Day 7 (Mondulkiri – Phnom Penh)
The bad thing about riding before sunrise is the cold. I had my jacket zipped up to my neck and yet I could not ride faster than 30km/h without trembling. But the reward is you get the road to yourself. So despite the freezing winds, I would say it’s my favorite time of the day for riding. Besides, there is the sunrise to look forward to. You know that as the sun rises, you would get warmer. Knowing that things will get better puts me in a good mood. What about the blazing afternoon sun? Well, it gives me a good tan and a good sweat. I like to think that I can slim down in this way.
The plan today was to ride all the way from Sen Monorom back to Phnom Penh. The distance might look great but I was able to make good pace because of the good-conditioned tarmac roads. I left my guesthouse at 6am and reached Suong at 11am . As I didn’t want the repeat the roads I have taken, I turned left for highway 11 instead of continuing west to Kampong Cham. Besides, I heard Prey Veng has some nice rubber plantations by the roads which would make for a pleasant ride.