After a
short ride in the early morning I reached the Cambodian border. And the
crossing was quick and smooth and with no bribe needed at the Cambodian border.
That was one of the things I had heard about beforehand, that there is a lot of
corruption in the country. I could feel the difference from Thailand directly,
with a lot of noise and sounds in the small border town. And here everyone is
selling something and there is no shortage of taxi and tuk tuk drivers. I even
got the question if I needed a ride, despite the obvious fact that I was riding
my bicycle. One said it would be easier to take a taxi in the warm weather, and
that he was right about. It is really hot here, between 35 and 40 in the middle
of the day, and there’s no cool breeze just hot air.
On the
first day I rode to Battambang and got the first taste of the chaotic traffic and
some stretches on some very dusty roads. So one I reached the hostel in
Battambang I was very tires and could scrape off a layer of dirt from my face.
Battambang was a nice quiet city despite being one of the bigger in Cambodia. I
really liked the hostel I stayed at and met many nice travelers there. I stayed
there for three nights with one day of sightseeing with Lisa from Germany. We
started the day with a very different kind of tourist attraction. Just outside
of town there is an old railway track that now I used to drive tourists back
and forth to an old brick factory on a very special train. We’re sitting on a platform
made out of bamboo that is placed on the axels, and then a motor is placed in
the back and drives off on the old bumpy tracks with overgrown vegetation on
both sides.
After a
shaky ride on the bamboo train we jumped on the tuk tuk again headed to a hill
on the other side of town. There waited a climb up many steps to the top of the
hill with temples and a nice view of the surroundings. But the highlight at
that place was at sunset when bats flew out of a cave on their way to the lake
to eat mosquitoes. It was really impressive to see a dark moving cloud of bats flying
out for about 30 minutes.
After
Battambang I rode back the same dusty road and stopped for the night in a small
town on the way to Siem Reap. It was yet another super-hot day and for the
first time the shower wasn’t cold enough for me when I wanted to cool off after
the days ride. The next day I had 100 km left to cover to get to Siem Reap. I
had been in contact with Andre and Karla, two cyclists from Brazil that I met
in Vietnam. They were going the opposite way and we made plans to meet up along
the road somewhere. So after covering 50 km I was looking around for them and
suddenly Andre came running out from the side of the road shouting my name. It
was great to see them again even though I wish we were going the same way for a
while. After sharing some stories and drinking a refreshing ice coffee we said
goodbye again and rode out separate ways.
100 km is probably the maximum I want
to do in this heat and I was tired when arriving in Siem Reap. I met another
cyclist in town but unfortunately he couldn’t stay at the hostel I had booked
since it was full.
It was
really nice to finally be in Siem Reap where I planned to stay for a while. And
luckily some people I had met in Laos a few weeks before were here as well and
we had a fun reunion and a first taste of the nightlife at Pub Street. The
first couple of days I didn’t do much except for hanging by the pool during the
days and Pub Street at night. Some people I met in Battambang also stayed at
the hostel and we had some fun nights out.
The reason
for my long stay here in Siem Reap was not only the temples but a friend who
was coming here for a weeks stay and we had planned to see Angkor Wat together.
So on Monday Amanda and I got up at 4:30 in the morning to see the sunrise at
Angkor Wat. It was really interesting to walk in there in the darkness not
knowing where we were and then wait for the sun to rise from behind the spectacular
Temple. After the amazing sunrise we then made the most out of the cool (not
really) morning air and visited the Ta Prohm temple, known for being used as a
location in the film Tomb Raider.
After a day’s
rest by the pool and at an ice cream place we set out for a full day of
temples. The highlight that day was Bayon temple with so many stone faces
carved out of stone. But it’s hard work visiting the temples a full day and we
were sweating walking around and up steps in the heat. We finished with a
sunset from a temple on a hill before heading back for a refreshing cold
shower.
The town of
Siem Reap is nice with a lot of good restaurants with all kinds of different
food, some stranger than others. So I
think it’s time to make a little list of the strange things I have eaten
so far on my trip.
- · Donkey
- · Cicada
- · Rabbits head
- · Snake
- · Crocodile
- · Silk worm
- · Cockroach
- · Kangaroo
Our third
and last day with temples we decided to go out of the main area and started off
with a hike in the jungle to a water stream with carving in the stones. Not as
great as we had hoped but still nice and a very hot hike up there. We finished
with the big one, Angkor Wat. It’s really big and there’s a lot to see there.
But after a whole day in the heat the energy is not 100% and no one wanted to
hurry around and see absolutely every corner. Instead we sat down and just
enjoyed the surroundings and the beauty of the place. After the sun had set on
Angkor Wat we headed back to our amazing tuk tuk driver Van San who had drove
us around all three days, guiding us, telling us about the history and always
with great humor and a smile on his face. So if you’re going here, look up Van
San!
Yesterday
was our last day, and also my birthday! Last year I spent my birthday on the
road in east of Turkey spending the night in an abandoned house with a dog as
my only company. So this year was a big contrast to that day, spending the day
with Amanda who surprised me with a birthday cake and gifts =)
Today I’m
sitting by the computer going through hundreds of photos of temples and also
making a plan for the next couple of weeks. I have changed my original plan and
will now ride back into Vietnam to see the south and by doing that I won’t have
to rush through the rest of Cambodia. Instead I’ll get a new visa when I go
back into Cambodia again and can take it a little slower along the coast on my
way back into Thailand. If I don’t change my mind again…
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