MTB trails open up more Angkor sites

PHNOM PENH, 12 November 2012: Essentials for a rewarding tour of Cambodia’s Angkor Wat are personal fitness if you walk, or bike the tour, and a knowledgeable guide who can speak your language. Without a guide the vast historical park turns into a puzzling maze. Actually, walking around Angkor Wat is fine, but if you want to explore the hundred thousand hectares of the wider Angkor complex, then a bike is the faster and a more convenient option. The lazy way is to sit in a mini-bus or a Tuk-Tuk and be driven from one site to the next, but that is not much fun. “It would be good if you could lead us through back roads,” my travel companion and owner of Bike and Travel, Tanin Rittavirun, asked his local partner, Travel Loops, just a day before we set off on the day-long cycling trip. I was the rookie so riding back roads or highways did not make much difference for me, but Mr Tanin is the expert, a pioneer of cycle tours in the Mekong second to none. He has cycled around Siem Reap many times so he wants to see the area from a different perspective if that is possible. And he is always on the lookout for leads or new elements to add to his Siem Reap tours. The next morning a smiling Mr Chay meets us, clad in a Cambodian tour guide’s uniform – a khaki long-sleeve shirt tugged neatly in navy blue slacks with an official badge of tour guide certified by the Ministry of Tourism. He immediately apologises that we cannot ride the back roads because the guide who knows the way is not available. Instead, he will take us for a ride along the city wall of Angkor Thom. We raise our eyebrows, but yeah, it sounds pretty cool! truly ‘off’-road. ‘Keep the best for last’, was how the route unravelled as our expedition covered a maze of ancient ruins. Chay a Siem Reap native grew up at the edge of the archaeological park so he knows the ancient monuments like his own backyard. He has decided to lead us to the East Gate of Angkor Thom, the least visited gate. It is also called the Gate of the Dead for a very simple reason. It was the exit gate to rid the city of corpses of residents who had died in the city. The East Gate is 500 metres south of the Victory Gate, the second most visited gate that links Angkor Thom with Takeo and Ta Phrom. The busiest gate is the South Gate that opens on to the courtyard garden of Angkor Wat. Its causeway railing is fashioned with stone figures of demons and devas on each side depicting a scene from the Hindu myth of the Churning of the Ocean. The 9 sq km Ankgor Thom is enclosed by a 12 km long city wall, stretching 3 km on each side and standing 8 metres high flanked by a moat. There are gates at each of the corner cardinals, from which roads lead to the Bayon at the centre of the city. Each gate features faces looking in four directions like the tower in Bayon, which may have represented King Jayavarman VII, the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, guardian of the empire’s cardinal points, or some combination of these. The shady dirt road leads to the East Gate is deadly quiet if not for the sound of birds and the leaves of overhanging trees muttering in the wind. The gate itself is in fair condition, but the stairs have long gone. To ascend, cyclists have to carry their bikes up the dirt slope on the right, inner side of the wall. Chay said this trail is used by locals who search for forest products. The cycling distance is around 3 km from the East Gate to the South Gate. Half way at the corner, we arrive at the Prasat Chrung – a corner shrine built of sandstone. Prasart Chrung were built at every corner of the city wall dedicated to Avalokiteshvara. Up on the wall trail, I do not feel I am on a parapet of the city as we are surrounded by high trees overlooking the edges of the historical park. But we are at a considerable height from the ground especially when riding a MTB. Though I have been riding a bicycle since I was 5 years old this is my first experience riding gravel paths. Adding to the fear factor, the narrow forest trail is high above ground with tree roots, rocks and over hanging tree branches at just the right height to give us a nasty bump on the head. Before climbing up to the wall, Chay takes us through the forest of Ta Phrom as an orientation. We enter Ta Phrom from one gate and ride through the forest to exit at another gate. It is bumpy and rocky with tree root obstacles, but at ground level. Plenty of bruises to show for the experience, but no bones broken. “Don’t look at the front wheel. Look straight ahead; then you will be all right,” Mr Tanin coaches me. Yeah, I tryt o remember that but when the trail goes close to the edge, I steer the bike right into a thorn bush..wahhhh. As I free myself from the thorns, I can at least enjoy the view from this vantage point. The Siem Reap River is very clear in the distance which I think is quite awesome. It would be the view seen by the royal guard stationed on the wall. Despite the difficulties mainly caused by my inexperience, I cast my vote for this adventure. It might not be as exciting as Lara Croft’s visits in search of ancient relics, but it certainly adds an unusual flavor to the trip to Angkor. For most visitors Angkor is a complex maze of stones and history viewed from an air-conditioned bus. We got to see it from a cycle saddle and the slow tempo away from the tourist crowds gave us a new perspective of the famous historical park. Top notch experience. Sourced: ttrweekly