Where to go....Cambodia?

[BrazingSaddles]

Husband and I were planning on flying to Lisbon and cycling up the coast into Spain, ferry back from Santander. However, having completed a few fully-loaded cycle tours in Europe/Scandinavia, we thought, for a change, we could instead take our road bikes over to Spain (in the car) and explore the Picos de Europa and surrounding area - maybe even treat ourselves to an apartment/villa for five days in between camping. Then I complicated things by suggesting we did something a bit more "adventurous"... We are now considering an organised 14 day cycling tour of Cambodia with Redspokes. It sounds amazing. Any thoughts, suggestions?
We are stuck on dates as I have to stick to school holidays, and OH is doing LEL, so August is the only month we can do.

 

[Dayvo]

I haven't cycled in Cambodia, but I have spent several months on holidays there over the last few years.

It is a fantastic country to visit and the people are extremely friendly and generous.

The roads, however, leave a lot to be desired, as do the driving abilities of those in charge of buses and lorries. Investment by the authorites in repairs to the roads, neglected since the Pol Pot era in the 70s, has been minimal (as said money has presumably ended up in the politicians' pockets, such is/was the level of corruption there).

But, with increasing tourism to the country, the authorites are beginning to look at improving the infrastructure on a larger scale.

I met many touring cyclists and spoke to them when I had the chance, and they bravely said that they weren't more scared than they had been when cycling in South America, Europe and London!

Just make sure your wheels/spokes are up to the task.

http://www.google.co.uk/search?num=...7b513d7f44fb56&bpcl=35277026&biw=1024&bih=512

 

[BrazingSaddles]

Ha ha! Thank you Dayvo.
We had looked at the possibility of heading to South America but the dates didn't work (with the supported/guided tours). I think we were a little relieved tbh as we know how perilous sharing the roads with drivers can be...
We have Surly Long Haul Trucker's and plan to fit fatties (26").

 

[Dayvo]

Unless you enjoy cycling in thick mud, August is not a good time to tour in Cambodia; monsoon seaon.

http://www.travelfish.org/weather/cambodia

 

[BrazingSaddles]

We shall pack our flippers!
On a serious note, this is an organised trip using a route that they say is quiet and mostly paved. I would like to think (assume, if I dare!) that if they have a tour arranged during the rainy season that they have done their homework and use routes that are passable.
They say:
In January Cambodia is well into its dry season. In August it is experiencing the rainy season, but this does not affect our cycling too much, as rain generally falls in the late afternoon or night. The advantage of visiting Cambodia during the wet season is the vibrant spectacle of lush green rice fields and countryside.

We will ask a few Q's before booking re weather etc, so thanks for drawing our attention to this fact.
Last summer we spent a very wet couple of weeks in Denmark/Holland (urgh!), so at least the views will be more spectacular, if still soggy!
http://www.redspokes.co.uk/cycling_holidays/cycling_holiday.php?TOUR=Cambodia_Cycling_Holiday&ID=17

 

[Dayvo]

Regardless, I think you'll have a great time.

Hopefully you'll have some r&r at the end in Sihanoukville, the one major coastal town.

Good luck!

 

[suffolkcindy]

I have cycled solo through n around cambodia. Lots to say but mostly irrelevant as red spokes guys will take good care of you so you only need to be fit. I recommend it at any time of year.

 

[raybo]

This page contains 5 links to information about bike touring in Cambodia.

Not all of them will be of interest to you , since you are going with a touring company, but some will give you good general info.

 

[suffolkcindy]

Regardless, I think you'll have a great time.

Hopefully you'll have some r&r at the end in Sihanoukville, the one major coastal town.

Good luck!

Or shitville as i called it

 

[suffolkcindy]

Huh my reference to bodily waste was edited out

 

[Dayvo]

Or s***ville as i called it

Did you get to Bamboo Island? Or the tree-top resort of Kep?

 

[suffolkcindy]

No i didnt get to the nice parts

 

[Ticktockmy]

I have cycled in Cambodia twice, first time in 1997 on my way from Thailand to Vietnam, then the roads were not so good, deeply potholed and in the main unpaved, and more like bandit country, indeed at one stage on the way to Phom Penn from Siam Reap, i was shot at. I returned in 2009 and found that things were so different, lots of roads had been paved and the results of the input of tourism made it much less of a challenge. These days the language is not so much of a problem, as I found English and French were spoken across the country. They have also learnt about the power of the Dollar, as in 2009, the US dollar was the preferred currency, and everything seemed to cost 20 Dollar..LOL. But be warned there is still extreme poverty in the country. One day myself and my partner were sitting in a roadside tea stop, and a young girl come up to us with a baby in arms, the Chinese owner of the cafe told us she was trying to sell the baby to us. But we found the 2 weeks we spent in country was very good, and we hope to return again soon

 

[BrazingSaddles]

Thank you all for your comments.

We are undecided whether to go it alone, or with a group...
The decision deadline is Christmas!

 

[Ticktockmy]

Unless you have any experiance of touring Undevoloped countries, I would say go with a group, then you will get a feel for the place, and for touring in the country, then you can return another time much wiser people. If you have experiance then go for it, you will have high days and low days, but unless something really bad happens you will enjoy it, and be all the more wiser.