Friday 6 July
Our hotel offers free bike hire, and we've booked bikes to cycle to some of the Angkor monuments we haven't yet seen. We were going to leave early, about 8 am, but as usual we get talking to fellow travellers, including a couple we'd met before in Hue in Vietnam. By the time we're ready to go out it's 10.30 am.
We're a bit dismayed when we catch sight of the bikes; they are very old, and the brakes don't work properly. Reg manages to higher the saddle on his bike and we're off. On our way out of Siem Reap we call in at a bike shop and pay US$2 for a few squirts of WD40 lubricant, to enable Reg to tighten up the brakes on both bikes. Even after doing this, his brakes are still a bit dodgy.
It's extremely difficult to cross the wide main road of Siem Reap, which is choc-a-bloc with bicycles, motorbikes, tuk tuks, cars and the odd lorry. In Cambodia, legally you drive on the right hand side of the road. Because it's so difficult for a cyclist or a motorbike to get across the road, if they want travel the opposite way, they simply drive on the left. This means that Reg and I, cycling legally on the right, continuously have bicycles and motorbikes, and often a tuk tuk, coming towards us. The drivers are breaking the law, but no-one looks guilty as they almost mow us down, veering away from us at the last moment; everyone does it. I've never once seen any motorcyclist or cyclist give a hand signal, in the whole of South East Asia. There's no give way signs, and no one stops at a side road. They just filter in to the main road traffic, doing their best to avoid each other.
It's good to get onto the quieter tree lined boulevards that will take us to the Angkor monuments. Reg and I are really enjoying being on the bikes. It's another cloudy day, with temperatures in the 30's, yet with the odd splattering of rain here and there, to cool us down. Perfect weather for cycling.
We enjoy looking at some of the stunning monuments; it's good to be able to take our time, without having to think about a tuk tuk driver waiting for us. There's lots of shade and greenery around, and more moats and lakes - and not too many other tourists about at the first monuments we visit.
We stop for lunch in a local village, and as usual the "restaurants" (shacks), which are also shops selling souvenir items, are all in a line. We are subjected to a cacophony of shrill cries:
"Sir! You want food? You come to my restaurant ....."
Each cafe owner wants us choose her restaurant. Almost immediately one restaurant proprietor shoves a menu into Reg's hand and we go with that one. While we wait for our lunch to be cooked (which is delicious Khmer (or local Cambodian) food), we are bombarded with good-natured salespeople from the line of shops/restaurants, thrusting their goods at us. Waiting for our lunch, we're a sitting target. We say, time and time again,
"No, thank you! No, thank you!" Eventually they go away, only to come back later with other goods.
After lunch we're starting to feel tired, but we really want to see the Ta Prohm monument, which is famous for having huge tree roots of still flourishing trees weaving in and out of its ancient structures. Ir's a spectacular site. While admiring one of the tree routes, we get talking to a Polish couple, who are also cycling today.
There's so many more ancient sites to see, but we're "all templed out" and decide to make our way back to our hotel. We are discussing how much we've enjoyed our day, and especially our cycling, when there's a huge exploding "pop"; Reg has a flat tyre.
We're still about 10 - 15 kilometres away from our hotel; what to do? A tuk tuk driver stops and offers to take Reg and his bike to a bike repair place, which he says is only about 300 metres down the road; I will follow behind in my own time, on my bike. It's funny to see the tuk tuk chugging away, with Reg's bike sticking out each side.
When I arrive at the village, Reg has given the tuk tuk driver a couple of dollars for his help, and Reg's bike is upside down on the dusty floor. An older man is in the process of undoing nuts in order to remove the tyre and inner tube. This proves difficult due to the age of the bike and the onset of rust, but the helpful bike mechanic is undaunted. He has an impressive array of bike tools at his feet and gets on with the job.
"Very old bike," he says profoundly, as he struggles to undo a nut.
In about 20 minutes he's fitted a brand new inner tube and tyre, for which he charges US$ 10, which we think is very reasonable, the man's time included. We make it back to the hotel without further incident. We've enjoyed our day, but decide we need a day of doing nothing tomorrow. It's 6.30 pm; Reg and I both fall asleep and don't wake up until 10 pm. We have a cuppa and go back to bed.
On the hotel's evaluation form, I will suggest they buy 4 new bikes, and charge 5 dollars each for rental; they will soon recoup their outlay and guests will have a safer, less problematic ride.
Our hotel offers free bike hire, and we've booked bikes to cycle to some of the Angkor monuments we haven't yet seen. We were going to leave early, about 8 am, but as usual we get talking to fellow travellers, including a couple we'd met before in Hue in Vietnam. By the time we're ready to go out it's 10.30 am.
We're a bit dismayed when we catch sight of the bikes; they are very old, and the brakes don't work properly. Reg manages to higher the saddle on his bike and we're off. On our way out of Siem Reap we call in at a bike shop and pay US$2 for a few squirts of WD40 lubricant, to enable Reg to tighten up the brakes on both bikes. Even after doing this, his brakes are still a bit dodgy.
It's extremely difficult to cross the wide main road of Siem Reap, which is choc-a-bloc with bicycles, motorbikes, tuk tuks, cars and the odd lorry. In Cambodia, legally you drive on the right hand side of the road. Because it's so difficult for a cyclist or a motorbike to get across the road, if they want travel the opposite way, they simply drive on the left. This means that Reg and I, cycling legally on the right, continuously have bicycles and motorbikes, and often a tuk tuk, coming towards us. The drivers are breaking the law, but no-one looks guilty as they almost mow us down, veering away from us at the last moment; everyone does it. I've never once seen any motorcyclist or cyclist give a hand signal, in the whole of South East Asia. There's no give way signs, and no one stops at a side road. They just filter in to the main road traffic, doing their best to avoid each other.
It's good to get onto the quieter tree lined boulevards that will take us to the Angkor monuments. Reg and I are really enjoying being on the bikes. It's another cloudy day, with temperatures in the 30's, yet with the odd splattering of rain here and there, to cool us down. Perfect weather for cycling.
We enjoy looking at some of the stunning monuments; it's good to be able to take our time, without having to think about a tuk tuk driver waiting for us. There's lots of shade and greenery around, and more moats and lakes - and not too many other tourists about at the first monuments we visit.
We stop for lunch in a local village, and as usual the "restaurants" (shacks), which are also shops selling souvenir items, are all in a line. We are subjected to a cacophony of shrill cries:
"Sir! You want food? You come to my restaurant ....."
Each cafe owner wants us choose her restaurant. Almost immediately one restaurant proprietor shoves a menu into Reg's hand and we go with that one. While we wait for our lunch to be cooked (which is delicious Khmer (or local Cambodian) food), we are bombarded with good-natured salespeople from the line of shops/restaurants, thrusting their goods at us. Waiting for our lunch, we're a sitting target. We say, time and time again,
"No, thank you! No, thank you!" Eventually they go away, only to come back later with other goods.
After lunch we're starting to feel tired, but we really want to see the Ta Prohm monument, which is famous for having huge tree roots of still flourishing trees weaving in and out of its ancient structures. Ir's a spectacular site. While admiring one of the tree routes, we get talking to a Polish couple, who are also cycling today.
There's so many more ancient sites to see, but we're "all templed out" and decide to make our way back to our hotel. We are discussing how much we've enjoyed our day, and especially our cycling, when there's a huge exploding "pop"; Reg has a flat tyre.
We're still about 10 - 15 kilometres away from our hotel; what to do? A tuk tuk driver stops and offers to take Reg and his bike to a bike repair place, which he says is only about 300 metres down the road; I will follow behind in my own time, on my bike. It's funny to see the tuk tuk chugging away, with Reg's bike sticking out each side.
When I arrive at the village, Reg has given the tuk tuk driver a couple of dollars for his help, and Reg's bike is upside down on the dusty floor. An older man is in the process of undoing nuts in order to remove the tyre and inner tube. This proves difficult due to the age of the bike and the onset of rust, but the helpful bike mechanic is undaunted. He has an impressive array of bike tools at his feet and gets on with the job.
"Very old bike," he says profoundly, as he struggles to undo a nut.
In about 20 minutes he's fitted a brand new inner tube and tyre, for which he charges US$ 10, which we think is very reasonable, the man's time included. We make it back to the hotel without further incident. We've enjoyed our day, but decide we need a day of doing nothing tomorrow. It's 6.30 pm; Reg and I both fall asleep and don't wake up until 10 pm. We have a cuppa and go back to bed.
On the hotel's evaluation form, I will suggest they buy 4 new bikes, and charge 5 dollars each for rental; they will soon recoup their outlay and guests will have a safer, less problematic ride.
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