South east Asia - Cambodia

Cycling through Cambodia has been a journey of extremes. Incredible mountains, dusty roads, intense heat and unforgettable human connections. Over 18 days I’ve pedaled through isolated villages, experienced days of 45 degrees, seen the kindness of strangers and felt the lingering shadows of a dark history. Cambodia has been raw, intense and unforgettable.

Cambodia is best known for the large temple complex ‘’Angkor Watt’’, for many people it’s the main reason to visit this country. I’ve been fortunate enough to have seen many temples already and decided not to visit and to head south instead, looking for a more authentic side of Cambodia.

The Cardamom Mountains

When planning this trip there was one place I really wanted to visit when cycling through Cambodia: The Cardamom Mountains. Rural, gravel roads and lots of wildlife. A lot is still unknown about this area and it’s estimated that over a 1000 species living there are still undiscovered. Enough reasons to go explore for a couple of days.

The route through the mountains would be around 200km. Not knowing what to expect I set off. I saw on Google it would be 100km with the occasional resupply opportunity and then 100km of wilderness. There was a campsite just before the wilderness stretch and I had a my final chance of stocking up with water and snacks. Carrying 5 liters of water I set off into the mountains. This day turned out to be some of the toughest riding I’ve done.

The ‘’road’’ was dusty sand and with every passing car I would be completely covered in dust, unable to breath properly or see clearly. With the sun being directly above me, the trees offered no shade, and the bright reflection off the sand made it impossible to spot potholes and deeper patches of sand. Often I’d be climbing on long hills with an average gradient of 8%, and often it would reach 15%.

When the dust settled though, it was incredible. Bright blue and yellow birds were sitting on the wires and branches, forest stretched out before me for endless kilometers and the road was constantly winding up and down through valleys. Exceptional riding.

The average temperature this day was 45C and before I knew it I was down to my last bottle of water. Not great if you’re in the middle of a climb and with another 45km to go until a possible shop. Luckily I got to experience the friendliness of locals. A car stopped and gave me two bottles of water and soon after I met a group of motorcyclists who all stopped for a photo and opened one of the panniers resupplying me with lots of water and cans of cold tea. A true lifesaver.

Cycling through these mountains isn’t something I’d recommend for everyone, but if you’re well prepared, have a good bike with offroad tires and don’t mind climbing a lot it’s a really beautiful area to ride in. Before reaching the real mountains you get to see rural villages, small farmer markets and lush green forests before then heading in the mountains themselves.

Besides the natural beauty that this country offers lies a somber history, one that shouldn’t be ignored.

The dark history of Cambodia

Cambodia is a country with a grim history. During the Vietnam war Cambodia has been bombed with more bombs than the total dropped in WWII. Then between 1975 - 1979, under Pol Pot’s regime the country suffered a nation wide genocide with more than 3 million people killed. The Khmer Rouge, a radical communist movement, responsible for this genocide operated with the slogan ‘’When pulling weeds, remove them roots and all’’. Simply meaning when someone was seen as a traitor to the Khmer Rouge, all family members including children (The roots) were to be killed.

Many mass graves from this period are to be found scattered across Cambodia. In Phnom Phen is one of the largest, close to the S-21 prison.

During Pol Pot’s regime the S-21 prison complex is one the darkest places in all of Cambodia. Once a school, the Khmer Rouge, transformed it in a torture center for anyone who committed crimes against the Khmer Rouge. A place you’d enter but never leave. From ‘76 to ‘79 an estimated amount of 20.000 people were brought to S-21, only 12 survived. All torture was conducted in secrecy and prisoners were not allowed to make any noise when undergoing the punishments and torture sessions. The S-21 complex is now a museum and memorial sight. Walking through the different rooms and buildings, whilst listening to audio descriptions and stories of survivors is an emotional experience that showcases some of the worst human cruelty. Not an easy place to walk around and definitely not one to take lightly. It is a must visit in my opinion.

Final thoughts on Cambodia

Cambodia is the smallest country I’ll visit during this SE-Asia trip but one of the most intense ones. Between the larger cities like Battambang and Phnom Phen there isn’t much besides country roads, rural villages and the occasional sandwich stand. It gives you an opportunity to fully immerse yourself in the country and culture. The people are some of the friendliest I’ve come across. You’re always greeted with smiles and waves, children say hello and wave anywhere you go and you’ll always get help when needed. However, you are also confronted with a lot of waste, poverty and begging children. It’s part of cycling through this country and for me it showed again how fortunate I have it to be able to do such a trip.

Locals share water with you and children play with their home made kites consisting of bamboo and plastic bags. And although English is rarely spoken or understood everyone understands a smile. I’ve realized here in Cambodia how far a smile can get you. Sometimes the shop owner or local selling a sandwich can look a little grumpy or unwilling but as soon as I’d smile and wave they lighten up and pull out a chair for me to sit on and enjoy their food.

Cycling through Cambodia reminded me how important small gestures are, not just while traveling. A small bottle of water, some food, or just simply a smile. It can really make your day. As I now prepare for Vietnam I’m grateful to have experienced Cambodia and I hope to carry some of the hospitality with me when I continue this journey.

I must admit though, I am looking forward to some luxury to really recharge my batteries!