Biking the temples

On our first day of our temple pass (you can buy a ticket for one, three or seven days, we chose three), we decided to rent bikes. The main ruin complex is only about 10km from Siem Reap, and this seemed like a great way to see the area.

You may ask: just what was I, a protective mom, doing putting my kids onto rickety mountain bikes with disfunctional brakes, unpadded seats, and no bike helmets and sending them out to ride on Cambodian roads? I asked myself that too. But, unlike Seattle, drivers really do watch out for cyclists. They expect them, and there are very clear (unstated) rules, for who has the right of way. In many ways, it felt safer than riding at home where those in cars don't even seem to notice those on bikes.

On the way there, the ride was great. A little longer than expected, but we got to see the country side a bit, and be more a part of it. Very romantic. We then explored several temple areas, taking far more time than we'd planned. We started to head to the next temple, but concluded that our original plan had been much too ambitious, and between R's tourist tummy, and the heat, we needed to get home. We of course decided to go the long way, and by the time we were only half way home, we'd had it. Unfortunately, there was nothing to do but keep riding, and so we did. I've been sitting gingerly for two days now.