Cape York & into Asia via Timor-Leste, Indonesia, etc

Here's a short clip of the bridge leading into that village in my previous post

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/UFmcszWBF7E" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I knocked my head on a low branch just after that.... and an hour or so later, as we were leaving the village, I realised my video camera was missing.... so, back down the track to the bridge and there it was, on the track.

This ride is in some fairly remote territory. The nearest help, I understand, is the Siem Reap helicopter... and its a long way away and as I understand it, they want US$4,500 for a pickup.... cash please. At and beyond Stung Treng, we are now east of the Mekong. We were deep in the jungle before then and it was tough. Justin had a couple of big crashes and I had that smaller one I mentioned too. The front wheel literally disappeared from under me in the mud... and I went down instantly... with the bike on my leg again.

It was a very tough day but very rewarding. I picked up loaded bikes half a dozen times, dragged them out of the mud, over logs, etc and had another flat tyre. Only had two bread rolls and a couple of handfuls of plain rice until dinner too.... but more than made up for it at dinner.

Harry's bike boiled at one stage.... so we filtered some muddy water for it. My fan was running hard... and the battery couldn't take it... so it was back to kick starting, which is damn hard on my bike and I'm extremely lucky to be riding with two incredible guys. I don't want to risk doing it with my knee... so they've been doing it for me. My knee braces might make it possible... but its just too big a risk out here. We have to solve the battery problem. I really can't tolerate a situation like this... having to rely on help to start the bike.

First up though, breakfast



Then its time to think about the bike





Geez... that gut has to go. The result of not enough movement for too many months with the busted knee.

We decide to try and find a battery.... the fourth of the trip.

As it turns out, we don't score another one until we get to Banlung, which is a relatively simple run on the bitumen today



We checked into the lodge run by a Finnish friend of Harri's and then rode a couple of km to the volcanic lake







Gotta love drying fish eh?



Back into town to try and solve the battery issue. Its pretty obvious that its either the regulator or the stator.... both are Trailtech items btw, not the standard KTM gear.

This is the most we could get, revving hard.



The problem, of course, is that in the rough stuff, with the occasional stall, or fall... and the fan running hard.... and no high revs, its producing a lot less and its not recharging the battery and the slightest hiccup means kickstarting. A long road run, with some revs, and things are fine.

We find the supposed wiring guru in Banlung and he's into it



He stuffs around for a while... not wanting to use my multimeter but judging things by how strong a spark he gets when shorting wires out. I'm not overly happy with that technique... but I haven't got too many options out here. He claims success, after fitting a new, cheap Chinese regulator.

I'm having another problem too. My local NAB bank in Oz convinced me to use their Mastercard travel card. Wrong move in Cambodia. In Siem Reap, I had to go to about four ATMs before I got one I could get cash from. Its worse out in the remoter towns. I can't get cash. I've got my emergency reserve.... and that's what I'm using. Visa folks... Visa. They work.

Fantastic update Ian! Thanks for committing fingers to keyboard for us.

What's the story behind the Honda stickers on the Husaberg :huh

Honda stickers? Its a long story. Strange things happen in Asia. He calls it his Hondaberg.... and he likes it.

So, from Banlung, we are headed to Sen Monorom via the Lumphat Wildlife Sanctuary. There's two ways... the new road, or, the Death Highway. No choice really.

The road out of Banlung shows the rape of the land



We'd been talking to a Kiwi bulldozer driver in the cafe in Stung Treng. He told us he was an environmentalist, because they grow things on the land he clears. Yeah... right.

The first few dozen kilometres is on new road



Quite dusty, but very smooth. I had a near thing with a woman who stepped out onto the road when I was looking to overtake a truck. The dust behind the truck was intense... and it was damn hard to get past. She just stepped off the edge of the road without looking.... but I missed her.

I got a nice shower getting past this guy



Justin had to chase me here. There was an intersection and I was trying to see which way the guys had gone. I couldn't understand why they'd gone... so I got stuck into it to catch them. They'd actually pulled into a petrol station to top up and I was too busy looking for their dust to see them. It took Justin about 3 km to catch me. This little farm truck is a common sight there... powered by a single cylinder iron buffalo diesel engine... belt drive.



The load on the truck is effectively kitchen stoves... small ceramic buckets that they cook in with charcoal

Fueled to the brim, we headed to the start of the Death Highway... across the river. The new bridge isn't far from finished, but its still the old way for a few months



We timed it well and just had to wait for these guys to unload





Just looking back at this... we probably should have had our packs and boots off. He had to bail the whole way across



Didn't worry us.... we were on the trail



Justin knew where to go



The track up the bank would be fun in the wet



As is often the case in Asia, the track wasn't straightforward. There were plenty of choices at times, so when we met someone (not that often), we'd stop and check the local knowledge. Love this guy's bike



Check out his high tension lead to the sparkplug - a bit of flex and a bamboo peg to keep it off the cylinder



He enjoyed the "chat"



It was interesting to run across some Rangers in the wildlife refuge. Armed too. Not sure if he was real or pretend... as he wouldn't stop to talk



I'm not sure what he's got in the parcel - it looks like birds



This fresh, but apparently dead, Banded Krait was about 50 metres past them, just on the other side of a creek. A big one too... about 5' to 6' long



Justin was just ahead of us, but when I asked him, he hadn't seen it. Its possible he killed it. I wouldn't want to get bitten by one of them, out there.

The track was quite sandy at times



Less so at others





We had a chuckle when we met a couple of guys going the other way and I asked him what he was carrying in his jacket

We stopped for fuel and lunch in Kaoh Nehk, a farming and forestry town... and it was appreciated.



Even more important... we topped up the water supplies too



It was good to get fuel from a pump too



I get the impression they don't do road safety inspections



Justin was having trouble with his Kriega bags. One had ended up in the wheel



Its a strange setup with those bags. I couldn't use them... with that damn stupid buckle that sits in the middle of the seat.

We headed out of town and got turned back at an illegal roadblock. Loggers. No guns on display, but they would have been there. Harri has had guns drawn on him at such roadblocks in the past. Nothing for it, but find another way. Fortunately, there's some choices there and we didn't lose too much time.

The track south got a bit smaller and more remote





Just around this next spot, we lost the trail and had a bit of fun going backwards and forwards looking for a track that doesn't seem to exist now.

This spot was "interesting". I fell off exactly where that ray of sun is shining.



I'll put it down to tiredness and being slack.... we'd had a local, on one of those small bikes, catch up to us every time we stopped for a photo, drink, rest, etc. Justin took off and Harri and I decided we'd let the local go, rather than blow dust all over him again. I was following him and at this spot, if I hadn't been, I'd have taken a different line. I lost it in the marbles and went down like a bag of shit. Harri had to lift the bike off my trapped ankle.

I should have drained the carb before starting it... but didn't - that damn "tired" thing again. We'd been running hot and slow... and the battery didn't have much left. It crapped itself and Harri was kind enough to start the bike for me. Believe me, I wasn't too happy with having to rely on someone to do that.

We caught up with Justin and spent some time figuring out the track. As it turned out, we came across a new mine in the jungle



Harri was happy to get some fuel... he's got the smallest tank, but he had to pay about 3 times normal price to get it.



We asked directions... got some which in hindsight didn't mean much and headed off. We'd just crossed this creek and stopped to see if we agreed on the path... and Harri's bike boiled... and mine was running the fan hard... and it was getting dark. With one guy with serious night vision problems, that was it. We camped. There.

A few bikes came through from the mine, with guys heading to town. We had various stories that there was a village 1km away and on up. It was a lot further than that the next day, and we made the right decision to stop.

Harri ended up with by far the best campsite for the night. A couple of bits of bamboo, one of them bent over... and there it was



Justin had some super lightweight sleeping pad... which failed.



Me? I had a groundsheet and a bivvy bag.



Harri took pity on me and gave me his second tin of tuna. No fire. No chinwagging... sleep. I woke up about 2 hours later, soaked through. I'd done the bivvy bag up too far and its a sweatbox. I only used it because I was expecting condensation, but we didn't get any.

I would have liked a sleeping mat... but these are the compromises we make. I used my spare clothes instead.

Look at that clean campsite.... you'd never know we'd been



Next morning, we found the small village and drank it out of Red Bull, in the absence of coffee



We bought most of their fuel too





I used to be a good shot with one of these as a kid.... but these guys use them to feed themselves



I dunno what Justin's doing here.... but it looks interesting



Everyone's happy





Ahh....





The locals are almost always keen to communicate



Food was welcome... even if it was 2 minute noodles. We were there a long time after they'd had their breakfast.



Seems we were the highlight of their day







Heading from there, into Sen Monorom, we came across this guy... doing damn near the same speed as us on the rough track



There were some interesting suspension bridges too.



I followed Justin onto the first one... about 15 metres behind him... and was having major problems with the sway.... I was all over the place. Harri was in worse trouble behind... he was plotting what to do as he fell, as he was certain he was going to. One at a time from then on, on suspension bridges.



We were back on logging trails, with lots of ruts



Here's some timber coming out, food, gas and supplies going in





This guy, with petrol in his lap, gas and other supplies, reckoned he was carrying 200 kg. Not long after we saw him, we had to climb a damn steep, rocky hill. Must be fun coming down it loaded like this





Those timber trucks really chew it up. This is about a 6 to 8 foot deep gully



It reminded me of the fun in the mud in Laos a year back



Harri, looking a tad dusty, in Sen Monorom



We met a Swiss guy on an 800 BMW in town. He'd come down the good road. I don't think he'd have got through the old road with these panniers



The joys of knee braces.



That's deeper than it looks

I just took a look at my GPS tracks for the two days from Banlung to Sen Monorom. The route was planned as 293 km, but we did 262 km.

Day 1, we were on the bikes for 10 hours 23 minutes, moving for 6 hours 9 minutes of that and 191 kilometres made good. Moving average was 31 kph with a top of 104 during the early bitumen / good tar run to the start of the Death Highway. Altitude varied between 81 and 331 metres above sea level

Day 2 was 70.5 kilometres at a moving average of 23 kph (max was 73 kph). We were on the track for 5 and a half hours, just over 3 hours of it moving. Altitude varied from 185 to 721 metres above sea level.

Sen Monorom was interesting. We caught up with some other bike groups at a guest house restaurant although we were staying at a place further down the main road. Justin and Harri did a day ride out to the Vietnam border, a waterfall and an interesting rock mountaintop. I stayed in town to try and sort out the bike.

I'd like to have seen this one... and the guys were back early, and if it hadn't been for the battery issue, I'd have loved to see it. I'll make do with Justin's photo for now



I tried all around town without success to score a new battery, having not been able to start the bike in the morning. The local World Wildlife Fund (WWF) guy helped me out and got me a couple of decent batteries shipped in from Phnom Penh after I couldn't source the right size locally. We had a few beers with him and a BBC documentary producer too. Some interesting stuff coming. We fed some thoughts into it. Their man on the ground here was keen to hear where we'd been and what we'd seen - he'd tried some of it and not made it. They won't use our footage (or the WWF guy's).... "if the presenter didn't see it, it doesn't go in". They haven't got a hope in hell of getting a presenter near the interesting stuff. The producer rang a car to go back to her hotel, FFS.

Interesting that of 7 of us around the table, only 2 (Poms) were from the same country. We had Poms (2), Israel, Australia, Finland, America and Germany represented.

I also had a good discussion there with a guy whose wife is Director of a major NGO dealing with trafficked kids. They are working with 400 of them, mostly in PP. Not housing them in orphanages, but working to rebuild bodies and minds.... helping them to normality. The bit that's worth relating. The traffickers are ALL locals. The customers are, in the main, locals. There are some foreigners, but its the local market driving the trade.

I've had plenty of discussions on the wildlife / logging issues too. We've got some ideas on that one. The view on the ground is that the tigers are stuffed. Big time. We had one guy, a Khmer, pipe up and mention one he'd seen one six months ago. They stopped... watched each other. The tiger got up and wandered away. The local villagers said it had two young.

While we had the time, we grabbed some oil and all did a change on all the bikes. "Someone" stuffed it up a bit when it turned out his plastic bags both had holes



Yeah, I cleaned it up.

I told the other guys that I was heading for Phnom Penh to get the bike fixed. The part of the Cardamoms we are aiming for is tough. Harry's tried it 7 times, made if 5. Once in 3 days. Early in the season and its debatable if we can get through. We heard over dinner that a group of 7 riders had just failed. Time will tell. They headed out the same way as me, but turned off onto the dirt after a few dozen km, heading towards Kratie

I did the 374 km bitumen belt to Phnom Penh... with one front wheel blow out on the way. We'd planned to avoid it, but I didn't have a choice. The Trailtech stator had given up the ghost.

I grabbed this snap of the gardener as I was leaving. The day before, he'd seen me trying, and failing, to get the bike up a ramp so that I could bump start it. He grabbed his crutch, hobbled over and pushed me up the ramp.



I'm somewhat humbled. Push started by a one-legged guy.

The bitumen was a real change after the Death Highway



I was keeping my speed down. I'd hit 127 km/h on the first day with my new rear knobby (a Thai-made IRC that I'd paid $75 for in Siem Reap.... they are about $60 in Thailand). I'd thrown a lot of the central knobs, including four in a row. Talking to the guys, they said that 120 km/h is the magic speed for these tyres. Hit that and the knobs start to leave.



The border wasn't far away



These guys like their monuments



The closer you get to PP, the worse the drivers get, but this is pretty much par for the course in Cambodia



Did I say the road was good?



Its always interesting





I actually saw this guy as I blew past, at double his speed, stopped for him to catch up, and ended up with a crappy shot. When I first saw him, he was holding the chook head to wind.... and it was sitting calmly. He turned it side on here. It looked great, tucked down, head into the wind



I'm pretty sure this basket guy was just a motorbike.... no trailer under there.



Nah, these guys aren't pulling in because I'm coming along.... they don't give a stuff about bikes.... they are pulling OUT to overtake the truck and each other. This isn't a bad one.... the bad ones don't leave room or time for photos. I'm doing 100 kph or thereabouts (more or less) here.



Yep, always interesting





Ducks





I think he could have fitted a few more in, up front



Crossing the Mekong, yet again... this time at Kampong Cham



Again, it got worse, the closer to Phnom Penh and the last section is nasty. It's really a shithole. I had a blowout about 50km out... but the bad stuff starts about 60km out. The blowout, from a pothole, was just in front of a tyre place... so I paid a couple of bucks to sit back and watch, rather than do it myself.





The road was under construction in Oct. 2012 when I came in (and went out) that way. It hasn't changed. Its probably the most challenging road ride going. It is effectively 3 roads side by side... all operating independently of each other. Its absolute anarchy.

At one stage, I was in the centre and had trucks blowing past me, going the other way, on both sides. I was doing about triple the speed of the traffic... which wasn't an issue... I'd have gone faster had I not been worried about another blowout. I had a spare tube... but no tyre irons, after my Wolfman pack failed and fell off the bike on the rough dirt road into Stung Treng.

Anyhow... the road is mostly dirt, potholed, with new bridges everywhere. There's vehicles swerving all over it.... all the time. The dust is so thick in places, you can't see. I've never seen a better place for fighter jock training. It's all about threat assessment.... 100% of the time. I passed some presumably Westerners on an outfit (sidecar rig) heading the other way. As interested in these things as I am, I can't tell you anything about it, other than it was white and slow... it wasn't a threat, so I didn't waste time looking.



These are the good bits... the bad bits don't leave time for photos



I suppose there's worse places to be broken down than Phnom Penh? I could go back to the Fire Bar if I get lonely. I called in, after getting the bike checked into a bike shop and grabbing a shower, for the early part of the evening and rang the bell (a $55 shout)... and that got me an instant 5-girl massage at the bar. The rest of the girls couldn't squeeze in. I even got a kiss and a hug from the butch bar manager. We're mates now.... I was originally introduced to her as "she a boy"... in other words, a butch lesbian. At least there's one woman in the world who doesn't hate me

Yes, this is a bar with women of negotiable affection.... but remember, they make their basic living by having a drink with customers.... and the owner is a friend of a friend. I called in for a drink. I'd like to actually get their stories.... and may do so at some stage. I've got no concern if they've made a conscious decision, as adults, to enter the business, but if there's anything more sinister, I'd like to see it nailed. There's certainly nothing nasty here, and the lady who owns the bar has a great attitude.



I headed out for a quiet dinner, by myself, watching the river traffic on the Mekong from the Foreign Correspondent's Club. Haven't been to it since my first trip to PP.

Down-river traffic flying by. Up-river, barely moving.

I see that Justin has posted a video of us on the Death Highway, over in his Kriega review thread. Its got a few swear words in it, as he discovers the extra holes in his luggage... but it gives a good idea of the tracks

<IFRAME height=315 src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Uy4_DQs1XPc" frameBorder=0 width=420 allowfullscreen></IFRAME>

and here's a shorter one I shot a bit earlier, closer to Lampung. Me taking it easy


<IFRAME height=315 src="//www.youtube.com/embed/TDOz4bH0mNo" frameBorder=0 width=560 allowfullscreen></IFRAME>

Some pretty simple creek crossings on the Death Highway

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/JAP0ioiH1p4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

... and earlier on, the ride out from Pol Pot's house to where we scored lunch - an un-edited 18+ minutes, but a pretty fair indication of what the tracks are like

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/OD7Sk7P_MIA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

The bike mechanic was telling me that he thinks he's nailed the problem. They were trying to source an OEM regulator. The two I've got are dead. I'd been to the KTM dealer in Phnom Penh a year earlier, trying to source a sprocket, but they didn't have spares in stock at that stage... and I think they are still pretty limited. In the end, we ended up with something that wasn't KTM...

It turned out that my stator was buggered (shh... its the American one - Trailtech again). It took the bike shop a day and a half to work that out. They said they'll rewind it on Sunday. I'm having my doubts. We've gone from a Friday fix, to a Saturday and now Sunday. This may end up making Chinese manufacturing quality look like a Rolls Royce.

At least there's an ATM near the bike shop that's feeding me money.... after a disastrous run around the outer cities, and me having to use all my emergency funds. I spent some time getting multiple-hour massages and sitting back at the cafe near the bike shop.... waiting. A few beggars came past and I fed them.

The waitress kept telling me she liked my approach with the beggars.... "you very smart". She loved it with one guy. I offered to feed him rather that give money.... as always... and he grabbed a drink and a chicken/rice meal. I'd made it clear he couldn't have takeaway. I'm not into feeding people's habits - be they drug or alcohol.... so, I'll feed them food and that's it. These folks will get the meal as takeaway and then go sell it.

Anyhow, Old Mate decided he'd out-smart me. Drank the softdrink and ate the rice and pretended to be full. Asked for a bag. I told the waitress "no.... he has to eat it here or he doesn't get it".... and I got the "you very smart" again, with a smile. In the end, I picked up one of the chicken pieces and ate it myself. He kept trying.... so I ate it all. Silly prick.... and no.... he didn't have starving kids at home. The beggars with kids have them with them....

Like this



I was having a quiet omelette on the banks of the 'kong, at my favourite coffee shop in Phnom Penh. Its called Deja vu (the coffee shop name)

This pregnant beggar came past with a swarm of kids... looking for money. I asked if she was hungry... yep. So I'm feeding her and the naked one.

It took 15 minutes to hit me.... I'm pretty sure this is the same woman.... and kid... that I fed last year. Last year the kid was listless, very sick. Good to see that he's up and running wild now. Turns out that the mother has 4 kids and another well on the way.

Deja vu indeed. I ran into her again later.... in her bedroom



The kids were off, running rampant - but they were under good supervision



I'd gotten to the stage though where I'd decided I had to get out of this town. It depresses me. Parts of it, I love.... but I find myself down every day. I'm thinking its the poverty - including mine. I fed 9 for breakfast that morning. It seems to get up the noses of some, when you sit a group of beggars down next to a table of tourists who'd rather look the other way and who just ignore the beggars.




The staff were onside though. I even scored a discount, to bring my breakfast bill under $50. The kids were well behaved....



I stopped the Coke trend after this shot... fruit juices only, thanks





You have to love it though, when you find high street shops.... selling coffins



Given I was already a bit flat and had been told it'd be another day for the bike repair... I really don't know why I went here



Yeah. The Killing Fields. I'd not planned to go there, but I found myself in the vicinity in a round-about way and in a sense, felt I should. I'll come back to it, but the reason I was out there was, I'd rung Mr Mao. He was the tuk tuk driver we'd had in 2010 and who'd picked me up when I flew in this trip. I rang to see if he was busy... no... so I gave him a few days work, while my bike was being fixed.

Along the way, I shouted him his first (and second) ever massage. About half a day's pay for him.... so he's not likely to make a habit of it. He asked me if I'd like to meet his family.... and off we went.

Along the way, Mao stopped and grabbed me a sugarcane juice. I think he was feeling guilty because it was a long, dusty trip out to his place



This is Mao, his wife and the two eldest boys are theirs. The others are relatives (sister-in-law) living in the other house on the block



I don't think the young girl had ever seen a Barang before... she was terrified of me... and it took some serious work to win her over. The boys were boys. A boy was dispatched, on bicycle.... and beer was procured. Lots of games to play then.... including shoot the Barang with toy pistols






The kitchen. You have to love it when the kitchen bench does double duty... as a safe house for the poultry



Typical water supply... from the roof



Palm tree doubling as a bathroom cabinet



The view from the kitchen



Heading back towards town, we passed a few trucks with loads of women in the back



Mao told me they were the workers from local factories. Many of them garment manufacturers. On Sundays, they get to go on an outing. There's been strikes and other troubles with these workers lately, with a push on to double their $90 monthly pay.

Had to chuckle when I saw this lady getting onto the bike





When we got to the main road, for some silly reason, I knew we were near the Killing Fields... and I decided to take that second look.

It hasn't changed. You still walk on paths with human bones coming to the surface everywhere





The ditches in this shot are all mass graves that have been dug up.





At least it was nice to see something positive there. The guy coming down the palm has been collecting sap from the flowers... for making home brew booze.

The place though, is sobering





They didn't waste money on the executions... many buried alive. Others hit over the head with an axe or similar.



I needed cheering up after that... and after a ride (in the tuk tuk) through horrendous traffic back into town, we had a massage and took our two masseuses out to dinner. Lovely ladies



The wandering minstrel was good too

Now, for the dirty minded, no... nothing happy about the massages.... and the girls are the model of virtue. The one on the right in that photo in my last post is 24, one on the left 27. The older girl is divorced, with a baby of 5 back in the province. Both absolutely lovely.

The next day, and Mao and I were out and about, doing some things I'd thought of a few times when in Phnom Penh, but had never gotten around to. Mao had to ask me for food.... (it was near 6pm and I hadn't stopped for lunch.... and he had to ask.... oops) we'll go for another massage and take the "girls" out again for some balance in life. These are NOT women of negotiable affection. OK?

It took me a full 10 minutes to convince Mao to go take a shower in my room, while I had a coffee. He was wanting to go splash cold water over himself beside the road and for whatever reason, didn't want to impose.

That last meal with the girls, we ate in a Khmer seafood restaurant. I was, of course, the only Barang (originally meant Frenchman, now any westerner). We ate 3 crab dishes, one whole fish, two prawn dishes, vegies, rice and 5 beers between us (girls very careful)... $20 with tip. Everyone was full.

Since I'm talking food... I'll cover off dinner first... then go back over the day.

Again, a Khmer restaurant - but more upmarket. Dinner for 4, $32 - including 3 Guinness and a beer.



... with "our" masseuses joining us. This time, the 27 year old and her younger sister



... and we dropped them safely back to their work / accommodation afterwords. Now... the day

I got some great knife-making photos today, got the bike back and made a donation to Kopassus too (Cambodian Army Special Forces).... I was prepared to spend $200 for a shot with an RPG, but they wanted $350.... so I stuck to the "Tommy Gun"... some Chinese or Russian thing with a round mag and a .22 Sten gun type of thing. The .22 was on single shot semi-auto and was a prick of a thing. Most I got without a jam was 4 shots. Didn't bother with the AK47 (done it before).

Interesting discussion with the Frenchman who owns Citadel Knives. Over coffee, talking about Pol Pot... (and this guy first came here in 1990)... he said many Khmer have trouble talking about what happened. They don't know how or why it happened. No-one did it to them.... they did it to themselves and they are embarrassed by it. Its over. Move on.

btw.... the Chinese are coming

I went to the Russian market to get some new tyre levers (to replace the ones that bounced off the front fender). This was parked at the markets





The market is fun... but its got some of the typical negatives that you see in remote markets too



I wish I could have had a good pick through the dozens of bike shops. I've got a couple of CT90 Hondas at home that I could have fixed up for peanuts



What's available seems endless. Pink pigments, anyone?



Bolts



and so on



We tracked down the Lazy Gecko for a friend. She'd known the former owner... and Aussie who was killed in an accident a few years back now. The original location was out at the Lakeside area, which I loved. The lake has now been filled in for development... a retrograde move. The Lazy Gecko is now down by the river... and didn't much impress me



So - Citadel Knives. I visited the shop, in the tourist area, and bought 3. Cost me about $400.... and shipped them home. Not cheap by Asian standards, but yeah, by Western standards... maybe.



The top one was near on half the total. A stainless steak knife with some Damascus and engraving. It comes with a leather sheath and its an absolute joy to use. Cutting lettuce it may as well be a razor blade... and steak just melts away under it. The other two are high carbon steel... so need oiling. The missus won't use them as a result.

The shop is worth a look







But its the factory that's really special. I'll get to it... but on the way, we spotted this lovely doing what would be called the walk of shame back home. She jumped off the back of a Barang's bike and headed home... still in last night's gear



Ahhhh.

.... and I told Mr Mao that if he ever buys one of these... its the last he'll see of me. Incidentally... if anyone is heading to PP, I've got his contact details. You'll not meet a more reliable or honest man.



First up... Kopassus. Special Forces.... Cambodia



Pick your weapon.... This guy was a bit pissed off when I took the .22 for my second run through. That's it, second from top.



The bottom two, on the left are interesting





The top one is a standard AK47, which I've shot before, in Vietnam. The bottom one is a hybrid small bore AK

My "Tommy Gun" ready for me





The .22 was fun... but I never got more than 4 shots without a jam



Mao got into the mood. In retrospect, I should have given him a shot... or two. I'll take him back next time I'm there.... or if anyone else is going through, I'll contribute if you want to take him out.



The bigger toys weren't on the menu



I'll write up the knife factory later.

Mao and I headed to the Citadel Knives factory. You have to pre-arrange this, easily done btw. I'd thoroughly recommend it if you are even slightly interested in this sort of thing

We missed some parts of the process, as there was a religious holiday and the guys in the forge section had shut down for that break. The owner is from France, but he's been in Asia for a long time... Vietnam before Cambodia

He's giving me the rundown on the forging here



The patterns for all their knives are on the wall. The blanks are cut





Here's a blank, with special clay applied that allows them to selectively temper the blade. More on that later



Still warm, even though not operating today



Initial grinding



So many tools in Asia are made this way... out of re-inforcing rod



Sitting in the middle of the factory is a Russian 4x4 that he'd brought over from Vietnam. He also had the equivalent US Jeep and a few other nice oldies





In no particular order, here's some factory photos (I've got heaps more, but let's not get too far off topic, eh?)



















The fit on these pieces was truly amazing



These swords are being sold all around the world, including to Japanese collectors

The differential temper can be seen on the right hand side of this blade



I'm not sure the shirt matches the jacket



Sanding and polishing on a sheet of glass



Sheath making





The amount of work involved in polishing blades is significant



The polishing stones get locked away



This one alone is worth $500




Lacquering. This bloke is in an alleyway that acts as a chimney for fumes



He's working on one of the replica late-Roman swords

... as is this guy - and the one that I showed earlier with the clay on it is another



... and the finished product



Overall, its a good show



The storeroom is great. I would have liked to go beserk with the cash... but three was enough







Anyone for a pig-sticker?





Can't remember now, but different purposes with and without hilt

What? No knife fanciers out there?

I guess by now, everyone has worked out that I wasn't enjoying being stuck in Phnom Penh. I don't find it as crushing an environment as I did in June 2010, when I saw young kids selling themselves on street corners. That's not there now... or not visible at least.

The whole process with the bike was frustrating me and that trip to the Killing Fields weighed on me too. Having Mao around was good. Justin had suggested flying in a new stator and regulator from the States - but even that was going to take longer than what we eventually did. In the meantime, I was out and about. Here's some random shots, mostly taken from the tuktuk



Mao was really pleased to see them... and there were a lot of them in that column. They were nearing the centre of PP, after walking down from Siem Reap, doing about 20 km per day.



That's just a random shot of the woman in the next tuktuk... her hands at least



You see a fair bit of this sort of thing. He's as mad as a hatter... sitting there with eyebrows and mouth dancing away, shaking his head. He's seen too much, I'd say. Should be in care, not on the street.



Need bread? There it is, right beside the major highway.

Harri and Justin aren't fans of Phnom Penh either and had gone ahead to Snooky (Sihanoukville, also known as Kampong Saom nowadays). I wanted to catch up. I decided to cut out my visit to a friend, Bob, in Kampot and head straight for Kho Khong, to try and catch the guys before they headed into the Cardamoms. So, bright and early, I loaded up.... and discovered the base for the tank bag was missing. Oops... back at the bike shop. Try riding in PP traffic with your computer, DSLR, etc balanced between your knees.

Fixed that little problem, set off again... got about a kilometer and then the gear lever fell off... so it was back to the bike shop again... stuck in 3rd gear.

Yeah, I could have unloaded the tool kit and done it... but....

In the middle of all this, I forgot to visit my favourite (ie working), ATM.

Had to laugh at the road signs on the way. I presume "getting reamed" has a similar meaning around the world?



As can be seen here, this was a bitumen belt. Not a bad road either.



I don't know what the UN are doing there... but it reminds me of an interesting book about Cambodia (and other hot spots at the time). "Emergency Sex and Other Desperate Measures". Available as an e-book and a brilliant read. I highly recommend it. At least those UN trucks were behaving themselves. I got run off the bitumen several times by fuel tankers overtaking other traffic.

So, along the way, I made about a dozen fruitless stops - at every damn ATM I saw... and eventually had to turn left into Sihanoukville, rather than right into the Cardamoms to try and get cash. I was eventually saved by Western Union... with a cash advance on a credit card. I'd like to know why I can't access the cash I've got loaded in my debit card. Bloody Mastercard.

Heading into the Cardamoms with under $500 wouldn't be too smart. Between the three of us, we had the cash for a chopper evac. I didn't have anywhere near enough on my own...

Its been more about trying to catch up with Harri and Justin. They made Kho Kong as I made Snooky (I would have met up with them, had I scored some $$$$ earlier).

This was just a few kilometres short of Sihanoukville



There was me thinking it was some sort of religious festival... but no, just the local shoe factory... which is big... end of shift, or breaking for lunch. The whole highway is shut until they clear. Coming into Snooky has a bit of a reputation for cops and pseudo cops stopping foreigners on hired scooters or bikes. They apparently always find something to get money from you (most tourists don't have an international licence, so get done for that). I arrived at lunch time and didn't see a single one.

Snooky reminded me a bit of a more relaxed Bali. Highly tourist focused. I settled into a chair at the first bar with a view... and let the ladies do their thing



She even talked me into stripping the hairs off my back. Ouch. Done with two bits of twirled string. Too much information?

... and I bought this old beggar lunch



I decided to hook up the GPS and see how I could try and get to the old burial site by myself. Last I'd heard, the rabbit hole, as some call the tough track that Harri and Justin were aiming for, heading north through the Cardamoms, wasn't passable, but it seems they'll give it a go... building bridges, etc. A group of 7 turned back a couple of days earlier, but if anyone can get through, these guys will. Harri's gone in 7 times, made it through 5.... ranging from one day to three to get through. He's good for 2 days on 2 tins of tuna.... guess he went hungry once. Justin's more food dependent. Much, much more.

Well, you'd think that'd be a nice place to stay?



I scored the room right next to the beach. That's the view from where I parked the bike, outside the room. Not cheap, at $25, but its a tourist town and I was a bit knackered.... not in the mood to go looking for another room after getting on and off the bike so many times on the way down from PP... including calling into some of the 5 star hotels in Snooky - to try their ATMs. I was tempted to grab a 5 star room... but didn't... I prefer having people around, rather than some sterile room.

Apart from a quick trip into the main part of town to find some more oil for the Cardamoms, and a couple of hour massage, I didn't really have a look around. I had a nice meal on the beach, checked out some of the head-banging music venues and headed for bed.

The night was a shocker. I had the beautiful bungalow on the beach.... 30' from bed to the water... but it was too near those party bars. Music went ALL night... till after 6am. The fence just outside my bungalow, 8' from my bed, is where the local tarts sat and chatted and organised their business.... all night. At least they went elsewhere to do it (I think)

Earplugs. Ahhh.

Yeah... they even tried to sell me some as I was packing the bike



I'll throw in an ugly shot here.



No-one's ever accused me of having cute knees.... but the point of the photo is these crappy knee guards



As a knee brace, they are brilliant... and have saved my knees from hyper-extension several times in crashes.... but the damn knee guards are the crappiest thing. Its a lottery as to whether they stay in place, or are loose, floating around in your trouser leg. Given the number of stumps and bamboo stakes I've just missed... I'm far from happy with them. Not good Matrix. They are supposed to be retained by some velcro... which falls off the plastic.

Enough whinging....

Whilst rooting around on my GPS and computer, I saw that I had an unusual track to follow out of Sihanoukville. This was a track Justin had been given to avoid all those police bribepoints. I have to say, it was "interesting"... and not quite accurate anymore. I came to blocked paths and the like, but with a bit of sign language and "discussions" with the locals, I got through.

I chickened out on this one and did the water crossing beside it.... and discovered the knobby tyre marks from Harri and Justin, who were a day ahead of me



That got me back to the main Snooky - Kho Khong road and I retraced about 80 km of it that I'd done the day before... from the T intersection. Then it was onto virgin territory. Before the turnoff, the road was good... albeit with a fair few trucks. No real standards on loading and restraining loads here... a couple of straps on this load was a bonus



Being able to hold your breath for extended periods is a must



One on-road incident tickled my (good) leg up a bit - but the brace helped. I got run off the bitumen by two trucks wanting all the road.... no problem there, but it was a big climb back up onto the bitumen... and I hit it too fast, too shallow and bounced sideways, at speed. I had to slam a boot into the road to save it. It rings a bit when you do that at speed.... for quite a while.

Crossing one of the many rivers, at a guess, about 130 km east of Kho Khong, I spotted this...



A sunken sand ship.... about 120-150 feet long. Just left there. One of these



The road quality varied a bit... no real problem on the KTM



Fueling was the usual multi-bottle affair



I passed on the smelly shrimp



But the local store was well stocked



Just as I was about to turn off the bitumen and head into the bush to try and locate the coffins and vases burial site, I had one of those delightful moments. "Battery Low".... and my Montana turned itself off. WTF? This thing is hard-wired in. I found out later that my sole remaining light on the bike... the headlight... wasn't working either. More creative Cambodian wiring work, it seems. At least the battery was charging and the fan works.

I got lucky. There was a delightful, young, French woman emerging from the corner shop at the turnoff. I asked her if it was easy to find the village near the burial site and she said "follow me". Yeah, that was fun for an hour or so.... real, serious dust.



Nice clean lens, eh? I'm glad she showed me the way, as it wasn't well signposted. She told me she was staying in the village that night and to come visit... and then she pointed the way to the ferry. A few local kids were waiting around for a paying customer and they hitched a ride across with me



Its a lovely area



This ranger spoke some English and pointed me the right way



I didn't have my camera with me for lunch... which is a pity. It was four little fish about 5" long, a boiled egg... some pork pieces... mostly bone and gristle. Lovely.... but it wouldn't have made a pretty picture.

... and on a side note, if you have used Cardamom spice, but don't know what it looks like... here it is



Next up.... into the jungle

Oops... not so fast into the jungle. I wanted to post this.

Going through one of the smaller towns, I came across this local public transport that was leaving the market area



Crowded, eh? About 40 people on board. Good to see it's regulated to 40kph max



Yep.... its a motorbike and trailer. Anyone ever seen more people being carried by a motorbike?



Just after I passed that, I was getting near the edge of town and I opened the tap a bit... doing maybe 90 as I got near the end of the 40 kph zone (shh - don't tell anyone). I blasted past a brand new, shiny Range Rover.... and just as I did, I noticed the numberplate.... "Police". Oops. About 10 seconds later, with me sitting on my usual 100 - 110 kph, he blasted past me... about 200 mm from my handlebars. Oops.

Nice work, enjoyable read and you obviously have the way with the locals. In as much, I mean that you respect and talk to them and having been there before are very much aware of what to do and where to go...Nice!

What maps are you using for the Cardamoms? when I went through the Garmin just showed blank areas with my track roaming around

Thanks Mark.

Gavo, I've got Cambodia City Navigator 3.0. Its pretty good with the tracks there. Believe me, I know what you mean about wandering around with a blank screen though.... Sumatra was a doozy for that.

I use Auke / Phil's North Thailand Offroad GPS map when in range (northern Thailand)... a brilliant map, available from Riders Corner in Chiang Mai.

In Laos, I used Don's Laos GPS map. I think I've lost the damn SIM card for it though... so I'll either use Auke's, or grab another when I go back into there. One issue I had with Don's map was that I couldn't easily look up points of interest ahead of time (which might just be me) and some stuff was years (and years) out of date. Typical fun with maps.

I don't think I showed this track earlier... its the Cambodia / Thai border, up near Anlong Veng - it wasn't too accurate and we did some seat of the pants stuff. There's 14 border crossings on this image.... and not a single passport stamp to show for it (2 x one way and 6 x 2 way)

I'm here,enjoying the trip,knives and all,thanks for the really good trip report

Thanks.

So, I ended the day knackered. Stuffed. Dehydrated. Sore.

After that lunch... with the little fish (and all their nasty bones), I visited the coffins and vases site that dates back to the 15th Century.

It turned out to be a bit of a technical ride, well over 20km each way, mostly first gear, lots of creek crossings, lots of head banging on bamboo and trees, followed by a climb up... and back down the hills on foot.

I didn't crash... despite some close calls, but my guide did. He dropped it on a steep, rocky climb. Leeches got him too.

I gave some fuel to a guy who'd run out in the jungle. He had a ball chasing us back to town... with his two sisters (maybe wife and daughter), mother and dog all on the scooter with him.... he was really giving it to it. I wish I'd unloaded my gear first... but was worried about flat tyres... so went fully loaded. Ughh

I ended the day staying in a quaint open bamboo bungalow and having dinner with my French friends

I met the other guys - Justin and Harri - again in the village, totally by chance.

They are knackered too. They did the Smuggler's Trail... and did it tough. Its clear that it is still too wet to go through the mountains and then cross into Thailand, so I decided to bolt for Kho Khong and will try my luck at the border.

First up though, the coffins and vases. These are teak coffins, 15th to 17th century. Apparently the locals believe they are Khmer royalty, but there's a lot to learn about them yet. Its a long way into the jungle - over 20km - and its 15 metres plus straight down over that ledge.



This is my guide crashing on the way in. Its a lot steeper than it looks and he needed help to lift the bike up. He lost a little bit of red juice here.... something to do with not having ATGATT



No problems on the Katoom - even with all my luggage on

Some of the jars.... about 5 metres up to this ledge... with me on a very rickety ladder... one nail in each end of the rungs.... "be careful" said Old Mate. Yeah, right.... I'm guessing I take the top weight prize for climbing those ladders



More... on a higher ledge... with a damn rung missing from the ladder. Great fun in cordura trousers, knee braces and big boofy boots.



These ladders really didn't inspire confidence. A fall here would be a real issue



No bones left in the broken ones



Presumably, leaving the coffins and vases up on the ledges is to prevent them being disturbed. The teak coffins have survived well, as there are definitely termites in the area.... such as in the bamboo on the way in



I can't say that this is a good image... drooped shoulders, slack jaw and totally, 100% soaked in sweat... and out of water



We had options for water btw.... plenty of creeks, but we were headed back to the village, so I waited.

Here's a run through of the track leading in. This is my guide (I paid him the recommended $10 and gave his wife, who runs a small shop a few bucks as a tip). The guide is mid creek crossing. I presume the dog behind him belongs to the locals on the other scoot...



There's a fair bit of sand, early on



Rocks and water



Then it gets interesting. Single track, fallen trees, etc





Lots of hanging vines to whack you on the head







I had some fun and games in this creek



The locals had piled in lots of small rocks to get their scooters through... but it didn't match my wheelbase very well and I got stuck... spitting rocks out everywhere. Didn't drop it, but it took a bit of muscling to get through

A couple more of the vases and coffins site....







I was happy to have the guide along....



Here's the guy I rescued on the way back.



Yep - four of them, plus dog, plus luggage on the one scoot, and he kept up with me - I'm blaming it on being exhausted



... and last, but not least, my little bungalow. Open at the eaves for ventilation... which meant I needed the mosquito net.