Moto Trip to Kampong Thom

I have been working too much lately, so Sunday was a day off. I decided to drive to Kampong Thom, about 2/3 of the way to Seim Reap (Angkor Wat).

"Why Kampong Thom?" Good question. Within about 50 kilometers of Kampong Thom, the many pre Angkor temples are virtually tourist free, unlike Angkor Wat. I would like to be in Kampong Thom on a weekend morning to photograph the old temples. To do that, I will need to leave Kampong Cham after work on a Friday and given driving conditions here, be off the road by sunset. In Cambodia, night arrives promptly and completely at about 6:30 pm. This moto trip was a trial run, to determine how much time the trip takes.

Samira, a friend working in Kampong Thom, had asked me to bring her canned tuna, as there is none to be had in Kampong Thom. I purchased the fish, gassed up the moto and headed off. I left at 08:20 and arrived two hours and 15 minutes later. If you are into numbers, it was 110 kilometers, and the moto averaged 49 kilometers per hour.

Even without a highway map, the route turned out to be easy. Most of the way the road was good by Cambodian standards. Just two sections were rough gravel, which is not that much fun on a moto.

The usual speed here is 50 (31 mph) to 60 kph (37 mph). I was driving a little faster than most Cambodians, about 80 kph (55 mph). As I came up behind an old man on a bicycle, he turned left in front of me. Wow!!! I just missed him. Ok, Tom, slow down. 
In Kampong Thom, I had lunch with Samira and then headed south on the return trip. It started out much like the trip up, but about half-way things got interesting. Black storm clouds and heavy rain were headed my way. I needed to reach Kampong Cham before dark so I pressed on.
 

As I neared the storm, a brutal right-to-left crosswind hit. I slowed to 50 kph to keep from being blown off the road. A stand of short trees to my right blocked much of the wind. When I came to an area without trees, the wind just about blew me into the other lane.

I was now driving through a huge plantation of young (small) rubber trees. I felt a few drops and then a few more, and put on my rain jacket. I looked for a place to wait out the storm, but didn't find one. My only option was to keep going. I headed slowly into the storm, the rainfall became heavier and heavier, and I was soon drenched. I met a horse cart and two motos going the other way. The drivers were all in the same situation as me, exposed to the elements and WET. Luckily the road was good, and the drive reasonably safe.

I finally cleared the storm, and was amazed to see that two or three kilometers on the other side of it, the ground was completely dry. It had not rained there at all.

With 25 kilometers to go, I stopped to fill the gas tank. To pay the soaked bills in my canvas wallet had to be peeled apart. When I reached home, not a part of me was dry.