9. Kirirom National Park - Phnom Penh

125 km

This is just a final stretch of infamous Highway 4 leading into the capital, passing numerous garment and shoe factories in the industrial belt of the big city. I am glad its over with. You have to look out for pedestrians crossing the highway, the young girls working in the factories during shift change, the school kids after school closes, and the trillion scooters, plus the usual, honking busses, overloaded trucks, and cars. The traffic scenes are amazing.

Again, safely arrived in Phnom Penh, and first things first: I went to see my friend Bernard at his motorcycle shop to pick up my temporary Cambodian motorcycle license, which indeed he had ready for me. The real plastic card arrives in one month from now.

What else is new?

Oh, today was a firefight between Thai and Cambodian forces at the border, how nice! Only one Thai soldier got shot in the leg. It seems that the Thai Army provoked the incident by crossing into Cambodian terrain near the disputed lands at Preah Vihear.
http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/cambodian-thai-troops-clash-border/

8. Sihanoukville - Kirirom National Park

165 km

Before I left Sihanoukville this morning, and after an excellent breakfast at "The Villa", a joint run by an interesting Austrian expat and with even more interesting clientele, I had to call the Royal Cambodian Police, since a small dog urinated on the front tire of the motorcycle. After a thorough and expedited investigation the perpetrator was caught and brought to justice. The lead investigator of the Sihanoukville Police wanted to have his picture taken with the motorcycle.

Of course this was a joke, no such thing happened, but the police came by this morning, I don't know why, and the picture was taken.

The ride across Highway 4 from Sihanoukville to Phnom Penh, the capital, is one of the most dangerous in this rough, dangerous country. On two wheels you don't seem to exist much, busses, cars, and especially big, black SUV such as Lexus, Range Rover and Landcruisers I found out, will pass cars or trucks in front of them on the opposite lane, whether you are coming, or not. It is either expected that you brake fully, or leave the road. Sometimes it is less nerve wrecking to just pick an adequately quick car or minibus in front of you and ride in his shadow. This typically doesn't last long, since especially the mini busses stop in every other town to unload or pick up passengers. Dangerous is also the fact that most big trucks have the steering wheel on the right hand side (they are imported from Thailand), however this country has right hand traffic. Unless they are out and completely in the opposite lane they won't see much with this wheel arrangement.

Leaving Nr. 4 for a rural road leading up into the mountains was a big relief. On roads such as those you learn one of the most important lessons life has to offer: 

"DO NOT ASSUME ANYTHING!"

In case of these roads it simply means, that a road with OK pavement cannot be assumed to go on like that forever, there might be sudden changes to big holes, ditches, to gravel or sand, or a funky, wooden bridge, leading over a 25 meter deep ravine. I stopped and checked first before I crossed. It is also good to see what the locals are doing (however on a much lighter vehicle.) But wait! Here comes a truck! If he can do it, I might cross as well!

I arrived safely at the lodge, where I was the only guest.  Relaxing on a sleeping platform, looking at the lake and the kids washing their two horses, a beer, very good!

7. Merry Christmas to all my readers, wherever you are.

Happiness, health, and good luck!

The images below may be misleading: Christmas decorations, Christmas music and festivities are not displayed or can be heard on every street corner in this country, in fact very rarely. Cambodia is still in  essence a Buddhist country, although religion is far weaker than in Thailand, for example. Under Khmer Rouge regime it is said that more than 50,000 monks were killed. Today only a few of the destroyed temples are being rebuilt and public attendance is low.

6. Goodbye Sihanoukville

With a few images I like so say 'Goodbye' to Sihanoukville. 

Tomorrow morning I will leave for Kirirom National Park, around halfway between here and Phnom Penh. The overnight stop at the only lodge at the park isn't really necessary since the direct ride to the capital of Cambodia would only be around 4.5 hours, but I was at the park before, and liked it's remoteness. Also, I still remember the big, man-sized chimpanzee who sat next to me at the breakfast table (really), eating the marmalade out of the packages I left on the table.  Let's see whether he is still around. 

It should be fun.

My last visit was during the rainy season, and it rained alright. This time the weather is much more pleasant, but it could be chilly riding up the mountains.

I will spend Christmas eve in a very remote mountain location, no seven-course Christmas dinner for me. My choice, entirely.

The gas station.

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5. Mansions and Monkeys

It must have been a fabulous time when French business men, engineers, contractors, the French military, and the bureaucrats established the city of Sihanoukville as the main, and only seaport in Cambodia. Up to 1955 overseas trade in Cambodia, and equally in Vietnam and Laos, was conducted solely through the Mekhong river, since all three countries were under French rule (French Indochina). This situation changed dramatically after Vietnam gained independence from France in 1954, making it a necessity to built a new deep sea harbor. The town selected was Sihanoukville.

New French-designed Sihanoukville port under construction (1958)

The French roaring sixties in Sihanoukville, Champagne inclusive, imported from home.

Sihanoukville 1960.

On my rides through the outskirts of town I notice the formerly elegant walls and iron gates surrounding empty sites. I like to call Sihanoukville the city of an unfinished, or destroyed (?) French real estate dream. 

The formerly upper-middle class neighborhoods of the French can be found mostly along the beautiful bays and beaches, Independence Beach, and Victory Beach. None of the mansions which were surrounded by these walls still stand. It is also possible that they were never built in the first place, and the city is a vast landscape of unfulfilled real estate speculation. It all ended with the barbaric rule of the Khmer Rouge, and subsequently with the bombing raids of the U.S. military at the end of the Vietnam war. I don't know the answer, maybe the history of real estate under French colonial rule here still needs to be written. It would be a fascinating topic; I am positive about that. 

The most splendid hotel at the time, also built by the French, the modernistic Independence Hotel, actually still exists, or a reincarnation in a renovated state. The Khmer Rouge used it for target practice for their rocket launchers and machine guns, but it is back and occupies the same magnificent beach like in the French roaring sixties.

The majestic walls are designed and executed in exactly the same French style which I remember from my childhood. Today they don't have to guard much more than grazing cattle, sleepy, non-aggressive dogs, and lots of landscape. The French designers at the time loved to experiment with precast concrete forms, and many such elements can still be seen here in the remoteness of Sihanoukville's formerly affluent suburbs. The typical French iron gates are still in place too, at least where they were not stolen for scarp metal.

Of course Sihanoukville with it's pristine beaches has enormous potential as a future travel destination. I hesitate to imagine how it will look in, say, 30 years from now. 

And I won't be around to re-visit, at least not on a motorcycle.

Occupying the empty sites of French real-estate aspirations and dreams are families of nicely behaved monkeys. They sit on the fences, or jump from tree to tree. Of course there is a street vendor nearby who sells hands of bananas, some 20 fingers in one hand, for one dollar. Of course I had to stop and buy one from the vendor lady; the monkeys seem to be not overly hungry but some couldn't resist the offer.

I like the light-blue eyeshadow.