They say ‘mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun’ but it seems that only ‘mad cyclists and ramblers go out in the hottest, flattest parts of Cambodia.’ Cyclists are definately one of the fastest increasing members of the niche tourist market in Cambo, and due to a complete lack of road signs and very misleading maps…”zee road was marked on zee map, but zer vas NO ROAD”…. we’re coming across them in the most unusual and difficult to cycle places. I admire their determination, but as a convicted Petrol Head don’t really get the whole exercise thing, or two wheels without speed. But – Mad Dude Found in Arrid Bush Award – this month goes to American Pete who we came across at Preah Khan temple in Preah Vihear province, having walked out there from Don Diek. No mean feat. Lucky for him he was stumbled across by one of the locals from Ta Seng as he had missed the temple completely and was heading back out into no-mans land (although it took us three days to find the temple on our first attempt in the late nineties..ahem…). Preah Vihear is pretty mean country to be lost in, hot and very dry.

In the rapid evolution of Countryside dynamics ox-cart trails become dirt tracks, dirt tracks get graded, then covered in tarmac. More and more of the country is going under the plough for rice, more and more wild areas being slash and burned and occupied. It’s an old mantra we keep repeating but worth repeating again “get over to Cambodia while it’s still the best place in the world to ride dirt bikes – it won’t stay this way for long.” Having criss-crossed Preah Vihear a whole bunch this season I was struck with how much quicker it is to travel the old dirt trails. Probably caused by the advent of the Iron Buffalo, the single cylinder, two wheeled, metal beast of burden, which will drag a laiden trailer through most conditions. And these are flattening out and widening even the most remote backwater moto trails, faster and much more efficiently than the lighter, slower ox-cart. Up the road scale a notch I’ve also noticed (had to by trying to rent them) but as roads improve and proliferate the old jacked up, mad-max Nissan Mighty X pick-up truck is also becoming obsolete and more difficult to find. A nuisance when it comes to moving motocycles, as they are being replaced by minibuses. More expensive and less secure, I’ve never felt hugely confident in sticking a couple of 120+ kilo 400cc dirt bikes on a minibus roofrack.

David, who came out from the UK, for what turned into our culinary extravaganza (mentioned below) pointed out an interesting thing. He was interested in doing one on one bike tuition and found it would be cheaper to fly here and spend a few days riding with us here at Cambodia Expeditions than make the short flight from the UK to Europe as the riding was so much more expensive. Robert, pass me the price list, we’re obviously too cheap.

Where did that month disappear to? We’ve hit the ground running here, in one three day period riding, driving and boating from a minority Hill Tribe village in the country’s far north all the way down and across to Lazy Beach on one of the islands off the southern coast. More details of our adventures to come, but someone else hasn’t been hanging around either with photos of the Rock and Roll Wrestler Tour already up on the net at
http:// http://s412.photobucket.com/albums/pp201/kidneson/2008%20Cambodia%20Dirtbike/a>

Sitting in wales enjoying the finest of British summers (high winds, fog, rain, high winds and more rain) has given me plenty of opportunities to admire the work of the bosses other business – race cars. He builds and supplies them for purchase or rent for a single type race series. And pretty damn quick they are. Check it out:

http://www.mcrracecars.co.uk

More of my Ramblings, that originally appeared in the Bayon Pearnik (not long after myself and Craig started the magazine, before we went onto greater things). Entitled ‘Mud and Glory’ it was the three-part tale of our First Mondulkiri Rally Raid. Thirty five assorted dirt bikes from Honda XLR to Suzuki DR’s even the odd (very odd) Honda AX1.

http:// http://www.toursintheextreme.com/old-site/2002/shoptalk/mrr1998.php

To see us in all our raggedy glory (leather jackets, open faced lids, and ex-army boots) check us out on YouTube
http:// http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXodUoRTcO8

In 2001 myself and Ben Laffer of Tours In The Extreme organized what still stands as the largest off-road event in Cambodian history in the shape of the Caltex Extreme Rally Raid 2001. Fifty-five dirt bikers, several support vehicle, including a six-wheel drive Russian army lorry called a Zil. And a charitable theme, as, I seem to remember saying in the documentary that went with the event “proving that dirt bikers can be humanitarians too.” With the support of the National Malaria Centre we distributed over 1500 mosquito nets through the provinces that the Rally travelled. It became incorporated into the Cambodia Daily’s Mosquito net campaign and they did a piece about it:
http:// http://www.cambodia.net/malaria/27_12_01.htm

When I were but a young man, with aspirations of becoming a motorcycle road tester, and broke, I wrote a piece about the bike I had just purchased, a Kawasaki ZZR250, hoping the article might get noticed and I might make a bit of cash. Rockin’ little machine it was, and the only vehicle I’ve ever bought brand new. The piece appeared in the Used Motorcycle Guide, but unfortunately no cheque appeared in the post or job offers and I forgot all about it. But with the advent of the Internet every little thing you may have written and had printed (no matter how bad it is) can come back to haunt you. And nearly 20 years later, the jottings of a teenage wanna-be road tester are still there to be read…
http:// http://www.umgweb.com/member1/kGPZ500.htm#zzr22

Big Ben took the impressionable Goba on one of the Extreme Rally Raids, a motorcycle tour he will certainly never forget. At the time Goba was writing for one of the Big Dirt Bike Mags in Australia. This is what he wrote:
http:// http://www.gobadirt.com/content/view/20/51/

When myself and Big Ben started Angkor Dirt Bike tours in late 1997 we were the only kids on the block, leading the charge in the field of Dirt Bike Tours. The Honda XLR was the tool of choice and a CRM 250 was classed as an exotic and rare piece of kit. The country has undergone massive change since then, mostly for the better and has come to be recognised as one of the finest dirt bike riding country’s in South-East Asia if not the world. And the number of company’s offering tours have risen accordingly. A small and tight knit scene, most of the guides used to ride together back in the day, when we had time to ride for fun and exploration, and have remained friends. So much so that we find each other popping up on each others websites! Just found a picture of myself on the homepage for Red Raid and a couple of years ago FHM magazine lifted a picture of me sliding the Baja round a trail on Kirrirom for an article about Dancing Roads. Unfortunately for FHM the picture was taken by a journo who was not so happy about having his work lifted and (rightly) kicked up quite a fuss about it. One can pop up in the strangest places! Although rumours that I started the Zaman School in Phnom Penh are completely unfounded, and there is definitely no connection between me and Major Zeman and his ‘Oldskool Rave Tunes.’ YouTube…http:// http:// http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3jBbKhJlyg