With more than 3,000km done so far, my bike and I are finally entering into Siem Reap where my dream destination, Angkor Wat, awaits.
Siem Reap was just a short 350km away from the Capital of Cambodia, and with no highway roads, I'm guessing it should take me about 4 hours or so to get there with an average speed of 90km/h.
I've got my bags all strapped up and ready to depart Phnom Penh just slightly past 8:00am in the morning.
Through my whole journey so far, I had to constantly ensure my chain is well-lubricated because there was just so much dirt and dust caught in between it. Chain lub is a must to bring along on long distance rides.
Look who came to send me off! :D
It's the man with a big heart, Calvin, who have shown me an enormous amount of hospitality since the day we met at Chanthaburi, Thailand, to crossing Koh Kong Border, to navigating our way in the dark at Sihanoukville, through the windy curves to Bokor Mountain, and all the way to celebrating the Cambodia Water Festival together in Phnom Penh last night.
Thank you so so much for taking me around and guiding me through the journey so far. Can't wait to see you again when I return to Cambodia! A pity I didn't see Jok but I'll definitely look him up on my next visit :)
So off I went, on Route 6, towards Siem Reap. The sun looks like it's out in full force today.. like it is almost every other day hahaha. Boy, I wonder what I'd do without my fully tinted visor. #glaredieme
If you looked at me from the outside with my tinted visor, you can't see my eyes, so you may think I'm expressionless, and that I'm not looking at anywhere but just the road.
But behind those tinted visors are eyes that are looking at every single thing around me, every detail I can catch, and of course,
enjoying every second of wide open endless road in front of me.
From observing the people's life here, to the beautiful architecture around, to the food that the locals are selling off the streets, to innocent children and wild animals playing dangerously by and across the roads.
And behind those pair of eyes looking at the world around me, are a million thoughts processing through my mind, digesting all of it along with those emotions I feel, and letting it all sit in slowly.
That is why motorcycling, to me, isn't just riding a two wheeler vehicle from Point A - B.
It's Life to me.
Now I normally don't make much stops when I'm on the road other than to refuel or for toilet breaks, oh, and to take like hell lotsa nice photos hahaha so maybe that's why I feel that each time I'm on a road trip, I tend to shed a bit of weight? Losing all that water retention from sweating and having lesser meals when I'm on the go.
It was slightly past 12:30 in the afternoon, I was just 20KM away from Siem Reap but gosh, I really needed a break from the intense heat.
Plus, my tummy was growling so I decided to stop by this random food stall to hydrate and satisfy my hunger with some local food.
When I stepped inside, put all my stuff down and removed my helmet, the lady boss here couldn't stop staring at me and laughing in great amusement. It was so contagious, I started to laugh with her too! Though I wasn't exactly sure what she was laughing about LOL.
I ordered a bowl of beef noodles, and her friend came up to me and spoke in their local language but I figured they were asking me where I came from and where I was going. So we all started talking in two different languages but somehow understood each other.
I talked to them till my noodles went cold, but it didn't matter because they warmed my heart.
The lady boss was so motherly, she held my hand, squeezed my arms and touched my face, and I'm guessing she told me to be brave and continue the journey on despite being alone (Full Video on Facebook here)
These are the little things that keep me going, and it's these people who may be strangers, who may not understand my language, yet show so much kindness, who really touch my heart.
Slurped up my noodles, bid them farewell, and continued my way onto Siem Reap.
After more than 4 hours on the road from Phnom Penh, I've arrived safely into Siem Reap and checked into Reflections Boutique Hotel (very reasonably priced at just SGD $35/night).
On a hot day like this, the pool sure looks inviting!
I always preferred small boutique hotels to those standard big-named hotels because they usually have so much more character!
Every room here is done up according to it's own theme around different types of pop culture,
and call it fate or what, I got the room that is motorcycling-themed! Hahaha.
Took a long good shower before heading out to recce where Angkor Wat is exactly so I won't get lost making my way there at 5:30am in the morning tomorrow!
The location of Reflections Boutique Hotel was great because it was within a 8 min walking distance to all the Night Markets and Pub Street, where all the action is, especially at night!
From live bands, to hippy cafes, to street foods, and shopping, it's all here. It was nice walking through the various night markets that are all side by side, but the area does feel pretty commercialised though.
Had dinner, did some souvenir-shopping before heading back to the hotel for an early night's rest! Because I'll be up around 5am, to catch sunrise at the largest religious monument in the world - Angkor Wat.
[Singapore. Malaysia. Thailand.Sihanoukville, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Cambodia]
[Mileage Clocked: 3,352KM]
[Weather/Temperature: Scorching Hot/36°C]
[Terrain: Road/Tarmac]
Next stop: Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia