This was not the most well thought-out bike trip. Looking back, I should have simply flown to Cambodia, backpacked around, and flown back. After all, I was working full time, and it was a major effort to even get four weeks off (unpaid). And then preparing the bicycle and gear and getting it on the airplane was a major effort. I was exhausted and stressed out before my plane had even left the ground in Taipei.
However, all that got done, and I found myself at the airport in Phnom Penh with a flat-tire-prone bicycle. I spent a few days exploring Cambodia’s capital city (including a trip to the Killing Fields), and then I set off for a bike ride that took me to the coast at Sihanoukville and then north to Siam Reap to check out Angkor Wat. I found Angkor Wat so fascinating that I abandoned my plans to cycle more of the country. Instead, I stayed in Siem Reap longer and then took a bus back to Phnom Penh for my return flight to Taipei. Despite the unexpected challenges, it was a good trip, and I’d love to return to Cambodia someday.
Cambodia 001 – Taipei to Phnom Penh
6:13 a.m. Saturday February 10 (On the airport bus) So far, things have been going as well as can be expected. I'm on the airport bus and my bicycle is somewhat safely stowed underneath. I ...
Cambodia 002 – Phnom Penh
Sunday February 11 2:20 p.m. (coffee shop at a gas station) After all that planning, I forgot to put on any sunscreen and forgot to bring it with me. So I'm burned. I don't know ...
Cambodia 003 – The Killing Fields
Tuesday, February 13, 8:00 a.m. Phnom Penh I’ve gone for the western experience this morning. I think I needed it. So instead of a local place, I went to the Garden Center Cafe that I ...
Cambodia 004 – Phnom Penh’s Backpacker Areas
February 14, Wednesday, 2007 Phnom Penh So far I haven’t found a convenient and comfortable place to sit with my NEO. This morning, all I could think of was this coffee shop attached to a ...
Cambodia 005 – Sick in Phnom Penh
February 15, Thursday, 2007 9:37 a.m. I had dinner last night back at the same restaurant. Fried rice. I didn’t dare try anything more exotic than that. I was sick all last night and this ...
Cambodia 006 – Cafes in Phnom Penh
February 16, Friday, 8:30 a.m. Location: Java Cafe on Sihanouk Boulevard Mission: Breakfast and coffee I seem to have been on a mission the last couple of days to check out some of the more ...
Cambodia 007 – Leaving Phnom Penh
Sunday, February 18, 2007 Cambodia I’ve skipped ahead a few days because I got on the bike and started cycling. It has only been two days, but it feels like much longer. They have been ...
Cambodia 008 – To Takeo
February 19, Monday, 2007, Kampong Trach Once more I have to go back in time again to catch up with my story. I had decided to leave Phnom Penh by riding my bike in a ...
Cambodia 009 – Kampong Krach to Krong Kep
February 20, Monday, 2007 Krong Kep Cambodia I’ve had some trouble finding a convenient and comfortable place to write the last couple of days. Or I’ve just been too sweaty and sunburned and tired. Let’s ...
Cambodia 010 – Kampot, Veal Renh, Sihanoukville
February 22, Thursday, 2007 7:41 a.m. Kampot, Cambodia Apparently, someone very important died in Kampot recently. There has been a funeral ceremony going on up the street ever since I arrived. The Internet café is ...
Cambodia 011 – My Sihanouk Bungalow
February 25, Sunday, 2007 7:44 a.m. Sihanouk, Cambodia My plan for the day is to ride my bike up along the coast and see what there is to see. There might be nothing. There might ...
Cambodia 012 – To Siem Reap
March 1, Thursday 2007, Siem Reap Here I am in Siem Reap with one of the greatest temples of the word just a few kilometers away and where do I end up? At a gas ...
Cambodia 013 – Angkor Wat
March 2, Friday, 2007, Siem Reap, Cambodia It’s 8 o’clock in the morning, and I’m back at the little coffee shop at the gas station. I hope the journal mood hasn’t left. I sat down ...
Cambodia 014 – Siem Reap Pub Street
March 5, Monday, 2007, Siem Reap, Cambodia It’s seven a.m. here and I rode my bike back to the coffee shop at the gas station. It was actually a bit of a ride, and now ...
Cambodia 015 – Churning the Ocean of Milk
March 6, Tuesday, 2007 A complete and utter change of scene. I’m back in Phnom Penh and of course the first thing I did, after getting a place to stay, is go down to the ...
Cambodia 016 – Return to Taipei
March 8, Thursday, 2007, Phnom Penh Airport I’m at the airport way too early as always. I suppose I could have organized my day a little better and gone out for a cup of coffee ...