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Cambodia/Kâmpóng Saôm Round the world trip 2007
1-7-08
I maybe need to correct an impression that I may have left: that the roads in Cambodia are in poor shape. The roads we took from Sihanoukville #4 then #3 to Kampot and on to Takeo to Phenom Phen on #2 were good, sealed asphalt surfaced roads; same for route #6 from Siem Reap to Kampong Thom. Outside Kampong Thnor we left #6 for #71, a cut off for Kampong Cham. Now #71 started off sealed asphalt and ended that way but has a 10Km stretch in the middle where the road surface disappears and the road becomes quite challenging dirt, rocks and heavy dust and silt. We never had to get off Bici and push but I had thoughts of doing so at times. At Kampong Cham we were on #7 for 38 kilometers and turned on #73 to Chhlong. Again, this road was ok for the majority of its length but toward the end, road repairs showed up: gravel and dust, soft surface. Of course we decided to test our obstacle course skills by weaving around a grader and steam roller and promptly fell of the narrow dirt trail at the road side. All of this to the laughter of the construction workers as we picked ourselves out of the deep dust, brushed off, checked our road rash. We wanted to kill the laughing observers as we pushed Bici on through the continuing construction. The road surface did appear once again and we rode with bruised egos and bodies on into Chhlong to find a guest house for the night.
Our chosen lodging place was #99 Guest House right on the high bank of the Mekong River. A young Belgium couple, also staying there, greeted us and since she spoke Khmer, negotiated a stay with the landlady for $7 per night with cold shower, shared bath in a traditional Teak Khmer house. We unloaded Bici with help from a teenage son of our landlady. Later after showers, we lunched on the porch looking out over the Mekong with its cooling breeze blowing thoughts of a nap into our heads. I napped, Judee took a walk to explore this small, old French colonial river metropolis. Upon Judee’s return, we again settled on the porch for late afternoon beers and to watch the sun set. It was very soft light – good picture time. So Judee went to retrieve our camera.
“Art, where is the camera?”
“In the handle bar bag!”
“No, it is not!”
Oh, no! A frantic tearing through our luggage – No Camera! Did we leave it on the table at lunch? When did we take the pictures of the boys floating in the bath tub on the river? Could it have fallen out of the handle bar bag when we fell? What about the boy who took the bags up to our room and rummaged around a bit when we were still bringing up luggage? We are heart broken. Our camera gone – our latest 200 pictures of Cambodia gone.
How are we going to replace it in Cambodia? Let’s get a moto and go out and look for it!! So we arrange with our landlady to have her son-in-law pick us up. The Belgian couple assisting us and ourselves wait impatiently for the moto driver. The landlady is not the least bit upset as the sky darkens and it becomes too late to go back and look for the camera. Arrangements are then made to go tomorrow. A poor night’s sleep and up early to get packed and one of us will go look for the lost camera with the moto driver. Judee carries some of our bags down to load Bici who it seems has been moved into the house. While we pack Judee opens the rear pannier and the camera magically reappears!! Joy is our hearts and tears in our eyes! The in-law moto driver never appeared and as I first suspected: the young son had taken the camera. No one in the family acknowledges what has occurred, but it is all smiles now.
January 08 Cambodia/Stung Treng Weltreise 2008 >
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January 05 Cambodia/Mekong Weltreise 2007
I maybe need to correct an impression that I may have left: that the roads in Cambodia are in poor shape. The roads we took from Sihanoukville #4 then #3 to Kampot and on to Takeo to Phenom Phen on #2 were good, sealed asphalt surfaced roads; same for route #6 from Siem Reap to Kampong Thom. Outside Kampong Thnor we left #6 for #71, a cut off for Kampong Cham. Now #71 started off sealed asphalt and ended that way but has a 10Km stretch in the middle where the road surface disappears and the road becomes quite challenging dirt, rocks and heavy dust and silt. We never had to get off Bici and push but I had thoughts of doing so at times. At Kampong Cham we were on #7 for 38 kilometers and turned on #73 to Chhlong. Again, this road was ok for the majority of its length but toward the end, road repairs showed up: gravel and dust, soft surface. Of course we decided to test our obstacle course skills by weaving around a grader and steam roller and promptly fell of the narrow dirt trail at the road side. All of this to the laughter of the construction workers as we picked ourselves out of the deep dust, brushed off, checked our road rash. We wanted to kill the laughing observers as we pushed Bici on through the continuing construction. The road surface did appear once again and we rode with bruised egos and bodies on into Chhlong to find a guest house for the night.
Our chosen lodging place was #99 Guest House right on the high bank of the Mekong River. A young Belgium couple, also staying there, greeted us and since she spoke Khmer, negotiated a stay with the landlady for $7 per night with cold shower, shared bath in a traditional Teak Khmer house. We unloaded Bici with help from a teenage son of our landlady. Later after showers, we lunched on the porch looking out over the Mekong with its cooling breeze blowing thoughts of a nap into our heads. I napped, Judee took a walk to explore this small, old French colonial river metropolis. Upon Judee’s return, we again settled on the porch for late afternoon beers and to watch the sun set. It was very soft light – good picture time. So Judee went to retrieve our camera.
“Art, where is the camera?”
“In the handle bar bag!”
“No, it is not!”
Oh, no! A frantic tearing through our luggage – No Camera! Did we leave it on the table at lunch? When did we take the pictures of the boys floating in the bath tub on the river? Could it have fallen out of the handle bar bag when we fell? What about the boy who took the bags up to our room and rummaged around a bit when we were still bringing up luggage? We are heart broken. Our camera gone – our latest 200 pictures of Cambodia gone.
How are we going to replace it in Cambodia? Let’s get a moto and go out and look for it!! So we arrange with our landlady to have her son-in-law pick us up. The Belgian couple assisting us and ourselves wait impatiently for the moto driver. The landlady is not the least bit upset as the sky darkens and it becomes too late to go back and look for the camera. Arrangements are then made to go tomorrow. A poor night’s sleep and up early to get packed and one of us will go look for the lost camera with the moto driver. Judee carries some of our bags down to load Bici who it seems has been moved into the house. While we pack Judee opens the rear pannier and the camera magically reappears!! Joy is our hearts and tears in our eyes! The in-law moto driver never appeared and as I first suspected: the young son had taken the camera. No one in the family acknowledges what has occurred, but it is all smiles now.
