LONG WAY DROWNED 3 (with apologies to Charlie and Co)

[DesertSweeper]

Our last day of riding so the lads are a little down. You can sense the mood. On the other hand it could be that empty bottle of Happy Water from last night:



So we kit up (in Camo for some, shorts for others) and head out to fuel up.


Note Blian doing his usual pre-riding stretching exercises in the background

At the filling-station I bump into a Cambodian Armed Forces gent who comes up to my waist. Now I Know how they fit into those tiny bunkers we saw several days ago…




And then we are off – fast gravel sections that speak of a smooth fast return to our point of origin. But this is Cambodia – land of surprises. After an hour or so of riding we stop in a little village for a break.



Note the last-day-mood hanging heavy in the dusty air


Our "Fixer" Mr Slim (yes the real one) immediately assumes his standard resting position on any available observation platform he can find.


Joe is concerned – this weird thing that looks like a back-pack has started growing out of his cheek. He rests it on my bike whenever we stop.

And then after the usual conflicting consultations as to which direction we should be heading in we are off again. Almost immediately the road deteriorates into hell. I guess someone important lived in that little village and only went up the other road.

We blaze a new trail through endless villages straight out of an old movie, over murderous "roads" that pump your arms endlessly into useless numb jelly.

[DesertSweeper]

After another hour or so we stop next to a river under a large shady umbrella tree to give our tired arms a break and sip some beer. A local is stewing chillies and so we ask for some of the juice to see who we can persuade to destroy their taste buds. James decides to go for it:

[DesertSweeper]

Joe needn't have worried about his cheek-backpack thing, this women is growing helmets out of her shoulders:




The vehicles are all like something out of Toys R Us


Water Bowser

We asked this kid how old he was and the reply came back that he was "legal":



A dapper Mr Paul

[DesertSweeper]

And then we are off again over the insanely bad dry rutted roads. An hour of torture and we stop in a small village to see if we can find cold beer. It’s impossible to go for anything longer than an hour as your arms are being pulverised,



Another "fixer" like our Mr Slim

Dinner

Did the chicken come before the egg or the egg before the chicken? Brian asks: "Did beer come before happiness or happiness before beer?".


They clearly don't know the answer to that question


Hang on love there's a giant taking my picture


The three Cambodineers


James West has finally returned to the Honda fold after years in orange isolation


Ok you win

[DesertSweeper]

A welcome lunch-stop next to a lake and the road begins to ease up into smoother sections interspersed with the odd death-trap to catch you out. We dismount our tired bodies from our hardy steeds - it's amazing how much we have punished them and they just come back for more.


Note how Blian does his stretching exercises even AFTER he rides

A lunch of delicately grilled snake was on the go and so we sat alongside the lake on a wooden platform and ate and drank heartily


Glilled Snake


The lads tuck into snake, fish and tiny little crunchy shrimps. Delightful.

Along the edge of the lake life is rich with action:

Kids play in the water to cool down


The locl beauty-queen plays in the water to cool down


Even inner-tubes play in the water to cool down


This dude ain't playing anywhere near the water

And so after we have had our fill it's back over the dusty road to our waiting toys to head on out for the final stretch home which will turn into black-top for the last hour





And as we ride away and the dust settles the villagers survey the wreckages of their cooler-boxes


My goodness Mr Blian drank all our beer

[DesertSweeper]

Unbeknownst to Joe the lads have hatched a plot to douse him with water on account of his having miraculously escaped every attempt to roost him. So shortly after a re-fuel we are away and I just happen to randomly catch this pic over my shoulder…amazing co-incidence!



Joe's christening

It’s the final stretch so I snap a few typical roadie pics from the relative safety of my bike



Check the pooch tucked in there

And then Joe goes and has a mechanical issue. He recons his chain suddenly went “ghechunk” and there was lots of screeching and bad sounds from the engine. His chain has broken and wrapped itself around everything. Finally the moment our “fixer” Mr Slim has been waiting for – A MECHANICAL ISSUE!!!! He swings into action and begins fixing



Joe displays his offending member

We all pretend to help by holding tools and throwing in our two cents worth.




And then I notice this wall of rain advancing on us. Until now we have escaped rain completely which has been considered very lucky. So in our final 50 clicks, on black-top, we have our first breakdown and get pissed on. Result!



My 180$ Gore-Tex North Face jacket is just as good at getting as much water inside and not letting it out again, as the lads’ 18$ knock-off's bought in a small local town.

[DesertSweeper]

With the chain repaired we are off again and soon the rain gives way to cool dry and we catch up with the lads to tell stories of our bravery and all. We ask Blian how far it is to Siem Reep and he estimates it’s another 40 or so clicks. Just over his shoulder Mr West spots this mile-marker:



With a chuckle we head off to Siem Reep and the end of the trip - the lads on the home-run:


James and Cameron


Brian aka "Mr Blian the velly handsome man"


Joe captured in a rare up-right moment

Sheila of Hidden Cambodia Adventure Tours meets us back at their HQ with a superb meal and the lads tuck in with tales of camaraderie and adventure. What a trip – 5 star rating!

Will post some of the video’s in the coming days but that’s about it, thanks for following and hope you all look forward to the next adventure….

[christiewarren]

Dudes, man looks like u had a smashin time. You’ll see me along side you on The Long Way Drowned 4 for sure!!!

Nice work

[team ftb]

Awesome adventure guys!!! I have been contemplating getting back over to Cambodia for some fun off road stuff. Last year i spent a few weeks riding offroad in Cambodia and you bought back some great memories, the wooden bridges etc. However after the horriffic rainy season we have had (almost 500 people have died in Thailand due to the flooding and Cambodia has the same concerns obviously) I have decided to wait a bit for it to dry out. Good to see you boys say "fuck it", head over there and get stuck in, so that the rest of us can sit back on the couch and laugh at you bastards.

Drop me a PM if yer looking for some more offroad action in Laos/Thailand, I'll be happy to help out.

[Bea & Helle]

Hey guys!

We met you on your last day at the Hidden Cambodia "headquarter".

It was a really nice evening and you pic´s are looking like real fun!

Unfortunately our travelbikes with all the luggage on are to heavy too do this kind of Offroad-trip, but we also enjoyed travelling round Cambodia!

Laos and Northern Thailand are also really worth a visit!

Now we are back in Bangkok, planning the routes for the next countries on our motorcycle world tour. Our next goals are Malaysia, Indonesia and Timor Leste from where we´ll ship to Darwin/Australia, to make a loop trough Down Under!

We wish you all a good time and maybe we see you again, somewhere "on the Road"!

Many greetings
Bea & Helle

www.timetoride.de

[Bea & Helle]

Ah, we forgotten, here is a pic from your arrival in Siem Reap!
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