In the category of what the heck were we thinking today comes our 75K bike ride to the Beng Melea temple – a seldom visited temple way outside of Siem Reap that is in ruins, with trees growing through it. The bike ride through the countryside sounds lovely. Lunch at the temple and then exploring sounds just perfect. What doesn’t sound so good is the mid -90 degree temperatures and high humidity. But – hey – we knew it would be hot…so….off we go.
Well, sort of. There was a little mix up with the pick up so instead of being there for us at 6:30am, we had to call and they showed up a little closer to 7am. Minor glitches. Its only the 2 of us once again, so this will be a great private tour. Got saddled up and headed out by 7:15. It’s actually really quite pleasant in the morning, coolish with a little breeze. We point the bikes North and ride through a totally local area with huts on the river, shops selling everything from food to what amounts to basically illegal petrol in whiskey or litre coke bottles. Part of town we’ve never seen – that’s for sure.
We wind around and finally hit Highway 6 – the main new road in and out of town. We’re only on it for a bit before we head out onto another new road built for the exposition a few years back, then its onto the country roads and lanes in the middle of absolutely nowhere (well, in the middle of nowhere near Siem Reap!!!).
The follow car driver is new, so he doesn’t know where to meet us. Som, our guide, goes back to fetch him while Ed and I wait at the cross roads of a little village and the highway. No power here, just shacks. Maybe a generator or two, and lots of battery power – instead of electricity they hook up whatever they have to car batteries. We see a couple of battery charging places along our route. Oh, and also the businesses selling petrol (that’s pretty ubiquitous here), snacks and other things to passers by.
But once we have the van with us, we head out on the dusty lanes and little roads that crisscross the countryside where it’s a tad more peaceful – Oh sure, there are scooters (even some I started calling tuk tuk buses – with a large flat bed trailing attached to the scooter and tons of people on it – with and without merchandise), but mostly it is just us pedaling through the country. The first part of the trip takes us through the rice fields, all harvested now. We pass fields, cows, water buffalo (and their babies, we saw a lot of babies on this ride – water buffalo calves and baby chicks and ducks), and a few houses scattered here and there.
FYI – photos are limited today because either A) the scooters are going too fast to catch on camera, or B) I’m riding and while I’m good on a bike, I’m not so coordinated to navigate bumpy dusty dirt lanes, the bike and the camera. So – use your imagination please!
We stop for a quick break at a cross roads where locals going to the mountains for the day will stop for breakfast. We sit and have water (and I actually had hot tea – don’t ask – I was thinking of the Mekong and so I thought I’d try to recreate it – didn’t work but it was still surprisingly refreshing!) while Som and the driver had breakfast (because they missed it).
Next we cycled out onto a dirt road that has just been graded and new dirt was waiting to be spread. Unfortunately, one of the large work trucks had slid off the road (probably 6 or 7 feet down into a ditch) and there was no getting around it. So, we had to pack the bikes into the van and go around to the other side of the road where we would have come out. No biggie. Nice break, actually!
We cycle through little villages where there are houses of every range – nicely built brown wood stained – to nothing more than basic shacks. Thatched shacks – sort of like the thatched roofs but on the walls too. Or just huts of what looks like palm fronds woven together? No electricity. Abject poverty – so sad. And the amazing thing? Everywhere we go – every house we pass with children (and we are talking dozens and dozens of houses), they all get so excited and shout “hello” or “bye bye” or both. Running up to the road to wave at us with beautiful smiles or just staying underneath the house to keep cool, but still shouting out “hello”. Heart warming – and heart breaking at the same time.
More dirt roads, then paved roads, shacks, houses and kids. For hours – oh and naked babies. Everywhere – most of the babies are naked and running around – waving at us from the side of the road. We pass many little villages – all so poor – and then smack in the middle of all of this is a little store that is selling “party” dresses? Totally at odds with the surroundings.
We pass celebrations under big tents with LOUD music. Two Alms giving celebrations where the villagers all come together to celebrate the harvest and give alms in thanks. One wedding celebration where everyone was dancing in a large circle under a tent festooned with ribbons and sashes. Som told us that this was the final day of the wedding celebration.
On the next dirt lane, we pass farmers who are fishing in the mud hole! Som had told us that after the harvest, the farmers dig a big pond “hole” for fish. The fish naturally gravitate to this pond and grow and breed we suppose. Then, they go fishing. Of course when he tells us this, I assume they are out there with their fishing poles. Oh no, nothing so ordinary! They drain most of the pond and then jump into the mud to grab the fish. Absolutely amazing! And they were catching BIG fish. The one girl in the mud caught a huge catfish! They eat most of the fish they gather, and sell the rest.
We continue on our dusty lane through the rice fields to our a little rest stop at someone’s home – where we gratefully sit down in the shade and refresh ourselves with cold water and the fresh fruit from the market place – mangoes, longen berries and oranges. Yum! We also see our first cashew tree. Have never seen on before – they are amazing!
But all throughout the ride, you have to keep pinching yourself and telling yourself that this is really real – it’s so easy to not see the reality of life here – to think it’s just another Disney setting. Could people really live here like this? The answer is, of course, yes. And with every shack you pass, every open fire, every naked baby, every smiling child, the full impact of this country’s tortured past really comes home. Compare this to Thailand, just a few hundred miles away. Yes, there’s certainly poverty – and out in the fields there isn’t so much growth or development, but their overall situation is nowhere near this level of destitute. The same to some degree in Vietnam. Why is Cambodia so left behind? And then you have to ask yourself, how can virtually everyone you meet here be so sweet and happy and while not exactly optimistic, not completely devastated either. They go home to thatched huts with no power, for heaven’s sakes. Makes you think…and wonder…especially on a 75KM bike ride. Sorry, but stopping in the one room shack for our fruit snacks, being welcomed with smiles by the family who obviously lives there with 3 little kids just makes my brain hurt.
Enough of my proselytizing. Back to the bikes. It’s hot now. We’re dusty, dirty, sweaty and getting really uncomfortable. When we stopped for fruit, I passed out the “refreshing” towels we have been collecting from the airlines – all three of us wiped our faces and the towels came back totally brownish red from the dirt on the lanes. Ugh! Fortunately we’re close – only 12 KM more to Beng Melea.
We strike out again, but in the final analysis? We’re done. It’s so hot, there is NO shade on this last stretch of paved road and the heat is just undulating off the asphalt. Finally with 7KM left to go – we call Uncle. What’s the sense? It’s a paved road with little scenery and no shade? We’ve seen and experienced so much already today – 7KM in the air conditioned van is way more inviting than saying we made it all the way. So Uncle it is (and we taught Som a new saying - “Uncle” – so at least there’s that!). And, biking 68k ain’t so bad!
Bikes packed up, into the A/C we go. Oh heaven! Som even said he was hot and done, but of course couldn’t say anything to us because we’re the customer. He was just as happy and relieved as we were though! It takes another 15 minutes in the van to get to the temple – so we made the right move!
We have lunch at the little restaurant outside the temple – Ed had Beef Lok Lak – which is extraordinary. This great, rich red sauce over beef – we are looking that recipe up for certain! I had Pork with Khmer sauce, but they seemed to have lost my order, Ed had his meal and was finished and I still didn’t have mine. Som came back for his lunch and talked to the kitchen. Mine came out quickly after that – don’t think it was what I ordered – but it was really good. Pork with garlic – whatever – flavorful taste, sautéed in a tangy sauce and nicely accented with garlic. Totally full!
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