One Girl's Round-the-World Adventure

Posts filed under 'Kompong Kdey'

First day of Cycling in Cambodia

Peter and I got up early this morning, had breakfast, paid the guest house bill, sent postcards, bought water, and were on the road at 8:30am. The first 10 miles or so of road was paved but after that we hit the DIRT. Dirt road from Siam Reap to Kompong Thom is the word on the street. I was imagining it to be horrific after hearing people talk about it, with potholes and sand traps everywhere, but it actually wasn’t that bad. I mean it was a bit slow but it was do-able. Mostly just small rocks and bumpy sections.

We were lucky in the morning because there was good cloud cover but eventually the sun broke through and then it was HOT. Several sugar cane juice and Coca-Cola breaks along the way were well-needed and deserved. The scenery was flat and dry with some trees along the way and there were many wooden houses and huts on stilts. The Cambodian people are definitely much friendlier than the Vietnamese, Peter and I both agreed. Also there is almost no traffic on the road so no truck horns or near motorbike collisions to deal with. The guesthouse we found for the night is quiet and clean – so happy to have found a decent place off the beaten track. Tomorrow we hope for an early start (6:30am) and then another 70 km to Kompong Thom.

Miles Biked Today: 37.35 (70 km)

Time: 3 hours 58 minutes

Taking a break from the dust and heat