In my first post about our Cambodia trip, I already mentioned we had a short first cycling day, and even a kind of "rest" day on our second day here. Today was another reasonably short ride, with around 58km on the counter. The reason for today's distance is very simple though: there are only a limited number of places with accommodation between Srayang, where we stayed yesterday, and Stung Treng - the last town before we head to Laos, and the end of the NR64. So we have to split up the journey in feasible day rides and make sure we can find a place to stay for the night. But, as I wrote before, it is actually not bad that we can do some shorter days, as we have not cycled much in the past years.
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| On our way to the Koh Ker historic site |
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| Just hoping the tree will stay up there for a little longer |
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| Rest day, you said??? I should have included the cold young coconut I was drinking... |
So yesterday was this "rest" day. Well, we still left on our bicycles around 8am, to visit the Koh Ker temples. We didn't know much about these before our trip, but it is an area with dozens of old Khmer temples, which has been declared Unesco World Heritage earlier this year! It was even a rival capital city to Angkor in the Khmer period. We didn't know what to expect, and were not disappointed at all. Several ruins, some in good, some in very bad shape, of various size and types. The sites are very different, in some you would hardly recognize that there used to be a construction, others are still in good shape and very impressive. Absolutely worth the visit. Furthermore, what made it extra nice, is that we were able to visit early in the morning: before the crowds came in (well, crowds, it does not seem to get super busy) and while it was less hot. The area is very green and natural, super peaceful, and as there were hardly any other visitors - means, also hardly any cars or motorbikes - it was very silent; the only sounds we heard most of the time, were fantastic bird songs! Not a big cycling day (25-ish kms), but a very nice half day trip.
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| Did anyone say ice cream? |
Today we left again at 7am (in fact, even before 7am!). The day was clearly warmer than the past 2 days, so we were happy to be out early - even though it was still very hot by the time we arrived around noon. The NR64 is pretty much similar along the entire stretch, pleasant to ride on, a bit monotonous at times but mostly a nice ride through rural area - lots of cassava, rice paddies (now dry), orchards and so on, with luckily also lots of trees to give us some shade. There are no big towns on the way, and many small and charming villages. About 12km before we arrived in Preah Vihear, we rode past a resort with a coffee shop, that looked very attractive. So, what can you do, how can you resist? We didn't resist (of course!) and consequently, enjoyed a nice ice coffee! The last 7km of our ride today were on unsealed roads, a slight shortcut but most of all, very pleasant riding, nice as a variation from the NR64. And then, around noon, we arrived, checked in to Sokha Home guest house, took a cold shower, cooled down a little, and went for yummy lunch (and another, very nice, coffee - hot this time)!
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| Back on the NR64 |
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| The smile! |
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| Again, mid morning coffee break without coffee |
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| Yet, some time later, with ICE coffee |
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| Somehow it's always nicer to ride on unpaved roads, it gives a different feeling. Of course it also helps there was no traffic at all on this road. |
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| View from our hotel room |
Finally, a note about this blog. When I started writing this blog, we were just slightly over 7 billion people on this planet. The reason why it's called "7 billion and 2", is because I wanted to get attention for the stress we are causing to the planet, all together. We need to find and embrace ways to live more sustainably, and today that is more than ever a crucial topic. Unfortunately, due to all kinds of dramatic events happening in our world, there is less attention for the topic than some years ago, and probably less willingness from people to do something about it. Today, COP28 starts in the UAE, and the message is clear: we need to act, more urgent and determined than ever. We are now with more than 8 billion people meanwhile https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/, maybe I should rename the blog now... Just kidding, but we are many people, and our planet isn't coping well with this. Let's be part of the change.
