4 December 2022, Sunday
And just like that, we have come to the last full day of the trip. After a hearty breakfast, we left our hotel at 7:37am and reached our starting point 10 minutes later. After the usual warm ups, we started cycling at 8am, for one last time.
As with previous days, we rode on red earth tracks, cycling past many more local villages and farmlands. It was a cloudy day, with the temperature a cool 25 degrees C. It was a very relaxed ride and I just tried to enjoy every moment of it while it lasted.
At 9:10am, we took a 15-minute break, where we gathered around a table and had a good laugh as we ate fruits and snacks. We carried on cycling for a short while more but before long, it was all over at 10:35am. It was a short ride today – only 29km. In all, we covered around 300km over seven days of cycling. It wasn’t too intense after all.
At the finishing point, we gave out three cheers to all who helped make the cycling trip a success – from the organisers to the guides to the support personnel. The tour had proceeded as smoothly as it could have gone, with no major injuries and everyone safe and sound. It was a bittersweet moment as I dismounted from my bicycle for the last time, as I knew I would miss the experience so much.
At 11:05am, we boarded the bus and proceeded to our final place for sightseeing. After a 45-minute bus ride, we arrived at Beng Mealea temple. Beng Mealea is located about 60km away from Siem Reap town and the main cluster of temples at Angkor. Because of its remote location, it attracts much fewer visitors and is not as well-known as the other temples.
Built in the 12th century during King Suryavarman II’s reign, Beng Mealea has a similar floor plan as Angkor Wat but it is smaller in size than its famous counterpart. Like Angkor Wat, Beng Mealea is surrounded by a large moat, measuring 1,025 metres by 875 metres and 45 metres wide. It was also built as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu.
After passing the temple ticket control, we walked across the long causeway to reach the main temple complex. Along the way, we saw a signboard stating that the area had been cleared of 438 anti-personnel mines since work started on 1 January 2003. Apparently, Beng Mealea was part of Khmer Rouge’s stronghold for many years and it was a very dangerous place to visit. It has only become suitable for tourists to access in recent years after the site was cleared of landmines.
Beng Mealea is sometimes known as the Jungle Temple because it was virtually overtaken by the jungle before its rediscovery in the 19th century, and it remains largely unrestored till this day. Visitor access has been improved with a sturdy wooden walkway that was built for the filming of the 2004 film Two Brothers. However, there are no interpretive signboards anywhere.
If you thought Ta Prohm was wild, Beng Mealea is even more authentic and untouched. The sight that greeted us when we reached the main east entrance was a pile of rubble stacked unceremoniously on the ground. The set of two naga statues guarding the entrance were still intact but they were detached from their balustrades. One naga was placed on the ground while the other lay forlornly beside a pile of collapsed sandstone beams.
Beng Mealea is also overrun by towering trees and they were no less impressive than those found at Ta Prohm. Several of the trees were growing on top of the building structures, with their roots spreading like cobwebs across the surfaces of the buildings. The deeper I walked into the temple, the more I felt like I was stepping into a real-life Indiana Jones movie set.
Besides our group, there was only a bunch of other locals and children. Evidently, this was their regular hangout and playground. Due to the lack of tourists and other visitors, it felt like we had the entire place to ourselves. I had a good time exploring the temple and taking many photos from various angles. Unfortunately, it was a cloudy day so the lighting wasn’t that great and the photos turned out rather flat. As usual, it will be best to visit early in the morning or late afternoon, when the sun is angled and it will cast shadows to create some dramatic looking shots.
We spent about an hour touring Beng Mealea. I loved that it was deserted and untouched, like a hidden gem yet to be infiltrated by mass tourism. If you have visited Ta Prohm and the other famous Angkor temples, you should definitely make a trip to Beng Mealea, and come early in the morning if possible. It is a little far out, but well worth the effort to get here.
Following our temple visit, we had a simple lunch at a restaurant nearby. At 1:28pm, we left the restaurant and drove back to our hotel, arriving at 2:48pm. After a shower, a few of us headed out at 3:30pm for a massage at Real Spa, which was recommended by Hun. After seven days of cycling, it was time to pamper ourselves. I went for a 60-minute full body oil massage, which cost US$21 (S$28.56) after discount. I liked that they offered a choice of oils (orange, lemongrass, jasmine or lavender), but not so much that the massage was done in a shared room.
After finishing my massage at 5pm, I walked to Pub Street to grab a bite as I was hungry. I settled on Temple restaurant because it was conveniently located at the heart of Pub Street. The food was not fantastic, but it did its job. I ordered a chicken cordon bleu for US$8.50 (S$11.56) and a glass of Anchor beer for US$0.75 (S$1.02). Beer is super cheap here!
Following that, I walked around Pub Street to soak up the atmosphere. I wasn’t really looking for things to buy because I had been here twice before, in 2012 and 2018. As I walked past a row of shops in one of the quieter side streets, I came across a shop called LyLy Art Painting, where a young man was seated at the entrance, painting. I was captivated by his painting of the enigmatic smiling Buddha at Bayon temple. We started talking and I found out that he was actually painting on a shirt, not canvas. I told him that his paintings were beautiful and I was interested to buy one of his shirts. He said that he was using fabric paint for his shirts, and assured me that the colour wouldn’t run in the wash.
He shared more about himself. He told me that his name was Ponlue, and the name of the shop, Lyly, was actually his sister’s name. In fact, the shop belonged to his sister. He used to have his own stall at one of the markets in Siem Reap but unfortunately, he had to close it down because of Covid-19. After the pandemic, he took over his sister’s shop to sell his paintings and shirts.
As I walked around the shop, I saw many designs that I loved – the overgrown tree at Ta Prohm and the majestic elephants were really beautiful. But I was still enamoured by the smiling Buddha image and luckily for me, I found one on a white shirt. I tried it on and it fit me perfectly. That piece spoke to me and I knew instantly that it was the one. I didn’t even bargain much, and paid US$20 (S$27.20) for it, even though my friends later told me that I overpaid. But to me, I felt that I was buying a piece of art, not a shirt, and that was how much I valued it.
Ponlue then asked me to pick one of his small watercolour postcard paintings, and said he was giving it to me for free. I chose the one of Angkor Wat, which was really nice. I thanked him for his kindness and wished him all the best for his art and business. After that, I took a remorque ride (US$2/S$2.72) back to the hotel.
As it was the final night of the trip, UJ called for a meeting to wrap things up. As more members streamed in to the hotel lobby for the 7pm meeting, they saw the new white shirt that I was wearing. They commented that it was nice and asked me where I bought it from. I told them about Ponlue’s shop, and promised to take them there later. Good things must share!
Once everyone was present, the meeting commenced and we performed a roll call for the very last time. It was a ritual that we did every day before the start of the day’s cycling and whenever we restarted after a break, or were about to move off on the bus. UJ then kicked off the meeting by thanking the various people who helped make the trip a success. He also shared that he was currently in discussions with Hun to organise a cycling trip to Myanmar next. Ooh, so exciting! After that, the floor was opened to anyone who wished to say anything at all.
Various members spoke up. It was all unscripted and from the heart. It was very heartwarming to hear the appreciation, love and respect that we had for each other. 10 days ago, most of us were strangers. But now, having gone through the long rides (both on bicycles and on bus), lunches, dinners and many other memorable moments together, we were truly like family.
I also said some words to the group. I expressed my sincere thanks, firstly to UJ and GJ for inviting me to come along for this trip. It turned out to be such a wonderful experience that I will never forget. I also thanked everybody for accepting me as part of the family even though I was the only Singaporean in the group.
After everyone had the chance to speak, it was time to party. We headed over to the hotel’s bar and ordered drinks. The atmosphere felt like a graduation party – happy but bittersweet at the same time, because we knew that we would be going our separate ways in a few hours’ time.
Once we were done with the first round of drinks, a few of us headed out again to Pub Street for a late dinner, while the rest of the guys continued with their drinks at the hotel. I booked a Grab Remorque (7,000 riels / S$2.37) with GJ, SA and UK and I brought them to LyLy, as SA wanted to buy a shirt with a similar design as mine. However, there was no other ready piece at the shop, so Ponlue offered to paint one right away and deliver it to our hotel later that night at 11pm. We then left LyLy’s and joined the rest of the group for dinner at Elia Greek Kitchen restaurant. (Unfortunately, the shirt that Ponlue painted on was the wrong size and there was not enough time to paint a new piece and get it dry, so SA did not manage to get the shirt in the end.)
After we were done with dinner, some of the members headed back to the hotel. As it was the last night, I decided to join DP, JNV, AC and AC’s friend for another round of drinks at a cocktail bar called Miss Wong. The décor was vintage oriental and it was a very cool place. We had fun just chatting and laughing the night away.
At 11:25pm, I booked a Grab tuk tuk (6,200 riels / S$2.11) back to the hotel with DP and JNV, while AC and her friend went to another place for more drinks. I don’t know how these young people do it, but I was exhausted by then! Not to mention, a little tipsy, haha. I showered and plonked on my bed soon after. And that brought Day 10 to a wonderful and satisfying end.
Day 11 – Siem Reap / Singapore
5 December 2022, Monday
After breakfast, the first batch of group members departed the hotel at 7:30am. They had booked a minibus to go to Ho Chi Minh City, where they would stay for a night before flying off to their respective destinations. At 8am, it was my turn to go. I said my goodbyes to the remaining members, and hopped on my Grab tuk tuk to the airport. The ride took around 10 minutes. The fare on Grab was 16,400 riels but I handed the driver a 20,000 riel (S$6.80) note, to use up my riels.
As I was on a budget, I chose an indirect Vietnam Airlines flight instead of a direct Singapore Airlines flight. The first leg from Siem Reap to Ho Chi Minh City was operated by Cambodia Angkor Airlines and my K6808 flight departed Siem Reap at 10:30am. The flight took around 1 hour 15 minutes and I touched down at HCMC at 11:43am.
I made use of my Priority Pass membership and went to the Apricot Business Lounge to chill and have a meal. The lounge was quite nice and it had a good view of the runway. I helped myself to a bowl of beef pho and a plate of spaghetti because, why not?
At 2:15pm, I departed HCMC on my Vietnam Airlines flight VN655 and touched down at Changi Airport Terminal 4 in Singapore at 5:01pm. As the plane taxied towards the terminal building, I saw the familiar and iconic airport control tower and I knew…I was home.
Closing Thoughts
It had been a marvellous trip. I enjoyed cycling through the villages and farmlands and seeing the smiles on the locals’ faces as we rode by their houses. We went to places that we wouldn’t normally go on our own and got a real sense of how the locals lived their lives. Being on bicycles allowed us to see things from a different perspective, and I felt a great sense of achievement knowing that we covered all that distance using our own body’s muscles and strength.
Besides the cycling, I also enjoyed the bonding with the other group members over meals, R&R and pockets of informal interactions. By the end of the trip, we had become close like family, and it was with a real tinge of sadness when we said our goodbyes. Hopefully, we get to meet again and do another trip like this in the future.
I was very happy that I fulfilled my dream of completing a bike trip on my 40th birthday year. Even though it wasn’t what I envisioned initially (my original plan was to do the cycling trip in Taiwan with my cycling buddies), it turned out to be just as awesome. I made new friends, gained new perspectives and saw some spectacular sights. The trip also boosted my confidence about group cycling and road cycling, and whetted my appetite for more.
Thank you to all the group members who were part of the amazing experience. The 10 days we spent in Vietnam and Cambodia will always remain dear to me. Till we meet again, take care!