Until proven otherwise, this is the account of the first ever cycling trip through this area.

Day 1:

Meet at 4:30
Super fast transit on HW 4
Turn down kirirom road
Arrive at chambok
Set up bikes, depart
Nice road
Worse road
Terrible rocky washboard road
Several creek crossings
Secondary path
Hearing gibbons
Flat tire
Back to main path
Flat tires
Riding around a mountain range
Open plains for a bit
Purifying water
Through the forest
Dan takes a tumble, knee wound
They’re clear cutting forest
Nice logging road!
Abrupt end to logging road
Bushwacking
Found the trail
More flat tires from rock pinching
Stream crossings
Matt wins for most ground time
More forest, rocks, questionable trail
Exit the forest, wow, cows!
Small shop!!
Coke
Bridge ahead in m’plet
Through a village
Wide open area, riding fast
Another village
Pagoda
Fuel, food, water, a random truck
This is the longest m’plet ever
Where’s the stupid bridge
More village
Ahhh nice river!
Swimming!
Sleeping shelter!
You brought wine?
Couldn’t have worked out better for sleeping
Lots of farting all night
Brecht’s double gunshots after night pee

Day 2:

Beautiful trail heading out of P’oom Stung
Lost the track
Found it again, off to Kamlot
Nice bridge, avoid middle
A pagoda, must be getting close now
a couple more nice bridges
KAMLOT!
This is not as big as I imagined
Your tire repair people went where?
We have no food for you.
What about those noodles? ok.
Jolanda gathers local intel
Delicious meal
Villager repairs tire, ties piece of garbage around hole
Johns Hopkins says….
Off again, unprepared for what’s next
A couple bridges
Unoccupied ranger station + gate
Random house
Stream crossing
Purifying water
Flat tires
More river crossings
Bamboo jungle maze
steve gets lost for 20 mins
Around a mountain
Can we get to jars site from here? too risky
Down, down, down
Huge river crossing, actually same one we will later camp at night # 3
A little swim, snacks
2PM, climbing up, up, up, 100m
Walking bikes more than 50%, 200m
Bamboo arch, hitting head on it often
Carrying bikes over huge rocks, 300m
Switchbacks
Jolanda’s rear bike hub loose
Nearly out of water
Up up up, 400m
Flat tires
Water source with bones in it, gather anyway
The top!! 550m
Downhill
Clearing, snap! steve’s derailleur hanger-bolt breaks
Take chain off, continue by scooting bike along
Ridiculous down hill section as sun goes down
Must continue in case there is water
No water, camp anyway
No water, no fire
Reluctantly drink bone water
so you have a point and 14cm….
Matt has longest hammock ropes
Eat a bunch of snacks
Questionable J&B whiskey
Strange sounds in the night

Day 3:

Synchronous bowel movements
Convert steve’s bike to 1 speed
Off we go in the beautiful morning
Steve scoot/run-biking
Ack! water 500m from camp!
Nice clearing in the dewey morning
Matt takes first picture of the trip
Hit the Aurang-ChiPhat super highway
Wait a minute, this path isn’t great
Stream crossings
Purify water, Royal D
Unexpected 200m climb, pushing bikes
The top!
Steep downhill section
AMAZING downhill for 15km
Hmmm… no village there
When are we going to eat breakfast?
Signs of civilization
Stream crossings
Bridge
Random group of hiking barangs
Stream crossings
Still amazing downhill
O’MLOU AT LAST
Swim, clean, relax, oats breakfast, cliff jumping
Split up, Brecht Dan Jolanda go on ahead
Steve half on half off bike, walking bike mostly
Scorching hot sun!
Nice ride into Chi Phat village
Order food, relax
Buy water
Fix jolanda’s bike
Buy tires
Steve rents a new bike
Refreshed!
Off again, seriously, we did this?
9 km beautiful ride to river bend
Set up camp at 1.5h before sunset, a first
Leisurely cooking and camp prep
Swim, wash
Dan – fire in the middle of river please
Noodles + veggies, apple desert, more J&B + rice wine
Purifying water
Moto passes by
To sleep early
Jolanda – what is that?
Dan – two eyes and horns looking right at me!

Day 4:

Oatmeal breakfast on the rocks
Pack up camp
Beautiful start in the misty mountains
Herd of buffalo
Stream crossings
Pass camping site
Park bikes
Sore butts
Hiking
Bat cave
Disturbing the bats
Ladders up to burial jars
Lots of guano
Karma foundation discussed
Eating all the rest of our snacks
Can’t find the right trail, decide to attempt longer loop
Trail gets bad, decide to go on anyway
Trail gets better
Big hill, pushing bikes up 150m
AMAZING forest biking section
Hearing gibbons again
Stream crossing
Going up, filter water, um… we’re lost
Lets go back to the stream
Attempt a trail.. woohoo, it’s the right one.
Never see landmark campsite or waterfall
Down, down, down
Zigzag through bamboo forest
Brecht supermans into the bushes 2m in front of bike
Dan flat tire
Down, down, amazing zigzag trail
SNAP! Steve’s bike rack breaks
Reconfigure group possessions, continue
Down, down
River crossing
Purify water
Parallel to big river, going south
Big river crossing
Split up, steve+brecht bolt for chi phat to order lunch
Stop for a Coke
POP! Brecht last flat tire, grand Total 15 now
Steve races ahead
Hot sun!
Steve orders lunch
Reconvene at sugarcane juice stand
Quick swim + wash
Back to chi phat
Naam baay
Find our driver
Cross the ferry
Matt takes second picture of the trip
Dump wrecked possessions
Assessment of bruises + cuts
Back to phnom penh, the front country

Selective amnesia begins….