Saturday 11th December 2004
I really do feel much better today, ready for anything! Although I have the occasional stomach cramp, it doesn't compare to the gastro-volcanic activity of the last two days. To kick-start my system and re-instill some sense of adventure, I hired a bicycle and cycled to Chaong waterfall. It turned out to be about a 30 - 40Km round trip! This was an adventure indeed, as much as 40Km takes it out of me on a flat even road; this was a more hostile challenge. 30C degree heat, lots of hills and although the locals call it a road, an off-road terrain all the way there and back. I consumed litres of water and negotiated some inclines so deep in red dust that is was comparable to cycling uphill on a beach! If I wanted exercise I certainly chose the right place on Earth today! Oh did I forget to mention that the bike I was riding was not your typical mountain bike with suspension and 27 gears? No it was basically an old shopping bike; ladies frame, skinny wheels, basket on the front and two gears, which can only be described as too low and too high! I opted for the "too low" gear, seeing as the uphill sections were pretty steep and the downhill sections required no pedaling, but instead were an exercise in rapid-braking and precisely-timed backside-off-saddle-at-pothole techniques.
I got back to the guesthouse, thoroughly exhausted, but feeling incredibly alive and back to normality after feeling like a zombie for nearly 3 days. I had a siesta to escape "Mad dogs and Englishmen" time and then hired a moto with driver to take me to a place called Boeng Yaek Lom, which is a circular volcanic lake 8Km away. What a beautiful place that is. The water is so clear and the whole place is very peaceful. I had a swim there and watched some locals playing in the water. There were a few other tourists like myself there, but it wasn't too busy. I think I chose the right time of day to come here, late afternoon. I dried off by walking the perimeter of the lake, which is draped in forest, picking up a few locals on the way and sharing some jovial conversation in broken English. I got back to my moto driver as the sun was setting and we took the dusty ride back to the guesthouse where I had a beer Lao before taking a shower and passed on my not so expert opinion on premiership football teams to the lads working at the hotel, who were trying to decide which teams to place bets on. There is a lot of premiership football on Cambodian TV, so they watch the games they have bet on. I encouraged them greatly to make a bet on the Merseyside derby (between Liverpool and Everton for anyone who doesn't know) as it was the most uncertain fixture on the list and would make the game really exciting to watch especially with money at stake, but I think they were only interested in safer bets! I had dinner in a restaurant just over the road from the guesthouse. The restaurant was basically the front room of a family's house. The food was good and ridiculously cheap. I was served by a little girl who enjoyed smiling and when she had finished serving me she sat down to watch the TV with her little brother. It was quite a nice atmosphere actually.
