready to eat again but couldn’t spot any eating
opportunities. After 20km I gave up & broke open a packet of biscuits to
keep me going to Stoeng where I knew I’d find food & hopefully
accommodation.
Cycling into Stoeng I
noticed what I presumed to be a basic hotel (Khmer sign only) & one
guesthouse. I continued on to the centre of town & found the Sokimex
Guesthouse. It has a Khmer sign only & indeed I had to ask a moto driver if
it was indeed a hotel – its right across from the petrol station. It’s a
strange place with an abandoned feel about it. Huge public areas with hundreds
of fold down chairs stacked against the walls, yet the feeling no ones used the
facilities in years. A very basic room was $5 with fan, cold shower, no toilet
seat, no sink, shitty TV reception, no wifi but looking on the bright side I
didn’t get bit by anything & it’s very central to the food & drink
stalls. 
Absolutely starving by
now, I didn’t even unpack the bike, rather headed for the nearest food stall
& found pork in a curried peanut sauce (this time Thai style ie with
coconut milk) & it was fabulous & amazing value, $1 for pork curry,
rice & unlimited free tea.  |
| Through the arch to find the bakery |
Later, showered &
rested up, I ventured out & found a fairly good bakery (head up the side of
the petrol station & just past the new blue building). 2 sugar doughnuts
& a chocolate bun came to 87 cents in total. Finally some barbequed chicken
& grilled liver ($1.50) saw me retire to my room with the customary beers
& ice.
HENG ARYZA
GUESTHOUSE (012 399 311)
During my wanderings tonight I came across this guesthouse & for $7/ night it looked so much nicer than the Sokimex GH. It's newly built & everything is spotless & works well. The next time I'm in Stoeng, I'll certainly be staying here instead. Coming from Siem Reap it's a right turn 200 or 300 meters before the river.. There is a sign on the main road which is very noticable when it's light up at night but I completely missed in the daytime. The owner is a really friendly guy who speaks excellent English. It means a dark 10 minute walk to the food/ drink stalls but I'll put up with that.Photos of both guesthouses here;
http://www.dropshots.com/siamdaze/albums/478942
09/09/14 – Stoeng to
Kompong Thom – 50km – Easy
I do love these short
rides when I’m relaxed & not in any rush all day, not least in the mornings
when I can slowly come to with 2 cups of coffee & even a final cup of tea
before heading off. I’ve got out of the habit of shaving without a sink or
mirror but managed to muddle through.
Once again it was a great
cycle route;- flat with a good road surface, extremely light traffic &
perhaps because I was in no hurry today, I took note of & enjoyed the
scenery more than I’ve done for a while. The shoulder varied a lot but traffic
was so sparse I had little reason to use it other than to dodge some sleeping
policemen. There were almost no km signs all day & I had to guess the
distances I was making. Water & soft drinks were available pretty much all
the way but food was in short supply. All the way from Stoeng to the bridge
over Boeng Prey Pras (20km outside Kompong Thom) there was nothing except
bananas & very basic noodle soup. At this bridge there are a number of
vendors with hammocks in private pavilions. There is a guesthouse &
restaurant advertised just before the bridge for anyone with that sinking
feeling that they aren’t going to make Kompong Thom by nightfall. I would have
checked out their prices & facilities but I was starving & keen to get
to the highway 6/ highway 62 junction where I reasoned there would be decent
food options (*see note 1). Reaching the junction I found lots of basic
restaurants littering the roadside & in one I pointed to stewed pork &
egg. It was a decent, filling meal but unusually for this dish it was full of
splintered bone. I really hate when I can’t just masticate & swallow my
food & instead have to chew carefully, locate & spit out bits of bone. 
There is a new &
fairly decent looking guesthouse at this junction although as it’s only 6km to
Kompong Thom only the weariest cyclist might use it. 
I completed a lazy &
enjoyable days cycling by going straight to Lonely Planet’s top pick – Arunras
Hotel. $6 for a really nice, clean fan room with a large balcony. Wi-Fi didn’t
stretch to my room but worked fine in the lobby, the lift saved my weary legs
& they have a very secure lock up facility for my bike. Their restaurant
was very busy with both Khmers & a few foreigners & a sandwich board
outside advertised chicken burgers for $4 & beef burgers for $5. I headed
to a local restaurant & had a wonderful beef stew & rice for dinner ($2
including a beer) & I’ve some barbecued chicken & Angkor cans to finish
off my night.
Kompong Thom’s not been
the friendliest, most hospitable town in Cambodia & I won’t be disappointed
to be moving on tomorrow. It’s nothing I can really pin down rather an overall
vibe to the whole place.
*NOTE 1; When I’m getting hungry or indeed when I’m planning a
route a good bet for finding some decent food options is to head to a major
road junction. There are usually a few food stalls and/ or restaurants catering
to the buses & vans disgorging & picking up passengers. It’s not an
infallible method of finding decent food but it does work most of the time.
10/09/14 – Kompong
Thom to Kompong Cham – 110km – Medium
The road deteriorated
dramatically today & the 1st 40 to 50km (until the turnoff to
highway 71) was often potholed with a fairly rough surface. I’ve been on worse
roads (Stung Treng to Kratie springs to mind) and although at times it was slow
going it was still very cycleable. With a scarcity of traffic it was actually
good fun slaloming between pot holes. I quickly learned the trick was to follow
the local motorcycle drivers who know the road & when to descend onto the
shoulder & when to bump back up onto the main surface.
Once again there weren’t a
lot of food options & it wasn’t until around 20km outside Kompong Thom I
passed a row of Khmer style transport cafes. I’m aware of a need to eat more
vegetables & so chose stir fried pork, cauliflower & sundry other
vegetables. It was really nice & at $1.75 was a bit expensive but I already
knew, even in Cambodia, transport cafes aren’t the cheapest places to eat. 
Fortified I pushed forward
on highway 6 until the road junction with route 71, which was a bustling little
junction town & I didn’t take note but there must have been some
restaurants/ food stalls around. I did notice a guesthouse signposted about 2km
past the junction.
The first couple of
kilometers on road 71 remains a fairly rough road surface but then improves to
a very good surface although it’s a very narrow shoulder. The surroundings
seemed more prosperous than I’ve been cycling through of late with better, more
substantial stilted wooden houses & even some fancy concrete built dwellings.
Another pit stop at the
junction of road 71 & road 222, around 48km from Kompong Cham found me with
stir fried pork, mushroom, bean sprouts & sundry other vegetables, with
rice & lots of iced tea it came to $1.25 & once again was absolutely
wonderful. There is a guesthouse at this junction & it looked fairly decent
from the outside.
 |
| There was a village of stonemasons |
I continued along a good road surface with
light to moderate traffic, a few minor inclines saw me drop a gear or two for
the 1st time since the outskirts of Sihanukville. Turning onto
highway 7 with about 12 km to go until Kompong Cham a heavy rain started &
so my run in on a good road (wide, great shoulder) became a less enjoyable
experience.
Checking my Lonely Planet
guide they recommended Phnom Pros Hotel for $6 “including all the trimmings
such as satellite TV, fridge & hot water”. It’s the first time Lonely
Planet’s let me down this trip & the $6 fan room with cold shower, no
fridge, was a bit cramped & I’ve stayed in cleaner rooms. Still for $6 it
will do for a night & the bikes in a secure parking area.
It’s a shitty night with
constant rain & flooded streets. I ventured out to the bakery for $2 worth
of doughnuts & chocolate cakes, then the market for some barbequed spare
ribs & chicken. Picking up some beers & ice on my way back & it’s
going to be another night in.
11/09/14 – Kompong
Cham to Prey Veng – 75km (approx) – Easy
A great days cycling
today, indeed probably the best day of the trip so far. Started out with a
scenic crossing of Kompong Cham’s bridge & onto a wide road with a good
shoulder & fairly light traffic passing very picturesque houseboats with
fishing nets flying in the air. 
It didn’t take long to
cover the 15km until the turnoff to highway 11 where there were a lot of
restaurants. I chose the busiest looking one – right on the corner as you turn
into highway 11 & it was a great choice. Every pan I opened looked
appetizing & all their dishes were made with boneless meat, highly unusual
for Cambodia. Remembering my vow to eat more vegetables, I opted for the sweet
& sour pork & it was lovely & for $1.25 a great filler. Leaving my
bike at the restaurant I had a wander around this junction town & noticed a
great vibe here & it was an extraordinarily friendly place!
Eventually I pushed on
down road 11 & it was a very pleasant cycle with a good road surface. There
was little or no shoulder but it didn’t matter as traffic was so sparse all
day. Passed a few rubber plantations & then opened out to well tended
fields of what, I don’t know, some sort of vegetable or herb but the fragrance
was wonderful. An aroma, not dissimilar to mint followed me for a good few
kilometers. It was nice to see sugar cane juice vendors back on the roadside
today, something I’ve missed for some time now & around 45km outside Prey
Veng I stopped for a 25 cent energy boost – it’s really refreshing &
amazing the lift this simple drink can give me. 
It remained idyllic
cycling country with a few minor inclines but hardly worth dropping a gear for.
About 20km outside Prey Veng at Svay Antor where there’s lots of eating options
I had pork with garlic & rice for $1.25. There’s also a petrol station mini
mart if you’re craving ice cream, crisps or some comfort food.
Arriving in Prey Veng I
headed straight for Angkor Thom Hotel which I knew from a previous visit when I
was attending a Khmer friend’s wedding. For $6 you get a big, well appointed
fan room with good TV & Wi-Fi, the staff don’t speak any English though.
By night I didn’t venture
further than a tiny night market not far from my hotel where there wasn’t much
on offer. I settled for some barbequed Khmer style beef kebabs & a bag of
Khmer style pasties which I’ve yet to sample. In retrospect I should have used
the hotel’s restaurant & had a hot filling meal.
The electric keeps coming
& going tonight & now (8.50pm) the rain in bucketing down.
12/09/14 – Prey Veng
to Phnom Penh – 91km – Easy
Angkor Thom Hotel turned
out to be quiet & comfortable & I enjoyed a good night’s sleep which
set me up nicely for another great days cycling, arguably the best day of this
trip so far.
Road 11 from Prey Veng to
Neak Loeang was a decent road surface with occasional slightly rough patches. There
was no shoulder most of the way but traffic was so sparse that it didn’t
matter. Back to scenery of flooded rice paddies, stilted wooden houses & as
always lots of colourful local activity. Cold drinks were available all the way
but there wasn’t much in the way of food until Neak Loeang (31km from Prey
Veng). 
Arriving in Neak Loeang I
had a huge appetite & checked a few food stalls but the only boneless
option I could find was stewed pork, egg & bamboo shoots. For $1 it was a
really nice breakfast but then anything would have been good with the appetite
I had. I noticed 2 decent looking guesthouses in town but I’m sure there are
more to be found.
I’d expected the mundane
experience of crossing the river by bridge & was delighted to find the
bridge is still under construction (or perhaps repair) & that I’d instead
be enjoying the delightful experience of crossing by ferry. I’ve fond memories
of this ferry crossing in the past & found it to be one of the most
picturesque & photogenic spots in Cambodia. To find out the ferry still
runs & indeed is the only way across was the best surprise of this whole
trip. I cycled on & enjoyed watching the young vendors go about their
business & all the colour & diversity of the passengers. Unfortunately
all too soon it was over & time to disembark. I felt like turning around
& doing it again. It wasn’t until I was about 5km down the road that I
realized no one had charged me & that I’d had a free ride.
I do find Neak Loeang to
be an amazingly colourful place & look forward to stopping overnight one
day soon. 
Highway 1 from Neak Loeang
to the outskirts of Phnom Penh was a joy & the best road I’ve been on this
trip. Great road surface, great shoulder surface & indeed a shoulder within
a shoulder – fantastic & I could really eat up the kilometers. Traffic got
steadily heavier the closer I got to Phnom Penh but with the road surface &
wonderful shoulder it wasn’t a problem. A sugarcane juice & some biscuits
20km out fortified me for the run into the city. 
Around 8km outside Phnom
Penh the road deteriorated badly & became a rough potholed nightmare.
Easily the worst stretch of road I’ve encountered this whole trip. Traffic
started to get a lot heavier & a swirling wind meant dust clouds stinging
my eyes & obscuring my vision. Not a pleasant few km’s & suddenly
confronted with snarling traffic, noise & pollution I realized I wasn’t
quite ready for the big city & felt like turning around & heading back
to Neak Loeang.
Crossing the Bassac River
I took the 2nd right onto Monivong Blvd & before long was
enjoying a chicken pie & chocolate doughnut at ABC bakery before heading to
Green Guesthouse. The $8 fan rooms not as good as the one I has before with no
writing desk & rather cramped but it will do for tonight.
At night I headed to the
Golden Soraya Mall where I thought I’d enjoy a cheap jug of beer, write up some
notes & watch life going by but I’d no sooner ordered a jug of beer when
one of the local expat “characters” joined me uninvited. All he wanted to do
was whinge about how unfriendly, dishonest & untrustworthy the Cambodian
people are & like many of the Phnom Penh expats was so bloody negative
about everything Cambodian. I understand it’s the big city niggles getting to
them & slowly grinding them down but having just had the most wonderful 4
week trip, experiencing overwhelming friendliness & hospitality at every
turn I just couldn’t handle listening to such negativity.
16/09/14 – Phnom
Penh – Attempted bike repairs
 |
| Bike shops around the Capitol GH |
It’s been an extended
layup in Phnom Penh as I waited on the passport office to open on Monday &
then today arranged a certified copy of my passport ($51 for a signature –
bloody annoying to say the least). I’ve not really enjoyed Phnom Penh this time
around, not least because I don’t like my room in Green Guesthouse but have
been too lazy to move.
A visit to Giant bikes for
a free service & to get my gears sorted put me in a foul mood. Initially
they were adamant that there was nothing wrong with my gears until I insist the
mechanic actually ride the bike. He then decided I needed a new rear cassette
for $15, when I told him the cassette was only a week old he decided I needed a
new chain instead ($15). He fitted the chain & declared it was running
perfect except for the fact that the lowest 2 gears didn’t work. I snapped
& threw a bit of a tantrum, told the mechanic to fit the old chain back on,
told the manager she should be ashamed to be selling a heap of shit that
doesn’t last 7 months & cycled off. In fairness I think I was venting my
anger at Grasshoppers incompetence & Giant were getting the brunt of my
frustrations. Still, I expected more competence from Giant mechanics &
better quality from their bikes. For a rear cassette to wear out in 7 months is
pretty pathetic, not to mention a tyre, brake pads & sundry other items
that have needed replacing. I’ll just have to nurse her back to Sihanukville
where I can hopefully have her repaired properly.
I’m really looking forward
to getting off tomorrow!
17/09/14 – Phnom
Penh to Angk Ta Saom – 93km (approx) – Easy
 |
| Getting out of Phnom Penh |
I found it easier to get
onto highway 2 this time around by going straight down Monireth Blvd &
turning onto street 217 which leads to highway 2. Assisted by Google maps &
reasonable signposting in Phnom Penh it was pretty hard to go wrong. The road
conditions were a repeat of my report dated 22/08/14 except a constant drizzle
meant it was more muddy in patches.
I stopped around the 40km
mark in a small town with a few fast food restaurants. A really tasty with pork
liver & string beans cost $1.50. All day I’d been considering bypassing
Takeo & pushing on to Angk Ta Saom but I knew a good guesthouse in Takeo
& there’s a better variety of eating establishments. Arriving in Takeo
around 4.30pm to find Daunkeo Guesthouse was full (or at least the cheaper fan
rooms were full) I decided to push on the extra 15km.
Arriving in Angk Ta Saom I
had a cycle around & found Sokhom Guesthouse with big $5 fan rooms, nice
bathroom & set off the main road, therefore an extremely quiet setting. I
really was impressed & for $5 it’s probably the best value I’ve had this
trip. The bike is parked in a covered parking area & securely chained to a
water pipe. Wi-Fi works in the downstairs lobby but not in the room. The
family/ staff are extremely friendly & helpful but speak no English. Coming
from Takeo as you arrive at the junction with highway 3, turn right & after
about 200 meters you will see the sign on the left hand side of the road. 
Angk Ta Saom has a few
restaurants attached to the hotels & a few basic restaurants & food
stalls, including a row of rice soup with chicken & tukaloc (fruit shake)
stalls. There are lots of vendors selling grilled meats to the mini bus
passengers, 3 bakeries & a petrol station mini mart. Nothing overly
exciting but it’s a satisfactory place for an overnight stop & everyone’s
very friendly & helpful.
I had some stir fried
beef, green pepper & liver with rice for $1 from a rather fierce looking
vendor & then some grilled chicken & 2 sweet corn cobs to take back to
the room with the customary bag of beers & ice.
Photos of Sokhom Guesthouse here;-
http://www.dropshots.com/siamdaze/albums/478943
Photos of Sokhom Guesthouse here;-
http://www.dropshots.com/siamdaze/albums/478943
18/09/14 – Angk Ta
Soam to Kampot – 75km (approx) – Easy
I enjoyed a good night’s
sleep in Sokhom Guesthouse although it was sporadically noisy in the morning
with Khmers checking out & the echoy corridors magnifying the noise. The
shower was lukewarm which is nice but also means it’s a scorcher of a day
outside.
I’ve described the road
already in report dated 21/08/14. After about 20km I stopped for a fairly
decent chicken, ginger & rice ($1.25). Around the 30 to 35km mark there’s a
junction town (perhaps Chhuk) with lots of basic restaurants and a guesthouse.
It didn’t look like the worst place to overnight coming to/ from Sihanukville
or Phnom Penh.
Early afternoon &
another pit stop where I enjoyed a sugar cane juice & some fruit cake that
I’d bought in Phnom Penh that sustained me the rest of the way to Kampot.
Arriving in Kampot, I headed straight to Kampot 2 guesthouse & a big &6
fan room that I can lock the bike in.
In the evening I tried
Captain Chims restaurant where the $3 chicken amok was tasty enough but severely
lacking chicken. Chicken breast is $4.50/ kilo from a supermarket in Cambodia,
cheaper in the markets. It surely wouldn’t hurt these restaurants to put 150
gram or 200 gram of meat into a $3 meal. I am looking forward to getting back
to Romdoul’s chicken cordon bleu, Heng’s sweet & sour pork & Sovann’s
full Western breakfast.
19/09/14 – Kampot to
Sihanukville – 100km – Medium
I’ve given today’s ride a
medium grade partly as I only had one fully operating gear (then lowest) which
was less than ideal when tackling the hills into Sihanukville & also
because the final 40km from the Veal Renh turnoff wasn’t enjoyable with a 2 or
3 inch drop onto the shoulder & when oncoming vehicles were overtaking they
made no allowance for the lone cyclist. Otherwise road conditions are as
recorded on 19 & 20/08/14.
Unusual for Kampot 2
Guesthouse it was noisy this morning with the staff chatting right outside my
room. Normally I’d have given them an earful but as it was time to get up
anyway I put up with it. 09.30am I set off but it wasn’t long until hunger pangs
assailed me & I pulled into the first restaurant I saw. It was my 1st
marinated, barbecued pork & rice for some time & it was very good,
especially the accompanying soup with a beautiful lump of simmered pork. It
reminded me of my mother’s Scots broth made with a slowly simmered ham end. For
$1.25 it was a nice breakfast.
Another pit stop in Veal
Renh where I enjoyed an absolutely beautiful spare rib & vegetable soup
& it was probably the best meal I’ve had this trip. Pork ribs, cabbage,
mushroom, carrot in a wonderful broth for $1.25.
I considered having a
night in Veal Renh, the perfect place to update my notes & relax but I
decided to push on to Sihanukville where I could catch up with some mates &
get back to my laptop. I’ve always wanted to cycle the back route from Veal
Renh to Sihanukville but with only one effective gear I knew it would be
impractical. Pushing on down highway 4 it was a shock to be back to relatively
heavy traffic & with a large drop onto the shoulder making riding
uncomfortable. Oncoming traffic made no allowances when overtaking & on
four occasions I was shaking my fist & cursing as I was forced off the
road. 
The hills into
Sihanukville were a challenge to say the least with only my lowest gear working
& I was cursing Grasshopper of Siem Reap all the way into town. I finally
arrived back at Romdouls restaurant at 5pm, pretty exhausted & looking
forward to a few days of rest. Thankfully Okata Hotel had an $8 room & I
could bask in a warm shower before enjoying a chicken cordon Bleu with fried
potatoes at Romdouls restaurant then downing a good few beers with some mates. 
Conclusions &
overall costs
This was a pretty
wonderful cycle ride. It very much reminded me of the Mekong Delta in Vietnam
where everything is so flat making for effortless cycling & distances
between towns more than manageable. I was extremely surprised how light the
traffic was on most of this route. The friendliness, honesty, good humor &
hospitality of the locals was not a surprise as I already knew what a wonderful
people the Khmers are. I thought the food enroute was generally fantastic but
as a hungry cyclist building up huge appetites then probably anything would
have tasted delicious, for sure it was often astonishingly cheap.
Accommodation enroute cost
from $5/ night to $8/ night & was always at least satisfactory, no bedbugs
& surprisingly not one cockroach sharing my room the entire trip. Compared
to neighboring countries rooms in Cambodia are an absolute bargain.
Of the 1,443km covered
only a 40km section between Kompong Chhnang & Pursat & the final 40km
from Veal Renh to Sihanukville was there any sense of “danger”, when I had to
watch out & concentrate hard. The other 1,363km were an absolute joy except
perhaps the initial 40 km between Kompong Thon & Kompong Cham which was a
bit rough.
I really did have a
fantastic time & as I sit here in Sihanukville one week later I can’t wait
to get off again. Having new experiences & new adventures every day becomes
addictive & I find it hard to settle down even in a paradise like Sihanukville.
Stripping out
extraordinary costs (e.g. Smartphone & bicycle shorts purchased, bike
repairs) I spent $714 in 34 days or $21/ day.
An approximate breakdown
would be;-
Room - $7/day
Beer - $6/day (i.e. 12
cans)
Food - $5 to $6/ day
Misc - $2 to $3/day
(water, cigarettes, toiletries etc)
I would add $5 to $8 per
day to this budget if you like aircon rooms & another $5 to $8 if you
prefer formal restaurants with menus & serving staff.
I read your recipe descriptions and try to make this. But could not making that. But it is really delicious to all and but to me. I have some recipe ideas. Please visit this. Favorite Food
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