Its me again,

Left Kep at 7.30am for my mammoth ride, which entailed taking a different route, a B road back to Phnom Penh, then the main road to Seim Reap. 500kms in all.

Fantastic ride and I reckon that I saw more sights in one day that will stick in my memory fro life that any other day on my travels so far. Just a shame on the bike you cant take photos like on a coach, but you do see the places coaches would never get to.....so just a snapshot of the day for you...

People drying peppers on the road, kids sitting int he middle of the road, oxen and cattle crossing where they want, millions of carts being pulled by oxen, puchbike with 20 foot bamboo canes ccross them (ride around steve ride around!) motorbikes with metal carts with 30 people on them...a local bus indeed! what we called people carriers with honestly about 50 people in them and another 20 on top....livestock in bamboo cages strapped to the back of the tailgate up! Potholes the width of table tennis table and depth of 6 inches! trucks and coaches trying to overtake each ther and pushing all over road users off the road into the dirt. amputees (landmines) begging at every petrol station. Road madness in Phnom Penh. Ice blocks being carved on the street.......

What a day..one I will never forget.

Lowlight of the day!!!!

Following one of the people carriers closely getting ready to overtake, I noticed in the baskets were 3 fully grown pigs squealing away (we were doing about 50khm). As I got close I think 2 of them let go with the bladders, obviously scared of the bumpy road or fate that awaited them!......well my top half was covered in pigs piss.....good job I has my sunglasses on, but had to discard my neckerchief that was keeping the dust from my mouth as it was coated in the stuff.....almost crashed!!!! I have heard about watersports and now I have tried the animal version!

Highlight of the day (well a sort of lowlight as well)

When the roadcrews finally get around to fixing pot holes they seem to think its sensible to put the tarmac about 3 inches higher than the rest of the road. (maybe for future wear and tear?). Trouble is you can see pot holes and avoid them, these F^&%*G things you cant!

Hit one doing about 80kmh and got fully airborne! was really dangerous but I survived and the locals by the roadside seemed to think I was Cambodian version of Eddie Kidd (I hope not as he is in a wheelchair right?)

Other high point was getting to Seim Reap in one piece..seriously everyone the roads and the way people drive here (the french must have taught them) are absolutely horrendous. Adreneline stuff but scary too!

The last lowpoint is only been here 1 hour and after checking into hotel but the place is crawling with yanks - old ones and young college ones - it must be on their tour map of the world, along with Bagdad,Vietnam etc ha ha ha...didnt think Cambodia had any oil?...god why did you make them all so loud and talk such so called emotionally open cr@p?

I guess the Angkor Wat and surrounding temples I am here to see for 3 days are going to be stunning, just hope they are not totally mobbed by Americans....

One tired Stevie signing off for now. Will upload more photos, especially of kep later.

Steve