This weekend allows for only a one-day trip and I am planning to ride with Maraile to visit Angkor Borei and Phnom Da (Phnum Dai) in Takeo (Takaev) Province. The place is said to be most beautiful and unique during the rainy season, when most of the area is submerged in water. On my previous visits (by motorbike via Phnom Chisor; by boat from Takeo town) the place was entirely dry. In strong contrast, it is definitely rainy season now and there have been extensive rain in the past weeks and even flooding in some other areas. I add some pictures from a more recent trip to Angkor Borei and Phnom Da via Phnom Chisor (Phnom Chissor, Phnom Chi Sou) below this report in the same post (by bike to Phnom Chisor in 2003, and in July 2005)

We take the motorbike to reach Takeo town and head to the riverside to find a boat. We don’t have to look for long to find one and to agree with the driver on the price (US$ 25 for the round trip). Two Khmer passengers join the ride on the fast boat to Angkor Borei.

25.09.2005

Last time we made the same boat ride on one of the ancient water highways. Back then the supposed highway was nothing more than a chain of narrow and shallow waters through an area of dry fields, in most places too shallow for bigger boats to maneuver. This time around the whole place is flooded and besides a few trees spread over the wide landscape the place appears to be just an enormous lake. We enjoy a fast and reasonably comfortable right to Angkor Borei, which lasts for about 35 minutes.

The railings of a bridge, presumably over a river that now merged with the limitless lake that surrounds it.

This is when we reach Angkor Borei.

Last time we took a moto to make the few kilometers from Angkor Borei to Phnom Da. This time we go all the way by boat.

The hill in the background is Phnom Da, with the ancient temple on top of it.

We meet a number of locals from a close by village.

Some of the views from the top of the mountain.

It looks as if we got lucky to make it here without getting wet. It is obvious that strong rain will start soon.

We find cover from the rain in the temple, together with the villagers.

The rain stops as suddenly as it started. What strikes me about rain in Cambodia is that it often is a very local phenomenon; it rains heavily in one place and not at all in a place right next to it. You can see the rain coming and going and both happens fast most of the time and is often accompanied by strong wind.

After some time we climb down the stairs and walk back to the boat. The driver is visibly about going to Takeo right now. The reason for this is not obvious to me and becomes only clear once we move with the boat away from the hill and surrounding trees towards the open sea that is the lake.

The ride from Takeo to this place in the small boat has not been particularly smooth or comfortable. However, now there are waves of considerable size, and they become bigger while we move away from the shore. The small boat moves dramatically up and down and despite the strong engine we go only slow, decelerating while riding up a wave and then crashing down into the wave valley behind it. One time the boat comes down particularly hard and the board on which we are sitting breaks.

Visibly growing with the waves are also the concerns of the boat driver who even offers that we return to Angkor Borei and spend the night in his house. Spontaneously we do not like the idea and convince, rather: persuade, the driver to keep going. However, the experience of being out there alone in a small boat with the big waves on a lake that seems boundless is really intimidating at some points. Later we wonder if maybe the boat driver is not a good swimmer, which is not unusual in Cambodia. One way or the other, capsizing the boat in the middle of the lake, with trees only every other kilometer, is not a pleasing prospect for anyone.

I have no idea how this man manages to stand upright in the boat.

I know these waves don’t look big in these pictures at all, but they are big enough I tell you.

Slowly but steadily we get closer to the Takeo riverside and finally reaching it, speeding up on the final stretch as the waves get smaller while we approach the land. I am somewhat relieved to have solid ground under my feet. Also the driver, who is entirely wet and freezing, is visibly grateful to have made it and glad to accept a generous tip. We walk to the only restaurant we find at the riverfront. It is built on stilts in the water right at the riverside. We have a late lunch, sitting outside on a veranda, in a good position to observe what is happening on the lake and on the street.

Men unloading live pigs from fast boat.

Later we ride back to Phnom Penh.

Rather than writing a separate post, I add below some pictures from a more recent visit to Phnom Da and Angkor Borei, by Motorbike via Phnom Chisor.

Views from Phnom Chisor.

One can recognize Phnom Da from here.

Monk with dog and MP3 player.

The rain has gotten somewhat weaker by the time we finish breakfast. We decide to head to the bike shop to pick up Uwe’s moto, and to proceed to Phnom Penh via Kep on Roads 33, 31 and 3.

As soon as we leave the guesthouse we realize that most of the road is submerged in massive amounts of water. We pass the market and ride along its full length through deep water. It does not get much better on the main road and even most of the road around the main traffic circle is flooded.

Fortunately, the rain has almost stopped by the time we reach the moto shop. The guys have done their job early in the morning and Uwe’s bike is ready. We pay a modest amount and leave, first towards Kep and then north towards Phnom Penh. The skies continue to be clouded but as time goes by the weather keeps getting brighter.

Uwe in full rain gear.

Myself in full rain gear, in front of the moto repair shop.

Along roads 33 and 31. Those roads are very new, very wide, in excellent condition and there really is not much traffic compared to the alternative National Road 3.

We follow this road until it merges with National Road where we fill up the bikes. After a short break we follow National Road 3 for another 10 or 15 km, until we reach a bigger settlement from which Takeo can be reached via 10 km of somewhat bumpy secondary road. We follow this road to the east until we almost arrive in Takeo town. We take a turn left and continue on National Road 2 for another 30 or 35 km north. This is when we reach a place with a dirt road on our right hand (we are coming from the south) and a small market on our left hand. The dirt road leads to Phnom Chissor, which is located about 5 km from here. I have made pictures of the place on an earlier trip.

Impressive, 11th century temple ruins can be visited here, much of it on top of a mountain that offers magnificent views into almost all directions.

We park the bikes at the bottom of the mountains, have a seat at one of the footstalls and enjoy a soft drink. Soon enough a bunch of local children emerges and many of them attempt to engage us in all kinds of conversations.

After some time a lady arrives with a big bowl full of boiled corn which she offers at a very cheap price. We decide to buy one for each of us and one for each of the children, too, so as to feel better about eating in their presence. Then we order chicken with rice to be prepared while we visit the temple on top of the mountain.

The whole crowed of children follows us when we start climbing the stairs, maybe partly because we supplied the corn and may continue to supply other things. It turns out to be an exhausting exercise to climb these stairs in the heat of the day, however more so for us than for the children.

We reach a small gate at about half the way to the top up the hill. We stop for a short break to enjoy the shadow. The children use the time to enthusiastically sing songs.

There is a modern style temple slightly off the main way to the right once you reached the top. There is a good view from over the surrounding landscape.

From here we walk over the few hundred meters to the area where the ruins of an ancient temple are located. On the way we pass the booth where a man collects the substantial entrance fee for foreigners. It would not be Cambodia if he would not offer entry at half the price without a ticket, an offer that we refuse.

The children are still with us and bring this snake to our attention.

They are also kind enough to take some pictures of us.

In fact they take a lot of interest in the cameras and consequently, quite a number of pictures.

This temple is part of a bigger complex, and aligned with the remains of other ancient structures at the bottom of the mountain.

Above the gate.

Inscription at the gate.

Inside the gallery.

We have numerous company throughout our stay.

We are already on our way back when the kids spot some monkeys.

The children give us company all the way back down to the bottom of the mountain. It becomes increasingly clear that they expect some sort of compensation for their efforts. Luckily, we meet two monks at the bottom of the mountain and consult with them on what amount is a reasonable contribution and on how to ensure fair distribution among the children. The monks are extremely helpful, even changing our money into smaller notes and distributing them to the youngsters.

We enjoy the food that was prepared for us at the bottom of the mountain.

Then we get on the bikes and ride straight back to Phnom Penh where we reach when it is almost dark.

My buddy Uwe has just arrived in Phnom Penh for a joint 4 weeks Southeast Asia trip. Our somewhat ambitious plan is to start with a three day motorbike trip to Kep and Kampot in Cambodia, while our visas for Laos, Burma, Vietnam and are being processed in Phnom Penh, and later to visit all these countries in that order.

I have been to Kampot and Kep (Kaeb) a number of times (Kampot and Kep – Ein Tag am Meer, Phnom Penh to Kampot, New Year at Bokor, Caves in Kampot, Sunset in Kep, Swimming at Toek Chhou, By Motorbike from Sihanoukville to Phnom Penh via Kampot), but always went on National Road 3. According to the map, National Road 31, which departs from Road 3 about half way from Phnom Penh to Kampot and leads more directly to Kep, is under construction. Contrary to the map, a number of people told us that the road has long been finished and now makes for a comfortable ride.

We leave in the early afternoon with two motorbikes. There are few clouds by the time we leave and it is fairly hot. We follow National Road 3 to the south. More clouds appear and after some time there is a bit of rain here and there but luckily, it does not start raining strongly.

This is when we stop for the first time to buy some petrol.

We keep following National Road 3 until we reach the fork where National Road 31 departs to the right. We stop and have a snack.

We find out very soon that Road 31 is in very good condition, in fact in much better condition than Road 3, since it is wider, very even and has no potholes. Besides, there is much less traffic. And finally, the landscape along the road is more appealing, with a number of mountains, some covered with forest and some rock formations with bizarre shapes.

We pass the railroad a number of times and come across a number of villages and one or two towns.

Uwe

After some time, we assume that we are already close to Kep, we arrive at another junction. After we talk to some locals we learn that we have to turn left sharply. According to the map, we leave road 33 here and proceed for the last few kilometers to Kep on Road 33A.

We have checked the guide books and decided to spend the night in the “Le Bout du Monde” guesthouse. However, when we arrive there we learn that it is temporarily closed, because the French owner went to Phnom Penh. Therefore, we go to a small hotel next to the beach where I have spent the night on a previous trip to Kampot. We get a clean double room with balcony and sea view at modest $7 for one night.

After a short break we take the bikes and cruise the road along the beach to the east.

We visit the Royal Residence on the way back. The building looks largely abandoned, no idea when any King was here for the last time. We find a family whose members are having diner and appear to live here. Maybe the husband serves as guard. At any rate, we donate a dollar and are allowed to walk around and enjoy the nice view from a number of terraces overseeing the sea.

It is now almost dark and after some time we ride back to the hotel. We have diner, including some drinks, in the restaurant that is attached to the hotel, while listening to Khmer pop music. The food is very good and the service friendly.

Today the plan is to go to Takeo (Takaev) again and to visit Angkor Borei and Phnom Da (Phnum Dai) with two friends: Maraile and Becky. Becky is a motorbike enthusiast while Maraile did not yet discover her passion for bikes. While I visited Angkor Borei by motorbike a few weeks ago, we want to do the trip from Takeo to Angkor Borei with the fast boat.

We go with two motos and take it easy. The ride to Takeo is pleasant, as the road is ok and there is not much traffic. It takes us about 2 hours to get to Takeo.

We ride straight to the waterfront. After only very few minutes some locals approach us inquiring whether we want to rent a boat. While the guide books suggest that the ride to Angkor Borei should be $15-20 these guys suggest a price of $25. We negotiate for quite some time but the captain does not give in at all. His main argument is that the engine of his boat is very big which is true (40PS). We ask if there is a boat with a smaller engine at a better price and there are many boats around but we learn that there is no other captain. After considerable time we agree to $25, park the bikes and get into the boat.

The boat is fast indeed and it is not by accident that those waterways are referred to as ‘water canal highways’.

Leaving from Takeo. I mix Maraile’s pictures with mine.

This is where two water highways meet.

There is very little water in the ‘highway’ but many boats. In fact one of the reasons for coming here after I came here only very few weeks ago is that the area spectacularly flooded during the rainy season. The rainy season should have started long time ago but it did not. For this reason, water levels are very low and countless boats got stuck in the more shallow stretches of the water highway.

The water highway is very straight and much is going on its banks and in the water. People fish and children play, swim or look after all kind of cattle.

The last stretch of the river before reaching Angkor Borei is narrow and has many turns and we ride at very high speed.

Then we reach Angkor Borei.

The boat stops on the left side of the river after we pass the main bridge. A museum is located here right next to the river. It seems to be noon break when we arrive but after a few minutes people open the door and we can enter the museum. The visitor’s area consists of two rooms. We meet an archaeologist from the US and her husband who work here. They say that few tourists find their way here and provide us with some background information.

There is an air photograph showing clearly visible the town’s well preserved massive city walls that are witness to its Funan past. These walls were built of brick some 6 meters high and had a defensive moat next to them. The massive size of the walls suggests that the town needed to be defended from attack by neighbouring states or rival factions and were built to protect a sizeable population.

Within the city walls more than 10 temples have been identified, but sadly, as with much of Cambodia’s heritage, indiscriminate looting has already taken place of most of the artefacts at the archaeological sites. There are several canals originating from the Funan period.

This is the second room. The carvings on the right hand are taken from Phnom Da. Oddly, there is a basket that contains bones, without any explanation.

Most statues are from between the 6th and 12th century, meaning that the civilization which built them far predated the Angkor period. One of the archaeologists suggests that this is one of the very first urban centres in Southeast Asia. Little is known about this period. I ask whether the inhabitants of this city were Khmers and he says that we do not even know that. They may have been Muslim Cham also.

There is a statement written on the wall informing visitors about Cambodia’s Vanishing Cultural Heritage. I think it is worth quoting in full here:

“All of the objects displayed in the Angkor Borei museum – architectural fragments, sculptures, ceramics, beads, amulets, and even human bones – are important parts of Cambodia’s cultural heritage. Cambodia is losing its cultural heritage at an alarming rate today, as people saw, chip, haul, and dig artefacts and architectural elements out of archaeological sites. Despite the passage of strict laws to protect Cambodia’s antiquities, goods are leaving sites by truck, cart, boat, and plane and find their way into private collections throughout the world.

The rapid destruction of Cambodia’s natural resources has become a source of international concern and so should the destruction of Cambodia’s Cultural Heritage!”

We learn that some archaeological work is being carried out right now at one part of the wall where people are cutting into it in order to build a new house. Taking advantage of this opportunity, archaeologists measure and document the structure and age of the wall. We get three moto taxis and join them. The side is on our way to Phnom Da.

Maraile on the moto.

Parts of the ancient wall.

Then we head to Phnom Da.

Unlike when I came here last time , there is a guard at the bottom of the mountain collecting $3 from visitors, which I find quite a price. We negotiate down to $2 and don’t get tickets. Then we climb up the mountain.

Carving on the ground inside the temple.

There is a nice view from up here all the way to Vietnam. People are working in the field.

The collapsed roof of the temple.

From here we walk down the hill and over to another one which is part of the same set of hills. I recall that one of the archaeologists said that one of the temples was rebuilt by a French architect and I assume it is this one.

This temple is actually two buildings in one, as there is one inner room and another one around it, so you can walk all the way around the inner room without leaving the temple.

From right to left: Becky, Maraile and myself.

After a short break we head back to Angkor Borei. We ride to the market to get $ notes changed before we can pay the moto drivers.

Becky on the moto taxi.

Maraile.

At the river.

Angkor Borei is a rather rural place but there is a phone shop like everywhere else in Cambodia and there is network coverage throughout our stay.

We get on the boat and head back to Takeo.

Again we come across many boats that got stuck. It is striking how those people and their daily lives are directly affected by the drought. While in Phnom Penh you read every day in the newspaper that the rain did not start yet, but the pictures one can see here are much more telling.

Bricks are moved from one boat to a smaller one by one through hard labour, presumably to free the bigger boat and move the goods to Takeo with the smaller one.

This guy is standing next to a machine that is as tall as he is and the propeller stirs in the mud but the boat does not move.

Back in Takeo.

After a short break we get on the bikes and ride back to Phnom Penh.

Today is Thursday and I want to ride back to Phnom Penh in the morning. In fact I want to be in the office in the afternoon. Now that I came to Sihanoukville on national road 4 I want to return via Kampot, which is along national road 3. The guide books suggest that this road is covered with bomb craters which make for a bumpy and time-consuming ride. However, people in the guesthouse told me that the road is ok, so I give it a try. It is the first time that I ride on national road 3 between Sihanoukville and Kampot.

I start at about 8 and by that time it looks clouded and rainy, after it has been raining all night. National roads 3 and 4 depart about 30 from Sihanoukville and I am familiar by now with the stretch of it between here and there. I am glad it does not start raining.

This is where I turn right to follow national road 3 to Kampot, along the coastline. It is raining over there along a chain of hills.

The road is indeed excellent.

However, parts of it are flooded from the strong rains last night and covered with substantial amounts of water. However, most of the time I can ride fast.

The road continues to be very good for some time and there is not much traffic. The landscape on both sides of the road is truly beautiful, the mountains to the left and the sea to the right.

There are some rural homes along the road but not many and I see few villages.

After I leave national road 4 I ride for just about 30 minutes when road conditions change dramatically. The wide lanes turn into a narrow secondary road which in many of its parts is not paved. Besides, there are indeed huge holes in the road once in a while.

I come across many construction sides, too, and assume that this road will be upgraded soon.

Obviously, the state of the road forces me to ride slower than I had anticipated. In addition, traffic increases and so does my concern that I won’t make it to the office directly after lunch time.

After some time I reach what looks like a town, assuming this must be somewhere between Sihanoukville and Kampot.

It is only when I see a bridge over a big river that I realize that I just arrived in Kampot. I stop at the river close to the bridge and drink some water.

Then I continue the trip. From now on I am familiar with the road, as I have been to Kampot with the motorbike twice. The surroundings of national road 3 are particularly appealing at this stretch of the road between Kampot and Phnom Penh, not least due to the hills on both sides of the road..

I stop once in a while to take a picture. The land around here is very dry. I keep reading in the newspaper that there is a shortage of water in the provinces closer to Phnom Penh and that the rainy season is late this year.

The road is fairly good most of the time, and increasingly so the closer I come to Phnom Penh.

It is about 40km before I reach Phnom Penh that I have a break and drink some water in this town.

Then I ride to Phnom Penh. As usually, the last part of the journey is very slow and hectic, in the dense and chaotic traffic in the outskirts of Phnom Penh. I am very tiered when I reach the apartment.

It turns out that I was lucky, as it starts raining heavily shortly after I arrive. It keeps raining for some time, which gives me the opportunity to rest before I leave for the office.

Today is Sunday. I have recently moved and live now in the Apartment of Toby and Katrin, the second time that I have this privilege. In addition, Toby was kind enough to let me ride his motor bike. This has boosted my quality of live enormously and in particular my mobility. I greatly enjoy riding to work and all around in Phnom Penh.

After I was unwell yesterday I want to make up today. The plan is to travel to Takeo (Takaev) Province. All three of my guide books recommend visiting Phnom Da (Phnum Dai), Angkor Borei and the – partly ancient – ‘water canal highways’. The ‘Adventure Cambodia’ guide book in particular praises this trip and recommends visiting Angkor Borei by fast boat from Takeo town. It also says that Angkor Borei town (which is connected by water to Takeo town) may have been the heart of the Funan empire, which is called the “Cradle of Khmer Civilization” by Cambodians. The Funan empire is much older than Angkor and had its heyday between the 1st and 6th centuries and stretched across South Vietnam through Thailand, down through Malaysia and into Indonesia. This sounds all very interesting and I want to give it a try.

After an extensive breakfast with Toby in the FCC I get started and head down south Norodom Boulevard and on national road 2 after I have passed the traffic circle at Monivong Bridge. As usual, it is already fairly late to start an extensive day trip. The road is in decent conditions in most of its parts. After I have passed the pretty dense traffic in the outskirts of Phnom Penh there are fewer cars, which increasingly allows for speedy travelling. After about one hour I have a short break.

This is how it looks like for much of the time.

I continue the journey for about half an hour. Increasingly I suspect to be very close to Takeo town and I wonder if I can possibly have missed it. After all, the town is only 85 km away from Phnom Penh. But then I arrive at what looks like the end of the road, a fork opposite of which I see a sign saying ‘Welcome to Takeo’.

The guide book advises to head straight to the canal waterfront, to the place where the fast boats are located.

I follow the road to the right, which is pretty bumpy, until I reach another fork, in the middle of which there is a Sokimex gas station. I follow the road to the left and after a short while I pass this tree-lined promenade. I see only very few people and the town appears to be pretty sleepy.

Behind the promenade is some sort of lake marshland. The guide books indicate that much of this land is spectacularly flooded during the rainy season.

I follow the road until I reach a small market building, ride around it and find myself at the canal waterfront where the fast boats are. I ride the waterfront up and down, it is only like 200 m long, there are a few food and snack stands but very few people, given that much of the local trade with Vietnam and some travel to the border is supposed to take place by boat through a system of canals. A rather narrow moat opposite the waterfront is supposed to by one of the ‘water highways’. Angkor Borei and Phnom Da are very close to the Vietnamese border and this border check point is regarded one of the most adventurous, because it is used rarely.

I take a seat at one of the shops, by some water and observe what is going on. Nothing much really.

Down there are the ‘fast boats’ and over there one of the water highways. Not very impressing.

Over there is one of the fast boats leaving on the ‘highway’, just when I arrive.

I note that there are a number of people sitting in some restaurant like places at the road side. The guide books indicate that doing the round trip involving Angkor Borei Museum and Phnom Da is about 15-20 $ no matter how many people go because most of it covers the gasoline. I am reluctant to go and pay by myself so I wait and see if some people turn up who want to go, too, so that we can share costs.

I wait for some time. At one point a group of people walks over and gets into one of the boats. They appear to carry a lot of goods so I think they are not going for pleasure and most likely not to visit temples or museums. Moreover, with 9 people the boat looks pretty crowded already.

The place has a provincial flair quite different from Phnom Penh, and also the people behave differently. In public places in Phnom Penh there are always people trying to sell stuff or otherwise interacting with others and as a foreigner, you are being approached sometimes more than you like. Here, people do not seem to pay much attention, I can sit quietly, read in the guidebook and look at the scenery. Rarely a motorbike passes the promenade, and some men are playing board games some meters away.

It is past lunch time already, I see only few people and no travellers. After almost one hour, I talk to the guys next to me. I learn that it is possible during the dry season to reach Angkor Borei and Phnom Da by motor bike. So I decide to try this option and come back here and do the boat trip in the rainy season, when the place is flooded. People indicate to me that I have to go back on national road 2 and turn right at Phnom Chissor (Phnom Chiso, Phnom Chi Sou).

This is what I do. Phnom Chissor is about 26 km from here.

I stop briefly at the promenade and the lake marshland.

At the end of this road is the market building and behind it the canal waterfront with the fast boats.

This is Toby’s bike, at this point still pretty clean. I was stopped by policy the other day because there is no number plate.

I stop at the Sokimex gas station and fill up the tank. I had filled it before when I left Phnom Penh and I am surprised that only fuel for 2$ fits into the tank after the ride here. Then I ride back to the national road and north towards Phnom Chissor.

I have been to Phnom Chissor before and I recall having difficulties finding the place where I have to leave the national road. The same happens to me again. I ask a number of times. Then I reach the place.

Look out for this sign on your left if you come from Phnom Penh and want to visit Phnom Chissor. It pictures the temple on the top of the mountain.

You then follow the dirt road over there, for about 4 km until you reach the bottom of the mountain.

Along the dirt road. The land on both sides seems to be very dry.

Straight ahead is Phnom Chissor, on top of it is an ancient temple.

This is the hill top, but the ancient temple is on the opposite site.

There are some rural homes along the road.

There are some food stalls at the bottom of the mountain. I park the moto in the shadow, take a seat and have a drink. There are few people, but a bunch of kids is surrounding me as soon as I arrive. I meet some people from Phnom Penh who are visiting the temple. While I know that it is possible to visit Angkor Borei, I have no idea how I can get there. I talk for some time to the people from Phnom Penh and ask them to inquire if one of the people around would be willing to give me company and show the way. They find a person who does however not speak English. I learn that it takes about one hour to reach Angkor Borei.

I decide to go with the guy. It is already about 2:30 pm. We follow one of the dirt roads, take a number of turns and quickly find ourselves in a very rural setting. After we travel for some kilometres we reach an area that seems only sparsely populated. My companion asks a number of times for they way. I am glad I went with him, not so much because he knows the way, but because he can ask.

In the beginning we ride on a fairly bumpy dirt road. Increasingly, this road is getting narrower and there are fewer people travelling on it.

At some point we reach open and seemingly uncultivated land. The road is very sandy and sometimes it is difficult to determine its course.

The guide indicates to me that this mountain is Phnom Da, or at least somewhat close to it. It may appear close, but the picture is taken with 10x zoom.

The road is very sandy around here and increasingly I find it strenuous to manoeuvre the bike with two people on it.

We are travelling fairly fast, at least faster than any other vehicle we come across. Sometimes I sense that the guide may be a bit afraid of my driving. I note that we are never travelling straight towards the mountain, but follow many turns and detours, sometimes on narrow paths and sometimes on fairly decent dirt roads. However, we do not seem to come any closer for a long time.

It is my sense that we are already travelling for more than one hour when we finally arrive at denser settlement with more traffic. Then we reach Angkor Borei town.

This is at the bridge. I read that the museum is close to the bridge and that the fast boat from Kampot town stops down there.

In the centre of the picture are two nicely located, seemingly modern temples. Down there is Angkor Borei River.

Some boats appear much overloaded.

Not much is going on on the bridge.

We continue the trip to Phnom Da, which is only few kilometres decent dirt road away. The hill top temple is on the hill to the left hand and easily recognizable from a distance.

Some of the places along the road look very peaceful and idyllic.

We park the bike at the bottom of the hill and start climbing up the stairs to the temple. This is at about halfway.

This is the temple, which is from the Angkor area but obviously not nearly as impressive as the temples that people come to admire in Siem Reap. Still, I like the way the temple is located on the hill top in this charming area. I imaging that this is at least equally delightful in the rainy season and plan to come back after some months, with the boat from Takeo.

Nobody is here besides this fellow, the guide and myself.

I imagine this temple used to be decorated with sophisticated carvings which may have felt victim to looting.

The roof of the temple collapsed.

We have a short break and then start climbing down again.

This is some sort of settlement at the bottom of the hill.

When we reach the bottom of the mountain, it looks very rainy in our direction.

Phnom Da.

This is when we pass Angkor Borei again.

It is already advanced afternoon, the museum is closed and I am concerned that it will be dark by the time I reach Phnom Penh. For some reason I fail consistently to get started early enough to finish a day trip prior to sun set. At this point I am not exactly looking forward to ride all the way back first to Phnom Chissor and then to Phnom Penh.

However, I am lucky and the guide leads a way different from the one on which we came. I am sure the road distance is longer than on the other way, but we travel almost exclusively on decent dirt roads, until we come close to Phnom Chissor. I think the ride takes close to one hour, but it is enjoyable and we can travel fairly fast. We come across stretches of land where it had rained recently and on the final stretches riding the now bumpy road becomes a muddy affair. However, we are lucky enough not to ride in the rain.

We reach the bottom of Phnom Chissor when it is getting darker. I give 5$ to the guide which seems to make him very happy. After a short break I leave to Phnom Penh and enjoy the ease of riding the bike on a paved road with no passenger.

After some kilometres I come across an elephant, which I did not expect to see here. It does not seem to be a familiar sight for locals as well and many children run after it. From what I thought I knew, elephants are found mostly among hill tribes in Mondulkiri. I never came across one there, and the only other elephants I have seen in Cambodia are at Wat Phnom in Phnom Penh, and in the Ta Khmau Zoo, which is not far from here. Maybe this is where this fellow is coming from.

It is getting darker which does not make riding easier and I face dilemmas which I am already familiar with. When the helmet visor is closed I cannot see well because it is like wearing sun glasses. When I open the visor I cannot see well because of the airflow. However, I am lucky enough to have a bike with functioning light and blinkers and there is not too much traffic.

It is dark long before I reach Phnom Penh. The final kilometres are slow as usual due to dense traffic. I am happy to be back in the city and enjoy riding through its roads at night.

Some weeks ago Dara and Vuth had told me there would be a massive yew year party at the casino on top of Bokor Mountain in Kampot province. They told me they would go and asked whether I would join. I agreed and reserved a bike at Phnom Penh Bike Shop for December 29. I just gave back the (pretty used up) Honda Baja yesterday to lucky! lucky! Today I find at the Phnom Penh Shop that only one bike is left, which is a Honda Degree. Those bikes are the most common, cheapest and in many cases oldest dirt bikes available in Phnom Penh. Yet at this point it is not likely that I get a better bike anywhere else and I take it.

Furthermore I learn that Dara, Vuth and the owner of this shop have left already to hit Kirirom National Park on the way to Bokor. I have been to Kampot but never saw Bokor before. And I do not mind having a special New Year party. After I get the bike I decide to leave the next day, to go the 150 km to Kampot. This gives me more time to spend in Kampot and I assume there are fewer crazy people on the road heading to this party. Kampot is a three hour trip from Phnom Penh, mostly on National Road 3. The plan is to go some time the next day the remaining way to the top of Bokor Mountain. The road up to the summit of the mountain is said to be difficult.

It is only by 2:30 pm when I leave at home in Phnom Penh, after I packed my stuff and tied it to the bike. After not even 500 m I ran into a police check point on Norodom Boulevard and of course the police men pull me over vigorously. One of the officers points at the place on my bike where the plate belongs. The plate is missing. I did not see that before and feel a bit guilty. However, a strong majority of vehicles in Cambodia does not have a plate. I tell the officers this is a rented bike and the plate is not my business. They insist that I pay and so I pay the modest 8000 Riel. Than I leave to Kampot south on national road 3.

As usual, after I pass the outskirts of Phnom Penh I can increase the speed and travel pretty fast. I come across many road construction sites all the way along the way to Kampot provincial capital. Where the road is not paved this involves a lot of dust.

This is still close to Phnom Penh.

This is after I passed Tram Kak and before I reach Chhuk.

To make sure I reach Kampot before it is dark I keep riding more than half the way without a break. Only about 50 km before Kampot I stop in a village to have some rest. I order coffee and get some food in the market. Then I site down at this stall at the roadside and eat. The owner and her daughter do not speak English and I practices my few Khmer words.

Later a lady comes along and starts talking to me in Khmer. I feel she behaves quite offensively. She inspects my nose and arms and keeps talking to me in Khmer. The owner of the place and her daughter seem to feel embarrassed by this lady’s behavior but don’t intervene. The lady does not go away and keeps talking to me. This goes on for some time. I feel uncomfortable but try to enjoy my coffee and a cigarette. At some point I take a picture of her, to do something. She does not stop bothering me. Only after about 20 min. she leaves, after I tried to consistently ignore her. I want to point out that the way this lady related to me is quite opposite to the way I usually encounter Khmer women and in fact Khmer people, who tend to be rather shy and soft spoken. Later the owner’s son arrives. He is 16 and studies English. He translates for his mother that the lady is crazy. Later I leave, too.

Crazy lady.

I have been riding this road just about four month ago. But it looks quite different. This road is being overhauled and broadened all over the place. There are stretches with many potholes but most of the time it’s a decent ride.

The landscape changes gradually with more small mountains and mountain ranges the closer one comes to Kampot.

Once in a while one comes along a Mosque.

It is already late afternoon and I am still riding. Shadows are getting longer. On one occasion I ran into a very deep pothole which I did not recognize before it is almost to late.

When I arrive in Kampot provincial capital the sun is about to set. This is close to the market.

The Mealy Chenda Guesthouse seems to be all right according to the guide books. I quickly find it and get a decent room with bath room and van for $4. I hurry up to the terrace to take a few pictures while the sun is setting down behind the mountains.

I have some rest and later go to the terrace again to hit the restaurant. Before I reach there I get to talk to Klang, works as guard and taxi driver. For tomorrow he offers a ride with the truck from the guesthouse to Bokor Mountain for $12. While we discuss I recognize Phillip on the next table, a traveler from Germany who I met in Kampong Thom some weeks ago. He is talking to a guy from Canada and I join them. We have food and talk for some time. None of those guys intend to go the Bokor Mountain the next day.

So I end up spending the evening with those guys on the terrace. We talk a lot and when we decide to go to bed I still don’t know how to go about tomorrow.

I met Katrin a couple of times, who is consultant and works on indigenous land rights. Once I met her with Dietmar who is on a South East Asia backpack like tour. As it happens, Katrin has some passion for big motos and a friend who is into motos, too. Dietmar wants to travel to the south and see Sihanoukville. So we thought it would be a good idea to travel to Kep over the weekend, which is a small town at the ocean.

We start with a breakfast at the Foreign Correspondence Club (FCC), which is a place that is at the riverfront, sort of expensive frequented by foreigners who can afford it l to hang out here.

This one is taken from the balcony at the backside of the FCC to the east. On the opposite side of this square is the National Museum. The building to the left is most likely among what remains from the French. In the center is a place where people play soccer in the morning and evening.

After the breakfast it takes us some time to get our bags together and fix them to those motos. We are four persons and travel with three motor bikes. Tobi, Katrin’s friend is the most experienced driver and takes Dietmar. And we distribute the bags nicely among the three bikes.

We are not in a hurry and once in a while we have a break. At this point one of the bags had loosened and we lost one of the rain jackets. However, when we stopped this Cambodian guy stops as well to hand over the jacket which he had apparently collected for us on the road. This is characteristic for this particular sense of honesty among the majority of Cambodians. Some Cambodians keep telling me I should not trust the people on the ground. However, my experience is that people are extraordinarily honest and have never disappointed my trust.

At this point we have still about 2 hours to go to Kampot. The road is in a good shape, there is actually not so much traffic and driving is a very enjoyable affair under these conditions.

This is about half an hour before we arrive in Kampot. The landscape as well as the climate appears to be significantly different from Phnom Penh. There are a number of mountains which are covered with forest. It is cooler compared to Phnom Penh and the closer we get to the coast the more it looks like it will rain soon.

In the foreground is bridge in Kampot and in the background some of those mountains. It seems to be raining over there.

This is the Marco Polo guesthouse, where we have a drink. They have excellent pineapple milkshakes. However, we decide not to stay in Kampot but to go to Cape, which is a town abound half an hour from here. We try to call a guesthouse or hotel their and use any of the numbers provided in three recently published tourist guide books. However, none of them works out. So we decide to go there rather sooner, find accommodation and have some sort of lunch.

Once we arrive there it does not take us long to find a hotel with rooms for $6 which are nice and clean. This is located directly at the sea. It would be wrong to say at the beach, because at this point there really is nothing like a beach. We have only a short break and then go to a place at the coast where there really is a beach. In addition there a small huts where one can sit and order food. For obvious reasons the local specialty is seafood.

This is when we order. We are lucky that Toby speaks Khmer quite well. So ordering becomes an affair of long consultation, recommendation and negotiation.

Possible locations to have food include on the beach, on the grounds on the street or in those huts. In either option one is sitting those mats. We choose the hut, because it is about to rain.

We are lucky that we managed to get here without having to cope with rain. Shortly after we sit down in this hut it starts raining, which involves strong winds. At the same time it is about to get dark. This picture is taken with longer exposure times out of the hut. Upfront is the road, behind the roach the beach and next to the beach the sea.

We are very hungry and we have ordered all sorts of food. This includes crab and shrimps, fish soup, all sorts of vegetable and rice as well as roasted chicken.

Altogether this meal is a time consuming affair and by the time we finish it is dark. There is a statue close by which pictures naked women. Those statues are rare in Cambodia.

This is the statue. From this perspective it looks sort of obscene.

This is at the backside.

Some people apparently cannot but climb it.

And some people take a call wherever they are.

However, we enjoy ourselves.

Shortly after that Dietmar and I kick of with two of the bikes to leave the couple alone. Our departure involved a funny choreography: the statue is located on a base in the water and can be reached via some sort of bridge. This bridge is fairly narrow and there is water at both sides. At the same time those motos where parked in a way that we had to turn them. .so apparently both of us tried to avoid starting the moto but prefer to sit on it and push it back and forth. This must have looked really funny and Katrin and Toby freaked out entirely.

We went back to the hotel to get some drinks and hang out in some hammocks which are located directly at the beach. Later we went to sleep.

This is the view from our window at the sea in the morning of the next day.

The hammocks I just mentioned are located in those huts.

Again we spend considerable time with having food. However, it is weekend and all of us where looking for the chance to recover from something.

Than we decide to go to the beach. However, we find a place where a trip to Rabbit Island is offered. We find the idea of visiting an island instead of the beach along the road appealing. Before we leave to the island we go to the local market to buy some fruits.

Then we go to the place where the boat is waiting. Those children are playing with a dead water snake.

Then we depart to the island. At this point it is about to start raining.

In the beginning of this 20 minutes ride it starts raining. Furthermore, it does not look like it will stop raining soon. Quite the opposite: it appears that more rain is coming. And this is infact what happened. In addition there is strong wind and some waves. However, that does not spoil the good mood on board.

This is shortly before we reach Rabbit Island.

Although there is not much beach in sight I thought this is a beautiful island. It is still raining when we arrive.

At the place where we reach the island there is a stable and rather wealthy house which might serve as some sort of guest house. Under the house a number of locals is playing pool.

We learn that the beach is on the other side of the island. So we go there to see it, while it is still raining.

After a short walk of about ten minutes we arrive at the beach, while it is still raining.

We decide to go for a swim. After that we hang out for some time on a bamboo rack at the beach. It is still raining. This does not bother us much since we are wet anyway. However, the rain is getting stronger.

This is one of the huts that is build close to the beach.

After some time we decide to go to this hut and wait for the rain to become weaker.

However, the rain does not become weaker.

Quite the opposite. The rain is getting stronger and it is storming.

I sort of like windsurfing and naturally I am always looking for spots and opportunity to go for it. Infact I experienced on many occasion that it is not that easy to find spots with daily strong wind and this looks like a cool opportunity, regardless of the rain.

So we decide to move into the hut.

We spend about one hour in this hut before the rain is getting weaker. We use the chance to move back to the boat. After all, we still want to arrive in Phnom Penh before it is dark.

A chance for the last shots on the spot. Behind those palm trees is the beach.

There appears to be dense vegetation on this island.

When we arrive at the boat it is still raining.

For the animals around here it is time for lunch.

We leave with the boat to the main island.

It is still raining and we are still in a good mood.

When we arrive at the mainland it is not raining anymore. We ride back to the hotel. When we pass the short band of beach at the road it is crowded with mostly local peoples going for a swim and having food.

We have lunch at the hotel. This is a slow process but we have time because it is raining again.

Then it stops raining and we kick off. We ride back to …. Dietmar has decided to stay here and travel to Sihanoukville alone, where he intends to meet a friend. We do not manage to convince him to travel back to Phnom Penh. Even though Dietmar forgot his teva sandals in Phnom Penh while the remaining pair of shoes was wet we failed to persuade him.

This is the place where we say bye to Dietmar. Than we drive to the petrol station and fill up the motos for the journey back. At this point it is already impossible to reach Phnom Penh before it is dark. At the same time those moto’s lights are not very bright and do not contribute much to safety.

However, now we are three people on three motos which allows for fast traveling. The way we are riding those motos cannot but be considered speeding. I actually think we are reinforcing each others bad driving behavior. So we are driving quite fast on this narrow road, passing all the other vehicles.

It is worth mentioning that all of us have the same type of motor bike, which is a Honda Degree. Compared to the bikes I rented earlier this one is lower and lighter, but it still has a powerful 250 ccm engine. To have a low and light bike is a practical thing because it allows to easier control the bike where there is mud, water and potholes on the road.

Later on there is a wider road with fewer potholes that allows for even faster speeding. We keep speeding and have only very few breaks to fix the bags properly to the bikes.

This is when it is getting dark. At this point it is still more than a one hour drive to Phnom Penh. However, we cannot continue driving like before. The power of the light of this sort of moto is rather limited and does not allow to really recognize what is going on on the road. At the same time all types of people, animals and things are on the street. In particular, people still keep traveling with ox carts and other vehicles without light. So we have to drive very carefully from here.

When we reach the better roads of Phnom Penh we can go faster again. After this long and tough ride I feel very comfortable with the moto and enjoy riding in fast in town. Lucky lucky is already closed and I decide to give back the moto tomorrow. For the time being we hang out in a new bar close to the national museum. At one point I visit one of the pizza restaurants at the riverside to pick up some happy herbs. We have some drinks before we go home.

We started after breakfast at about ten am. He told me that he never rode a big moto before. I showed him on the way how to drive the big moto but he preferred to first go to Phnom Chiso and than practice riding it.

This is a medium sized temple which we reached after we went about 40 km south on the national road number two. I though this is a beautiful temple. I spend some time taking pictures but I did not see anybody. Only two dogs.

This is what is behind the pagoda. People are working in the rice field.

We spend some time in the shadow to rest. Then I saw the monks coming and figured that they had been out to collect food. However, it was only four or five of them. This is a frog on the rim of my moto’s wheel.

We kept driving for some time. This road is in a much better condition than the one I have been traveling yesterday. However, I realized how much faster I actually travel with the big bike compared to what is possible with the smaller moto.

This is a modern style pagoda which we saw after we had been traveling for more than two hours. I have been traveling on this road before but only down to Tonle Bati and Phnom Tamao. This is already beyond those places. Again, the road was pretty good and there was not even so much traffic. So it was easy traveling.

At some point I stopped to suggest that we look for a place where my fellow traveler could learn to ride the moto. It was lunchtime and quite hot. Since Phnom Chiso is a mountain I though it is better to wait some time and climb up later, when it is not as hot. We hit some sort of restaurant where we learnt that we had already passed the junction where one has to leave the national road in order to get to the mountain. So we had some rest and went back. After about five km we reached the place. This is a gate on the way to Phnom Chiso. Gates appear to be very important in Cambodian architecture and there are all sorts of gates all over the public space.

This road made for a good moto training ground and I taught my co-traveler how to go about riding the big bike. Actually there is not much I know about it and so the instructions were rather short. However, he learnt very quickly and started driving immediately while I was following on his moto.

Finally we got close to the mountain. It was still hot but remote thunder raised our hope for some rain. I spend some time waiting in the shadow while my co-traveler kept practicing with the bike.

Of course I did not have to wait long until I got company. Those guys where taking care of their cows and stopped to hang out for some time. Some people told me that the guy in the middle is sort of retarded and sometimes does not know himself. However, he turned out to be quite peaceful. The school in the background is named ‘Hun Sen School’ after Prime Minister Hun Sen. There seems to be a considerable number of schools with this name, as well as parks and pagodas.

We kept getting more and more company.

Then we went to some tents at the bottom of the mountain, where we parked the motos. There were a number of hammocks in those tents and people invited us to hang out for a bit. We had some tea. Those women had a number of fresh chicken and we asked them to grill one for us while we are climbing the hill.

Again a number of kids gave us company. They were not as intrusive as other kids I have met at touristy spots before. They told us that we have to climb about 400 steps. That does not sound too bad. However, those are huge steps. Those children kept updating us how many steps we still have to climb.

I was carrying my bag and was sweating badly.

When we arrived at the top I had to pay $2 while my co-traveler did not have to pay anything. We saw a number of religious construction like this Buddha or those statues. However, this is artwork of rather low sophistication.

Or this rather recent construction.

Strong rain was coming down over there.

This is me on the very top of the mountain.

This is when we finally reach the Temple Suryagiri, which was build by Suryavarman I. in the 11th century. This is in Angkor times. I read in my tourist guide that this mountain was a strategic position for the Khmer Rouge when they were surrounding Phnom Penh. This is why Lon Nol bombed the mountain with helicopters.

There are at least five of those towers made of bricks which house altars. Old people are waiting inside to tell (mostly local) tourists about their future but I could resist the temptation.

At the bottom of the mountain are the ruins of another temple, the so-called Sen Thmul. This is connected with the central sanctum via many steps, supposedly another 400. Not only those temples but the part of the mountain under the main temple appears to be man-made.

It started to rain quite heavily for some time and we went to the tents of some people who sell drinks. This temple was close by and I though it is nice, too.

While it was still raining a bit we went all the way back to the bottom of the mountain. The chicken was already grilled and we had food in one of those tents. Afterwards we hang out in those hammocks for a bit. Then it was already past 4 pm. I had to give back the moto at about six and so we decided to go back without many breaks. Since there was not much traffic on the road I went with my co-travelers moto and led him practice with the big one. After it had been raining the air was somewhat cooler and it was delightful to travel with motos.

When it was still about 20 km to Phnom Penh it was already twenty minutes to six. Since it was me who had to give back the bike we decided that I would go with the big moto trying to make it in time.

I feel much more familiar with the bike now which makes me also more comfortable in the traffic of Phnom Penh. When I reached the major junction in the south of the city (where Norodom Boulevard meets Monivong Boulevard) I realized that my preferred route via Monivong was very crowded. So I decided to travel north on Norodom. This is the part of the Norodom in the south where the Ministry of Interior is located. The road is very wide here which usually gives me the chance to speed up a bit. I admit that I enjoy doing it here because this is both the Ministry of Interior and where I work. It satisfies my sense of subversion, I guess. However, there was a major accumulation of cars and motos directly in front of the ministry. I saw an ambulance, too. After I read in the newspaper that this Ministry might be the place were pro Hun Sen people might start demonstrations I though this might be it. Or just an accident involving somebody else who was satisfying his sense of subversion. Cars and motos around me started to turn around their vehicles nervously involving the entire road. Not surprisingly this created quite some chaos. I thought there is not much time left for me to give back the moto. So I decided to do the same.

I found that Monivong was not as crowded as I expected and I made it in time to ‘lucky! lucky!’. Already with some routine I parked the moto and handed in the key. Then I went back to the Amok with a moto taxi, thankful that I did not have to drive myself.

I learned later in the evening that it was just an accident what had happened in front of the Ministry. I went on a short ride with a moto driver and we kept cruising riverside for some time. I was surprised to find that there were many people, including countless families engaged in picnic on every piece of green available. This was the first time I have seen those places as busy. My moto driver indicated that this is how it usually looks like. Only in previous weeks fewer people came because many were afraid of fighting after the election. However, people feel safe now and families come out again. I thought this is a good thing and enjoyed observing all those people enjoying themselves in the mild evening.

This is what I got this time. I thought this is good value for $8 per day.

I left lucky at about 10 am and went south. I toyed with the idea of going to Phnom Chiso, which is a mountain with an old temple on top about 80 south of the capital on the national road 2. However, I missed the junction at one point. I have been traveling on road 2 to Tonle Bati and Phnom Tamao and the prospect of traveling it again was not so exciting to me. So I kept riding the other street, which was in a reasonable shape. It follows to course of the Bassac River to the south and offers a number of beautiful spots. Surprisingly I found this road in none of the maps in my tourist guide. I found it later at home on the big map, classified not as national or secondary but ‘other’ roads. After I have seen a number of national roads this one deserves a better label.

After I was traveling for about one hour I found a pagoda including this temple. It is located in a beautiful environment at the bank of the river and looks quite different from the almost ‘standardized’ modern temples I keep seeing. However, I found very quickly that this one is entirely from concrete, not only the structure and ornaments but surprisingly even the doors and windows.

This is the backside of the pagoda.

I parked the moto in the shadow of a huge tree to have some rest. Many people live on the compound on any pagoda and this one is no exemption. It never takes longer than a few minutes until there is company.

So those guys showed me their pagoda. Walls and ceilings are covered with colorful pictures representing scenes in the live of Buddha. And of course there are many Buddha around, the biggest one equipped with an electronic halo.

I was talking for a while to those peoples before I left. They told me it is not far from here to the Vietnamese border.

This is the Basaac River which the road kept following. About halve of the road is in a not so bad shape. However, some stretches are extremely bumpy and with a car it is a paint in the ass, I guess. Other parts are covered with small stones which is kind of uncomfortable with the bike. And still other distances are just dust roads which is most of the time quite ok given it has not been raining recently.

I kept driving for about 2 hours until I saw the buildings of the border checkpoint. I stopped for a few minutes to drink something. Then I turned around to ride back to Phnom Penh.

I saw a number of beautiful pagodas, among them this one.

I stopped again at the pagoda at which I had already spent some time at lunch time. While I was walking around I realized that there are many old people living in small huts close by, most of them women.

I found some of the fellows I had met before and they stroke up a conversation. We sat down in front of the monk’s house and had a long discussion involving numerous subjects but not much consistency. Initially it was only three people but quickly it became more. Most of them are monks or boys who live on the compound of the pagoda or just spend some time here. Girls are not supposed to approach male strangers and I did not see ant. This is what happens often. After I spend about halve an hour it started raining and we went inside the hut to continue the conversation. Most of those boys study English and were eager to practice it. Interestingly, the guy upfront is only 15 years old but his English appeared to be the best among them. They told me that they would have class at 4 pm and invited me to join. So I though this might be an interesting thing to observe.

So we went to the school, which is close by. They told me that there teacher is usually about ten to fifteen minutes late. Moreover, he leaves about ten minutes earlier so that the duration of their class is not longer than 40 minutes. However, this is a private school and they have to pay 400 (about ten 0.10 $) riel per class.

In fact the teacher was about 20 minutes late. He welcomed me and invited me to join his class. So I grapped a seat like everybody else. This did not stop him from addressing only me with his questions. Also he told me about some of his views. First of all, he does not like this job because it gets him only about $100 per month. As soon as he finds a better job he will quite and moves wherever necessary. I thought this is not a good thing to say for a teacher in front of his class. His students apparently do not have much respect for him either. They kept asking me question like how I felt when I met him Cambodians very often ask questions that do not make much sense in the cultural environment I am used too, however, those questions were meant to embarrass their teacher.

I encouraged this teacher to start his lesson. He made the students open there books. I saw the book earlier and was surprised that it is published by Oxford University Press and was pretty recent (2000). Than he asked me to read out a paragraph, which I did. After that I asked him to better address the other students as well. However, he continued talking to me and I kept replying. He told me that his English is fairly bad and I ensured him it is pretty good. Then he changed the strategy and encouraged his students to ask me questions. Some of them did and I tried hard to answer. Than I came up with questions, too.

I was wondering why there where only four girls in this class. Furthermore, all of them were sitting in the left half of the room, while everybody else was seated to the right. So I asked why this is the case. The teacher told me that girls are not supposed to interact with boys too much. Furthermore it is Cambodian custom that boys can address girls but not the other way around (In this respect (male) Cambodian people keep telling me the following metaphor: boys are like diamonds and girls like cotton. If both falls into the mud, the diamond can easily be cleaned while to cotton cannot. From that Cambodian males tend to draw rather crude conclusions. I tried hard to promote gender equity in my answer in a culturally sensitive way.

He kept addressing me and I figured that there was not much I could do to change his mind. He told me that he studied in Phnom Penh, but moved back to this place four years ago when his father died. He is only 22 years old. He is fairly dissatisfied with his opportunities. He did not make it a secret that he had voted for Sam Rainsy, which has always been and is currently the opposition. He furthermore told me that nobody likes the CPP (which is the ruling party and just won the majority in the election) and everybody votes for Sam Rainsy. All of his students dislike CPP and support Sam Rainsy. I though making class a party event is another thing a teacher should not do. However, so far I really met only one person who thinks that CPP is cool. This is why it is difficult for me to understand how CPP could win the election.

He kept asking me what I think about Cambodia, the political situation, what I am doing in Cambodia, what my organization is doing and the like. He invited me to his house and provided me with his telephone number. I gave him my name card. All of this happened during the 40 minutes of his class. Than he finished. With regard to most of those only about 15 students there really was no chance for active participation. But these students are eager to learn English. Even when we were sitting at the monks hut they asked me to explain their homework. Afterwards some of them told me that they feel their teacher is wasting their time. I think this is very true and it is very unfortunate that only such poor education is available to them.

This is after class.

We continued discussion for some time. Then I figured that I should get going to make it to Phnom Penh before it was dark. So I got started.

Did I mention that it had been raining earlier? And it started raining again. I was prepared enough to have my rain jacket with me. However, I did not expect such rapid change in the road condition. The rain forced me to keep the visor of the helmet closed which made it more difficult to assess the situation on the road. At the same time the dust parts of the road had turned into large ponds of thick mud. I learned quickly that wherever there was just water on the road there is solid ground underneath which provides for sufficient traction. However, where there is mud on the road I found it difficult to keep the bike stabile. And it did not do any good to the condition of the road that there was much traffic and many trucks, leaving deep paths in the ground which made it more difficult to maneuver the rather heavy bike.

Only when I reached the outskirts of Phnom Penh it stopped raining. This is back on the network of national roads, which are in a good shape around Phnom Penh. This was about seven in the evening and it was already almost dark. There are many motos with people cruising the city at this time and it is not exactly a pleasure to ride this bike in the city. However, this was my third day on a moto and I am reasonably familiar with the traffic conventions in Phnom Penh.