CAMBODIA BIKE TRIP
ON THE ROAD DAY 5

Another great day riding, although fairly hard on my already battered body took us to the amazing Koh Ker Temple which stands dominant yet silent in the midst of yet more beautiful jungle.  It is definitely well worth a visit and the track by bike would be even more fun without my injury, yet i still enjoyed it even through the constant pain. 

 We had the place to ourselves and it was an almost eerie, yet peaceful and thought provoking atmosphere, you can only wonder what history has unfolded here and what stories this temple could tell. It was actually briefly the capital of the empire from 928-944 AD.  

We soaked up the scenery and remoteness for a while, then it was onto Beng Mealea for lunch via some really out of the way towns and villages on some truly shitty roads.  Aside from the pain jolting through me over every bump, I loved it, we really are in the middle of nowhere, the sights and rural feeling are amazing.  It is a huge day of riding and is a great way to cap off a truly awesome adventure.

 We eventually make it back to Siem Reap and the traffic is a sad reminder that we are back in civilization and this amazing experience is over.  I tell myself I will make it back here for another visit to the whole area and explore the temples more thoroughly when I can walk again and enjoy it even more.  This final day is the hardest riding of the trip and coupled with the hectic traffic as we get back into Siem Reap, I am sore and totally exhausted. 

  We had ventured through remote villages, dusty towns, scenic fields and mountains, dense jungle , vast lakes, isolated temples and had managed to do it in good spirits even with the injuries I thought had put an end to the trip on day one.  

My foot was still black and swollen but not broken (according to my reliable $4 X-ray!) and I am still hobbling around but hey, what can you do?  I think Sihanoukville might be a good place to recover!

Hidden Cambodia had provided one of the best weeks of exploring, spectacular scenery, adventure and a truly unique, amazing way to see the real Cambodia.  Slim was also the best company I could have hoped to share it with, we spent the next 3 nights going out around Siem Reap to some local hangouts that I definitely would not have found or even ventured into otherwise, before he had to head off on another tour.  What a great job he has!  

Your tours can be customized to go places and see the things that you want, when I return he is going to take time off and we will just go do our own riding, I can’t wait.

Hidden Cambodia

Koh Ker Temple, once again my pics are ordinary but stick with the blog and the pics get much better