Leg 6: chasing the yellow jersey

Another bus, another round of the Cambodian hit-parade. This time we were venturing to Kratie, a small town on the Mekong River.

Leg 6: Phnom Penh-Kratie (in green).

Having already seen the main attraction in Kratie on a previous visit, EL and I decided rather to sight-see the area on two wheels. We dragged bicycles onto a boat and crossed the Mekong river to Koh Trong (Trong Island) for a leisurely ride. It was hardly the Tour de France, but after eight gruelling kilometres, we were in desperate need of a stiff drink of water.

Above: Loading the ferry for the Koh Trong leg of Tour de Cambodge.

Kratie is a beautiful area, and I recommend the Mekong Discovery Trail itineraries for anyone in the Kratie area. I am looking forward to my payment for that free advertisement. Be that as it may, Cambodia is as flat as a pancake, so there is no reason to let the one-geared pushbike frighten you! The next tour stage will take place close to the Laos border.

Next Stop: Stung Treng

Leg 5: down on all fours

The culture of ancient temples gave way to the awesomeness that is quadbiking. We cruised Siem Reap Town and the surrounding paddy fields, at some points pushing 35 kilometres per hour. No doubt, it was not for the faint-hearted

Leg 5: Siem Reap-Phnom Penh (in blue).

If it were possible, we were planning on taking the quads all the way back to Phnom Penh, but a few reasons prevented that happening.

Above: A quad-ride all the way back to Phnom Penh would have been about 20 hours. That wouldn't have stopped it being totally awesome.

Instead, we took Old Bertha back to Phnom Penh. Happily, the karaoke was blasting at full volume.

Next stop: Kratie

Leg 4: Vihear we come

The Cambodian government has been urging people to visit Preah Vihear province and - not to doubt the wise - EL and I followed the advice of the Cambodian government. We were not to be disappointed.

Leg 4: Siem Reap-Koh Ker-Siem Reap (in blue).

Rather than venturing to the infamous Preah Vihear Temple (located in an area currenlty embroiled of a border dispute), we visited the Koh Ker temple complex. We saw around half a dozen temples, with the highlight being the fact that we were alone in our sightseeing.

Above: Prasat Thom, rumoured to have been built by aliens.

Almost as interesting as the temples were the mineclearing teams camped adjacent to the carpark. This small detail ensured that we refrained from weeing behind tress. Rather, it was sticking to paths and using public toilets.

Next stop: Phnom Penh

Leg 3: and you shall find me a grave man

A tragedy of a different kind, and on a mass scale. This was a day of seeking out the home and grave of one of the 20th Century's biggest tyrants: Pol Pot.

Leg 3: Siem Reap-Anlong Veng-Siem Reap (in pink).

We embarked on the journey with mixed feelings. Is Pol Pot's grave a historical site or is it "genocide tourism"? This was a question EL and I had talked about at length, and we decided on the former.

Our taxi driver was also in two minds over the impending visit, and tried to convince us that Pol Pot's grave didn't exist. However, before making that leap, we were to visit the residence of Ta Mok, or Brother Number 5.

Ta Mok's house was easily accessable, and therefore there were a sprinkling of other visitors. An elderly man you had emigrated to the US in the early-1980s struck up (an unsolicited) conversation with us about his experiences during the Khmer Rouge. This was a timely reminder of the need Cambodians have to have the opportunity to talk about grim experiences if they wish to.

Above: the taxi needed high-octane for high performance. This station fit the bill perfectly.

We procrastinated before moving onto the grave site. It was still a weird idea. We drove to a small shop on the side of the road. I thought our driver was asking directions, but then we were ushered out of the car and around the back of an old house. Stumbling through rubbish and past a chicken coup, I failed to recognise that behind this house lot was in fact the location of Pol Pot's grave.

We stood there and stared. It was not so much a grave but a pathetic attempt at a resting place. This was where Pol Pot was hastily cremated and we didn't know what to do. We wandered around, took a few pictures, and meandered back to the car.

Above: A very strange feeling and the final resting place of Pol Pot.

While it was difficult to articulate to ourselves the significance of the trip, our driver suddenly had come to understand. He had been uneasy at the grave site, but after some time he took a few pictures on his mobile phone. Now he was calling friends to tell them all about it!

The final stop on this grim tour was Pol Pot's house. This involved a long drive through the jungle on an inhospitable road. More than once I was convinced the road was too much for the car would and we would be forced to turn around. However, our driver had a new zest - he wanted to find this infamous house. To complicate things, the land on either side of the road had been mined. We tried to keep this detail out of our head and just concentrated on the road.

Somewhere along the Thai border in the middle of the jungle we finally came across that lonely house that once belonged to Pol Pot. Much of the building had been demolished, but there was a enough to get a sense of what must have been. Bomb shelters and a beautiful view seem to be the standard for tyrants, and this house fit that bill exactly. Another round of awkward looking, pictures and feelings followed, although our driver did start to get very enthusiastic over taking his own pictures.

Above: Pol Pot's house, deep in the jungle.


We then headed back to Siem Reap, sure in the knowledge that this day would be like no other.

Next stop: Koh Ker

Leg 2: 'reap rewards

The pleasant Battambang-Siem Reap bus journey kicked off Leg 2 of Tour de Cambodge. Bus entertainment consisted of a Khmer supernatural film. One did not require to understand the Khmer language to understand that this was perhaps the worst film ever made.


Leg 2: Battambang-Siem Reap (in green).

Arrival at Siem Reap meant a reunion with the wonderful staff at the Siem Reap Hostel.

Being in Siem Reap on holiday meant we were able to make it to Angkor Wat for the first time since 2003. One of the major differences this time was the thousands of tourists at every temple, which came as a real shock. The goal of this tour was to re-visit only a few temples in half a day, rather than kill ourselves with a three-day temple marathon.

Photo highlights below:

Above: the famous Ta Phrom, sans Angelina Jolie.

Above: the silouette of Angkor Wat, with a barely-visible EL.

Above: at the Bayon, Angkor Thom.

Above: the famous faces at the Bayon.

Next stop: Anlong Veng

Leg 1: 'bang and blame

Leg 1 commenced with the legendary Phnom Penh-Battambang bus journey. Happily, a DVD of all 58 Khmer versions of Sean Kingston's Beautiful Girls was played for the duration. Forget prohok, I feel that I have now discovered the true soul of Cambodia.

Leg 1: Phnom Penh-Battambang.

Battambang has been an adventure. Hiring Honda Dreams re-sparked my passion for the freedom of the road. This passion was tempered within a few hours after I unwittingly caused a tractor accident. We didn't get the opportunity to swap insurance details, but I was certainly to blame.

Highlights of the Battambang motorcycle tour included Ek Phnom (11th Century), watching villagers make rice paper, and waving at an endless stream of children screaming "hello!". However, the highest of highlights was undoubtedly the policeman who invited EL and I to drink beers with him. While Friday afternoon usually smells like beer O'Clock to me, we had to turn down the generous offer. As motorcycle novices, a can of ABC was unlikely to enhance our driving skills.

A trip to the 'bang doesn't even count unless it includes a ride on the Bamboo Train.

Above: Our Bamboo Train driver will be of legal drinking age in 2019.

As a self-confessed train enthusiast, this was a must for me. The Bamboo Train did not disappoint, and proved to be one of the ultimate rail experiences in the world. Move over Trans-Siberian, the Battambang Express is the new travel chic: wind in the hair, genuine 1940s tracks, and a driver almost old enough to go to high school. Overall, a wonderful journey to a far-flung coke vendor (and back). Highly recommended.

Next stop: Siem Reap