help help !! re: cambodia dirt bike tours.

[sally_who]

Hi All..

 

I need some help, tips or advice or whatever input u guys can gimme.

 

Im planning to go Cambodia and while im there i was thinking of going on the ever-so-enticing off- road Dirt Bike Tours for the 2 days 1 night/ 3 days 2 night trips.

 

Besides illegally testing out friend's WRs or DRZs on the HDB carparks, I've never really rode these bikes before, what more on those terrains. I just ride a humble rxz.

 

and so, have anyone tag along these tours? My worries is (besides that im going alone and im a girl) is that i may get ripped off. Like in thailand where they try to squeeze out every single penny out of tourists for damages that they didnt even know they have incurred.

 

cambodia- siem reap.

 

so a lil help here..

[three]

Its a bit difficult for a lady to go there alone. But if you are only going to seam reap, its a relatively safe place. Its a very small town, you can practically walk from one end to the other. I never tried renting bikes before because i rode there. One thing to take note is, you cannot ride your bike into Angkor Wat or any other Wat area unless you are a local. Also, bring along the N95 Face mask if you are riding.

 

Would remind you to be extra careful if you decide to rent a bike there. The flow of traffic are the opposites. Traffic lights usually does not apply to them and large vehicles( especially Hummers) have the right of way. Vehicles going against the flow of traffic are a common sight there.

 

If you are involved in an accident with another bike and the other party is in the wrong. The best is to quick move on and do not wait for the police to come. The police will insist that its you who are going to pay up because you are a foreigner who is richer that the locals.

 

But if you are going to phnom Penh and want to rent a bike, try going to :

Flying Bikes

http://www.yellowpages-cambodia.com/automotive/motorcycles-sales/flying-bikes-shop-8567.html

 

Look for Pove, a very nice guy with lots of singaporean friends. :)

 

Do plan your riding trip well. A 100km journey will take more than 2 hours provided you are not lost along the way. So start early.

 

Anyway, couple of pics to show condition of roads there. Will be worst if its the monsoon season.

[sally_who]

thats some interesting pictures! (and u ACTUALLY rode there all the way from singapore????)

 

well im actually planning to follow like a tour such as these.. http://www.dancingroads.com/

http://www.hiddencambodia.com/biking.htm

so i dun really have to "plan" for anything.. just have to follow them.. some did mention about riding to the whatever "wat"- or those lara croft lost temples area. i dun know if they are reliable and like i mention, i worry if they overcharge me

 

and im planning to stay for 2 weeks, so im definitely renting a bike for the duration of my stay.. hence thanks for that tip.

 

and does this Pove guy does like tours and all? cuz my objective is to experience riding these dirt bikes on the off beaten tracks..

 

and i just googled! its not the monsoon season going on end on nov

[three]

A lot of riders have been to cambodia. No great feat.

 

OH.. well, if your are following such tours, then there should be no problem. Contact them ASAP so that arrangements on their side can be made. Confirm the price before going there.

 

If you are going to the WAT areas, get a tuk tuk and wear long sleeve collared t shirt with long cotton pants. Don't be like the angmohs who wear shorts and singlets. If the heat doesn't bother you, the mosquitoes will. To cover 6 wats, its gonna take you at least 4 hours. In fact, Angkor Wat itself will take more than 1hr.

 

2 weeks is a very long stay. What are the places which you intend to visit?

 

Go to the library and borrow a book on cambodia. You will get much more tips there.

 

A pic of the place where Tomb Raider shooting took place. And also one of the Wat which i managed to sneak in enroute to AngLong Veng(pol pot grave). hehe

Edited September 23, 2009 by three

[zyrofillica]

if you want a more familiar and closer riding environment with basic skills on riding off the beaten track pls visit

 

http://www.tristangroup.com/

 

run by singaporeans and its only 20 mins away from singapore. might consider going for this first to pick up some tips/skills before you do your actual ride in cambodia~

[sally_who]

yeah i heard of tristan...! in fact just last week my fren mentioned it.. and i had thoughts of trying it out- hopefully somewhere in the next month

 

(omg im gonna be so0o0ooo broke)

 

and 2 weeks is not that long considering what my intentions are.

 

anyway. it doesn't solve my pending worries about getting ripped off in terms of $$. ok so i lack the knowledge of whats what on a bike. and if they come up with some technical terms that i spoiled this and that bla bla and im put in a spot.. jialat.. ill never make it back home.. haha..

 

ive had some bad baaaad experience for eg in koh phangan where they tried to squeeze every penny out of us (well my fren fell of the bike- some minor scratches and paints chipped off) and they refused to give back our passports until we pay up. (yes yes lesson learnt- dun EVER give out ur passport no matter what)

[plasticblackspecs]

Well, good news is. That road. Finally paved. This year April or May done already.

 

But you wanna go Cambodia do dirt riding.....I dunno. A bit boring rite? The last time I was there, was so so only. I prefer Laos. Heee

[sally_who]

road? what road? u meant the one posted by three..? shucks man. thats not good news. id love to get all stuck and dirty sounds like fun.

 

well plasticblackspecs its goes like this. im planning to go cambodia. and while im at it, id love to try out dirt riding. its not the other way round where i wanna do dirt riding thats why i choose to go cambodia. get it?

[three]

Well, good news is. That road. Finally paved. This year April or May done already.

 

But you wanna go Cambodia do dirt riding.....I dunno. A bit boring rite? The last time I was there, was so so only. I prefer Laos. Heee

 

Which road was paved?

[plasticblackspecs]

road? what road? u meant the one posted by three..? shucks man. thats not good news. id love to get all stuck and dirty sounds like fun.

 

well plasticblackspecs its goes like this. im planning to go cambodia. and while im at it, id love to try out dirt riding. its not the other way round where i wanna do dirt riding thats why i choose to go cambodia. get it?

 

Oh, hahaha. Sorry, didn't read the whole post properly. Ok la the roads there. All very clean. Just that traffic is a beech and if you think taxi drivers are bad? The drivers there are worse.

 

Which road was paved?

 

The road from border to Siam Reap. I forgot wat's the border called. Poipet? The one between Thailand and Cambodia.

 

Last time I was there, we took about 6 hours to travel 150km. The locals, when they heard said it was very fast. Normally it'll take 10-12 hours. Now, 1-1 1/2 hrs can reach. Tarmac all the way! But dunno if the road will last or if they can maintain it after one cycle of season.

[zyrofillica]

hO my gawd. if you are going to do it with a bunch of inexperienced friends, make sure you bring a gps phone and have gps/map with u. make sure the rental service has rescue services by phone~ best is for the guide to ride with you on your trip. money lost is one thing, but the last thing u would want is getting caught in an unfamiliar/dangerous situation.

[plasticblackspecs]

Oh yea, Sally, which part of Cambodia you going?

 

Three: Which part of Cambodia was that road you posted at?

[plasticblackspecs]

Hhahaa. Again, sorry for not reading thru everything properly. at work la. Can only do glimpse and hits. Well Sally, scramblers, if you're planning to ride one there handles different. Coupled together with the roads, it'll be a challenge but fun nonetheless.

 

I made friends with one of the locals there at Siam Reap. He's very friendly and got us pretty good and cheap rooms. Plus he has a very good command of English and loves helping people. Ex-police, ex-tour guide, now humble stall owner. If you want I can pass you his contact. I need to find his name card first. Yes. He has one. heee. I think can ask him for info enough that you won't get ripped off. He calls himself Mr. Bean though -.-

 

We were lucky cos he's the first food stall we decided to park ourself at 2am after riding thru that tremendously bad road at night. Pitch black man!

 

End Nov is a good time. Weather is excellent. I'm going up too mid Dec but not going Cambodia. No time. Don't mind much though. Personally I dun fancy it much. But though I'd give Mr. Bean a visit and have some Happy Pizza

 

Three: My friend and I actually rode into Ang Kor Wat ley. But we got stopped by their local police and had to park our bikes there and then ride out later. After doing our visits of course.

 

Oh and you managed to get to Pol Pot's grave? How's the road conditions to there? Wanted to go but as usual, lack of time.

[three]

The road from border to Siam Reap. I forgot wat's the border called. Poipet? The one between Thailand and Cambodia.

 

Yes there is a border called poipet, thai side is called aranyanprathet. Its where the casinos are. The other border Pattaya is Koh Kong. The last time I went there was in Nov 2008. Entered thru poipet, Still mud tracks and the bridges are almost complete. Only 20% of the journey are newly tarred roads.

 

Must be the ministers or NGOs who insist on paving the roads to cut their traveling time going to the casinos.

 

Anyway Sally, dun worry about the roads. Just go and ride. But please bring along your own full face helmet.

[plasticblackspecs]

Yes there is a border called poipet, thai side is called aranyanprathet. Its where the casinos are. The other border Pattaya is Koh Kong. The last time I went there was in Nov 2008. Entered thru poipet, Still mud tracks and the bridges are almost complete. Only 20% of the journey are newly tarred roads.

 

Must be the ministers or NGOs who insist on paving the roads to cut their traveling time going to the casinos.

 

Anyway Sally, dun worry about the roads. Just go and ride. But please bring along your own full face helmet.

 

Ah yes, Aranyanprathet. I keep thinking Ayam Penyet. hahaha. I was there 2008 too. But 1st 2 weeks of Dec. Yea, roads were sheets. The casino area was bloody dodgy, like anytime someone will come out and force fed you ballon filled cocaine to smuggle thru like that. And after coming of the custom area, wah lao, imagine at night, it looked like some war torn country. Drum barrels of fire, rumble roads. The kind anytime a tank will drive by kind. Dogs barking here and there, babies crying in the distance. Smoke, dust and haze everywhere. My friend asked if wanted to re-group there, I told him no, let's go up further first.

 

Then go up, besides the road being bad and no lights, you start seeing accidents at the side, people crowding around an over turned car staring at the bleeding driver, ambulance will take 10 hrs to arrive. And as you go even deeper, all sudden in the dark, you'll see just one guy standing there watching you go by. And that happens a few times.

 

Wahahaha....I think mostly my imagination la but it's some what close. Heee. The pictures I took all came out black. lol

[sally_who]

ahahahaha.. come on plasticblackspecs!! all black??

and i just loo0oooVe the description of cambodia u just mentioned in ur last post. makes me wanna be a journalist or photographer (but WITH a flash of course )

 

i can see u guys are a bunch of experienced erm travellers? bikers? travellers on bikes? bikers traveling?

nevertheless, thats great really. altho i may have some (if not alot) of interest in going on long extended trips on bikes. however these kinda passion requires time and money (which unfortunately i lack in both..boo hoo hoo..)

 

ok so here goes. im going on a shoe string budget.. (hence im traveling light- so no room for fullface helmet... .. not that i have one anyway) and my purpose is to do some humanitarian work in probably some orphanage or teach in school or something. so on the weekends in between was thinking of going for the dirt biking.. but if its so mafan - then i may as well scrape the idea.. but then again i might not

 

and zyrofillica im gg alone.

[plasticblackspecs]

ahahahaha.. come on plasticblackspecs!! all black??

and i just loo0oooVe the description of cambodia u just mentioned in ur last post. makes me wanna be a journalist or photographer (but WITH a flash of course )

 

i can see u guys are a bunch of experienced erm travellers? bikers? travellers on bikes? bikers traveling?

nevertheless, thats great really. altho i may have some (if not alot) of interest in going on long extended trips on bikes. however these kinda passion requires time and money (which unfortunately i lack in both..boo hoo hoo..)

 

ok so here goes. im going on a shoe string budget.. (hence im traveling light- so no room for fullface helmet... .. not that i have one anyway) and my purpose is to do some humanitarian work in probably some orphanage or teach in school or something. so on the weekends in between was thinking of going for the dirt biking.. but if its so mafan - then i may as well scrape the idea.. but then again i might not

 

and zyrofillica im gg alone.

 

 

hahaha...really. cos it was so dark. if I use flash, it'll just be one chunk of reflective light, can't see much. Managed to get A BIT of shots la. When I put up the pics I'll let you know. Been slacking so much that almost a year has passed since I got all the pics (both mine and my friend's) together. So much that I think we can post our this yr's trip together too. haha

 

Why not just rent a kup kia and bounce along the streets? It's durable and can go thru the roughess terrain.

 

Any plans to upgrade license

[kmax]

PBS... hard to explain all in words... and post up some pic

 

here's PBS and Ansmania's trip report..

 

http://www.singaporebikes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=240308

 

here's one of recent trip report..

 

http://www.singaporebikes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=240308

[plasticblackspecs]

Not mine la. I haven't even post. hahhaa. anyhow.

[zyrofillica]

ahahahaha.. come on plasticblackspecs!! all black??

and i just loo0oooVe the description of cambodia u just mentioned in ur last post. makes me wanna be a journalist or photographer (but WITH a flash of course )

 

i can see u guys are a bunch of experienced erm travellers? bikers? travellers on bikes? bikers traveling?

nevertheless, thats great really. altho i may have some (if not alot) of interest in going on long extended trips on bikes. however these kinda passion requires time and money (which unfortunately i lack in both..boo hoo hoo..)

 

ok so here goes. im going on a shoe string budget.. (hence im traveling light- so no room for fullface helmet... .. not that i have one anyway) and my purpose is to do some humanitarian work in probably some orphanage or teach in school or something. so on the weekends in between was thinking of going for the dirt biking.. but if its so mafan - then i may as well scrape the idea.. but then again i might not

 

and zyrofillica im gg alone.

 

going alone? Wow u are brave. A female riding alone in foreign roads in a undeveloped country when u have no experience at all. Really brave . i know i may sound naggy, but try to find a experienced travel buddy or at least someone willing to follow you on your riding tours and always make sure u have emergency backups.

[sally_who]

brave. or really just plain stupidity..

 

thanks kmax. very informative..! like this thread and most i found, is of ppl riding their bikes all the way there. i wanna know about ppl who was there to rent their bikes and follow their trail...

 

and i do wanna rent a bike for my daily usage but the one i mentioned above is like "over the weekend activity"

 

and upgrading of license.. hmm.. attempted my 2A 2 years ago but lack motivation to finish it. at the moment contented with my run-down rxz

 

yeah maybe i should open to invite ppl who wanna go..if cambodia is somewhat boring, id cross the border to laos if its more exciting.

 

28-29 nov weekend. yeah the one with the friday public holiday for hari raya haji. anyone??

(maybe i should just start a new thread )

[Motovation Accessory]

Hi, btw. We have our own group of guys heading to Cambodia to ride Off-Road in Cambodia. Its better you have alittle experience on road. We just did a trip in June 2009 and its was great and the guys over there took care of us well.

 

If you wish to know more can PM us.

 

Cheers

 

 

Hi All..

 

I need some help, tips or advice or whatever input u guys can gimme.

 

Im planning to go Cambodia and while im there i was thinking of going on the ever-so-enticing off- road Dirt Bike Tours for the 2 days 1 night/ 3 days 2 night trips.

 

Besides illegally testing out friend's WRs or DRZs on the HDB carparks, I've never really rode these bikes before, what more on those terrains. I just ride a humble rxz.

 

and so, have anyone tag along these tours? My worries is (besides that im going alone and im a girl) is that i may get ripped off. Like in thailand where they try to squeeze out every single penny out of tourists for damages that they didnt even know they have incurred.

 

cambodia- siem reap.

 

so a lil help here..

[plasticblackspecs]

brave. or really just plain stupidity..

 

thanks kmax. very informative..! like this thread and most i found, is of ppl riding their bikes all the way there. i wanna know about ppl who was there to rent their bikes and follow their trail...

 

and i do wanna rent a bike for my daily usage but the one i mentioned above is like "over the weekend activity"

 

and upgrading of license.. hmm.. attempted my 2A 2 years ago but lack motivation to finish it. at the moment contented with my run-down rxz

 

yeah maybe i should open to invite ppl who wanna go..if cambodia is somewhat boring, id cross the border to laos if its more exciting.

 

28-29 nov weekend. yeah the one with the friday public holiday for hari raya haji. anyone??

(maybe i should just start a new thread )

 

 

Just do it! Both the trip and your class 2A. what's the worse that can happen to you? You fall down and scrape your knees? :P:P

[sally_who]

Just do it! Both the trip and your class 2A. what's the worse that can happen to you? You fall down and scrape your knees? :P:P

 

haha.. either that or i break a bone-get admitted in their local hospital - and waking up with one missing kidney.. selling it at the black market for $3000..

[plasticblackspecs]

Forget riding la. Go Happy Pizza. The get on a kup and float around the town. hahah