Photo Essay: Cambodia by Motorbike
The road is narrow and the traffic is…interesting? Cows wander aimlessly, playing a perpetual game of Frogger with each passing bus and farm tractor. Locals scream by on scooters hauling everything from live chickens and hogs to dressers and bed frames.
I’m stuck in the middle of the madness — clinging to the seat of a rusty dirt bike I learned to ride yesterday. My companions and I have set out to pierce the heart of this misunderstood country, and it’s going to be one hell of a ride.
Our journey begins in Phnom Penh…
1. Grasping the unthinkable horrors of the S21 prison, where over 17,000 prisoners were interrogated, tortured, and executed during the Khmer Rouge rein — only a handful survived.
2. The impact of our visit to S21 and the “Killing Fields” hangs heavy during a moto-taxi ride through downtown Phnom Penh.
3. Forced off the road by a local bus, we regroup before continuing our journey south to the coast.
4. View from our bungalow porch on the island of Koh Rong Samloem. Pure paradise.
5. Game of frisbee on a remote beach on the island of Koh Rong Samloem.
6. On the road north to Siem Reap and the temples of Angkor, a crowd forms to watch our bikes receive a necessary tuneup.
7. Sun rises over the spectacular temple of Angkor Wat.
8. The forest is quick to reclaim the land, swallowing the Angkor Thom temples.
9. Carvings in the stone at Ta Prohm temple give a glimpse into the past of a once mighty civilization.
10. Watching the sunset from Bakheng Hill caps a surreal day exploring the vast complex of ancient Angkor temples.
11. On the road into eastern Cambodia, unreliable and sporadic gas stations force us to carry fuel reserves in used water bottles.
12. A local guide arrives with the morning’s transportation as we prepare for our trek through the eastern Cambodian jungles.
13. Yes, washing an elephant is a serious ordeal.
14. A local Buddhist monk catches a ride into town.
15. In rural Cambodia, every road leads to a new adventure.
Community Connection
For more on Cambodia, make sure not to miss Cambodia Beyond Angkor Wat and Rucksack Wanderer’s (aka, Matador editor Tim Patterson’s) Secret Guide to Koh Rong. Tim also authored Guidebook Review: Lonely Planet Cambodia.
To stay on theme but shift gears to Cambodia’s neighbor, check out Backpacker’s Secret Guide: Nan, Thailand, which features tips written from the moto-perspective.
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12 Comments... join the discussion!
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We took the route above the lake if I remember correctly. It is a beautiful route!
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Great job, Allen. Your photos brought me right back to my brief passage through the country 3 years ago.
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Gorgeous photos! Number 8 is my favorite- how strangely beautiful.
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Awesome collection of photos, Allen. Loved it!
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I love that one with the guy washing the elephant.
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Loved the elephant washing one too!
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Thanks for the awesome pictures. Cambodia looks like an amazing country.
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Thanks for all the compliments! It was an amazing journey in a fantastic country. (I think the elephant shots are my favorites too!)
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I love everything about your picture’s and I hope someday I can return back to Cambodia.
Aloha,
Nitza↵ -
Great pictures. I’ve just returned rom SE Asia and this essay took me back to Cambodia. did you go to Battambang? I loved it!
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Glad you liked them. We didn’t make it to Battambang . . . guess I need to go back!
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