Cambodia Adventure Tours - Cambodia Travel Guide
Cambodia Adventure Tours
The challenge for real adventurous dirt bike trails is increasing in popularity with people on Cambodia tours.A special one made into the south to the Bokor national park is below, rentals are available but it is strongly recommended to be on a group to do this.
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| Cambodia Adventure Tour |
For mainly two reasons, first it is very difficult for a foreigner to find right directions and second if an accident happen (very often) it can be a matter of life or death. Motorcycle tours are for sure a ideal possibility for adventure travel.
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| Cambodia Motorcycle Tours |
The shop above is in Phnom Penh 136 Road Sisowath-Quay, there are also some at Koh Kong and Siem Reap.
It's hot, I'm tired, filthy and my limbs are aching.
I sit in the dirt, head lolling, trying to grab a bit of shade. I take my helmet off and toss it into a bush. I've had enough. "Not too far now," says my cheery guide and tour leader, the wonderfully moniker Zeman McCreadie. "I know you feel like giving up, but when we get there you'll realize it's been worth all the effort." We've been in the saddle for nearly 3 hours on the way to to the ancient Khmer ruins at Tonle Bati.
I had first sat on a dirt bike six days earlier. In fact, if you don't count a couple of years riding a vintage Vespa around London, it was my first time on a motorbike of any kind. And there are certainly easier places to learn to ride a 250cc Honda XR Baja trail bike than the reckless streets of Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh.
By the time we set off the next morning for the abandoned 1920s French hill resort of Bokor, 130 miles south of the Cambodian capital, I am reasonably confident, though. Learning a new and potentially dangerous activity is made easier when you have a teacher who has patience and experience. McCreadie has both in abundance. Originally from St David's in West Wales, he ended up in Cambodia in 1994 after backpacking around Asia, and began dirt-biking the remoter stretches of the country. "You'd hear heavy machine-gun fire every night in Phnom Penh, and there was hardly a tarmacked road in the country," he says. "It was perfect for nutty dirt bikers." McCreadie, 32, set up a series of dirt-bike Rally Raids that took upwards of 40 riders for wild sojourns deep into the uncharted regions of a country devastated by years of civil war. "The locals treated us like we'd just stepped off a spaceship," he says. But this gang of unruly bikers also had a conscience, becoming involved with organizations such as Unicef and distributing health advice, medicines and condoms." Each rally had a theme.
We wanted to make a positive contribution to the places we passed through," says McCreadie, who has set up an adventure-travel company, Cambodia Expeditions, to extend this experience to paying customers.
Back on the road, the first of our tours to Cambodia leads to Bokor National Park. Apart from the potholes, stray cows, packs of meandering cyclists and veering, seemingly possessed, bus drivers, it is a breeze. The next two hours are decidedly tougher. "It's a steep climb from here, and the road is a mix of sand and large rocks. Take it slowly and you should be OK," McCreadie says as we reach the foot of the Bokor plateau. I ask if he had any other tips. "Sit as far forward in the seat as possible. That way your centre of gravity is more stable and you can steer by shifting your weight. Also, stay in first or second gear and, if you get into trouble, give it some throttle." I'm soon nervously motoring up the switchback trail at Bokor. Every so often my front wheel hits a large rock, causing me to lose control momentarily and my heart to skip a beat. I get up to speeds of 30mph, start swinging the bike around a little then nervously slow down again. At times we are in the midst of gargantuan trees and ferns. The next moment the track offers up stunning vistas of the plains below as we run along a sheer drop. The final destination is always the Bokor Hill Station at the Bokor plateau Kampot.
We near the top of the Bokor National Park plateau and a vast plain opens up before us. We head towards a series of ruined buildings, one is the Bokor Hill Station which had once been a hotel casino. "This used to be a high-class French resort," explains McCreadie, "but it's been derelict since the Khmer Rouge turned it into a fortress in the Seventies." Also the Bokor Mountain Church was looted and burnt.
A quick tour of the Bokor Hill Station Hotel Casino reveals bullet holes, tracer casings and burnt walls. Just in front of the old Khmer Rouge HQ, the Bokor plateau falls away into a precipitous 1,000meter plummet. A perfect spot for paragliding, I suggest to McCreadie. "We've thought of that, but the jungle below is still heavily mined," he replies.
The night is spent in the comfortable quarters of the rangers who patrol Bokor National Park. Our support vehicle has brought all the necessary supplies - good food and good wine. "I like to inject a little style," says McCreadie, as we sit around a candlelit table eating marinated pork steaks and drinking a decent Bordeaux.
With a good night's sleep under my belt, I complete the descent from Bokor in double-quick time. The next few days are spent visiting another old French hill station at Kirirom, looking for rare river turtles far upriver, deep into the Cambodian jungle, and improving my bike skills. "I saved the best part of this Bokor trip until the end," says McCreadie as we arrive several days later in the dusty town of Kampong Thom. "From here, we're heading for Preah Khan. It's a stunning place but it's a very difficult ride and the area hasn't been fully cleared of landmines." Landmines are one of the big problems at Cambodia travel.
The route to Preah Khan is legendary in Cambodia's dirt-bike scene. Mark Calafatello, a New York antique dealer and highly experienced dirt-biker whom I met in Phnom Penh, had failed to reach the temple complex on two occasions. "Not too far now," repeats McCreadie, as I pick up my helmet and strap it back on my sweat- drenched head. I open up the throttle and attempt to steer the bike through the sand, but it keeps sliding out of control. I am reduced to a crawl, eating the huge clouds of dust McCreadie's bike kicks up in front of me.
We make it into a small village, where I guzzle down a huge bowl of noodles in front of a large audience. Shortly after the village we reach the outer limits of Preah Khan. Large stone ruins covered in thick foliage loom out of the jungle - one has mammoth, ancient faces carved into it, stone-lidded eyes staring down. Everywhere areas are roped off, marked by red "Danger - mines" signs. "They are clearing the mines to open the area up for tourists," McCreadie explains.
We camp out in a simple, open, wooden shelter, with mosquito nets, mats and hammocks to provide comfort. Before night sets in, we explore the central temple: jumbles of giant, abandoned temple stones, knots of fat, sinewy roots,
Cambodia Adventure Dirt Bike Tours
Dirt Bike Tours, use the link further down.
intricately carved friezes, noble relics of a once mighty city, nestle evocatively in the gentle evening mist.
The morning ride back to Kampong Tom is a revelation. The struggles of the previous day are forgotten. At times I slide the bike sideways through the sand, my confidence growing. I have been forced to push hard to get this far, but the Bokor ride it has been more than worth it. Not only have I learnt to control a powerful motorbike in difficult terrain, I have also visited places few people have seen. Zeman McCreadie is right - it has been worth all the effort Cambodia Expeditions (07815 639 808, www.cambodiaexpeditions.com), organize tailor-made dirt-bike tours from novice to expert, inclusive of food, on-tour accommodation, bike rental and fuel, starting at $150 (pounds 80) a day per person (not including flights). Support vehicles can carry non- riders, and 4x4 and boat tours are also available. Travelmood (0870 066 4556, www.travelmood.com, ) offer five nights in Phnom Penh at the four-star Sunway Hotel, including return flights from London Heathrow, from pounds 645 per person based on twin share. Independent on Sunday, The, by Andrew Spooner, Copyright Independent Newspapers UK Limited, Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.
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