Journals on our tours of Cambodia by motorbike covering ancient sites and attractions across the country. All the trips were on an old Yamaha Nouvo, which was retired and replaced in December 2022 by a new Honda Wave purchased locally. The local NCX Honda Wave is CUB based bike, semi-auto and 100cc.
To introduce Cambodia’s ancient Royal Road network to those not familiar with it, there are several roads emanating out of Angkor that feature stone masonry infrastructure, including bridges and temples along with ponds and basins primarily dating back to the 12th century, with a broad range of activity seen between the 11th century to around … Read more
I promised the kids months ago I’d take them up to Kulen Mountain and this school holiday was finally the chance. We loaded up two motos and headed off from Siem Reap and spent three wonderful days and two nights up there stopping by Beng Melea on our way back. Camping in a random spot … Read more
This was a short tour, 3 days in total from Aug 1 – 3, heading northwest from Siem Reap into Oddar Meanchey, Banteay Meanchey and back to Siem Reap. Due to other obligations, getting the Ancient Cambodia book finalised and so on, we had not really had a break since our last tour in January and it … Read more
Recently I had to head to Phnom Penh to pick-up a new passport, and how could I not turn that into a tour? Of course, I did. Chanthim came along and this time, and considering it was going to be sealed roads we just took one bike, this time the Honda Dream. It was a … Read more
This tour almost replicates my first big tour, the Red Dot Tour in early 2002 but this time I’d have Chanthim come along for the ride and this time, shifting focus from the ancient temples to more contemporary Buddhist wonders. To see all the sites visited on both tours and other shorter trips see the … Read more
Another year of traveling and exploring this amazing country comes to an end! 2023 was full of short day trips out of Siem Reap and several larger adventures, mostly towards the northeast, Preah Vihear and Kampong Thom provinces, with a loop around the Tonle Sap later in the year. Cambodia’s roads are getting better and … Read more
This trip, from Mar 6 – 11 2023 would cover some remote and still-standing sites in Preah Vihear that we haven’t visited to date. It was also a special moment for us, by the end, ticking off our goal to visit every standing temple (at least those with more than 50% of their structure still standing), and, … Read more
Taking advantage of good weather, before the hot season kicks in around mid-March, we went on another journey for five days from Feb 23 – 28 covering some of the remote sites not visited on previous trips in Preah Vihear province. I’d meet up with Chanthim in Stoung and we’d head off once again on our trusty … Read more
This tour is perhaps one of my favourites to date, visiting some of the more remote ancient temples in Preah Vihear province and extending upon previous trips I, II, and III. From January 25th to Feb 6th we’d cover just over 1000km on our trusty Hondas. Heading off from Siem Reap and meeting Chanthim in … Read more
This was a short two-day trip and sadly, once again travelling on my own as Chanthim was busy. For this trip, from Jan 19 – 20, I’d do a little loop from Siem Reap out to Khvav and down to Kampong Kdei and back to Siem Reap. Starting from Siem Reap I’d head out my favourite back … Read more
This trip was another quite random journey, tacked onto the end of a trip to Tnoat Chum for family reasons. Chanthim and I would go on a short trip, exploring for four days from December 15 to 19 2022, doing a loop from Kampong Thom to Preah Khan of Kampong Svay, to Khvav, Kampong Kdei … Read more
On this trip, together with Chanthim, we’d travel by trusty Honda power once again and cover several temples in the heartland of Preah Vihear that I have been waiting to visit for a long time, namely Prasat Sandak and Prasat Chin Srom. We’d also visit the incredible Phnom Tbeng and Wat Tangyu plus several pagodas … Read more
I’m way behind with tour notes and newly visited sites, so here are some quick notes on the tour from August. This tour took place from August 4–12th with my trusty colleague Chanthim on our Honda Waves, travelling what are becoming familiar roads, from Siem Reap to Kampong Thom, Kampong Cham, Phnom Penh and down … Read more
The latest tour of Cambodia’s amazing ancient sites and wonders covered familiar ground once again along the RN6 and some new ground for me which is Prey Veng and then back to revisit Oudong, a couple of amazing mountains in Pursat and Kampong Chhnang, back to Kampong Thma, and return to Siem Reap. Not a … Read more
Funky name for a tour, looking back on it, I probably should call it the pagoda tour, although Kampong Cham, Tbong Khum and Kratie are where most of the time would be spent, and never far from the spectacular Mekong River. Departing from Siem Reap, this tour didn’t have a grand plan apart from revisiting … Read more
As far as ancient sites go, Preah Vihear Province is incredibly fascinating, featuring the great wonder that is Preah Vihear Temple and a collection of remote temples that are true wonders still holding a lot to reveal about the early stages of the Angkorian Empire. I’d covered a lot of that here in North Eastern … Read more
This was a short day trip out of Siem Reap on the moto to find out if the two ancient bridges still existed north of the “firehouse” known as Seman Teng, but like any trip, there’s always a bit more than you expect. It’s not so easy to follow the ancient road in its entirety … Read more
Located about 90 km northwest of Siem Reap in Banteay Meanchey Province are the grand reservoir, Ang Trapeang Thmor, and an ancient temple atop the small mountain known as Phnom Kaun Khleng. It’s easy to reach via smooth sealed roads (at the time) for most of the way bar the section around a good dirt … Read more
Somebody recently asked how many ancient sites are there in Cambodia, to which the simple answer is, thousands. The exact number according to official databases is close to 5000 in Cambodia and that number grows to over 7000 when including parts of the ancient empire that are now present-day Laos and Thailand. That number grows … Read more
Some of the best things are never planned. This started as a trip to Sambor Prei Kuk to get some up-to-date photos and turned into something much longer, starting on Jan 17 and in the end, rolling back into Siem Reap on Feb 10. To be honest, it wasn’t completely unplanned, this journey perhaps has … Read more
Taking advantage of the cool weather I have been on the road a lot lately and started this new year with a five-day/four-night self-guided tour of some of Preah Vihear Province’s amazing remote temples while finishing up with the grandest of all, Preah Vihear Temple on the 7th day of January. I’d recently just finished … Read more
Here’s a route, that you can do in whole or part, that is packed with ancient wonder and takes advantage of some of Cambodia’s rapidly improving roads. The whole route, apart from temple detours, follows sealed bitumen roads that are in good condition from Siem Reap to Kralanh to Sisophon to Banteay Chhmar to Samroang … Read more
Phnom Kulen – The Birthplace of Angkor and home to the ancient city of Mahavendarpata Phnom Kulen (or Kulen Mountain) is a popular destination located north of Siem Reap well known for its stunning waterfall, reclining Buddha, amazing scenic views, and nature. It is also the birthplace of the ancient Angkor era featuring archeological remains … Read more
A major but less talked about feature of the ancient Khmer Empire is the road network that spanned out from Angkor (present-day Siem Reap) to the remote reaches of the empire including deep into what is now Laos and Thailand. In my mind at least, the Angkor <> Preah Khan of Kampong Svay route, sometimes … Read more
The Ancient Royal Road network stretched across the Khmer Empire heading north, east, and west, and amazingly, much of it is still in use today. A fantastic way to explore that ancient trail is via the section that leads from Angkor to Beng Mealea featuring ancient bridges and unique temples along with beautiful countryside and … Read more
Head in any direction from Siem Reap and you are sure to find ancient remains in your travels, so, how about an easy road trip talking in ancient bridges and a few unusual ancient temples? The RN6, or Highway 6, has just that, and to boot it has one the largest and well preserved of … Read more