Posted by on 25. March 2017

Welcome to Cambodia.

DSC06294-1024x683

As I wrote everything works out fine at the border and we get our 30 days visa on arrival for 30 $. Short after we look for a hotel/guesthouse where we stay for one night. The next day we sleep long and give the main road a try, but just 40 km to Svay Rieng, where we stay the second night. It’s Sunday and we have our lunch break at a big schoolyard. The school is open, so we can have a look at the classrooms.

DSC06278-1024x683

DSC06281-683x1024

DSC06295-1024x683

As we aren’t forced to rush and use the big road anymore, we try some smaller Cambodian sandy sideroads the next day. We meet children cycling home from school.

DSC06299-1024x683

And then around midday a friendly guy stops next to us with his scooter. He asks the usual questions and if we had lunch yet. We say no and he invites us to his home, where they cook vegetarian rice with cucumber extra for us. 🙂 They speak good English and give small private lessons.

DSC06301-683x1024

DSC06304-1024x683

Cambodia is very flat and has a lot of coconut palm-trees.

DSC06309-683x1024

DSC06306-1024x683

DSC06310-1024x683

Some of the sand roads are in good shape and it rolls easy like on a German forest road, but others are horrible bumpy and we cycle with walking speed only.

DSC06311-1024x683

Main junction in a village.

DSC06312-1024x683

It looks more like a stall, but it is a guesthouse.

DSC06313-1024x683

DSC06315-1024x683

Johanna buying delicious pineapples for breakfast.

DSC06317-1024x683

DSC06319-683x1024

From Prey Veng, where we have lunch, we try to find small roads to Pea Reang at the National Highway 8.

The cows are so big and white, very impressive.

DSC06323-1024x683

DSC06325-683x1024

DSC06326-1024x683

Yes, interesting or unusual loaded vehicles are all over Southeast Asia.

DSC06327-1024x683

The result of our work on a dusty day.

DSC06328-1024x683

Finally we see children riding on water buffalos.

DSC06332-1024x683

DSC06333-1024x683

DSC06334-1024x683

DSC06337-1024x683

We cycle through an area with big new infrastructure and nothingness and some industrial buildings. In front of on bigger building there is a movable market, a lot of woman buy their lunch  and eat in the shade. When we arrive the lunch break is almost over, all the sellers pack their stuff and leave. We think it is a clothing factory.

DSC06338-1024x683

Transformers figure.

DSC06339-683x1024

The area around Phnom Penh at the Mekong is famous for silk. We visit one small silk factory. On the picture you see the cocoons of the caterpillars.

DSC06342-1024x683

DSC06343-1024x683

A lot of mango trees grow here.

DSC06345-683x1024

After a long time, last time was in Luang Prabang, we see the Mekong river again. By a small ferry we cross over and arrive in the center of Cambodia’s capital.

DSC06347-1024x683

DSC06348-683x1024

DSC06363-683x1024

Our friendly host William from England let’s us stay in his apartment. As we both need a big rest, we stay for one week. The sunsets look georges.

DSC06399-1024x683

DSC06400-1024x683

Extreme decorative cakes in a bakery in Phnom Penh.

DSC06356-1024x683

After all the sandy dust roads, we give our bags a quick wash and they look a bit more shiny again.

DSC06372-1024x683

As a daytrip we cycle a bit north to the silk island, where we have a swim in the Mekong.

DSC06376-1024x683

DSC06378-1024x683

DSC06384-683x1024

DSC06387-1024x683

DSC06388-1024x683

On the way back we stop for lunch. And while we sit in the homestay with a restaurant we realize that the pictures at the wall are from Germany, actually from Franconia. The woman joins us to the table and speaks German with us. She lived in Germany in a small village in Franconia for 11 years. She is Cambodian but we can hear her Franconia accent, we feel a bit like at home.

DSC06390-1024x683

DSC06395-1024x683

After one week we are ready to cycle on to the seaside. Kampot is the next big city in the south. In the beginning, the way out of the town, we are lucky and find a new paved, still closed road for about ten kilometers. But after that the traffic hits us hard again. We stop and have a lunch break firstly.

DSC06401-1024x683

Johanna’s ergonomic handle grips are used off, ugly and sticky. As it’s not possible to get new ones, she has the great idea to rip some bar tape around. One bicycle shop gives her shiny orange left over tape for free. Nice highlight for her bike.

DSC06403-1024x683

We decide to skip Angkor Wat. It was a longer decision, but for me it is just a very touristic hot-spot and I don’t like those places. I like the hidden and smaller places more, those ones you sometimes find accidently. Also they recently raised the entrance fee from 20 $ to 37 $ for the one day ticket. A bus ride to Siem Reap would take one day. But as we don’t have enough time to visit Angkor Wat anyway, we visit two smaller Angkor temples south of the capital on our way to Kampot. The first is Tonle Bati, 30 km south of Phnom Penh. The ruins are very nice and impressive, we are the only visitors.

DSC06406-1024x683

DSC06408-1024x683

DSC06409-683x1024

DSC06411-1024x683

DSC06413-1024x683

DSC06414-1024x683

DSC06415-1024x683

DSC06419-1024x683

DSC06425-1024x683

When we cycle back to the main road, we see a tandem. It is a couple from Switzerland. Spontaneous we decide to stay at the same guesthouse like them and we have a nice evening together. They started their tour in Siem Reap and are on their way to Bangkok now. After the cycling trip they will work in the south of Thailand in an orphan asylum as volunteers. Unfortunately we didn’t take any picture or exchange contacts, and as they are very early birds, starting before sunrise, we don’t see the next morning again. Hope they are fine.

We take a small road to the Phnom Chisor Temple, it’s on top of a small mountain, you have to climb some stairs up to 100 meters above sea level.

DSC06432-1024x683

DSC06435-1024x683

DSC06439-1024x683

DSC06441-1024x683

DSC06444-1024x683

We climb up to the highest point of the small mountain. I miss hiking a bit, I forgot how good the feeling is to arrive on the top of a mountain. Very happy to reach the peak of Chisor, 123m.

DSC06446-1024x683

Posted in: blog