Saturday 6th Feb
We were on the bikes at 7am to avoid as much of the heat and traffic as we could..no breakfast, too early! 300 kms to Siem Reap the second largest city and home to the famous lost city of Angkor Wat. The major road soon turned into a dirt road..red earth and clouds of dust as cars, trucks and motorbikes jostled for position..it was like riding in red fog..hard to seem more than a few yards in front..we were covered in red dust head to toe. The awful driving conditions didn’t stop some pick ups speeding through the middle of everyone at crazy speeds and motorbikes riding against the traffic flow on our side!…the road went on for 100 kms like this at least.
Finally we arrived and found an hotel..time to visit Angkor Way. Hotel organised a tuk tuk to take us..really nice driver who looked after us well. This is a busy attraction and it was rammed with Japanese tourists with selfie sticks ..they took pics of everything all the time blocking walkways. We clambered over ruins and must have walked miles..very impressive what has been preserved from 12th century.
Not keen on the town itself..full of backpackers and noisy bars with pushy girls trying to drum up business..we managed to find a relatively quiet restaurant and dined on tiger prawns washe’d down with Pinot Grigio ..can’t be bad.
Sunday 7th Feb..Laos here we come
8am start to make our way to Laos border.. 460 kms. We pulled in for a lunch stop at a Cafe and we’re immediately surrounded by the locals who were fascinated by us and our bikes..they shook our hands and brought their kids out to shake hands too. I rolled a cigarette watched closely by a group of men..don’t think they had seen anything like it..so I rolled one for them, there was nearly a fight over who should have it! They tried on our gloved and jackets shouting and laughing..we certainly made their day.
On we went to the border..very quiet and no one around..finally someone turned up and the paperwork started..we didn’t show them the firm we had paid for when we came in and they didn’t ask for it.. So as we thought that had all been a wind up!.. Though we went with no problem and on into Laos.
Our destination was an hotel on an island in the Mekong..the road from the border was awful..50 kms of dirt and broken tarmac with the deepest ruts and holes imaginable..glad I had done the BMW off road school! The holes were so deep my luggage shook loose and the mirror undid itself and was flapping around..really glad when that was over.
Finally we arrived at the hotel in a remote town with just us and some. French people ad guests…traditional Lao food for dinner washed down with BeerLao and Johnny Walker black label..slept well that night! ..and this was our view in the morning, sunrise on the Mekong.
