Day 38: Pea Reang - Phnom Penh - Frankie goes to.....Indochina

February 4, 2018

Day 38: Pea Reang - Phnom Penh

Routing: #8, 380

One more of the series "Inspiring places to draft this journal". I am currently sitting in front of the Lotus Guesthouse in Phnom Penh, where I am staying as well. The view from my room is not bad either as I will prove tomorrow...

I guess the way my last two days have developed is symptomatical why I love cyclo-touring in South East Asia so much. The day that was supposed to become a lovely ride to a new destination turned out to be Apocalypse Now- Vol. 2018; the perforced amendment of my route into Phnom Penh turned out to be one of the nicest rides you can have in Cambodia. When I decided to ride into the capital yesterday I was convinced this would become a tough a day. I have come in from the North on Highways 5 and 6 twice and it always were very challenging last kilometers. Today - completely the opposite! Leaving Pea Reang in the morning Highway 8 continued with that great shoulder and the easterly wind was right on my back. Glorious first 30 km to the roundabout just before the bridge over the Mekong. There I turned left onto the 380 and that was definitely the best choice I could have made. Only local traffic and plenty of sightseeing all the 26 km down to the ferry in Akreiy Ksatr. Delightful cycling!

To me going on the ferry was a highlight as well. I believe you have to cross any river on the water once - going over a bridge is simply not the same experience. And this local traffic ferry certainly lived up to my expectations. Busy without being hectic, extremely cheap (500 Riel for me and the bike) and a relaxingly slow cruise over to Phnom Penh. I assure you - no better way to get into Cambodia´s capital.

Once arrived on the other side I turned right and found myself on the pedestrians/cyclists-only promenade. You can go all the way up to the northern end of the promenade entirely free of any motorized traffic. I sat down up there for a few minutes thinking how to approach the coming days. The Thai visa issue was now the decisive factor for the length of my stay. That´s why I decided to clarify this issue first and cycled diagonally through townbefore looking for a place to stay. My target was the Lucky Lucky Motorcycles and Services shop, highly recommended on the net for visa issues. The bad news: The owner of the shop told me there is no chance for him to get that visa in less than 3 days. The good news: it will only be 50 US$, less than I thought it would be. That´s why I decided to stay for 4 nights and enjoy the great food and atmosphere of the city which has, as Kampong Cham, really improved over the years.

It took me another hour to find a place that suited my demands for such a long stay, no more booking.com experiments like in Siem Reap. Near the Central market I got myself a 3 rd floor balcony room with hot water, fridge and aircon for 14US$. After the usual extra cleaning session (this time by the staff!) I settled in and am convinced I will enjoy my time here even if it all was "born" out of a very bad day on the bike yesterday.

My breakfast stop in one of the typical highway restaurants. I don´t think I have ever seen monks eating in the public

You see these long boats a lot around here. By the decoration I would assume they are used for ritual purposes more than for sporting events

At least the oldest sibling seemed happy to see me

Why shouldn´t the cows enjoy the same things as us humans? A bit of a swim...

The monk´s quarters are always a bit more humble than the temples

The ferry from Akreiy Ksatr to Phnom Penh. I am glad I found it without having to ask for Akr....

This young man was generously entertaining the whole ferry with his micro speaker

Today's ride: 64 km (40 miles)
Total: 3,135 km (1,947 miles)

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