My near death experience in the Cardamoms
Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2014 6:33 pm
Ok, I'm exaggerating a bit, but I had an interesting experience a little while back and thought I'd share it. Forgive me if the writing is a bit dull, narratives have never been one of my strong points. It's a very long read by forum standards, so not really for those with short attention spans (and definitely not something you'd want to read on a smartphone screen). It'll likely also be a snorefest for those who aren't into this kind of stuff. Anyways, if you haven't been put off yet: read on.
To give a bit of background information: I've camped/hiked in Cambodia before. I'm also a decent dirt-biker. I'm no expert by any means, but I've done most of the classic trails that organized tours bring their guests on. I've also done a lot of random trails which one often discovers in Cambodia. Usually I ride alone. Speed isn't my goal, just trying to have fun, stopping to take some scenery pictures and so on. I'm not into riding ultra-technical trails or trying to top my previous times. I usually try to stay in guesthouses, but I've also camped or arranged to stay at a villager's house (with the village chief's blessing) several times in the past. I say this just so people know that this wasn't my first ride out. Anyways, this time around, I decided to do a somewhat famous trail which runs deep in the Cardamoms. Had a full service done on the bike, got some new knobby tires and because I wanted to save them of premature wear from paved roads, loaded the bike on a minivan at Psah Depot and off we went to my starting point.
The next morning, a bit before the trail started, I asked villagers about the road conditions. They said it was really bad (full of rocks is what they said, more on that later), but none of them had done it before, so I took their info with a grain of salt. So after lounging by a river for a bit, I set off a bit before noon.
Upon leaving the last village, the trail started getting smaller/narrower and the odd houses eventually stopped appearing completely. A few crops (mainly bananas) could still be spotted for a few hundred meters, but after a river crossing, these too disappeared. The jungle had started.
The trail was lots of fun, but a bit annoying. Sometimes the trees or bamboo overhead were so low I had to get off, twist off my mirrors and cant the bike through. Not as easy as it sounds when you're alone with a heavy bike and the ground is as slippery as a bar of soap. Still, it was enjoyable. Things got rocky, sometimes sandy, sometimes muddy and there were plenty of river/creek crossings. At times there were small clearings, while at other times, the trail was less than a meter wide under a gorgeous jungle canopy but with fairly think foliage all around, essentially making the “visible†trail only 30cm wide as you drove past and got poked/speared by the branches. A lot of riding was done in an uncomfortable “lying forward†position while thick vines, bamboo and tree branches often forced me to stop and ride slowly through either with my head down below the handlebars to one side, or lifting the obstacle over my head as I slowly drove past it.
The trail had a series of rocky climbs and descents and eventually completely merged with a very rocky riverbed. Big rocks sprawled everywhere. Probably a near impassable river during the wet season. There's always a way up, but some rocks were a good 40-50cm high, so you really need to approach them at just the right angle and speed.
After getting past one particularly bad climb and a similarly bad descent, I got to a rather technical spot. It was a hill with very deep erosion gullies and rocks near the top. I stopped and walked over the terrain trying to figure out the best way up, as it looked like one of those spots where you only get one try (especially if you're alone). I knew I'd be in shit if I made a mistake.
Now my bike weighs a good 155kg and with all the stuff loaded on, it was probably close to 165kg. I knew I had overpacked but never expected the trail to be that bad. Not the ideal bike for this kind of terrain. A small scooter or light and nimble dirtbike would have been far superior. I picked my path and gunned it but got stuck near the top as my rear wheel slipped on the rocks below, unable to get any traction. Did a few runs (but it was difficult to go back much) but couldn't get past the last bit. I'm a fairly strong guy, but I simply couldn't get it up by force (neither could I by standing on the side). I then stacked rocks under the wheels. Now this is rather difficult, as it was impossible to put the side-stand out, so I had to balance the bike with one hand, and use my feet to get rocks close by, then pick them up with my free hand and stack them under the wheels trying to create a ramp. Still, it just wouldn't work and despite several tries, I just couldn't get past it. I was obviously also spending huge amounts of energy trying to move the bike around and picking it up after falls.
By this time, I had also run out of water (despite bringing 4.5L, which I thought would be plenty). This definitely scared me, but I'd say it angered me a lot more. For someone who prides himself in always being prepared, I was really pissed/disappointed with myself. Oh, and I didn't even have a lighter... (something I usually always carry around on trips). Of course, there's absolutely no cellphone reception over there. To make matters worse, I had also burned through way more fuel than anticipated. The constant high-revs had gobbled up a lot. I bounced the bike onto the crest of a berm. I almost got past but the rear tire slipped and given that I was at the top of a small ridge, I couldn't get my feet down and dropped the bike “upside down†and had to lift it a full 120 degrees. Needless to say it's exhausting.
I started freaking out a bit, walking in circles thinking about my options. I was out of water, almost out of gas and in the middle of nowhere. I'm not going to lie, the idea that I might end up in Gavinmac's list of dead foreigners, make Kosantepheap's A14 page or win the 2014 Cambodian Darwin Awards did cross my mind. I quickly collected myself and thought of my options. I knew I had to make an executive decision: either keep trying to get over that bit and ride on (and waste a whole lot of calories doing it) or start walking in the hope of reaching a village before nightfall. Now that's the beauty of Cambodia. There are relatively few places where you can go and you won't find a village (or at least some homesteader or logger's cabin) within a few km. But I was deep in the Cardamoms and even 15km in a straight line is more like 30 if you consider all the elevation changes and winding path the trail takes. Either way, I had no clue how far I was from the nearest village.
To give a bit of background information: I've camped/hiked in Cambodia before. I'm also a decent dirt-biker. I'm no expert by any means, but I've done most of the classic trails that organized tours bring their guests on. I've also done a lot of random trails which one often discovers in Cambodia. Usually I ride alone. Speed isn't my goal, just trying to have fun, stopping to take some scenery pictures and so on. I'm not into riding ultra-technical trails or trying to top my previous times. I usually try to stay in guesthouses, but I've also camped or arranged to stay at a villager's house (with the village chief's blessing) several times in the past. I say this just so people know that this wasn't my first ride out. Anyways, this time around, I decided to do a somewhat famous trail which runs deep in the Cardamoms. Had a full service done on the bike, got some new knobby tires and because I wanted to save them of premature wear from paved roads, loaded the bike on a minivan at Psah Depot and off we went to my starting point.
The next morning, a bit before the trail started, I asked villagers about the road conditions. They said it was really bad (full of rocks is what they said, more on that later), but none of them had done it before, so I took their info with a grain of salt. So after lounging by a river for a bit, I set off a bit before noon.
Upon leaving the last village, the trail started getting smaller/narrower and the odd houses eventually stopped appearing completely. A few crops (mainly bananas) could still be spotted for a few hundred meters, but after a river crossing, these too disappeared. The jungle had started.
The trail was lots of fun, but a bit annoying. Sometimes the trees or bamboo overhead were so low I had to get off, twist off my mirrors and cant the bike through. Not as easy as it sounds when you're alone with a heavy bike and the ground is as slippery as a bar of soap. Still, it was enjoyable. Things got rocky, sometimes sandy, sometimes muddy and there were plenty of river/creek crossings. At times there were small clearings, while at other times, the trail was less than a meter wide under a gorgeous jungle canopy but with fairly think foliage all around, essentially making the “visible†trail only 30cm wide as you drove past and got poked/speared by the branches. A lot of riding was done in an uncomfortable “lying forward†position while thick vines, bamboo and tree branches often forced me to stop and ride slowly through either with my head down below the handlebars to one side, or lifting the obstacle over my head as I slowly drove past it.
The trail had a series of rocky climbs and descents and eventually completely merged with a very rocky riverbed. Big rocks sprawled everywhere. Probably a near impassable river during the wet season. There's always a way up, but some rocks were a good 40-50cm high, so you really need to approach them at just the right angle and speed.
After getting past one particularly bad climb and a similarly bad descent, I got to a rather technical spot. It was a hill with very deep erosion gullies and rocks near the top. I stopped and walked over the terrain trying to figure out the best way up, as it looked like one of those spots where you only get one try (especially if you're alone). I knew I'd be in shit if I made a mistake.
Now my bike weighs a good 155kg and with all the stuff loaded on, it was probably close to 165kg. I knew I had overpacked but never expected the trail to be that bad. Not the ideal bike for this kind of terrain. A small scooter or light and nimble dirtbike would have been far superior. I picked my path and gunned it but got stuck near the top as my rear wheel slipped on the rocks below, unable to get any traction. Did a few runs (but it was difficult to go back much) but couldn't get past the last bit. I'm a fairly strong guy, but I simply couldn't get it up by force (neither could I by standing on the side). I then stacked rocks under the wheels. Now this is rather difficult, as it was impossible to put the side-stand out, so I had to balance the bike with one hand, and use my feet to get rocks close by, then pick them up with my free hand and stack them under the wheels trying to create a ramp. Still, it just wouldn't work and despite several tries, I just couldn't get past it. I was obviously also spending huge amounts of energy trying to move the bike around and picking it up after falls.
By this time, I had also run out of water (despite bringing 4.5L, which I thought would be plenty). This definitely scared me, but I'd say it angered me a lot more. For someone who prides himself in always being prepared, I was really pissed/disappointed with myself. Oh, and I didn't even have a lighter... (something I usually always carry around on trips). Of course, there's absolutely no cellphone reception over there. To make matters worse, I had also burned through way more fuel than anticipated. The constant high-revs had gobbled up a lot. I bounced the bike onto the crest of a berm. I almost got past but the rear tire slipped and given that I was at the top of a small ridge, I couldn't get my feet down and dropped the bike “upside down†and had to lift it a full 120 degrees. Needless to say it's exhausting.
I started freaking out a bit, walking in circles thinking about my options. I was out of water, almost out of gas and in the middle of nowhere. I'm not going to lie, the idea that I might end up in Gavinmac's list of dead foreigners, make Kosantepheap's A14 page or win the 2014 Cambodian Darwin Awards did cross my mind. I quickly collected myself and thought of my options. I knew I had to make an executive decision: either keep trying to get over that bit and ride on (and waste a whole lot of calories doing it) or start walking in the hope of reaching a village before nightfall. Now that's the beauty of Cambodia. There are relatively few places where you can go and you won't find a village (or at least some homesteader or logger's cabin) within a few km. But I was deep in the Cardamoms and even 15km in a straight line is more like 30 if you consider all the elevation changes and winding path the trail takes. Either way, I had no clue how far I was from the nearest village.