Elephants and Coffins.

[Harrythefinn]

Was asked by Big and Tall to join a group riding around Cambodia and finding a few places and tracks we had missed before. Should have known as it was 2 KTMS and a Berg that there would be some fun. Finding the stone elephant was elusive at first , but cunning and brute force got us there . We just didn't know you had to go into the Bat Cave first and then just follow the signs (OK with help from a local moto guide)

The stone carved elephant is majestic and well worth the visit, you can ride within 50m of the carvings, beautiful in the forest with dappled sunshine, not easy to imagine previous inhabitants having the skills and desire to leave something as unique here on a mountain. There are also lions guarding the site and what looks like bulls lower down.



Even looks like the elephant is working on the log.

The lions overlooking the elephant

Then after Kulen mountain a quick check to see that Mr.Pol Pot is still in the ground.

Then a dash to the top of the escarpment above Anlong Veng and Pol Pot house, previously out of bounds, but now just ride in. The the 3 musketeers bikes parked in the lounge room.

The Husaberg Hilton as Big & Tall described it, a 145 Baht ground sheet over some bamboo sticks , a very comfortable sleep. Had to stop as cooked the Berg and was getting dark.

Ever wondered why stuff costs a bit more in the bush? Transport costs, these guys run convoys of scooters along the Death Highway carrying everything including cooking gas. If they ever stop for a chat it is only for a few minutes and then they are off again, must be on a bonus or mum is waiting.

Beautiful waterfalls out from Sen Monorom and Black top mountain close to Vietnam border.Big & Tall getting exercise climbing up, it is a single monolith maybe 350m by 150m wide and stands above the surrounding area giving a 360 degree view. Some mining company has blasted a sample from the side , it is pure white and crystalline underneath.

A quick run via PP and Snooky to Koh Kong to do the Smugglers route on the way to the coffins, only one mishap on the way , I did tell him to go to the left and avoid the quick sand.

Saw this Mad KTM quad on the way at the last bridge before Koh Kong, no dif needed and plated! Pure madness, from Germany I was told.

Unfortunately not many pictures from the smugglers route, was just too busy trying to keep upright and not to boil it on the rocky climbs, maybe Big & Tall has managed some , had some nasty bridges and we took a tumble off one luckily only a few metres high. The hardest section by far of the whole trip. The biggest river crossing, the KTM did the orange submarine trick.

Onto the coffins and vases , please use a local guide from Chi Pat if decide to go. It is probably 40 kms and easy to miss the way.
Apparently no one knows who left the coffins or vases in the cliffs. It is a stiff walk up the last section and rickety ladders to the actual cliff.


Sorry but I am not a day by day diary person or a GPS track and fix hound, just want to ride my bike with who ever else is the same, so no slight meant to other forums.

Ride done in December 2013 , my total kms about 3,500, 3 oil changes, no flats, 1 sore arse.

Thanks guys, great riding , great trip.

 

[KTMphil]

Will give this a good look, only seeing it on the phone right now....Thanks for taking the time to do this Harry.

 

[Lone Rider]

Had heard some of the stories of the Cambo trip and these pictures really help to make the stories come to life. Thanks for posting them and look forward to B&T and the Big Fellah's pictures.

 

[The Bigfella]

Photos? You think we have photos?

Here's Harry... with the bull, down the hill from the elephant





I'm not so sure its as easy to get to as Harry suggests.... here's my first attempt, from the east, in 2012. I backed out, as I had a buggered sprocket on the bike, was wearing an old pair of shoes (not boots)... and was on my own. The GPS shows this as a trail that gets to the turnoff where the sign is



... and here's Harry again, with us trying to get in from the south.... he's down there somewhere, spinning a wheel in the gully



ahh... that's better



Meanwhile.... Justin has a rest



under his bike



... and we ride around in some paddy fields



.... and then Ian has a lay down too

I love this photo of Justin's of the lions

..... so yeah, the fourth direction I attacked that elephant from, I finally got to it.

 

[Lone Rider]

well, these pictures come closer to the stories of "I was totally knackered and if it had been any further I might have fallen over and not been able to get up again" - thanks Big Fellah for posting them.

 

[The Bigfella]

You want "totally knackered" photos?

I went up to the coffins and vases by myself (with a guide).

This guy set me on the right path, as did a lovely French lady, who'd got me to the right village.



My GPS proudly told me "Battery Low" and switched off - just as I turned off the main bitumen highway. This lady said "sure, follow me".... and I ate her dust for an hour or so - as is obvious from the dusty lens on my camera



I was knackered by the time I got to the coffins and then back to the bikes.... especially after the climb up the mountain in boots and knee braces.



... and my guide shed some blood after crashing on a rocky climb



Funny thing was, he got through this creek OK, but I didn't....



The locals had built a few rocks up, so that they got across OK... but with a different wheelbase, I ended up spitting the rocks out and getting a bit stuck. Got through without falling, but it took some rocking and stuffing around.

One had to be a bit athletic under some obstacles





Still plenty of water around in there





This was quite funny. We stopped and I refueled this guy who'd run out on the track on the way back.



Then the guide and I hammered it on the better track back to the main creek crossing. Who should be right behind us at the creek... but that guy and the rest of the mob on his bike... including the dog and luggage.



I bet the passengers "enjoyed" that

 

[The Bigfella]

Just as a matter of interest.... here's a video showing the trail for the last couple of kilometres to the elephant. Sorry, the video is pointing down a bit, as I'd knocked the camera.... but it will give anyone wanting to go in an idea. I wouldn't be doing it with panniers on. Not to say you wouldn't make it... but it wouldn't be fun

 

[marcusb]

Great adventure! Thanks for sharing.

 

[The Bigfella]

Yeah, there's some good fun to be had in Cambodia. I just watched the next video that I shot... another 23+ minutes. Whilst it opens up to some rocky stuff, creeks and some sandy trails.... there's some rather tight squeezes to go through before that. No panniers if you want to go in.

It does get dusty over there... and remember, this is the good time of year

Harry



Justin.... contemplating on my dud leg and battery problems



... and checking out whether the dust is dry enough here



I did a bit of that too

 

[bill]

Very nice report and pics.

I'll definitely have to check out the Elephant statue some time.

 

[bigntall]

Some great pics guys, thanks for posting them up.

Twas a great trip with some fantastic tracks. After riding in Lao, Thailand and Cambodia off road, for me my favorite riding (in regards to trails) has been done in Cambodia. I believe the elevation (of lack thereof) and geology produce a surface of granular fun that's sadly missing in the other two countries where I've spent far too much time on the hard as concrete clay when it's dry and then it turns into diabolical slippery snot in the wet. The other countries have better scenery, topography, and diverse cultures that keeps me returning but Cambodia has fun off roading terrain.

Sadly it's changing fast as is Lao and Thailand. Talking with Harri about his past trips there more than a decade ago make me wish I was living here earlier. When the towns we were joining together were separated by tiny tracks instead of paved roads. It is impossible to rely on dirt roads and tracks to join cities now. In the years I've been riding in Cambodia it's changed dramatically. I did not even recognize T'Beang Meanchey this time round due to the expansion, paved roads and development. Tracks that I had done before as singletrack were now paved roads and many planned dirt routes ended up droning on pavement instead due to the development.

Highlights were the the carved elephants in addition to the coffins and vases. Thank you heaps to the people that provided much needed help in getting to them. The upside is that the trails into both sights were fun off road tracks as the remoteness adds to the charm.

We bashed about the bush for awhile trying to find the back way into the carved elephants. Turning off into the dirt to let the carnage begin:

.......well the forum is not letting me attach pics.

Let's try a video.


A narrow bridge where I thought we may be pulling the Husaberg out of a 6 foot deep gully. Thankfully Harri was blissfully unaware of his rear tires location as he was busy trying to stay balanced on a couple wobbly branches.

We weren't so lucky on a later bridge crossing where the two of us along with the KTM went piling off the bridge when our footing on some bamboo let go.

 

[bigntall]

Looking at Harri and Ian's pics bring back some memories. Harri says when we set-up camp on the Smugglers trail it was due to his over heating Berg. He's being kind as more of an impediment than the boiling water in the Berg was me. Most on here know I'm not the most eagle eyed during the daylight however darkness is a whole other story. So the other boys could have soldiered on for another couple hours down the trail (especially with those things Harri calls lights on the front of his bike but it's more like the flashlight of God when he fires them up) but were feeling charitable and pulled over for me to call it quits. Also hats off to Harri for walking me like a dog once it got dark through the night time streets of Cambodia. Harri what was the name of the secretary you were kind enough to donate to me as escort to get to the restaurant at night in Phnom Phen like a seeing eye dog?

The place where we bivouacked we thought was smart as it was next to a river for water. Once camp was set-up I went to the river to fill up the Camelbak with the water filter. Walking down to the river i was thinking about the new mine we had just passed back up the trail. Then thought with mining comes lots of chemicals for processing the ore. Hmmmm, third world country with no accountability, a shoddily run mine with locals living underneath tarps probably not following recommended practices for chemical treatment and waste practices. I know the MSR filter does a good job getting rid of parasites and microbes but sulfuric acid and cyanide used in mining may be asking too much of the filter. So there we were next to a river but unable to drink from it. Sad. My 3 liter Camelbak was down to a half liter. Thankfully Ian had a half liter water bottle extra he offered, many thanks Ian. Actually the bastard never got thirsty since he never had to kickstart his bike.

Compare the experience of Harri's Bivy set-up

To Ian's, haha

Guess who had a better night sleep?

Actually I was no better since my air mattress leaked air like a 93 year old after a bowl of chile.

The trip had some fun times for sure.

Ian ruining his chances. In America he would be scoring points.

Some clouds made me try to do a Mike Holman.....eh not anywhere close.

A familiar site, Ian's (not mine anymore ) KTM needing attention.

Harri and i got caught in rain coming into Siem Reap. Both on large bore race bikes with knobbies and for some reason the paved road entering the city from the Poipet side was like slippery clay. Slipping and sliding about an we were on tarmac. I saw Harri gas it to get into a gap between a bus and bicycle and it was almost carnage. It's December it doesn't rain does it?? Apparently so.

Ok off for a ride now more pics to follow.

 

[KTMphil]

Fabulous fabulous report and some superb pioneering ..... amazing guys, this is one of the best so far.

 

[bsacbob]

Love the video BnT.......

 

[The Bigfella]

Its a great video. I'm looking forward to getting into there at some stage.

Meanwhile.... here's a quick pull of the tracks around that elephant. The scale line is about 5 km

The right hand side of all this was my track in 2012. The rest of it was this last December. We really did attack it from all directions



.... and while I think of it... it wasn't all beer and skittles.

Here's the view from the front door of my room in Sihanoukville.



It looked great when I got there. Trouble was, the wall beside my room was the base for the short time girls and the guys selling unusual tobacco.... and they were there all night, chattering away, about 2 metres from my window.

 

[bigntall]

Fabulous fabulous report and some superb pioneering ..... amazing guys, this is one of the best so far.

Phil the trip itself was fabulous, however the pics and comments we're throwing up hardly qualify as as a ride report, let alone fabulous and best so far. Also just to be clear there was NO pioneering (unless you count wandering lost around some rice fields below the Elephant) on this trip. Every track we were on had been ridden before and every place of interest visited has already been documented by others.

 

[The Bigfella]

Phil the trip itself was fabulous, however the pics and comments we're throwing up hardly qualify as as a ride report, let alone fabulous and best so far. Also just to be clear there was NO pioneering (unless you count wandering lost around some rice fields below the Elephant) on this trip. Every track we were on had been ridden before and every place of interest visited has already been documented by others.

Well, almost.... 3





.... and it's always good fun if you manage to pull a bird or two along the way



But yeah, it was a nice visit to some interesting places.



.... and while I think of it.... it might be worth sharing this. That photo you posted of the 525 stripped down was for a subframe repair. I knew the front end was cracked.... but alloy welders were few and far between when I brought the bike down through the Laos backblocks. I really shouldn't have taken my mate for a double on the bike after we'd brought it out of its 13 month hibernation... but he deserved a reward - and he was tickled orange..... even if we did have to head off for lunch on his scooter after breaking the KTM



I thought this fix was quite a nice piece of work. I'll do something more permanent at some stage... but its got a lap of Cambodia on it now, along with a Sangkhlaburi - Umphang - Chiang Mai run and its held up well



We had to make a minor change (cut out a bit of the inner brace to let it fit in)

 

[KTMphil]

Phil the trip itself was fabulous, however the pics and comments we're throwing up hardly qualify as as a ride report, let alone fabulous and best so far. Also just to be clear there was NO pioneering (unless you count wandering lost around some rice fields below the Elephant) on this trip. Every track we were on had been ridden before and every place of interest visited has already been documented by others.

I was under the impression the coffins hadn't been visited before by enduro bikes?

 

[Harrythefinn]

Bill has posted on the coffins and jars before and we followed his advice (esp on the smugglers route, he advised North /South as the best and are we glad we did it that way) and tracks. We met up with him in Snooky and he showed us some good shops there , also we had dinner with a few guys including Zeman , the originator of the coffin locations. So nothing new there , just not well travelled , yet.

 

[KTMphil]

Looks like a lot of fun, hoping I can get down there before the rain starts.

 

[The Bigfella]

I've been fiddling around with Adobe Premiere Pro CC and PhotoshopCC.... and its driving me insane.

This bloke



just isn't quite that tall.

Here's the same image snipped from the video



and two more snips from the same image in Photoshop. I can have him tall, or not....



One of these days I'll find a processing program I can understand.

The image, btw... was the suspension bridge on the Death Highway that almost pitched Harry into the river below.

 

[Nightrider70]

Meanwhile.... here's a quick pull of the tracks around that elephant. The scale line is about 5 km

The right hand side of all this was my track in 2012. The rest of it was this last December. We really did attack it from all directions

If I read your track right it looks like you also tried the foot path on OSM and then went for the main entrance. Did they not flee you for $20?

 

[The Bigfella]

The "footpath" bit was me alone, a year or so back - and its a bit of a blob, as I was trying a number of paths. Some locals pointed me to the right one... but I backed out as it was steep, rocky and I was just wearing shoes... no boots (a long story there.... my size 48's fell to pieces in Laos).

We did indeed cough up some money at the barricade. Didn't bother with the trip to the waterfall though.

Looking at it all now... that footpath would be worth trying.

.... and, on another note... I've finally solved the issue of the photo clips, I think.....

 

[Nightrider70]

I hoped what was marked as a foot path on OSM would be drivable but when I got there I did not even try it because it started out half over grown. A local sitting there also told me it was not possible to drive it.

The main road I passed up because of the $20 they charge from foreigners, the locals do not pay nothing or very little. From what I understand this charge is only for the road so if you find an alternate way you should still be good to visit the park. Am I wrong?

 

[The Bigfella]

We did go through what appeared to be a National Park, near the barricade. Uniformed staff, etc... but that's a long way from the stone carvings.

If the locals say "no go"... I'd tend to believe them. Then again, my mate in Siem Reap has been up at that National Park on a regular basis, going to the waterfall... for ten years, but he'd never even heard of the elephant.

 

[Nightrider70]

I found it easy to believe when they told me "no can drive".

According to OSM it is 21 kilometers from the entrance and almost 10 kilometers past the waterfall and the "lingas" to the elephant.

 

[The Bigfella]

Yeah, this was the start of the climb. Easy enough, but probably not smart to do 20km of it solo... Pretty steep little section here

 

[Forest]

great pix and great ride guys!! i am Planning to be in Shanukville at beginning of April (5th-6th) and take it from there ..it would be good to hook up for a ride with a few others..we'll see how it goes.any tips /suggestions appreciated

 

[The Bigfella]

Its a fun place to ride.

Here's an interesting snapshot of what was going on, right across the country, a few decades back



I took these photos on a previous trip.

This is Boeng Mealea






The vandalism at some sites is just amazing. The American air force bombed the temples at Sambor Prei Kuk... destroying 40 of 41 temples in the central area. The Khmer Rouge then came in and blew up some of the monuments... looking for buried gold.





Here's one of the bomb craters still visible at Sambor Prei Kuk



Some blown up temples and structures (these predate Angkor Wat by 400 years)







Well worth a look. Still some good structures in the two areas that weren't bombed flat







... and there's even some good Aussie aid in the area



That's Kampong Thom. The temples are about 30 - 40km NE of there

 

[Forest]

wow some more great shots here mate!!..and yes I was ovviusly thinking to stay away from the mines would be a good choice too..... i 'll try to stick to the beaten path as much as possible and to hook up with other riders..
did you guys cross the border at cham yeam _? or do u have any info if is possible these days ride thai own/registered bikes ? thank u much!

Its a fun place to ride.

Here's an interesting snapshot of what was going on, right across the country, a few decades back



I took these photos on a previous trip.

This is Boeng Mealea






The vandalism at some sites is just amazing. The American air force bombed the temples at Sambor Prei Kuk... destroying 40 of 41 temples in the central area. The Khmer Rouge then came in and blew up some of the monuments... looking for buried gold.





Here's one of the bomb craters still visible at Sambor Prei Kuk



Some blown up temples and structures (these predate Angkor Wat by 400 years)







Well worth a look. Still some good structures in the two areas that weren't bombed flat







... and there's even some good Aussie aid in the area



That's Kampong Thom. The temples are about 30 - 40km NE of there

 

[The Bigfella]

I'm not sure where the other guys came in. I came in a year earlier, via Laos. I'd left my bike in Siem Reap, so flew back into Phnom Penh and came up the river and through Lake Tonle Sap to get back to it.

Do try and get out on the water. Its not too hard to get the wheel off the tourist boat operators







But keep your eyes peeled



School's out





I'm not sure... but this might be a young lover's shack... like the ones in Laos





Bath time.... jump in off the front step.



Let's not discuss what they do off the back steps