After spending a couple of days in Phnom Penh it was time to head out to Kampot which was supposed to be another long day. This time I didn't have any border crossing ahead and there was a lot less traffic in Cambodia so I was expecting a smooth ride.
Getting out of Phnom Penh was a bit of a challenge as this city seemed to be dominated by cars. Huge reason why rarely who owns a car in Vietnam is tax. Import tax on cars is super high in Vietnam that is why only the wealthiest can afford them. Not the case in Cambodia. Because of this and also because there is a ton of tuk tuks on the streets in Phnom Penh it was much more difficult to ride in the city. I was still a little bit shaky riding my motorcycle, so it took me a while until I reached the countryside.
Heading To Kampot
Once I was out of the city the ride was beautiful. The road was basically empty with occasional car passing by, plus it was nicely paved. I was finally feeling relaxed riding the motorcycle.
After enjoying this ride for most of the day and feeling excited about arriving early in Kampot I got hit by roadworks that stretched for 20 km all the way to the town. This road was so bad that I had to stick to 10-15km/h occasionally stopping because of one way sections. Sun was scorching hot and dust was everywhere, this was a completely unpaved road.
I ended up arriving some time after 5pm and had collected all of the dust in Cambodia. I looked ridiculous. I parked my motorcycle, grabbed a shower and rewarded myself with a large pint of Cambodian beer at my hostel bar. Monkey Republic was the place and it was rather nice, if anyone is looking for accommodation in Kampot.
Kampot was a laid-back artsy town with a lot of retired hippies. I kind of liked it and there is plenty to do around the area however I was on a tight schedule and I had to make it to Koh Rong Samloem Island for Christmas. Because the roads around Kampot seemed to be really terrible and buses to to Sihanoukville were really cheap I decided to just leave my motorcycle at the hostel and head there by bus. The road to Sihanoukville apparently was in terrible condition, also I had done some reading up on the current state of Sihanoukville and felt reluctant to leave my motorcycle there.
Grim, Grim, Grim
So after spending a night in Kampot I was headed onwards by bus and I was so relieved I made this choice. The road was atrocious, it looked like it was raining a lot the last few days and there was no way I could have ever made it to Sihanoukville on my motorcycle. When I arrived half the city was flooding. This whole island adventure looked grim, it was raining a lot in Sihanoukville and I couldn't see any sight of blue sky anywhere. A ferry was just arriving from the islands and some drunk Dutch guy said we were so lucky to be going to the islands as it was all clear over there and the weather had been perfect all this time. I had to see it to believe it.
I was getting close to the Koh Rong Samloem island and that dude was right. I was escaping the dark grim looking weather of Sihanoukville. It was unbelievable.
Christmas With Strangers
Over the next 4 days I relaxed on the little island. There were no roads, just sand everywhere,some guest houses, one party hostel, a couple of "restaurants" and a little village, that's about it. I had a lot of fun over the coming days. White sand beaches, bright blue coloured sea and palm trees. I did some snorkeling and fishing, a lot of drinking and drunk night kayaking on Christmas eve. It was probably the best Christmas I ever had.
After few days it was time to head back. I went back to Kampot and stayed there for a couple of extra nights before heading back to Phnom Penh and further to Siem Reap for the New Year's. Surprisingly, my motorcycle was still running well but I opted to do a check up in Kampot anyway.
More Time Constraints
I was on a tight schedule again. New Year's Eve was just a couple of days away and I was uncertain about the road quality to Siem Reap so I decided to take a bus from Phnom Penh. That way I cut two day ride in half and made to Siem Reap just in time.
This time the ride looked like it would have been nice and I regretted bussing to Siem Reap. But I had extra time to explore Siem Reap. I spent the day exploring Angkor Wat temples and the night partying on the famous pub street in the city center. Soon it was time to head back to Vietnam and continue my journey north.
Not Suited For Motorcycles
Due to the time constraints caused by Christmas and New Years this trip in Cambodia felt a little rushed and disorganized. But I did not regret anything. I think It's better to bus around Cambodia and rent scooters if necessary. Cambodia was not particularly enjoyable on a motorcycle.
While the country overall is beautiful and the people are some of the nicest I have met during my travels, It wasn't really appealing on a motorcycle. It felt very tedious to ride in Cambodia. Most of the days are spent riding straight roads while trying not to get hit by passing cars and trucks, occasionally driving through some dusty industrial towns and long stretches of roadworks. Cambodia is better left travelling by bus.
I was excited to return to Saigon. I turned into a really good and confident driver during these past weeks. I felt so good on the road I was blasting through the crazy traffic in Vietnam, nothing could stop me.
I ended up arriving in Saigon mid day, I checked back in my favorite hostel in Vietnam - The Like Hostel & Bar. The reception guy greeted me all excited and surprised I made back in one piece. I took two days in Saigon to recuperate and catch up with my friends before finally starting the real motorcycle adventure that all of this was about. I was ready for it.
To be continued.