Krong Preaha Vihear

A shorter day due to the location of the towns. Fantastic breakfast sandwich, I had a second one.

The French couple who stayed at the same hotel are also bike touring but they are smart. They set up a van service with guide so they ride the best parts and see the rest from the van. They were visiting a set of temples nearby. It would have added 25km to my route and I passed.

On the way I come by the Cambodian NE center for meditation. It's looking festive and I have time to go check it out. A lady speaks very broken English and introduces me to her teacher, who is the head monk for the center. The president of Cambodia had visited before and is returning on the 21st, the last day of a four day meditation festival. I am invited to come back and stay for as long as I want. It is tempting to attend the festival, that would be a very interesting experience. I was treated as an important guest, tourists probably never come here.

The prayer hall was impressive, built with ancient trees that no longer exist in Cambodia. All the forests are third growth and there are a few protected areas.Read more