Kampong Cham to Phnom Penh

February 26, 2018

I found a shortcut on the left bank.

Last night I searched the Internet for the best route. In particular, I found a someone describing a quiet road parallel to Road 6 that he used only 2 months ago. But no one ever mentions the left bank.

Except Google Maps who says there is a ferry at Kang Meas. GM has let me down many times in the past, but it was worth a try.

I hit the road at 5:45 and reached the ferry by 7. It crosses the Mekong at wide part, so it cost me almost an hour.

On the other side the first 22 km was mostly unpaved. Badly worn dirt road with lots of traffic.

At Srei Santhor I choose the route that follows the Mekong because it was tar. The inland route would have been shorter (and faster??)

Near Koh Dach, GM showed another ferry that OpenStreetMap doesn't. But there's little traffic and I didn't want to wait. So I continued South and took the ferry to Khum Koh Oknha Tey, where the delay is much less.

There I went to the silk "farm". They show how silk is spun and woven. They employs widows at $100 per month. Each takes 3 days to weave a scarf that is then sold for $30. It sounds like a worthy cause, but someone makes a tidy profit somewhere ??

Then I looked for a bicycle repair shop. My rear wheel has been making grinding vibrations. Fortunately the mechanic at the Giant dealer in Phnom Penh could look at it immediately. The casing between the hub and the axle was broken. Repair Cost: only $10.

(Had I gone straight to the center of Phnom Penh, my total would have been 90 km)

Why is the deck of this bridge so much higher than the roads it connects ?

My first look at the Tonle Sap River, one of the few rivers to reverse it's flow. It's flowing from the lake to the Mekong right now.

Today's ride: 109 km (68 miles)
Total: 3,122 km (1,939 miles)

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