A village cycle ride

---

On Sunday morning I decided to go for a cycle ride through some villages near Takeo. It had been raining most of Saturday and was still raining quite a bit today so most of the dirt roads to the villages were pretty muddy and the bike was quite dirty by the time I got back.

Since I first arrived in Cambodia I had been struck by the number of very large ornate entrances at the side of the road. At first I had assumed that they were just the entrance to the houses of wealthy people but I now realise many of them marked the start of access roads that lead to a village or group of villages. As I cycled along, I chose an entrance-way and cycled down it.

Many of the fields in this area are still under water as it is the rainy season and large parts of Cambodia flood like this every year, however many fields were also rice paddy fields as rice is usually planted in water although there were some rice fields that I passed that were dry. The area I was cycling through was very well irrigated with an extensive system of canals, sluice gates, water reservoirs and raised roadways.

While cycling around I encountered a wide variety of types of transport. Most Cambodians do not own a car so generally cars indicate wealth. The most modern ones are now frequently four-wheel drive monsters but saloon cars tend to be Toyota Camrys. Motor bikes are very common in Cambodia and used in a variety of ways. As well as being ridden on their own (often with 3 or 4 people piled on) they are frequently used to tow trailers. The tuk tuk is a very common passenger vehicle which consists of a 4-6 seater carriage fastened to the back of a motor bike. I saw motor bikes being used to pull much larger trailers than this, though, and it was not uncommon for me to be able to pass a motor bike & trailer whilst cycling, or a motorbike carrying a family of three or four.

Bicycles are also extremely common and bicycle sale, hire and repair shops are eveywhere. You can often hire a bike for a day for one or two dollars though they tend to be sit-up-and-beg type bikes with only one gear. However, since the roads are mostly pretty flat this is not a major problem. Other low-powered vehicles of various types were also encountered, but animal power is still very important and I saw many horse and cattle-pulled carts. Most Cambodians are pretty poor so even if they have a motorised vehicle of some sort, they often cannot afford to fill it up at a petrol station, and since a motorbike can go pretty far on only a small amount of petrol, there is a large market in selling single litres of petrol. It is very common to see road-side stalls with an array of old coke bottles full of petrol so that motorbike owners can stop and just buy one litre.

In theory Cambodia drives on the right. Mostly this is adhered to, but it is still very common to see bicycles and motorbikes driving near the left kerb even while most traffic is coming towards them. Cambodian drivers do not normally give way at junctions but simply head straight out and just try to avoid anything coming the other way. In general, however, traffic drives quite slowly. This is partly because the roads are not good enough to drive fast but also because so many vehicles, particularly motorbikes and motorbike-pulled trailers, are so underpowered because they are trying to haul too big a weight that they cannot drive very fast. However it is very advisable to get out of the way when a large lorry is coming as they don't tend to see pedestrians or cyclists very easily. Signalling is rare, instead most drivers simply sound their horn to let you know that they are there. Most drivers will routinely sound their horn every time they overtake someone else.

Buddhist monks are numerous throughout Cambodia and in many other South-East Asian countries. You frequently see them walking along in their distinctive saffron robes, in the towns and cities as well as villages. More important temples are also looked after by resident monks and/or nuns. I have been teaching a daily one-hour English class for adults. This class was originally set up just for monks in Takeo's large monastery but now the monks are outnumbered by other local people wanting to learn english, many of them trainee teachers. There were 12 students in my class the other day of whom 4 were monks. I am hoping to have a tour of the monastery before I leave Takeo.

Cambodians are reknowned for eating almost anything. Beef and pork are the commonest red meats and cows are frequently seen wondering the streets. Pigs are commonly kept and often allowed to roam freely as well. Fish is very common because of the very large freshwater lake (Tonle Sap) in the centre of the country, and some large rivers, most notably the River Mekong. Either rice or noodles is served with almost everything.

---

Photos

Village entrance
These ornate entrances often show the start of the access road to a village

tractor
these contraptions were also fairly common

Bullock cart
bullocks and horses are still often used for haulage

Village Shop
a common village sight - pigs wandering loose

Buddhist monks
a common sight everywhere in Cambodia

Rice field
A rice field not under water

Comments

[Penny]

Cycle ride
Glad you are keeping that fitness up whilst you are away Mike!!!