Want a true taste of Cambodia? Hiring a moped is by far the best way to explore. Apart from giving you the freedom to get further a field — away from the more touristy routes, and therefore the tourists (…I know, I know…what do I think I am? I am 'traveller'… yes there is a difference. lol) — at $5 a day it’s cheaper than multiple tuk-tuk rides and, most importantly, you get a more real experience.

Up Mountains

I mean, you just can’t compare driving up Kampot's Bokor mountain — scattering the hoards of baboons, who’ve decided to dine in the middle of the road; feeling the sudden temperature drops as you climb ever higher; getting stranded in an almost deserted construction yard as one, two, then three locals try to repair your flat tire; being utterly drenched when the heavens open as you drive through the mountain’s own little weather system; or being faced with eerie, almost impenetrable, walls of fog…a little unnerving considering how winding the road is up there — with doing it in a minibus. I defy anyone to say otherwise!

I’d recommend Bokor to any fellow traveller. We had fantastic views of the coast, and at the top there is the ‘station’ which comprises of an abandoned Casino (now being renovated into a new resort) and a little further along a quite dramatic waterfall — all the more spectacular because of the rainy season. Although it was all quite strange really… next to the waterfall was a huge, yet completely deserted restaurant — really well equipped too. The only signs of life, about ten bored looking members of staff, ever persistent in their wait for customers. I think their wait may be long.

Through Caves

Better still, around 8 km from Kampot off the road to Kep (well, ‘road-in-progress’… expect lots and lots of dust) are a number of caves set in limestone mountains. The cave temple of Phnom Chhngok is worth a visit. The journey through scenic rural countryside is also something you don’t want to miss.

We zigzagged our way along bumpy, unsealed roads, through little villages and the most lush-green rice paddies you have ever seen. We passed workers out harvesting the rice plants; children playing in the streams, who’d wave and sing out greetings; a little old man splashing cool water over his cow; whole communities out clearing a waterway, men, women and children alike, knee deep in mud…yet smiling. For the whole day we received nothing but smiles. Even the family struggling to cross the railway line with their bicycles pilled high and back-heavy with kindling. Actually the funniest thing I have ever seen: from father to son, every bike that got pushed over the rails tipped up backwards, to sit on its rear; in the case of the smallest boy, taking the child with it. But every time, this was met with laughter.

We eventually reached the temple cave, after more than a few stops to ask directions. A couple of little boys tried to convince us to pay them to look after our moped; we assured them that it would be fine assuming they didn’t steal it. But they were unrelenting. We were followed all the way into the mouth of the cave by a nine-year old boy who insisted we needed a guide (be prepared to tip about $1). We did. The mouth of the cave was something a little bit different, with a small brick 7th century temple filling most of the cave, and dramatic rock formations of a mother and baby elephants, a crocodile scaling the cave walls, a pig and a turtle — all of which we may never have spotted had it not been for our little guide. But the piece de resistanc was the maze of cramped passageways you had to scramble through to make your way out of the cave — pitch black without our torch, some steep climbs, and other nauseating ravines to cross. It was a mini adventure and well worth doing. And well worth the guide…we may not have seen the light of day again otherwise.