A Hard road is good to find

A hard packed road is a good thing to find, trust me, I've been looking. Pavement is rare, but welcome somedays. Most of the time we are riding hard packed clay type roads with alot of vegetation, sometimes in the road not just on the sides. The views are great,  and while it's tempting to stop the bike every couple of miles just for photos, we try to resist the urge and travel on.  
But we try not to pass up the opportunity for fuel. And we try not to pass up the opportunity for (good) food. Fun Fact about Thailand: Thailand is slightly larger than the size of Wyoming at 198,115 square miles (513,115 sq km) - go figure! The plan is to continue riding in the Golden Triangle - stay tuned for more pictures and updates!

Myanmar

Since a Political/Military Coup in 1962 Burma/Myanmar has essentially been "closed". This country is boardered by China, Thailand, India, Laos and Bangladesh. One-third of Burma's total perimeter is uninterrupted coastline along the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. Of course, everyone wants to go where they are told they can't go. And since the military began relinquishing more of its control over the government, and the release in 2011 of Burma's most prominent human rights activist, Aung San Suu Kyi –entrance, communications and relations with foriegn goverments have been eased. I am here at the boarder with the Thai Army (Impressive!)

This is the "Guest House" (a.k.a Hut) in Sop Pong, Pang Mapha (Thailand) where we have been staying while riding around. 19.51616,98.25458

But nothing is more impressive than this site of the Myanmar boarder!

Enjoying the Ride so far!

BMW MOA

I've made the home page (registrant with back to camera, but hey) http://www.bmwmoa.org/ check it out!

The road to Phnom Pehn

From Siem Reap, the distance to Phnom Pehn is approximately 317km. By bus or train you can expect to pay around $7-$10 USD for the four hour trip. The road is all surfaced now and most of the busses feature air-conditioning. There is a daily boat ride down the battambang. The Battambang trip is seriously scenic, but breakdowns are very common. The Boats from Siem Reap leave from the floating village of Chong Kneas near Phnom Krom, south of Siem Reap. The boats dock in different places based on the time of the year; when the lake recedes in the dry season, both the port and floating village move with it. I imagine this may make it harder to find. Therefore; my trusty rental and I make our way back via road. After phnom Penh it's another 175km back to Thialand.

After the Khmer Rouge genocide, Cambodia remains one of the poorest countries in the world. Rural areas of Cambodia still face severe poverty, lack of health care, and low levels of education, economic opportunity, and resources. Sustainable Cambodia works with sponsors to make a huge difference in the lives of these deserving families in the villages to help them achieve sustainability and self-sufficiency through wells, irrigation systems, schools, training and empowerment. 

This is our group "Ride Cambodia" at the School sposored by so many including a group of Rotarians.  We were all delighted to meet the students and learn more about their daily lives.



To learn more about this organization go to: http://www.sustainablecambodia.org/

On the road to Pursat

On the road to Pursat Cambodia, you will encounter some strange things.  Take this for instance.  Here's a woman taking a break from her ride.  Do you see her monkey on her bike?  I'm not even sure this bike runs, it could be she just pushes it along the road - To Each His Own

Then my riding buddies and I stopped for an icy treat on a hot day.  Looks like even the monkeys were hot.  While enjoying our ice cream along comes this female monkey. She climbed up one arm and down the other to steal my ice cream- RIGHT OUT OF MY HAND. 
My father-In-Law always said "Damn the women, they never can be easy".

Mechanical Repairs

Unexpected Vehicular Repairs in a foreign country can be stressful and costly.  So imagine my concern when my rented Baja 250 broke down on the side of a road recently in Siem Reap Cambodia, not far from Angor Wat.

While I didn't expect AAA I am sure the Cambodians have had to complete roadside repairs before.  This is what I got - Five expert Bike Mechanics, a new relay and the bike was road ready in under an hour.

While I would like to say the repair was priceless, it actually cost a total of $10.00 US.  Gotta love it!

Angkor Wat is the largest Hindu temple complex and the largest religious monument in the world. The temple was built by a Tamil king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century in Yasodharapura the capital of the Khmer Empire. The Khmer is the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation – first Hindu, dedicated to the god Vishnu, then Budhist.

Sadly on the way there, my riding partner, Gary ended up with a flat. Luckily we were able to find a bike shop to repair it. Note the nice bike stand!

Siem Reap

13.35615 latitude, 103.85885 longitude The capital city of Siem Reap Province in northwestern Cambodia is Siem Reap, and is the gateway to Angkor region. Siem Reap has colonial/Chinese-style architecture. There is the Old French Quarter, and an Old Market. It is a busy and populated city with craft shops, silk farms, rice-paddies in the countryside, fishing villages and a bird sanctuary near the large Tonle Sap Lake. We are now on the door step of the Angor Wat Temple and looking forward to getting into the old city. We've been starting out on our rides early to get some mileage in before the heat of the day gets to us. Grateful to have taken my backpack waterbladder because water sources are not always trustworthy here.

In Kampong Cham 11.99171,105.46487

Cambodia Calling

On Sunday January 13th I set out of Phnom Pen Cambodia on a rented Honda Baja 250.  This is considered a "large" bike by Cambodian Standards.  I am riding with a small group of Americans along the Mekong River riding toward Kampong Cham (11.99171,105.46487).   We are heading North toward the Angor What Temple.  Needless to say the more remote our locations become, the less internet access availability becomes

nbsp; I will do my best to upload photos as I ride.


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YES! That's what you think it is! A big bucket of bugs!