Frequently asked questions

  1. Was it really hot?
  2. What was the terrain like?
  3. Is Cambodia dangerous?
  4. What work are Oxfam doing in Cambodia?
  5. Would you recommend a challenge like this?
  6. What was the exact route?

Was it really hot?

Yes! We’ll be riding in November, at the end of the monsoon season. The average temperature will be about 26° C (80° F) and relative humidity will likely be about 80%. For humans, sweating is the primary way of keeping cool, the higher the humidity, the harder it is for for sweat to evaporate, so hotter we’ll get. We’ll be drinking lots of water and most likely avoiding the hottest parts of the day.

Average weather for Phnom Penh.

What was the terrain like?

Cambodia mostly consists of low, flat plains, rice paddies in the Mekong Delta, rubber plantations that fed Michelin, lakes and forest. There are mountains in the southwest and the north. We’ll be avoiding those areas :-).

Is Cambodia dangerous?

Cambodia has a troubled past but is now a great place to visit.

Under Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge, at least one and a half million Cambodians died. Vietnam invaded in 1978 and started a civil war which lasted almost 13 years and instability lasting until 1998. Peaceful democratic elections were held in 2003 and a coalition government formed a year later.

Although Cambodia is now peaceful, its infrastructure has been devastated by years of unrest and a range of issues face its people. 70% of Cambodians don’t have access to good water sources. After many years of war, the country is still flooded with vast amounts of illegal arms. 85% of Cambodians rely on agriculture for their livelihoods and a chronic mine contamination problem means the threat of death or serious injury is a daily reality for most Cambodians. The country’s rapid modernisation brings new challenges: empowering women in the face of a burgeoning sex trafficking; poor employment regulation; the worst rate of HIV/Aids infection in the region; poor literacy and poverty.

What work are Oxfam doing in Cambodia?

Please read Oxfam’s Cambodia programme overview for information about their work in Cambodia.

Would you recommend a challenge like this?

Absolutely! The challenge was one of the most enjoyable and rewarding things we’ve ever done. Amazing countries, fantastic people, a real sense of acheivement and even a chance to see first hand some of the projects benefitting from charity from the developed world. Classic Tours, the company which organised the trip, were amazing and looked after us brilliantly. What are you waiting for?

What was the exact route?

Phil, the Tour Manager for our trip and all-round excellent guy, used a Garmin GPS unit along the way to keep track of the route, of stops for fruit and water and the distance travelled. We used information from the GPS to create a route map file for Google Earth.

View our route through Vietnam and Cambodia in Google Earth.

The file contains lots of stuff, the route itself, the stops for lunch and fruit, the hotels and temples we visited. Play around with the folders and stuff that appear in the sidebar when you open the file.