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Published: November 15th 2009
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Are cycling days are now behind us. We arrived in Battambang this afternoon after cycling for the past three days. I know one little lady who is excited that the cycling is completed. ;-) She was complaining that 33c with 90% humidity is too much...
The last couple of days have been our best from a cycling standpoint. We had the best roads today and yesterday with a wonderful tailwind - set up sail and ride. We were able to get to our destinations before 12:00 both days even though we had 100 km to cycle. I will miss all the "Hellos" from everyone, though. We really had some fun with that as we passed by the school kids cycling to and from school or the kids huddled underneath their homes waiting out the heat of the day. They always put a smile on our face -- no matter how hot it was on our bikes.
I must say that Cambodia is one of the best countries for cycle touring in the world. I would put it just behind Thailand and China. Thailand gets first place for its edge on food. With all of the major highways now paved
in Cambodia, the cycling part is one of the best. There is so little traffic on the roads and so much life otherwise. Whether it be school kids on their bikes, carts pulled by water buffalos, or pickup trucks flying by with a dozen people hanging to the top of the truck, there is never a dull moment on the roads of Cambodia. We never had to worry about water or where to find a bite to eat. Nearly every home, which tended to be at least every 500 meters, had a stand along the highway selling water, drinks, snacks, and other food. Because Cambodia is so poor, some of the experiences here have been really unique. For example, everyone in the country has a block of ice delivered each day. Refrigerators are unheard of in the countryside.
It has also been so cheap. When we are out in the country, we are struggling to spend $30 US for the two of us! I have never seen such quality accommodations go so cheap, and we aren't eating too badly. But one of the unexpected surprises is that we have had very few instances of someone trying to overcharge us.
That is almost unheard of in the developing world.
I talked about the heat earlier, but it is interesting to see how the entire country works around it. EVERYONE starts their day at daybreak -- even Shauna. ;-) They even have weddings at 7:00 a.m. Don't ask me how the women are able to get their hair and makeup done for that hour. After abut 2:30 in the afternoon, things start to cool down somewhat (I use that word very lightly), but we certainly organize our day so we can be out of the heat from 11:30 to 2:30.
I have been amazed at all of the Toyota Camry's and Land Cruiser's here. I'm not sure what the percentage is, but I would hazard a guess that 75% of the cars and SUVs in this country are one or the other. Why? I'm not sure. I do know that every single taxi in this country seems to be a white Camry.
Since Phnom Penh, we have been traveling up either the Tonle Sap river or lake. This is an interesting lake, because it acts as a natural reservoir for the Mekong River. During the rainy season, the
lake takes in water and expands dramatically. In contrast, during the dry season the water from the lake flows back into the Mekong River. There are thousands of people that depend on this natural transition for their livelihood. It will be interesting to see how the many dams that are being built up stream on the Mekong River will affect this natural occurence.
We are headed to Siem Reap tomorrow by boat. From there, we will explore the great temples of Angkor. On Wednesday, we will fly Bangkok for some shopping and sightseeing.
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