Cambodia - Sketches
After ending the ride all the way down the South West of Vietnam, Geert crossed the Cambodian border at Hà Tiên. After visiting Kampot, he rode North towards Battambang from where he took a boat across the massive Tonlé Sap lake to Siem Reap, home of Angkor Wat. After visiting the old Khmer temple complex, he rode East to reconnect with the Mekong at Kampong Cham.
He then rode to Kratie where he was given a map of a mountainbike trail on the island of Koh Rougniev. After riding there all day, he got lost, due to the sudden absence of trail markers and getting bogged down in deep loose river sand. He rested and slept a bit by sitting against a tree with only half a bottle of water.
The next morning he was found unconscious by a local on a scooter who chained his bike to a tree and took him to a homestead where islander women washed him, fed him fresh fruit and re-hydrated him.
A riverboat then took him to the town of Kratie where he was admitted to the hospital where he took blood tests, and stayed until his discharge the next day, after which he rested a few days in a hotel. He could then continue his journey.
His stay at the Kratie hospital left an incredible impression on him and led to a fundraiser for the hospital once he returned to Australia.