January 28, 2024
Day 1 Bike: Everything Changed
Phnom Penh to Oudong
After plotting a route to the highway with the help of the family's wifi, I set out on the bicycle that had been left at their house. Much to my amazement, I started getting waves, smiles, and greetings from people on motorbikes and on the side of the road. One day they're jacking my phone, the next they're waving and saying welcome to Cambodia.
It was easy enough without looking at the phone to find Route 5. This would take me all the way to Battambang. The husband Joe had mentioned that it would be best to ask there about border crossings to Thailand, as there were two I was considering. At this rate it was about a three day cycle journey with the aim for today to get as much distance out of Phnom Penh before dark as possible. Conditions were actually perfect for that and I was smashing it out along the new highway.
Eventually I got about 45km to a town and then started looking for a hotel. It wasn't hard to find one. The first one I saw looked appealing so I rocked up and asked about rooms. They asked what kind of room I wanted and when I saw the VIP was only $20 I said fuck it why not. My theory was proving correct that prices were going to drop like a rock once out of the city.
Next I needed a replacement SIM card. The guy running the shop was hooked up to an IV machine. I asked if he was ok, he smiled and said he was doing great. He then hooked me up with a SIM, unlimited data and calls for only $5 which was much cheaper than the airport. Next was a restaurant, and again the prices had gone down by half. Not only that, the security guy helped escort my bicycle to the road and then stop traffic to help me ride off.
All of a sudden, it was a whole different Cambodia.
Today's ride: 45 km (28 miles)
Total: 204 km (127 miles)
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