from two days ago..
The circle closes
Two more days and I’m back in Phnom Penh. But
just for (hopefully) one day to make my Visa and also get the biked serviced at
the shop, so it will be same reliable on the second part of the journey.
So I took the way down to Preah Kanh (there are several of them, so it’s confusing ;) I found the turn-off, a very big green sign above the road. Then I thought this is gonna be easy (dirt road, but really big). Turns out that this goes some stone processing plant and my way (people around didn’t know and were pointing me 180° other direction :P ..I already stopped making efforts to ask for the way (except there’s absolutely no one around for the next 10km). Most of the people don’t get my Khmer and it’s a pain in the ass trying to speak their language. So I mostly don’t bother long.. go find someone more helpful ;)
after cruising around for a while I found it then and it was still a pretty neat way (neat means, not too easy to drive ;) then it started to become a rarely travelled track and suddenly I was happy to have extra gas and water with me. This was so far the biggest leap of faith that I took so far. I found a village at the beginning and they were telling me where to go (I should have asked for clearer instructions, but I left quite quickly). The road became really nasty (impassable for a car) and somewhere a hardened track filled with leaves throw me out of balance and I got another scratch on my leg. But I’m taking good care of them.. put like four different creams on different body parts ;)
it was a really bad-ass ride this day and when I finally after over an hour of “blind” driving found the origin of the tracks I was following, it were two ox carts ;) man, was I happy to see someone around!! I figured, that I’m pretty right.. maybe there would have been another better way around but mostly it was the way I took. Just a few more kilometres and I got there! The last part was easy, because there were people around to ask. On the way there I crossed five dry riverbeds and needed quite some driving skill to handle the bike. Not one kg more!! :P at a certain point far, far in it stopped working for a moment. The engine just went off after exiting a riverbed and was not to start again. Hmm.. had to take a deep breath, taking my helmet off, checking all the connection and then trying to start it a bit more (once battery is dead the problem becomes bigger). Luckily it started again after a while.. hmm. Was driving REALLY careful after that (1st gear) for a while ;)
the biggest challenge is the to handle the growing amount of stress. Where am I? Will the bike do? (no flat tyres, because couldn’t fix that, because no tools). Will I find the way back if it has to be? (one hour riding means over 6 hours walking back!!). Additionally it’s very hot and you dehydrate quickly (camelback would be awesome!). Then you start losing concentration and eventually fall. So it’s good to stop, to calm down, to relax and to think. In the end it just worked out perfectly! :) I arrived at the temple and there were several fractions of locals having a picnic out there and inviting me beer and tasty food! :) cheered by the booze, I walked around in the ruins (they are nice, but I expected something different, for the Lonely Planet sections talks about another site with the same name :P but was still nice! ..the best of it was sleeping out there during the night. I managed with the help of some locals to get my bike in and hid it very well in the jungle (got smarter ;) then after sunset I went pretty quickly to bed for many, many mosquitoes were waking up :P my hammock kicks ass!! If you don’t have a perfect hammock-mosquito-net-solution, don’t sleep outside. There were dozens buzzing at my head and I assume even more of them further down. But all of them outside, so I didn’t get stung during the night (otherwise you don’t close an eye ;). What was freakier than the mosquitoes was the constant cracking of the forest. As there would be taken random footsteps around me (squirrels?). That was pretty scary ;) but I survived also this night. In the morning I woke up with the sunshine and was walking around a bit more in the ruins. After breakfast (noodle soup) I had again to search the way west to the next temple I wanted to see. I run into the temple guard again and he asked me, if I took my bike inside.. phew.. that was a close one ;) The whole morning I drove west, orientating with the sun. It gets also a bit lonely along the way, but compared to yesterday, this trip was a piece of cake ;) it’s too bad I don’t have any movies of riding these stretches, but it would be impossible to film while riding and I unfortunately don’t have a GoPro cam (and would ask myself if it’s worth to take many movies.. who’s gonna watch them? Me?
When I got to that temple complex, I felt how close I already got to Angkor Wat. This place must seen hundreds of tourists every day, being driven there in A/C-cars or even flying in with helicopter (must be nice to see it from above, but these people have another budget :P so after having most of the places most of the time for myself, this was a bit too much for me. Still paid the 5USD entry and walked around a bit. It would be perfect for LifeRolePlay or some acid ;) but in either way there would be too many other people around. If people meet there, they try to ignore each other and pretending they’re there just alone :P I can understand.. after overrun Angkor Wat one really looks for something more peaceful.
I had really tasty food (paid also 5USD, what is pretty much here) and there were other dirt bikes in front of the restaurant. Turns out it’s the guy I contacted few weeks ago (he recognized me). His offer was too expensive, so I just went directly to PP to get a bike and do everything on my own. He was guiding a nice couple from Singapur.. they had some experience already and came riding here (a really good choice!). She tough needed a smaller bike, because she’s not so tall. I really think my Ex could not have done this.. I’m be impressed if a guy can keep up with me (I know some who easily can.. but there are not too many of them ;) but if a girl can do such riding (without breaking anything), then she’s pretty capable!
after lunch I made it to Kbal Spean.. a carved riverbed a little bit uphill with a small waterfall to take a shower (what I did earlier ;) the light was already fleeting, but still could see what was to be seen. Took some pictures, played some didgeridoo (had a really wicked session! ;D and walked down just in time. Here I’m staying with the guard and his family. Nice he let me go up late and offers me a place to put my hammock. Even was invited for dinner with them. Rice and some veggie-meat dish, both cooked on the fire. Very simple lifestyle out here..
Tomorrow I will see another nearby temple and then go direction Phnom Penh. I want to arrive the 27th during the day. So the 28th I can take off again (don’t feel like spending two nights in PP). On the way from Siam Reap to PP is another site where I’ll stop (once you started, you want to see them all ;) hehe ;) but actually, I’m also pretty done for the moment with stones, bricks and Nagas (really cool snake creatures with several heads). After this I’m ready for the north east of Cambodia. So far this has been a really super epic trip!!! :D I think with good equipment, GPS and last generation bike, I could do even more! ;D
as downside I lost quite some things.. my headphones broke in the jungle (ripped apart by some bamboo plants), then I lost my slippers because the bag opened because the road was so bumpy :( have both replaced already.. the only thing that hurts, is the ending-part of my didgeridoo. But as I’ll be back in Nepal in June, I’ll make it whole again (it’s gonna be like Elendil from LotR . “It will be forged together again!” ;D
So I took the way down to Preah Kanh (there are several of them, so it’s confusing ;) I found the turn-off, a very big green sign above the road. Then I thought this is gonna be easy (dirt road, but really big). Turns out that this goes some stone processing plant and my way (people around didn’t know and were pointing me 180° other direction :P ..I already stopped making efforts to ask for the way (except there’s absolutely no one around for the next 10km). Most of the people don’t get my Khmer and it’s a pain in the ass trying to speak their language. So I mostly don’t bother long.. go find someone more helpful ;)
after cruising around for a while I found it then and it was still a pretty neat way (neat means, not too easy to drive ;) then it started to become a rarely travelled track and suddenly I was happy to have extra gas and water with me. This was so far the biggest leap of faith that I took so far. I found a village at the beginning and they were telling me where to go (I should have asked for clearer instructions, but I left quite quickly). The road became really nasty (impassable for a car) and somewhere a hardened track filled with leaves throw me out of balance and I got another scratch on my leg. But I’m taking good care of them.. put like four different creams on different body parts ;)
it was a really bad-ass ride this day and when I finally after over an hour of “blind” driving found the origin of the tracks I was following, it were two ox carts ;) man, was I happy to see someone around!! I figured, that I’m pretty right.. maybe there would have been another better way around but mostly it was the way I took. Just a few more kilometres and I got there! The last part was easy, because there were people around to ask. On the way there I crossed five dry riverbeds and needed quite some driving skill to handle the bike. Not one kg more!! :P at a certain point far, far in it stopped working for a moment. The engine just went off after exiting a riverbed and was not to start again. Hmm.. had to take a deep breath, taking my helmet off, checking all the connection and then trying to start it a bit more (once battery is dead the problem becomes bigger). Luckily it started again after a while.. hmm. Was driving REALLY careful after that (1st gear) for a while ;)
the biggest challenge is the to handle the growing amount of stress. Where am I? Will the bike do? (no flat tyres, because couldn’t fix that, because no tools). Will I find the way back if it has to be? (one hour riding means over 6 hours walking back!!). Additionally it’s very hot and you dehydrate quickly (camelback would be awesome!). Then you start losing concentration and eventually fall. So it’s good to stop, to calm down, to relax and to think. In the end it just worked out perfectly! :) I arrived at the temple and there were several fractions of locals having a picnic out there and inviting me beer and tasty food! :) cheered by the booze, I walked around in the ruins (they are nice, but I expected something different, for the Lonely Planet sections talks about another site with the same name :P but was still nice! ..the best of it was sleeping out there during the night. I managed with the help of some locals to get my bike in and hid it very well in the jungle (got smarter ;) then after sunset I went pretty quickly to bed for many, many mosquitoes were waking up :P my hammock kicks ass!! If you don’t have a perfect hammock-mosquito-net-solution, don’t sleep outside. There were dozens buzzing at my head and I assume even more of them further down. But all of them outside, so I didn’t get stung during the night (otherwise you don’t close an eye ;). What was freakier than the mosquitoes was the constant cracking of the forest. As there would be taken random footsteps around me (squirrels?). That was pretty scary ;) but I survived also this night. In the morning I woke up with the sunshine and was walking around a bit more in the ruins. After breakfast (noodle soup) I had again to search the way west to the next temple I wanted to see. I run into the temple guard again and he asked me, if I took my bike inside.. phew.. that was a close one ;) The whole morning I drove west, orientating with the sun. It gets also a bit lonely along the way, but compared to yesterday, this trip was a piece of cake ;) it’s too bad I don’t have any movies of riding these stretches, but it would be impossible to film while riding and I unfortunately don’t have a GoPro cam (and would ask myself if it’s worth to take many movies.. who’s gonna watch them? Me?
When I got to that temple complex, I felt how close I already got to Angkor Wat. This place must seen hundreds of tourists every day, being driven there in A/C-cars or even flying in with helicopter (must be nice to see it from above, but these people have another budget :P so after having most of the places most of the time for myself, this was a bit too much for me. Still paid the 5USD entry and walked around a bit. It would be perfect for LifeRolePlay or some acid ;) but in either way there would be too many other people around. If people meet there, they try to ignore each other and pretending they’re there just alone :P I can understand.. after overrun Angkor Wat one really looks for something more peaceful.
I had really tasty food (paid also 5USD, what is pretty much here) and there were other dirt bikes in front of the restaurant. Turns out it’s the guy I contacted few weeks ago (he recognized me). His offer was too expensive, so I just went directly to PP to get a bike and do everything on my own. He was guiding a nice couple from Singapur.. they had some experience already and came riding here (a really good choice!). She tough needed a smaller bike, because she’s not so tall. I really think my Ex could not have done this.. I’m be impressed if a guy can keep up with me (I know some who easily can.. but there are not too many of them ;) but if a girl can do such riding (without breaking anything), then she’s pretty capable!
after lunch I made it to Kbal Spean.. a carved riverbed a little bit uphill with a small waterfall to take a shower (what I did earlier ;) the light was already fleeting, but still could see what was to be seen. Took some pictures, played some didgeridoo (had a really wicked session! ;D and walked down just in time. Here I’m staying with the guard and his family. Nice he let me go up late and offers me a place to put my hammock. Even was invited for dinner with them. Rice and some veggie-meat dish, both cooked on the fire. Very simple lifestyle out here..
Tomorrow I will see another nearby temple and then go direction Phnom Penh. I want to arrive the 27th during the day. So the 28th I can take off again (don’t feel like spending two nights in PP). On the way from Siam Reap to PP is another site where I’ll stop (once you started, you want to see them all ;) hehe ;) but actually, I’m also pretty done for the moment with stones, bricks and Nagas (really cool snake creatures with several heads). After this I’m ready for the north east of Cambodia. So far this has been a really super epic trip!!! :D I think with good equipment, GPS and last generation bike, I could do even more! ;D
as downside I lost quite some things.. my headphones broke in the jungle (ripped apart by some bamboo plants), then I lost my slippers because the bag opened because the road was so bumpy :( have both replaced already.. the only thing that hurts, is the ending-part of my didgeridoo. But as I’ll be back in Nepal in June, I’ll make it whole again (it’s gonna be like Elendil from LotR . “It will be forged together again!” ;D
..and from where I'm now:
I should quickly catch up with the things, but want to keep it short, because I had a tough day.
There was a great sunset and I got nice pictures (good light) of a beautiful carved temple. even better than Prey Veng, but once again.. Prey Veng is not overrun. Well.. I was No.3 at the site and didn't pay entry, because the ticket box was still closed. Inside just a few policemen who let you step over to the fenced off area to take more detailed pictures.. for a little fee of course. I didn't feel like spending some money and enjoyed from the other side ;)
then I went off to Mount "Bok", a 212m tall hill with some ruins on it. Took me forever to find it, because I should have turned off long ago, but didn't see that bump in the haze ;) walked bravely up the stairs, only stopping a few times to catch air and enjoy the view. On the Top there were indeed some ruins and I enjoyed view and rocks, before I walked down the steep trails (more slipped down ;) not recommendable with flip-flops :P I did it anyway, soaked in sweat but happy! :)
There was a great sunset and I got nice pictures (good light) of a beautiful carved temple. even better than Prey Veng, but once again.. Prey Veng is not overrun. Well.. I was No.3 at the site and didn't pay entry, because the ticket box was still closed. Inside just a few policemen who let you step over to the fenced off area to take more detailed pictures.. for a little fee of course. I didn't feel like spending some money and enjoyed from the other side ;)
then I went off to Mount "Bok", a 212m tall hill with some ruins on it. Took me forever to find it, because I should have turned off long ago, but didn't see that bump in the haze ;) walked bravely up the stairs, only stopping a few times to catch air and enjoy the view. On the Top there were indeed some ruins and I enjoyed view and rocks, before I walked down the steep trails (more slipped down ;) not recommendable with flip-flops :P I did it anyway, soaked in sweat but happy! :)
from there the way lead me towards Phnom Penh. I took some off the nasty National Road 6 (between Siam Reap and PP) and stopped for the night at a site called "Sambor Srei Kuk". Found some nice young guides there and could stay without a problem with them in my hammock over night (3rd night in a row outside ;). the super highlight about these ruins were that there is a temple with two lions guarding it, having a wonderful resonance inside for singing, chanting and playing didgeridoo. And this is, what I was doing mostly during my stay :) haha.. what awesome sessions I had!!! :D in addition to this, it was full-moon and it was clearly shining down into the forest with few trees, loosing their last leaves.. oh man.. perfect ambiance!!!
had some beers, eat some food with the guys (tasty pork for dinner) and went playing again.
I started also taking antibiotics, because one scratch I got is not healing right (let's say, I don't like how it looks). So I don't take the risk and take antibiotics (and less alcohol ;) ..don't do this easily and don't like too much doing it, but having some hard experiences reacting too late and I don't want to take chances here in Cambodia.
had some beers, eat some food with the guys (tasty pork for dinner) and went playing again.
I started also taking antibiotics, because one scratch I got is not healing right (let's say, I don't like how it looks). So I don't take the risk and take antibiotics (and less alcohol ;) ..don't do this easily and don't like too much doing it, but having some hard experiences reacting too late and I don't want to take chances here in Cambodia.
anyway.. this morning a terrible, dangerous and exhausting ride along the NR6 to PP. Phew.. I made it! the last 50km was roadwork and very, very dusty!! I arrived pretty exhausted and figured out that my Visa stuff is not happening as I planned to do it (now I know better ;) but nevertheless, I'm finding solutions and something to do here in Cambodia. Actually want a relaxed place and do nothing until I go for the Visa Interview to the embassy.. I better go and check the map ;)
I also have to get a lot of cash as deposit for the bike (don't loose it, because it's now equivalent two grand :P (certainly not that much worth to me..) but anyway.. finally it turned out all not too bad. let's see what comes from here on and then I will open a new chapter: India on a bike (that will actually be a 250ccm road bike, because bigger is hard to find and Enfield doesn't seem suitable for the type of trip I want to do. Will take some time to set it up nicely in Delhi and then let's head out! :) ..this will be really challenging (also being alone in India :P but I'm sure I will manage and it will be a great trip!
OK:. that does it.. there's still some pictures to upload and wanted to play some didge as well.. :)
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