Siem Reap Countryside
No Cycling due to Heat
My plan for my second day in Siem Reap was to go on a bicycle ride. I booked into the tour. Unfortunately, I was the only one booked in for the ride. The bloke at the hostel, handling bookings for activities said that that was hardly a surprise – “not many people like to ride in this heat”.
Given that most of the tourists are young and mainly Australian, all I can say – how limp are they?
Quad Biking
He suggested that I go on a ‘quad bike ride’. Hitherto, my view of quad bikes, if I have one, is that they on the same level as jet skis. Not high that is.
The tuk-tuk arrived to collect myself and three English girls to take us to the quad bike shop. After a very brief explanation as to how to operate the bikes we were each taken on a practice ride. I was surprised to find that the bikes only have 2 gears – forward and reverse. I could not help myself – I noted they were “similar to the Italian tanks in WW2” – such a bad joke.
I not sure what ride the girls were on, but I found that I was by myself with a guide who was riding an XR Honda Trail Bike. We headed off.
Pleasantly Surprised
The route took us very quickly on to narrow paths that ran between paddy fields. I was surprised how much torque engine had and how maneuverable the bike was. I was actually enjoying the ride.
We stopped a couple of times for some photo shots.
Learning a Bit about the Changes in Rural Cambodia
After about 40 minutes we stopped at Buddhist temple. The guide’s spoke reasonable English and clearly understood far more then he could speak. He was keen to practice his language skills.
I asked him about the farms and the people who owned them. He told me that most were owned by individual families. In most cases, the farmers used traditional methods – manual planting and harvesting, possibility using water buffalos. He did say however, that where children had gone to school and had got other jobs (his family being an example), some of the farms were sold. In other cases, the children were buying tractors so that their parents could continue to work the farms as they got older.
Gunning it for a Bit
After leaving the Temple the guide stop at an intersection. He told me that ‘this was a good place to go fast”.
I gave it a go. I wish I had brought the Garmin to record the speed. Whatever it was, it felt quick.
Another Fluent ‘Peter Sellers’ Speaker
When we got back to the bike shop, I was introduced to the owner of the business. He is French with a classic accent.
He told me that he had been in Cambodia for 10 years. He came to place while on holiday in Vietnam. He was offered a job as a Director of a Hospitality School. After 3 years he decided start the Quad bike business. He now has 46 bikes. His business model incudes replacing the whole fleet every year. He sells the used bikes to wealthy locals and expats.
I asked his about the use of USD and the local Riels. That was clearly a no go areas of discussion. He preferred to talk about his three children and his view that they are in a “good place and region”. Fair enough.
Learning What the English Girls Did
Back in the hostel I ran into the English girls from the ride chatting to the Scottish girl I mentioned in my last post. They had had an interesting ride. One had driven onto “a canal”.
Hearing about the Scottish Girl’s Horse Ride and Dinner in Night Market
The Scottish girl had been horse riding.
We went to dinner in the night market area. The restaurant served good food and was a great place for ‘people watching’.
Flickr Photos Link
billrider2013 