Day 17: Sat 24 Nov - Sihanouk Ville to Kampot 55km

Ride: 55km; total: 784km

Day 15: Sihanoukville - Kampot (105 km) Breakfast at the hotel. Today, we cycle 105km on one of the most challenging part in Cambodia. We begin with the 15km through 3 hills from Siahnouk Ville. It is a breath taking but more down hill than up hill. So we can enjoy the ride before the first snack stop. Turn right at Veal Rinh after 43km toward Kampot and the rest of the day is flat. We cycle passing the fishing village and the Muslim Mosque, the scenery changes from the beach area to the mountain range where we cycle along the Bokor Mountain National Park until Kampot. Kampot is a more quiet town and famous for its pepper and durian production. Dinner and overnight in Kampot. (B,L,D) 

The sore throat continued overnight which interfered with my sleep a little.    

We were supposed to cycle from the motel, but the guide decided to bus us out of the busy city, cutting 20km from the day.   50 minutes on the bus and then we got on the bikes for the 55km to Kampot.  My front tyre was flat when I took it off the truck and I said it was a punctured.  But the guides were being a little bit lazy so they just pumped it up.  500m down the road the tyre went flat again so this time the staff changed the tube.  Everyone had gone except one guide, Lucky, so I rode the 20km to morning tea with him.   He was a great bloke, very fit Cambodian champion cyclist.  He spoke English but he was hard to understand sometimes, especially when you were cycling with the wind and traffic in your ears.  Just before our morning tea stop Kerry Kent had a fall when she hit a pothole.  She lost some skin but she got back on the bike and continued OK.  She is a tough cookie.   

The last 10km into Kampot was into a headwind and fairly hot so I was glad when it ended.   Lunch was at a rustic, but beaut restaurant just over the main bridge into Kampot.  It had a very nice homemade wooden stairway and rails to the top floor (below).  Food was plentiful and tasty.  

We booked into the motel about 2pm and some of the group went for a local ride.  As it was raining off and on Kev and I stayed in the room catching up on emails, notes and reading.  We were not feeling that crash hot with the head cold so didn’t need to go riding in the rain.  Being sensible; for a change! 

However I did go for a walk and found that Kampot was a fairly basic rural city catering for the locals in the main.  It’s famous for growing a lots of durian, (the very smelly fruit you are not allowed to take on buses, trains or aircraft), and there are many lovely old buildings from the French era.  Durian tastes great but smells like old boots, dirty socks or worse.   

Dinner was at 7pm at a corner restaurant where we sat outside.  The food was different with lots of local seafood and flavours; very nice.  Had a wander around and saw some very impressive but rundown French architecture which would renovate into something very special.  There was a move to have the city nominated for a World Heritage listing because of the old French buildings, but I don’t know where that is currently.  It could certainly be transformed into something very beautiful with lots of money. 

To bed early, 9:20pm. 

Pet monkey chained to a tree 

Beautiful handmade staircase at our lunch stop at Kampot 

The French-built bus station is now a local market