Today we were back on the long road after a ten day stay in Siem Reap. Once again, Lin and her staff at the Two Dragons in 20th Street looked after us very well. We knew that the accommodation that would be available over the next week or so while we made our way through northern Cambodia would be more expensive and not near the standard we had become accustomed to at the Two Dragons but we had been growing fat and lazy in Siem Reap and it was time to move on.

We had a long day planned. The target was Sra Yorng near Koh Ker, just over 100 kilometers from Siem Reap, where we planned to spend two nights to give us a full day at Koh Ker. We also wanted to spend and hour or two at Beng Mealea which was near the halfway mark. We knew that the temperature was forecast to be around 39 degrees (and feeling a lot hotter) so we thought we might stay in Svay Leu about 8 kilometers past Beng Mealea if the heat go too much.

Much against our own better judgement, we stayed awake until after midnight last night watching international rugby, well-knowing that we would have to wake up soon after 4am to get on the road to Sra Yorng. To make the decision even a worse one, the South African rugby team, the Springboks, were well beaten by Ireland in Cape Town, the first time that Ireland has ever managed to beat the Springboks in South Africa.

We were pedalling down Highway 6 soon after 5 o'clock and had a great version of the standard Cambodian breakfast of grilled pork and rice with pickled vegetables and tea at the 16 kilometer mark where we turned north on a back road that would take us off the busy Highway 6 and also cut a few kilometers off the journey. The road started off tarred, then somewhat tarred and eventually reverted to packed dirt. It was a great shortcut but I can imagine it could messy once the rains start in earnest. Eventually we reached a tarred road heading east that joined us onto the Highway 64 that leads to Koh Ker.

Beng Mealea is very different from the temples nearer Siem Reap in that basically no restoration has been done. There is a wooden walkway that allows one to access large parts of the ruins and get a feel for what places like Angkor Wat etc might have looked like before restoration and for the magnitude of the task that the restorers face.

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After an hour and a half, by which stage the many busses carrying the hordes of Chinese tourists had arrived, we reluctantly climbed back onto our bicycles and carried on to Svay Leu. By the time we got there, it was only eleven o’clock, still not too hot and the sky looked like it was filling with clouds so we pushed on.

On the outskirts of Svay Leu we met a German guy who was on his way back to Siem Reap after doing a four day tour through northern Cambodia. He was on a MTB with a backpack and so he was feeling the heat. We wanted to make sure there was water to but along the road to Sra Yorng, which he confirmed, and he also warned us of no water for a long stretch between Sra Yorng and Sra Em which we were already aware of but had caught him out..

The ride north east was really great, even though the countryside wasn’t the most exciting. It was felt so good to be back on the bikes and riding with a destination in mind. The clouds were taking their time to build up and shade us from the sun and Leigh, feeling strong, was having fun racing the shadows that would sometimes appear on the road. Of course, all good things come to an end and soon after the ninety kilometer mark the heat and her efforts (and the late night) caught up with her and she was desperate for a break. The last ten kilometers took almost two hours with three long breaks to allow Leigh to try and cool down.

We pulled into the Mom Morokod Guesthouse between Sra Yorng and Koh Ker soon after three o’clock and Leigh could eventually put her feet up properly. It seems to be part of a larger family business with lots of other pots on the fire apart from the guest house. The cyclist we had met in Svay Leu had suggested that they were unfriendly and uninterested but after a “No speak English” comment and once they had summonsed the family member who looked after the guest house and could speak English we were well looked after. At $12 for a fan-only cold-water-shower room, it is certainly overpriced but if people are prepared pay, that’s what they can charge. In many ways it is halfway between a guest house and a home stay because the the family simply carries on with their daily business around you, from the old matriarch down to the grandchildren. The supper they dished up for (choices were meat or vegetables) was probably the nicest lok lak I have had so far. Just as importantly, the beers were cold.