Where We’re Going, We Don’t Need Brakes. Which Is Fortunate, Because You Don’t Really Have Them

Spent the afternoon cycling around Tam Coc on an otherwise good bicycle with sod-all happening in the brake department, rented from the homestay.

But first, some morning coffee.

I’d meant to take pictures of the river at the far end of the homestay compound, but it took a while before I could take them without looking creepy.

The river might not always be that muddy; There was a pontoon with a digger on it doing something with the river bank. But I get the idea that this whole area is actively drained, based on the number of rivers and water control mechanisms that I can see, so maybe it always looks like that.

Had breakfast in the homestay; Fried rice with egg, plus coffee. Because coffee.

First order of business in the outside world was to top up my supply of Vietnamese cash, which is always a weird experience, because the currency clearly had a period of inflation at some point, and so the ATMs top out at 5 million dong. Which is about US$200.

In the afternoon, a bit later than I’d originally planned, I rented a bike from the home stay and went riding wherever I could go. It was great, though the back brake did absolutely nothing, and the front could be best described as ‘reluctant’.

I’d already walked pretty much everywhere it felt sensible to walk, and so this was my way of extending my range.

I’m sure that in terms of riding efficiency & power, the upright bike isn’t that great. But for riding along and looking at the scenery, it’s fantastic.

I stopped for a break at a place called Pet Cafe, so called because they had a lot of cats living there.

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Eventually I’d had my fill of cycling for the day, and I had some things that needed doing, so I took the bike back.

Booked a flight from Siem Reap to Bangkok, thus avoiding the “half the visa waiver time if you come in by land” rule, which I’m assuming is there to make visa runs more difficult. Checking the Cambodian eVisa, they don’t care how you leave the country, just that you do, so all good there.

And if I’m wrong, and they do care? Well, I did all the research I possibly could, checked everything I could find, so if I’m wrong, I guess I’ll be adding “Deported From Cambodia” to my travel résumé.

Decided to go out for dinner, and in a fit of I don’t know what, felt like pizza+beer, which turned out to be much better than the place in Cat Ba.

Another good day, I think.