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Cycling in CambodiaCycling in Cambodia
But cycling from Phnom Penh to Battambang was not possible as Battambang, then, was still in the hands of the Khmer Rouge. Also the road to Siem Reap was in horrible condition, even for cyclist! There were not even busses because many bridges had collapsed. The only way to reach Siem Reap and Angkor was by boat over the Ton Le Sap lake. Quite an experience as on the way back one of the front windows broke in bad weather and "the whole" lake floated the boat.
In 2002 I was back for a second visit, this time I went to do some cycling in Cambodia. The Khmer Rouge was effectively disappeared, or this was what the government you wanted to believe. In some areas, the rumor went, they were still in charge running casino's! I crossed the Thai Cambodia border at Aranyaphratet, no better place in this part to start cycling in Cambodia. There was no need to buy a visa in Bangkok as you can buy one right at the border, $20, B1000 and you can pass. I found a complete different country, people were smiling, the fear I had seen during my first visit was gone and people started to think about the future which looked much brighter.
The first part to Sisopon was quite bad. The road was basically a pothole road, asphalt with big holes but it was ok to cycle. After Sisopon, a few descent guest houses gave me a stay for the night, I went in one day to Siem Reap. This was the hard part. There was fortunately not much traffic though this seems to have changed since then. The road is however still in terrible condition. It's no more then a sand path of red and yellow sand. The good thing is: it's all flat! There are villages on the road and the people were nice and friendly. In Phnum Lieb there was a little guest house but I skipped it. This is actually the junction if you insist to go north and try your luck to cross into Thailand at Osmach. In fact a better option is Preah Vihar which can be reached easier from Siem Reap through road 67. Mind you, these roads are no more then sand paths and cycling is not much fun on roads like that (as it isn't much fun by bus or motorbike) Siem Reap had changed since 1995 then it was impossible to go out for some cycling in Cambodia or here in Siem Reap. The first time there were a few guest houses, now it seemed it had boomed. I found a nice small one for a few dollars. Before entering the room I had to wash the sand of my body, clothes and bicycle. Fortunately there was a hose and because I had found 3 other cyclists on the road, in no time we were cleaning our bikes and each other.
Siem Reap is, of course, the base of where Angkor has to be explored. Of course there had been some changes since the days Henri Mahout's discovery of the Angkor temples in 1860. Mahout is usually seen as the discoverer of Angkor but it's not completely right, Angkor had been visited in the centuries before by others, including English, Portugese and Dutch but it had never been taken the attention it deserved. Mahout's discovery was right timed, in the middle of the European Romantic period which fitted well in the thinking of the Europeans. More about Angkor you can read here For an extensive look at Angkor and the temples in the ruined city of Angkor Thom, please click here When I came back for some cycling in Cambodia later, I found that the road to Phnom Penh was now asphalted and in good condition. The bridges were excellent and the closer I got to Phnom Penh, the busier the road became. Phnom Penh is sometimes seen as the little sister of Bangkok and it does make a little sense. Both cities contain a Royal Palace. It has to be said, the Royal Palace of Phnom Penh, though very nice, is no match for it's big brother in Bangkok. More about Phnom Penh here. Going north was in 1995 only possible by boat and there was no way you could cycle into Laos. Nowadays this border is open though the Cambodian part of that road is still in poor condition. On the Lao side it's all new and good asphalt. This means you can start cycling in Cambodia and continue to Laos and further to Thailand, Vietnam or China.
Phom Penh is nowadays again a busy city. It was a different thing in the Khmer Rouge years. In the period 1975-1979 Phnom Penh was almost completely abandoned, only 20.000 people stayed there. And the city contained one of the most horrific slaughterhouses of human history: Tuol Sleng. The nearby Killing Fields were the expression of the zero tolerance Khmer Rouge with Pol Pot as Number 1. Here's some more about Tuol Sleng. These days you can even cycle from Phnom Penh to Battambang, around 300km. Worth? Well, I have to admit, I skipped it. The reports I get are not encouraging me to start thinking about this road. And what about Battambang? The road is in good condition, all flat and you can get accommodation in Purat and Kampong Chnang. Another option, which is valid in the whole of Cambodia is to ask the temples. usually they are happy to accommodate you, though in the big cities this is more unusual as there are hotels. The last few years many cyclist take the road from Laos into Cambodia to Stung Treng. The Lao part of the road is good, in Cambodia the road is still horrible. It seems though that it is no longer unsafe to travel this road.
And then there's the road to Vietnam. It's another road I didn't cycle, though it seems to be a reasonable good one. I can't tell anything about that road. Other pages about Cycling in Cambodia are: Subscribe to my Bicycle adventure RSS feed, if you don't know what this is, please read here more:
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