Rattanakiri to Mondolkiri - 245km

WARNING: Inexplicably long and potentially boring post. At least there is lots of photos!

After spending new year's eve in Otres beach where-among other things- I went to the dentist and had a partial tooth removal trying hard not to scream since her kids were sleeping in a bed right next to me and did my open water and advanced courses-I'd been diving for the last 13 years either for work or pleasure without a license- I took the long bus back to Stung Treng. I had already cycled through this route and I also wanted to experience the karaoke-at-full-volume-buses of the country, suffice to say it was as advertised, by the end of it I was happily singing khmer songs.

The road from Stung Treng to Ban Lung will be magnificent very soon. As I write these lines, more and more tarmac is being poured, to cover the hideous dirt road I had to go through, so dusty that my lungs will need an eternity to clean up. Don't get me wrong, it's hideous not for being a dirt road, but because it leads to the border and is quite busy. Otherwise the view is sometimes rewarding, a river here, a forest there, but also lots of cleared land, the ashes of the burned trees still smoking. Was it for farming, or road expansion, I've no idea but certainly wasn't a pretty sight. For the nth time I woke up late, started even later and what could have been a one long day to Ban Lung, ended being two short ones with an overnight stop at Sree Ankrom, a settlement of a few houses. A man was kind enough to let me hang my hammock next to his store. I cooked some noodles, played with his kids, had some warm beer and slept. Next day I met 4 tandem bikers on their way to Bangkok, Michael and Ciska with their sons Sammy and Jesse. They've been cycling for some years now, having covered USA, Latin America, Australia and parts of Europe. They seemed very happy, I wonder why! You can follow their blog here: http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1&doc_id=4438&v=6IH

Cleared land

A night in Sree Ankrom

The owner of a shop with her grandchildren

The Dutch family. You can't see the tandem bikes clearly
because the photographer is a moron.

The promenade in Ban Lung

I spent two lovely days in Ban Lung, leisurely cycling in the countryside to visit waterfalls and elephants, eating enormous quantities of food-for the first time in my life I've dropped below 70kg so I try my best to regain some, not an easy task in this part of the world. In this side of the country rubber is the business, and nothing is stopping it. Huge chunks of the forest are cleared out every day to allow more and more rubber trees to be planted. I saw at least one big rubber factory owned by a Belgian company according to a displeased local guide who insisted there is no control whatsoever in the expansion of the plantations.

Cleared land awaiting the rubber trees

Yet another waterfall

Not me!

Him!

What's left of the cut trees, is turned into charcoal

Rubber trees

One of the few lakes around Ban Lung. Time for a swim!

The road to Seda

I felt like crossing to Mondolkiri through the eastern backroads instead of the main road, at least as far as I could. Once again, wherever I asked I got negative answers, that the roads don't exist any more, I'll get lost, the usual. Stubborn as ever, I got on the highway and headed east towards Barkeo where-if my map was correct-I'd find a road going south. Lucky me, the road was there, and after asking around I found I could get at least to Seda, a village 20km down the road, only a tenth of the total distance I had to cover but enough to give me hope. An easy dirt road got me there, and after a quick rice-and-skinny-fish early lunch, the party started. First and foremost, my map was as good as toilet paper. The few villages down south were either incorrectly named or placed, the roads were probably drawn by a child and were not to be trusted, a mess. The only indication I was in the right path would be a river 30km past Seda. I started the never-ending game of asking around, not getting any useful information. I left the village, took a road that would get me west to the main road, and 2km later found a junction heading south. Aha! Without even thinking about it, I followed it and soon after reached another little village, and this time some guys knew what I was talking about and gave me a proper heading. I noticed two things while chatting with them. One, the only village by the river was marked as Kaoh Mayeul in my map, but in reality the locals call it Kamiel, and the faster you say it, the more chances you'll be understood. Two-and more important- I had spent the last month learning Khmer from drunks late at night-not that I was in a better state either-and as a consequence I was able to say things like “eating eel will make your dick stronger” but when it came to getting directions, I still couldn't tell left from right. I know how to get a conversation going and make people laugh, but first I need to get there!

There's another 10 behind me, all curious as ever

I was shown the path I needed to follow, told it was 20km-which meant 30 or more of course- and got going. The narrow path spiraled for a while among a few houses and soon I left the civilisation behind me and entered the forest. For the next 30 hours or so I wouldn't meet a single soul. I had enough water and supplies for almost 2 days but thought I would get to the river the same day, maybe by late afternoon. Soon the trail started splitting and though most of the times it was clear which was the main one, some others it wasn't. I got my compass out, attached it to the handlebar and spent the rest of the day trying to find my way. I knew my general direction should be S-SW and it was comforting knowing that if I kept heading that way at some point I would get to the river. By 4 in the afternoon I had made little progress, about 15km and knew I wouldn't get there in time. The trail ended abruptly after 5km–very conveniently in an empty house-and I decided to spend the night there. I had cycled for 10+ hours but didn't feel tired so I spent an extra hour looking around. There was a trail heading towards a stream but didn't seem used for many years and faded completely a few meters later. I had no idea where I was but was having a great time. I did some basic washing in a nearby puddle, boiled some noodles and stood by the house for a while enjoying the night. I thought I saw a flashlight somewhere in the distance, but it was fireflies, lots of them. I hadn't seen any since my childhood and stood there watching them and laughing like an idiot. What a day...

Happy and oblivious

My accommodation for the night

Noodle-time

My very spacious bedroom

Sticky rice-covered banana

Signs of life

By 6 I was awake, had some sticky rice with banana and got started. It's one of those delicacies that are worth their weight in gold in my opinion, not that sweet-depending how ripe the banana is-it fills you up nicely. Comes wrapped in banana tree leafs and lasts for 2 days. It took me 5 hours to cover 19km to the river. It was a constant back and forth, discovering new trails, trying them, going back, finding others etc, a great lesson in navigation, I would keep track of the distance, my bearing and the time it took me, always taking into account how much time I would need to go back to Seda if all else failed. But there was no way I would do that. No matter what, I would find my way. At some point I found a tent, with the fire in front of it still smoking. Someone had spent the night and was definitely somewhere around, I waited a while, shouted but got no answer. A few km later, same story, someones belongings together with a plastic bag full of fruits. Waited, shouted, no answer. I did encounter a snake though, a big one. We both got equally scared, don't know who ran away faster! I kept going, fearing I was deviating a lot, the trail headed SE for a long time and I feared I'd miss the river and who knows, end up in Vietnam! When I had only a few drops of water left, I reached Kai San, a tiny village by the river. No food stalls or anything there-not that I expected any-but I did get a plate of rice and two boiled eggs, the only food a very kind woman could offer me. Her husband, Fnaan sat down with me and wanted to know all about my trip, where I'd been in Cambodia, how I managed to get there. When I showed him the photos of the house I had spent the night he laughed and went about showing them to everybody else-by then the whole village had passed by to have a look at the crazy foreigner who chose a bicycle instead of a moto. I was offered a bed to sleep but I politely declined, it was getting late and I wanted to get to Kaoh Miel in the other side of the river, only 10km away according to Fnaan, which obviously I didn't believe. I bought all the water I could carry from a store that seemed to sell only detergent and shampoos and tried to leave, only to be invited by some guys for rice wine and beer. I tried hard not to drink too much, we had some laughs, a small language lesson, the customary exchange of cellphone numbers and I left. The rice wine was the best I 've had in the country so far, and for the first time kept in a big clay pot instead of a plastic jar. The top was sealed and a plastic hose served as a straw from which everyone had a sip every now and then. It bothers me that women never sit with us on similar occasions, I wonder if it's a matter of etiquette or if men won't have it any other way.

Crossing the stream

There is a trail somewhere down there!

The devil in me wanted to steal a fruit, but I'm better than this...

The final stretch to Kai San

Fnaan. Sweet and helpful, my life savior for the day

My audience, watching how I eat the rice

The main road of Kai San

Getting drunk instead of getting going

A camera-shy kid helping me cross the river

A few km after crossing the river I got to Kaoh Miel Leu but didn't stay at all, hoping I'd get to Kaoh Miel-which I thought was bigger-in time. Lots of burned land on the way. A couple of days later I was told by a guide that villagers do it so that new grass will grow for the animals, but don't worry, they don't burn the trees! Not the way I saw it, but what the hell. As expected, I never made it in time. By dusk I came to an abandoned and ready to fall house, hang my hammock, prayed it would still be standing by morning, had the inevitable noodles and dozed off. The actual distance covered that day was 35km, not much, but I had done an extra 50 looking for the correct trail.  I could hear music in the distance and thought of beds and proper food but the way sound travels in the forest it could be anything from 1 to 5 km. No reason to cycle at night.

The road to Kaoh Miel Leu. Easy...

...and colourful-most of it.

Kaoh Miel Leu. Big road, small village

Stream crossing, $1.25 for less than a minute. Good business!

More burned land

Home, sweet home

I had eaten my last packet of noodles, so next morning I rushed to the village only to find that a)It was much smaller than Kaoh Miel Leu, b)There was no food to be had apart from buying some packets of noodles, c)I was not that welcome. This was particularly distressing to me. I was in the middle of nowhere and until then I was used to be welcomed and helped in similar places. Here I felt that the sooner I left, the better for them. I had a quick coffee in the store and left. If I were to continue going south, the path was around here. I couldn't get any info no matter who I asked, but also faced a more crucial problem. It would be 60km in a similarly-if not more-difficult to follow path, meaning anything from 2 to 3 days. I couldn't carry that much water, it was highly unlikely there would be any streams around but even if there were I wasn't carrying a water purifier(mental note for next time, get one!) and I definitely couldn't see myself living off instant noodles for that many days. I backtracked the 20km to Kaoh Miel Leu hungry as a wolf, dreaming of a combination of rice with whatever but guess what, it was instant noodles. Again. Half boiled as well. I can't say I enjoyed them but had to fill my stomach.

Back in Kaoh Miel Leu, kids watching a bad martial arts movie

I took another road going south to Kaoh Nhek, a village next to the main road. It would be an easy 20km according to the locals, once again I knew it would be more but didn't mind, even though I was tired I had plenty of time ahead of me but I wasn't prepared for the horror that followed. Sand. Everywhere. No getting around it, no shortcuts, few patches of grass or anything to help me out, just sand for nearly 20km. And then it got worse. The previous days it was partly cloudy, not that it mattered much since I was mostly in the forest. Now the sun was full on and there was no shade, most of the land was burned and the trees bare. It was blazing hot, no, strike that, it was ridiculously hot and I had to push the bike for nearly 4 hours. I cursed the god of sand, prayed to the gods of cold beer and ice cream but no one answered. I thought of winter holidays in ski resorts, playing board games with friends in the chalets. Dreamt of swimming in sugarcane juice, saw visions of inviting girls holding cold coconuts. Adding insult to injury, one of my front paniers tore, grrr. I thought they were relatively good, but they certainly can't take the abuse of this type of cycling. By dusk the sand was over, but it was an additional 10km to Kaoh Nhek, a total of 28 instead of 20. I arrived exhausted to a village half-asleep. One of the shops was still open and they quickly served me a good portion of food. I'm sure I looked terrible. Satiru, the owner, gave me some of his own, an excellent dish of liver with onions. I could have eaten the whole pot. After so many days of bland food, this was paradise. Within 30 minutes I drank 1 soya milk, 1 coke and 2 beers, making everybody laugh. Apparently in Cambodia they use formaldehyde as a preservative in beer but in quantities so low that it's not harmful, I wonder what low means, and after how many beers it becomes harmful. I asked if there was a place to stay nearby. Satiru said there was a hotel 5km away, then-without waiting for my reaction-with a broad smile in his face pointed at the rain that had just started, then at their house right behind the store. We spent a couple of hours chatting half in English and half in Khmer about Europe, Cambodia, corruption, bicycles and thai soap operas-like the one we were watching, and then-at last after 3 days- I had a shower, Cambodia style. Outside every house there is a barrel with water. What you do, is wear a piece of cloth around your waist so that the passers-by are not shocked and use a pot to wash. All shops sell shampoo in single serving packets-contrary to all reason nobody uses normal bottles-and there you have it, clean and tidy. I was given their bed, both Satiru and his wife slept on the floor and they wouldn't have it any other way. It was the best sleep of my life, and next morning I couldnt find the words to express my gratitude to them. I hope Cambodians remain so unconditionally hospitable forever, I find it to be a rare quality in other parts of the world.

Satiru, savior of cyclists and thai soap opera connoisseur extraordinaire

Next day I switched to the main dirt road to Sen Monorom, the last big city before the border crossing to Vietnam. Riding there after the previous day's trails felt like ice skating, for a while at least. The last 30km or so are mountainous-Sen Monorom's altitude is 800m-and required some effort to climb but the scenery was beautiful and thanks to-I'm guessing-the higher incomes of the area the villages were clean and tidy and most of the houses quite beautiful, with red or blue rooftops and colourful gardens, no wonder the area is called the Switzerland of Cambodia. Only in Switzerland you don't see boards advertising the governing party, whereas here they are everywhere. There's thousands of them all across the country, and for every 100 there might be 1 of the opposition. Story goes that if you have a board of any of the other parties in front of your house you might not get the same benefits as the rest of the people, better said, keep your political views for yourself if they are not in line with the government. I had planned to spend the next day cycling in the area around Sen Monorom but as I started out I saw that I had also broken a spoke on the back wheel, thankfully not on the cassette side, I had this in Siem Reap and finding a mechanic with a Shimano key was hard, here it would be impossible. This, combined with the torn panier was the perfect excuse to stay in town, repair everything, sluggishly stroll around and eat like there was no tomorrow.

The sandy part came close to being a deal-braker but the verdict is that it's been my favorite ride in the country and I would do it again. Maybe with a cool box and cold drinks.

Helping out with my pump

Random

Ugly

Cinemascope

A great excuse to rest

Stats and facts

Stung Treng to Ban Lung: 147km. Can be done in one long day. The road should be all-tarmac by mid 2012 or earlier.

From Ban Lung head towards the eastern border. The turn to Seda is on km 38(2km after Barkeo). After an easy 18km you'll get to Seda. You might want to eat here. Less than 1km after Seda you'll find a junction. Right goes to a lake, left will eventually take you to Lumphat. Take that one and at km 3.3 from Seda you'll find yet another junction. Turn left, and after 200-300m left again. You'll get to a small village, you need to cross it and follow a trail that will get you out of the village and after a bridge to the trail going south. Before you do that though, FILL YOUR WATER BOTTLES, this is the last place to do it.

Get your compass out, you will be needing it from now on. Remember that your direction should be S-SW most of the times. If you are lucky, you might find the correct trail and get to Kai San at no time. Maybe the correct trail is the one I took, in which case after 20km you'll get to the houses I spent the night. I suggest you do the same, as the trail from then on is quite hard to follow, you'll get lost plenty of times.

Next day, take the faint trail right behind the houses that leads to the stream. Turn left, follow the stream and after 500m you'll get to a giant tree trunk that serves as a bridge. Cross it. The vegetation is very thick from now on and stays so for a few km. The correct trail heads mainly S-SE. I cant give you much info here, it splits several times, I tried most of them and luckily they stop shortly after so there is not much backtracking. The correct one does NOT follow the stream, nor does it lead to one, that's the only thing to remember. You'll know you're going the right direction when you get to a clearing and the trail gets wider, splitting into several ones that run in parallel.

After Kai San and the river crossing you'll need to decide if you want to continue on the east side. If so, get to Kaoh Miel, 17km past Kaoh Miel Leu(or 20km past Kai San). From then on you're on your own! In my opinion it's not a trip for one, you need to be at least two in order to carry the necessary water and supplies. My guess is that it's minimum 2 days to do it, possibly 3. If you want to head to Kaoh Nhek, after Kaoh Miel Leu take the dirt road heading west. Bitch and curse during the sandy part, and 28km later you'll be in Kaoh Nhek.

Shoes are a must, so are long pants. I saw only one snake-albeit a big one-and I'm sure there's plenty more hiding in the bushes you'll be riding through.