On my motorcycle I now swap the left side of the road for the right side of the road, motor vehicles are left hand drive and car drivers are noticeably a little more crazy. On a two lane road, approaching traffic can be three abreast with a car passing a another car while both are passing a motorcycle, I have to move on to the dirt shoulder of the road to avoid a head on, this is standard practise. Riding a motorcycle in South East Asia requires concentration at all times, if it's not the on coming vehicles, its the lunatic passing from behind at 140 kilometres per hour allowing little space between us, or the dog, cow, goat, chicken, or pig crossing the road. Probably my closest call is an oncoming 4 wheel drive vehicle passing a bus while rounding a tight blind corner with forward view blocked by a hill cutting on both sides of the road, I was well into the corner before the 4 x 4 came into view, it's the only time on this trip my heart has skipped a beat.
Cambodia is home to the eighth wonder of the world, The Temples of Angkor. I based myself in the nearby town of Seim Reap for four (4) days while taking in the sites. Rather than ride and navigate myself around in 38 degree heat I choose to relax and take in the views in an open air trailer towed by a motor scooter which is known as a Tuk Tuk.
There is no greater concentration of architectural riches anywhere on earth, all are global icons and have helped to put Cambodia on the map as the temple capital of Asia. The hundreds of temples surviving today are the scared skeleton of the vast ancient Khmer empire. Angkor was a city with a population of one million when London was a small town of 50,000.
After two days strolling around the temples of Angkor I'm back on my bike for the ride to Kompong Cham and a one night stay. During the afternoon I ride to the nearby island of Koh Paen via a temporary bamboo bridge, the bridge is dismantled for the duration of the wet season then reassembled for dry season access. Riding across the bridge on my two hundred (200) plus kilogram motorcycle was a bit freaky, providing the sensation of riding with flat tyres, I was glad to get back on terra firma.
During my travels my evening meal usually consists of some sort of food cooked at a temporary night market stall, sitting at a wobbly table on a plastic stool, Kompong Cham to my detriment was the exception, I dinned on a tasty Khmer curry at a touristy restaurant. Through the night, at about 1.30 am I wake with the almighty feeling of my stomach contents wanting to exit my body, and I was not sure which orifice the contents desired to exit, so at that moment and at regular intervals through the remainder of the night I visited the WC porcelain bowl, while lets just say my body attempted to cleans its self of said dodgy curry. That curry would haunt me for the following week or so, needless to say it was back to the trusty street food after that. No time to sit still and recover though, so bread and jam or plain rice for breakfast blocked me up and allowed me to ride the day with confidence, in this situation its all about managing what and when you eat and staying hydrated.
Kratie is my next stop and what a busy little town it is, I walk the streets in the late afternoon, passing through the bustling street market, take in a sunset over the Mekong river, and eat sensational barbequed meats at a street stall.
After my rice, BBQ meat and mixed vegetable meal I'm walking back towards my motorcycle for the ride to my hotel when I notice a rider on the same F800 GSA motorcycle as I ride, I don't quite catch up on foot so I jump on my bike and head along the water front, soon enough the other F800 circles around in front of me and stops in the adjacent hotel forecourt, I also stop and introduce myself to Terence, a Singaporean guy travelling Indochina as a warm up to his world tour starting in 2015, we sit and talk over a drink, exchange contact details and agree to catch up in the coming days.
Another day dawns, and with another destination to reach I hit the road for a short ride before I stop to rehydrate at a section of the Mekong known to be home to the critically endangered freshwater Irrawaddy dolphins.
A popular day retreat for the locals, well set up with bamboo huts, food and drink stalls and bamboo bridges providing access to swimming holes, I snap a few photos, enquire about dolphin sightings, I am told the dolphins are not about, so I keep going to my destination Stung Treng for one last night in Cambodia before another border crossing to my next adventure destination Laos.
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