Even if you are cycling solo, you will never feel alone in Cambodia. (S3 P1:E3)

On Saturday, January 7, 2023, I crossed the border towards Cambodia. Based on what I had looked up at home, I couldn't really imagine what real life is like there. One thing is 100% certain. In Cambodia the people are super friendly and you can cycle safely. I've never said so much "Hello" in one day in my entire life.

Cycling Adventure 15 (CA15) is my path of personal growth with which I want to inspire people to develop their own path of personal growth in this rapidly changing world.

The whole family lived in the tiny house on an area that corresponds to one bedroom for us.

Even before 7 am it was very busy in the Vietnamese town of Tinh Biên, which is located 10 km from the border with Cambodia. Strava sent me along a back road where suddenly two raging dogs were chasing me. Fortunately I already had some speed and I was able to fob off the culprits.

When I arrived at the border I had to show my passport to a few soldiers the first time. I asked them where I could get a visa and they directed me to a nearby building. In the building at a small counter, I saw a man putting stamps and some other people putting down their passports with some money in them. The manageress of the hotel had told me it was $40 for a visa. And so I put my passport in front of him with 40 dollars in it. The man had a broad smile on his face. Afterwards it turned out that this was not the place for a visa, but only the exit from Vietnam. A little further on was the office to ask for a Cambodian visa. And so I had to raise another $40. An average monthly wage for a Vietnamese is less than 200 dollars, which of course explains the wide smile of the man.

Arriving in Phnom Penh I saw a number of people washing mopeds. Now was the time to give my dusty bike a good wash. Because people were busy I suggested washing my bike myself but they don't accept that. My bike has never been so clean after a wash.

After a welcome night's sleep I continued my journey. A few kilometers outside Phnom Penh I passed a tiny house where a boy greeted me. I asked him if I could take a look at his house. It turned out that the whole family lived there in an area that corresponds to one bedroom for us. Upon entering, a large stereo chain was in front of the door and to the left of it were a few mattresses where his sisters were still sleeping. They did not have a toilet. When I left the boy I gave the boy some pennies and to thank me he turned on his stereo at high volume.

In the evening I received a message from Proximus that my roaming amount had been reached. With 4G in hand everywhere, I was able to easily find out where the sleeping accommodations were during rides and to help me find my way if Strava lost track. So it's time to look for a solution. Along the side of the road I had seen many times that you have 1Gb of mobile internet for the price of 5 dollar. The next morning I met Sokkhim who spoke good English and was willing to help me. Sokkhim told me he was moving to Japan very soon to work. If I go cycling there during one of my next seasons, I can definitely contact him, he stressed.

It turned out to be the right decision to take a rest day in Siem Reap.

The intention was to spend the night in a small village before arriving in Siem Reap the next day. But on the way I met a German cyclist who had left Austria 8 months ago. He suggested that I definitely plan a full day to visit the different temples. And so I made the decision to continue cycling to Siem Reap for a total of 185 hard kilometers to enjoy a rest day there.

It turned out to be the right decision. The temples located in the higher part of Siem Reap called Angkor, which was once the largest city in the world in the 12th century, are spectacular. During that period and for many centuries after, Cambodia was a country with many intellectuals where education was an important part of life. But Pol Pot with his Khmer Rouge put an end to it in 1975 through his dictatorial rule. All people were deported from the big cities to the countryside. People who showed signs of intellectuality, such as wearing glasses, were killed. It is estimated that 25 percent of the population here was murdered. People don't talk about this openly anymore, but my guide Tom told me that many old people still don't do it. To this day, the level of education is still not what it used to be. The owner of a guest house where I stayed, who belongs to the wealthy class, sends his children to an international school for which he pays $ 10.000 a year. A fortune here. But some parents don't even send their children to school because they don't see the point of it even though there is a public school nearby.

mr. Bunna and his Tuc-Tuc took me to five temples, of which 'Angkor Wat' is the largest and most impressive. My guide Tom told me that the construction, which started in the 12th century and lasted 37 years, involved one million people (!) including 4000 artists. The stones came from the mountain 16 km away and were brought by boats. You can still see the holes in the stones to which they attached the ropes to carry the stones. It was completely painted with gold leaf that has turned black over the years. Impressive to see, but on the other hand it gives me a bitter feeling when you hear how many people have done slave labor.

After my rest day I continued my way to Thailand. It rained constantly last night and continued to rain during the day. It turned out to be the ideal time for the Cambodian fishermen to get to work.

Ward couldn't believe I hadn't experienced any problems for the past two seasons.

This tour feels more difficult in terms of physical effort than the previous two seasons. I suspect it has to do with the gravel bike being more resistant than my endurance bike I've ridden the previous two seasons. Especially when there is a headwind, there is a big difference.

Ward couldn't believe I hadn't experienced any problems for the past two seasons. Well, Ward this time it was. After driving a distance of 500 km, my luggage rack broke. This caused all the bags to fly backwards and rip across the track. I thought this would be the end of my cycling trip. Fortunately, I had zip ties with me that allowed me to secure the rack back to my saddle. To be honest, I didn't have much confidence in it, so I decided to drive less along gravel paths.

Some things that caught my eye in Cambodia… Everywhere you see advertisements for beers and the Cambodians reportedly drink liters of it. Along the major national roads you regularly see party tents with covered tables and chairs on a part of the road without any protection for the busy traffic. Being electrocuted by dangling electrical wires is very easy. The deeper inland the less mouth masks are worn. Women wear their pajamas everywhere they go and even where they work during the first hours of the day. Energy drinks are particularly popular. Everything you buy is still put in plastic bags. Nowhere do you see electric cars and not a word is said about them. Trains are invisible. Next to the road you see burnt household waste everywhere. When you ask a question you always get a yes, even if they didn't understand anything. The lights at intersections are on the opposite side of the road. They transport all kinds of material with the moped.

On Thursday, January 12, I will leave hospitable Cambodia, which I enjoyed immensely, and a new experience awaits me in Thailand.

Some numbers of my rides: