musings&mem'ries: Bangkok to Siem Reap (Angkor Wat) on two wobbly wheels: part 4 of a series

This is a continuation of part 3:
http://sunnimoreno.blogspot.com/2016/07/bangkok-to-siem-reap-angkor-wat-on-two_2.html

Another day dawns and Noah is kicking to cross the border into Cambodia, which at this point was one of the many unknowns in Noah's mind. Online research and personal account by his daughter gave some degree of confidence, but riding on a bike through the border crossing was a different experience.

The sign shows that Noah's steed was legit and had a

specified way to go through

The rejuvenated bike is first in line. The gates open at 6:00 and
there is order and calm in the Thailand. It is quite the opposite
in the Cambodia gates.

Mir is out in no-man's land between the two countries

The Cambodian border ahead with the rush of Khmer pulling
and pushing their carts to take merchandise in Thailand.

With the passport stamped Noah takes stock of his situation. He is now in Poipet - 151 kilometers from Siem Reap. This distance can be done in one go as Noah has proven in his previous training rides, but he knew that with a late start due to the processing at the immigrations and the heavy load, he may be caught by nightfall or the usual afternoon rain. A few days before the trip Noah asked his missus - Jo ann of Ark, to check if there was a hotel at Kralanh some 90+ km from Poipet where Noah could spend the night just in case the conditions mentioned above caught up with him. The hotel - Suwannaphum Guest House, confirmed that they could take him. With this contingency plan in place Noah started pedaling out of Poipet.

Cambodia is such a beautiful country - more so if you are traveling by bicycle. Its people are so friendly, happy and helpful and Noah was having a good time soaking in the hospitality and the scene. Butterflies are abundant this time of the year and it was pure joy to be kissed twice on the face. Other wildlife like snakes, toads, lizards and birds came within startling distance. Because of these encounters the kilometers just flew by easily until the sun inched up towards the zenith. Again just like the weatherman said - "sunshine, sunshine and more sunshine." There was not a single cloud in the sky that day and there were no trees in some areas for about 5 - 10 kilometers along the highway except for some planted trees a short distance from the road in some places.

a family who also had to take shelter from the scorching sun.

At this point Noah was again confronted by the nagging question: who will give up first, Mir or Noah. With Mir having a renewed lease in life due to the new spokes, she was functioning like brand new and Noah at this point was starting to feel the drain from biking for 3 days straight. To keep fit Noah had to stop more frequently for food and drink and the roadside shanty shops proved helpful.

Noah had about 10 of this nut in the Poipet - Kralanh stretch

don't ever be deceived by that smile because behind it

is a gradual buildup of fatigue.

At 3:00 PM on the third day of biking Noah pedaled into Kralanh. He looked at the horizon and there was not a single rain cloud in the vicinity of Siem Reap - just sizzling heat. He reckoned that with the given conditions he should be in Siem Reap at 7:00 and so the Suvannaphum Guest House contingency plan was scrapped. But first Noah had to eat lunch - at 3:00.

lunch was a big chicken egg on top of some slices from different
parts of the abominable swine. It was the only palatable choice in
the array of dishes at the restaurant and its high fat content promised
enough energy for the dash to Siem Reap.

According to the lady at the resto, Siem Reap was about 54 kilometers away, but what she did not know or reveal to Noah was that there was a stretch of road that was unpaved, that there would be a strong crosswind, a slight gradual gain in altitude, the sun would become hotter and that all these would be encountered at the same time.

All the combined elements that make biking really

difficult were encountered in this stretch for about

1 - 2 kilometers and for another 20 or so kilometers

more of paved road.

Noah had to resort to singing to cope with the challenge, and the only song that fit the occasion was a Karen Carpenter old favorite with these lines: "...not a cloud in the sky, got the sun in my eye..." and at this point Noah was hoping that it was just a dream.

When one is pushed to the limit even the slightest boost can make a difference and Noah didn't have long to wait.

The first booster was a kilometer post sign showing that Siem Reap was 33 kilometers away. This sudden realization of the nearness of the finish line gave a new tune to Noah, and this time he was singing "... thank you Lord, I just wanna thank you Lord..."

The next booster came with the end of classes for the day and the schoolkids were walking by the side of the road on their way home. The moment one kid spotted Noah he would shout "wow, hello!" and all the other kids would shout "hello, wow, hello" while waving and clapping their hands and giving Noah high-fives like he was a cycling champion. Noah passed about 3 schools with the scene repeated each time.

The third and most helpful booster came the moment that Noah was feeling all the insult of the distance, the heat, the fatigue and the dust+sweat=mud mucky feeling and pedaling was now painful and tedious. It was a kilometer sign post saying that Siem Reap was just 10 kilometers away. This set the music to yet another old favorite by Frank Sinatra and this time Noah was belting out (in pure ecstasy with matching tears in his eyes and his voice breaking with emotion) these lines: "And now the end is near, and so I face the final curtain... I did it my way!" I mean, he was singing out loud and the people by the road where starting to wonder if the mental hospital was missing a patient.

Noah didn't care what the people thought about him at that moment. The only things in his mind were the 400 kilometers behind him, a warm shower, a soothing massage, a sumptuous dinner, some ice-cold beer and a soft bed for the night.

In no time Noah came to the rotunda by the Charles de Gaulle avenue at Siem Reap, which made him realize that his goal was finally conquered.