Enter Cambodia – Day 4 and 5 CNCF Bicycle Challenge
- 2 km from the Cambodian Border.
Day 4: Tay Ninh – Moc Bai – Svay Rieng
Today saw us leave Tay Ninh and head to the border to cross into Cambodia. Once again it was hot day, but a great ride along the back roads. Traveling on these less traveled roads means we all got plenty of attention from the locals!
Kids running along high fiving, heads turning and farmers stopped in the rice fields to yell and wave. The ride to the border was around 35km, with the last few k’s on the main highway, where we once again got the full treatment of trucks and horns!
Moc Bai Border these days has vastly improved from a few years back. Just short of the Vietnam side is a line of cafe offering cold drinks, food and of course money exchanging! As USD is best currencies’ for Cambodia it’s really just best to ignore the money exchanges, unless you have a pocket full of dong!
Crossing into Cambodia is really a breeze. It has signs pointing where to go, but basically head down the right hand side and away you go. Getting stamped by immigration can be a little challenging and crowded. Do as the locals do, raise the elbows and push in!
Once through Vietnam, you walk along 300m of “no mans land” before doing it all again for Cambodia. 
Visa’s can be issued at the border in 5 minutes and at a cost of $20USD. Travelers I have meet have said officials wanted an extra $1USD for “express” service; however we were not asked for it and spent a total 15 minutes there to get 11 people through. All in all, this is an easy border crossing and while the Vietnamese rarely smile, the Cambodian guys were cheerful and helpful.
After the border, the first thing you notice, are the Casino’s. Gambling in Vietnam is illegal for Vietnamese, however in Cambodia is free for all! There are also a number of cafes on the Cambodian side of the border, for you to eat or to get a cold drink.
Once in Cambodia and after having a hearty lunch, we continued along the highway for a further 40km to Svay Rieng. The ride was hot, very hot! But the greens and yellows of the rice fields is something that always amazes me. Along with more high fives and strange looks, we arrived in town around 5pm.
Dinner tonight was a great experience as we headed out to our local guides home. Situated some 8km from town, Marie’s family put on a great feed of local dishes that were quickly demolished after a hard days ride. After dinner we went for stroll through the village to find some people cooking (or heating) and pounding rice. The Cambodians eat the pounded rice with bananas and it was a great way to cap of another great day!
Local Khmer food Dinner -Svay Rieng - Cambodia
Tips for the Border Crossing
Always have a pen handy, you will need to fill forms!
Cambodian visa fees must be paid in USD. Change will be given in USD.
Cambodia requires you to have 2 passport photos when applying for a visa.
Borders tend to attract dodgy people, watch your bags!
Don’t use the money exchanges. They give great rates, but there’s plenty of counterfeit money floating around.
Never argue with immigration officials, it’s just dumb.
Don’t carry anything illegal. Vietnam still has the death penalty for Drugs and other offences.
Always be happy!
Day 5: Svay Rieng – Prey Veng
Today started early again in an effort to beat the heat! Our journey would take us 90km to the small town of Prey Veng. Due to heavy rains and serious flooding, we had travel along the highway again. However this ride was fantastic with beautiful landscapes of rivers, rice
Sunset on the Mekong - Prey Veng - Cambodia
paddies, stunning Khmer temples and housing and half the population of Khmer children greeting us at every bend.
For the most part, we would ride around 17 – 20 km before having a break to rest, top up water and pig out on fresh fruits, local pastries and biscuits! Most of the group maintained a speed of around 15km per hour, mainly slowed down the fantastic photo opportunities which presented themselves every few hundred meters!
After 50km, we hit the Mekong River. From here you can jump aboard the car ferry and continue another 50km to Phnom Penh. However we turned right and cruised along the river through small fishing villages and past massive Khmer Temples to Prey Veng.
Prey Veng has little to offer for travelers in terms of sights. But if you head to the Mekong River, you can get a great sunset and watch the local fisherman doing their thing. The sunset for us was really quite nice, but just being there checking out the locals check out us was fun enough!
More Links:
- Donate to the CNCF Challenge at MyCause.com
- Get more info on Charity Challenges or Bicycle Tours in Vietnam/Cambodia – Email Adam or visit RAW Travel
