I heard about the enchanting town of Kompong Cham and its bamboo
bridge. But exactly where is it and how do I get there? With my
beautiful Cambodia road map, I was able to easily locate it and plan my
trip. After a 3-hour bus ride from the capital of Phnom Penn I finally
arrived in Kompong Cham, and was totally ready to explore its
countryside. The next morning, I woke up before dawn. It seems like
everyone in Kompong Cham gets up early, and by the time I showered,
grabbed my bag, and made it out of the Mekong Hotel to grab my rented
bicycle (perfect for touring the town), the sidewalks and streets were
alive with bustling activity, even in this early hour. Produce was being
sold, including every bright fruit and pungent vegetable imaginable,
plus flopping fish, and whole chickens strung up by their feet.
Men in stalls, women squatting on the ground, and small children off of motorbikes were all doing their bit to entice passersby to purchase their wares.
I started my day at the simply named but absolutely delicious "Khmer Food" restaurant, located right on the Mekong River, and with a prime view of the quiet daybreak. After finishing the amazing tofu breakfast, I jumped on my bike and made my way towards the Mekong, just as the sunrise was at its peak of beauty.
Getting up at this early hour allowed me to beat the midday heat. In eastern Cambodia, April is quite hot, and I knew that the hot sun would destroy my plans, and I had a lengthy bike ride ahead of me. I'm a paleface from Michigan and I was built for the cold. Next time, I will plan my trip to this quiet, authentic riverside town between the months of November and February, when it is cooler.
A year prior I had read of a feat of ingenuity and hard work, of amazing engineering and creativity, a bamboo bridge that links an isolated island in the Mekong to mainland Cambodia. Every rainy season, the bridge is completely destroyed, and every dry season it is rebuilt. It is a lifeline to the little island, named Koh Paen, and a necessity. But lacking the funds and the materials to build a permanent bridge, the locals came up with their own genius solution which called for more work than it did for money. I greatly admire and respect the perseverance of the Cambodian people, and had always been fascinated by the culture. But I could not find any photos of the incredible structure - not on Google and not in books. I came to see it for myself.
I fumbled around along the river for a bit - I could not find the bridge from the road. I rode back and forth, but there were no English signs anywhere. The group of Cambodian kids hanging out on a bench were of no help either - they only giggled and blushed when I asked them, "Bridge? Bamboo?" and I couldn't blame them nor expect them to understand. Now why didn't I study a Khmer language course (Cambodian) before I took off on this trip. It would have saved me so much grief and frustration. But I soldiered on, grabbed my backpack, and eventually got on the right track.
The bridge slowly appeared in the distance, its length surprising me. The island was much further away, and the bridge much longer, than I was expecting. I didn't realize just how incredible it was until I was actually on it. It was so much wider, larger, longer, and complex up close. Made entirely of bamboo woven together and mud, I was shocked at how sturdy it seemed supporting livestock, motorbikes, trucks, and my bicycle, all at the same time!
The bridge swayed in the wind, and under the weight of the heavy carts passing, but showed no sign of weakness. It was resilient and strong, just like the people who built it.
Men in stalls, women squatting on the ground, and small children off of motorbikes were all doing their bit to entice passersby to purchase their wares.
I started my day at the simply named but absolutely delicious "Khmer Food" restaurant, located right on the Mekong River, and with a prime view of the quiet daybreak. After finishing the amazing tofu breakfast, I jumped on my bike and made my way towards the Mekong, just as the sunrise was at its peak of beauty.
Getting up at this early hour allowed me to beat the midday heat. In eastern Cambodia, April is quite hot, and I knew that the hot sun would destroy my plans, and I had a lengthy bike ride ahead of me. I'm a paleface from Michigan and I was built for the cold. Next time, I will plan my trip to this quiet, authentic riverside town between the months of November and February, when it is cooler.
A year prior I had read of a feat of ingenuity and hard work, of amazing engineering and creativity, a bamboo bridge that links an isolated island in the Mekong to mainland Cambodia. Every rainy season, the bridge is completely destroyed, and every dry season it is rebuilt. It is a lifeline to the little island, named Koh Paen, and a necessity. But lacking the funds and the materials to build a permanent bridge, the locals came up with their own genius solution which called for more work than it did for money. I greatly admire and respect the perseverance of the Cambodian people, and had always been fascinated by the culture. But I could not find any photos of the incredible structure - not on Google and not in books. I came to see it for myself.
I fumbled around along the river for a bit - I could not find the bridge from the road. I rode back and forth, but there were no English signs anywhere. The group of Cambodian kids hanging out on a bench were of no help either - they only giggled and blushed when I asked them, "Bridge? Bamboo?" and I couldn't blame them nor expect them to understand. Now why didn't I study a Khmer language course (Cambodian) before I took off on this trip. It would have saved me so much grief and frustration. But I soldiered on, grabbed my backpack, and eventually got on the right track.
The bridge slowly appeared in the distance, its length surprising me. The island was much further away, and the bridge much longer, than I was expecting. I didn't realize just how incredible it was until I was actually on it. It was so much wider, larger, longer, and complex up close. Made entirely of bamboo woven together and mud, I was shocked at how sturdy it seemed supporting livestock, motorbikes, trucks, and my bicycle, all at the same time!
The bridge swayed in the wind, and under the weight of the heavy carts passing, but showed no sign of weakness. It was resilient and strong, just like the people who built it.
