My friends Adrian, Jim and I went riding in Cambodia for 5 days over Songkran. If you want to ride over Songkran and want to avoid all the water nonsense, then Cambodia is a perfect destination. We had an absolute blast! Can wait to go back and get some more.
Here is a video of the trip, and some photos follow.
Enjoy!!
Map of our 5 Day trip to Cambodia for Songkran (Thai and Khmer New Year), April 10-15, 2011
'The Bike Shop', where we rented our XR 250 Bajas. It's run by French expat Bernie Merklen, who had a small but memorable part in the 2002 Matt Dillon thriller 'City of Ghosts', the climatic scene of which was shot at Bokor Hill Station.
Adrian, ready for trouble in our first (and only) night in the Khmer captial (trouble redacted)
Hey Jim, the kick stand is on the OTHER side of the bike.... (you can see that the stand is down already....)
Where is Jim?
Bub's place for breakfast. It's 7:00 AM on Day 2 and these gentleman have already finished their breakfast and are watching a movie on the TV.
Breakfast is coffee, some roast pork, egg, and rice. Quite nice!
Village Women & Children
A young girl who sold us some desperately needed water
Adrian presses the flesh with some local dignataries, stumbling home from a pre New Year's party
La Java Bleue, our base camp in Kampot for 3 nights
My Timberlands, end Day 2
Our bikes, moring of Day 3
Monks watching the beachgoers in Kep
A Khmer temple, very similar in style to Thai. Most Khmer are Theravada Buddhists, just like most Thai's, but there are scattered communities of Muslims as well
Kampot River, and the old bridge
Rusty Keyhole after dark
A monument to the noble Durian, the provincial fruit, i guess. This was in the middle of a traffic circle. Unlike Thailand, Cambodia makes regular and efficient use of the roundabout (and they drive on the right...)
Kampot River Delta. The town is just upriver (left) from the split in the river at center left.
New Year's Day holiday makers stop for photos on the road up to Bokor Hill Station - the road is only open on Khmer holidays, and April 14th is the Khmer New Year (the day after Songkran, Thailand's New Year)
The ruined Bokor Palace Hotel & Casino, floating on the clouds at Bokor Hill Station. Built by the French in the 1920's, the site was one of the last strongholds of Khmer Rouge in the 1990's.
Bokor Palace Hotel & Casino
Bokor Palace Hotel & Casino
The Grand Ballroom
The Hotel was built on the edge of an escarpment in the 'Elephant Mountains' west of Kampot, about 1,000 feet up. It offered stunning views and a cool escape from the tropical heat below.
Tropical jungle below the Hill Station
The old Catholic Church near the hotel. Government and Khmer Rouge soldiers would battle each other between the Hotel and Church, often switching sides from time to time. The site might make an excellent map for the next release of Call of Duty.
The old bridge in Kampot (the other bridge is called, as you might have guessed, the new bridge).
Golden temple rising from the water palms
Along the Kampot River
Kampot River view near sunset
Kampot River view near sunset
Tradional Khmer farmhouse
Khmer fisherman
Here is a video of the trip, and some photos follow.
Enjoy!!
Map of our 5 Day trip to Cambodia for Songkran (Thai and Khmer New Year), April 10-15, 2011
'The Bike Shop', where we rented our XR 250 Bajas. It's run by French expat Bernie Merklen, who had a small but memorable part in the 2002 Matt Dillon thriller 'City of Ghosts', the climatic scene of which was shot at Bokor Hill Station.
Adrian, ready for trouble in our first (and only) night in the Khmer captial (trouble redacted)
Hey Jim, the kick stand is on the OTHER side of the bike.... (you can see that the stand is down already....)
Where is Jim?
Bub's place for breakfast. It's 7:00 AM on Day 2 and these gentleman have already finished their breakfast and are watching a movie on the TV.
Breakfast is coffee, some roast pork, egg, and rice. Quite nice!
Village Women & Children
A young girl who sold us some desperately needed water
Adrian presses the flesh with some local dignataries, stumbling home from a pre New Year's party
La Java Bleue, our base camp in Kampot for 3 nights
My Timberlands, end Day 2
Our bikes, moring of Day 3
Monks watching the beachgoers in Kep
A Khmer temple, very similar in style to Thai. Most Khmer are Theravada Buddhists, just like most Thai's, but there are scattered communities of Muslims as well
Kampot River, and the old bridge
Rusty Keyhole after dark
A monument to the noble Durian, the provincial fruit, i guess. This was in the middle of a traffic circle. Unlike Thailand, Cambodia makes regular and efficient use of the roundabout (and they drive on the right...)
Kampot River Delta. The town is just upriver (left) from the split in the river at center left.
New Year's Day holiday makers stop for photos on the road up to Bokor Hill Station - the road is only open on Khmer holidays, and April 14th is the Khmer New Year (the day after Songkran, Thailand's New Year)
The ruined Bokor Palace Hotel & Casino, floating on the clouds at Bokor Hill Station. Built by the French in the 1920's, the site was one of the last strongholds of Khmer Rouge in the 1990's.
Bokor Palace Hotel & Casino
Bokor Palace Hotel & Casino
The Grand Ballroom
The Hotel was built on the edge of an escarpment in the 'Elephant Mountains' west of Kampot, about 1,000 feet up. It offered stunning views and a cool escape from the tropical heat below.
Tropical jungle below the Hill Station
The old Catholic Church near the hotel. Government and Khmer Rouge soldiers would battle each other between the Hotel and Church, often switching sides from time to time. The site might make an excellent map for the next release of Call of Duty.
The old bridge in Kampot (the other bridge is called, as you might have guessed, the new bridge).
Golden temple rising from the water palms
Along the Kampot River
Kampot River view near sunset
Kampot River view near sunset
Tradional Khmer farmhouse
Khmer fisherman
