Final instalment of our 2000km trip through Cambodia…..
Koh Ker – Siem Reap (127kms)
We left Koh Ker and said goodbye to the bike tour who we had been shadowing for the last few days; they were heading off in a different direction for a night in the jungle. We almost lost Brendon at this moment, who was very tempted when they offered him a position as chef for the rest of the trip, but he reluctantly declined in part because his bike’s chain was badly damaged and there was little chance of getting it replaced before we reached Siem Reap. We took it to a roadside mechanic for a dodgy repair which would hopefully get us to Siem Reap, and the mechanic simply welded the damaged link – much to Brendon’s horror.
From Koh Ker we rode for a few hours to reach Beng Mealea, a gorgeous 12th century temple set in the jungle. By this time it was the middle of the day and the heat and light was intense, but I still really enjoyed this beautiful, ruined temple half swallowed by the jungle. We were shown around by a staff member of Apsara Corporation; the organisation set up to protect the temples. The (mostly) women who mind the temples are friendly without being pushy, and do not expect payment, though will gladly accept a tip if offered. The woman who guided us around Beng Mealea had very little English but she showed us the best spots to clamber over boulders and pointed out the special spots. She also showed us the crater left by an exploded mine which took off her leg.
On the way to Siem Reap, 80kms away, Brendon’s bike chain did what we were afraid of – completely snapped at 80kms/hr! We’re extremely lucky Brendon was able to control the bike and didn’t come off. Also lucky to be able to get the broken link taken out and the chain reattached at a village mechanic 200 metres down the road.
Siem Reap was once a sleepy town but certainly is no longer, thanks to its proximity to Angkor Wat. Apparently a million tourists now bypass Phnom Penh and fly directly into Siem Reap each year. It is choked with tourists, but despite this (because of this?) it’s a fun place to hang out for a few days. We’d booked into a gorgeous hotel with a swimming pool, and spent the next couple of days relaxing by the pool, shopping, eating, getting massages and drinking outstanding long island ice teas at the funky bar next door. After the dirt, sweat and mud of the past weeks, it was glorious.
The ubiquitous fish 'massage' in Siem Reap - note my bruised legs from countless motorbike drops
We spent one day out at some of the various temples that make up Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat complex is mind-bogglingly massive and you would struggle to see it all in a week – but since we were taking in some of the more far flung temples we didn’t want to overdo it and bring on a case of the debilitating and often irreversable ‘temple fatigue’. I won’t talk too much about Angkor Wat and the hundreds of temples that make up the complex (the pictures can do the talking instead), suffice to say it is a monument to religion on a grand scale. Each mighty God-King of the Khmer empire strove to outdo the other, and the results are spectacular. As Lonely Planet states, if any one of the less popular of these archaeological treasures was situated in another country they would receive top billing. There is no greater concentration of archaeological treasures in the world.
You can’t take motorbikes into the Angkor complex so we hired a tuk tuk driver for the day. We started at Angkor Wat itself – totally touristy but also beautifully preserved and built on a massive scale (it is believed to be the largest religious monument in the world).
Following that we visited Angkor Thom, including the Bayon which is famous for its 216 serene-looking profiles of the god Avalokiteshvara. Angkor Thom was built by the king Jayavarman VII who ruled from 1181-1219, and the immense head studies apparently bear more than a passing resemblance to him.
Finally we visited Ta Prohm, also known as ‘the Angelina Jolie temple’ for its starring role in Tomb Raider. Ta Prohm has been completely taken over by the jungle and is a stunning temple – though you have to share it with bus loads of Korean tourists.
Korean tourists at Ta Prohm
Siem Reap – Kompong Thom via Preah Khan (approx 160kms)
Back in Siem Reap we had another critical decision to make – take the highway 360kms back to Phnom Penh, or take the ‘scenic’ route along Cambodia’s route 66 to visit Preah Khan, another temple complex lost in the jungle. This difficult route takes you across about ten 1000 year old bridges which are part of an old Angkorian highway.
Predictably we couldn’t resist the scenic route and ended up on another muddy, remote track through the forest with long stretches where we didn’t see a soul and had little idea if we were travelling in the right direction. We stopped on this ancient bridge (below) for some photos and met these lovely kids.
Eventually we sighted a ruin in the jungle, and we knew we must be close to Preah Khan. Happy moment. What an amazing thing to suddenly come across an 11th Century ruin after hours of riding, deep in the jungle and miles from any tourist centre.
We soon came to the main part of Preah Khan. A friendly caretaker drew a map of the complex for us in the dirt and we were left completely on our own to discover these amazing temples left deep in the jungle.
Most unfortunately we didn’t have too long to spend at Preah Khan as it was already past lunchtime and we weren’t sure how far we still had to go. We spent an hour or so wandering around the temples completely alone apart from a bunch of kids collecting forest leaves and an older man who happily led us around the large complex. The whole experience was wonderful and I very reluctantly left to get back on the road.
Not far from the temple we found a town (Ta Seng), filled up with water and petrol and checked our direction. Our destination was Kompong Thom and I was concerned we wouldn’t make it before dark. I hoped the roads ahead would be in reasonable condition, but instead found heartbreakingly deep sand.
You can't see it but there are about 5 giggling kids hiding behind each woman
Once again we found ourselves in failing light with no idea how far we were from our destination. After several hours struggling in soft sand and deep ruts, the roads gradually got better the closer we got to National Highway 6. We were still forced to travel quite a few hours in the dark which is always a bit hazardous – I am personally responsible for the messy end to dozens of frogs who jumped from the rice paddies into my path.
A stop for water in a tiny town attracted a crowd
We finally made it to Kompong Thom on the Mekong River well past dinner and found a reasonable hotel and a tasty and friendly restaurant where we drank beer and watched Korean soapies.
Kompong Thom – Phnom Penh (165kms)
From Kompong Thom the next morning was an easy run own a good highway back into Phnom Penh (via Skuon, tarantula capital of Cambodia), where we said goodbye to our trusty motorbikes and also our filthy, stinking boots which were unceremoniously left on the balcony of the hotel.
Deep fried tarantulas at Skuon.
The last few days of this epic trip were spent down south on Koh Rung Samloem, on a pristine island off the coast of Cambodia. I can highly recommend this island for a few days peaceful relaxation. It has nothing but a few very simple huts on the beach, some hammocks and a bunch of comfy chairs on the sand. The water was clear and warm, and every night the chef cooked a bbq of fresh barracuda that he’d bought off the fishing boats off the coast. Perfect ending!
During this trip my dad was never far from my mind. When we set off for this trip, it had been less than 2 months since he died from cancer. We almost cancelled the trip but went ahead thanks to my mum’s encouragement. And I’m glad we did. My dad was a great traveller and world citizen – he instilled in us kids a love of travel, culture, food and languages. He also taught me and encouraged me to write. Back before travel blogs were popular I moved to China and wrote detailed emails back to my parents about everything I experienced, and this habit of recording my experiences has never left me. My dad saved every email from my China days, and when I got back he informed me I had accumulated 250,000 words. My dad remained my greatest fan over the years and as I write each post he remains my audience in mind. That will never change.
This trip, and these posts, are dedicated to my dad, Neil.
Not usually a fan of blogs, but found this a great read, personal and informative. Keep writing. Happy travels, from Doss