I think we should get off the tracks as to avoid a stampede!

Bike rides in Cambodia look very different than rides in America. There are no trails, no road signs, no bike lanes or latte stops. Bike rides in Cambodia offer up a buffet of adventure like snarling dogs, confused farmers, laughing truckers and an occasional cattle stampede - if you are doing it right.

Two weekends ago, Leanne and I set out to ride from Phnom Penh to the old capital of Cambodia called Oudong. We had done our research on how to get there which included printing out a fuzzy Google map that got wet after five minutes in a bag and a couple of rough landmarks that we wanted to hit. Essentially, we knew we had to follow some decrepit railroad tracks and eventually, after many kilometers of riding, we would find our destination. In theory.

Enjoying the view from Oudong Mountain

Our four-hour ride started off on a very cool morning by Cambodian standards, 80 degrees and a nice breeze. We found our railroad tracks and begin the slow procession towards Oudong. At one point, an hour or so into our ride we decided to ride in between the rails of the tracks. We made enough noise through a rice field that about 40 cattle panicked and began to run right at their owner. The farmer, confounded by two pale foreigners, gave us a look of frustration and jumped on his moto to begin to round up his skinny cows. We decided that, in order not to anger any more farmers, that we would stick to the moto trails running parallel to the tracks.

After asking some pleasant farmers who found it impossible to ride such a distance, we found a delightful road that wound through villages, past water buffaloes, over bridges and to our final stretch.

Biking with a new homie

Cambodians do not travel very far to their destinations. Every time we stopped to ask directions, we were met with hesitant glances which expressed that our goal was indeed impossible. We felt very much like the Wright brothers because nobody believed that what we wanted to do could be achieved by mere mortals.

The last hour was met with tired rear-ends, a hot highway and less-than-aware truck drivers. We were happy to find our destination and I ate my pb&j sandwiches like a 2nd grader that just came back from recess. The 14th century temples were wonderful to explore and the sour mango for dessert made for a great end of the trip.

Bike rides in dry season, not as green as it could be.

Luckily the ride we had arranged the day before worked out perfectly and we rode back in the afternoon, 7 hours after we left, with the sun going down to put a cap on our achievement. 50 km (I am so international because I use kilometers), 4-hours of riding, 400 stairs to temple and lots of funny looks from Cambodians made for an unforgettable day.

Leanne enjoying some rest and Goldfish.

Bike rides in Cambodia come with their own brand of adventure and we loved the experience.

Monks touring Oudong Temple. They did not ride bikes.