The End of the Road

Heading south from Phnom Penh and the Killing Fields, Erik and I continued our discovery of the Cambodian countryside. Takeo, then Kep, then Kampot, then Sihanoukville. Each with a slightly different flavour.

We passed 5 weddings getting to Takeo. Weddings here are invariably decorated pink, orange and yellow, with Khmer music blasting over speakers that must come from the drive-thru-window-speaker factory. Tables are arranged under a tent on the 'side of the road' (on the road). Beside the entrance is a picture of the bride and groom dressed and posing like they might be royalty.

Kep was our first stop at the beach. Seems to be where the 'have's' go to play. Neither Erik nor I are particularly fond of actually going into the ocean, but the sound of the waves, combined with the reduced mosquito population make it a pleasant spot to unwind. We stayed at a beautiful little boutique hotel that had only a handful rooms - colonial stone architecture, combined with a little bit of 70s style add-ons. An infinity pool. A few hammocks. And some peace and quiet. It wasn't uniquely Khmer, but it was the sort of place that makes you want to work hard so that you can afford to stay there longer. If I could do it again, another night there would be time well spent.

We encountered our first 'hills' of the trip as we made our way to Sihanoukville. All hills here are marked with signs; even some that might qualify as false flats in Canada. I suppose these are helpful when you are driving an ox-drawn carriage that doesn't have any brakes to speak of, but they are totally useless to bikes, motos and cars.

Our last day full day here was in Sihanoukville - the end of the road. It was scheduled to be a rest day, after almost two weeks of riding. Erik convinced the guide to take us out for one more spin.

I feel like we could spend some more time here easily. Packing the bikes up just felt a bit premature. But, there is real life for both of us to get back to, eventually.

Next stop is Bangkok for a few nights, then we go our separate ways for another couple of months.
Sent via BlackBerry from SingTel!