AsiaLIFE

The arrival of a company offering quad bike tours through the countryside around the capital means that getting off-road is no longer the preserve of the brave at heart. Words by Mark Jackson.

Part of the attraction of living in the Penh is the wealth of opportunities that lie at our doorstep. A few minutes motorbike drive across the Japanese Bridge and you can find rural communities on dirt roads that seem lost in time. Up to now the problem has been accessing them. Unless you fancy handling a dirt-bike, the only real way of getting to these nearby villages has been by bicycle, boat or joining the Hash. Since February there has been another way – and one with a bit of vroom.

“We want to give everybody the chance to see rural Cambodia,” says Pasqua Garraccio, founder of Blazing Trails. “This is an activity for bikers who are used to riding in the countryside, as well as curious people and nature lovers that have never touched a machine with an engine at all.” Pasqua has five quad bikes offering four trips – a one-and-a-half hour trip to the Killing Fields and around local villages (US$15), a sunset tour (US$20), a half-day river life tour (US$35) and the total adventure (US$65). We took up his offer to take us on the full tour. “Our machines are very easy to drive!” Pasqua promised. “Because we use ATV-quads, our tours are aimed at every one. Novices will appreciate the safety of four-wheel machines and the more experienced drivers can be more adventurous than with motorbike.” As our photographer, Nathan Horton, was an experienced dirt-bike rider and our editor is a total two-wheel novice (can’t even ride a bicycle), we tested out both claims.

No Experience Required

As Blazing Trails is situated on a small road off the main road to the Killing Fields, a tuk tuk picked us up from central Phnom Penh around 7.30am and conveyed us through the early morning traffic. Instructions on how to use the quads were cursory. Switch here, pull throttle back to start, squeeze break to stop. And then we were off.

I found myself stuttering forwards followed by a sudden explosion of speed while I tried to get used to an accelerator that was controlled by hand rather than foot. Our much more experienced photographer got the hang of it immediately.
However, quickly I found myself ploughing through early wet season puddles splattering my shorts, t-shirt, legs and anything else that came in my near vicinity with mud. It truly was as easy as Pasqua indicated and, at least for me, exhilarating. Nathan found the quads a bit tame compared with dirt bikes, although more comfortable.

The only lesson I could have done with was how to break without also squeezing the throttle, which has the same effect as skidding a car – why are they both on the same side? This apart, learning how to drive a quad is as easy as learning to ride a bike – maybe I’ll get around to that some day. For Pasqua there is really only one pre-requisite for anyone wishing to enjoy the day out. “Our customers just have to be interested in discovering Cambodian villages, with local people smiling in fascination at our 'weird four-wheels bikes',” he says. “Each outing is a tour, not a race, so people can relax in a beautiful setting.” Again he was true to his word.

Villagers might be accustomed to seeing six Cambodians balanced precariously on a moto, or a dozen piglets in a motorbike basket, but a westerner caked in mud sitting on a four-wheeled motorbike is a sight worthy of their full attention. Occasional breaks – to stop the quads from overheating – allow plenty of photo-opportunities with smiling locals inquisitive about what the crazy barangs are getting up to.

In the Tiger’s Den

Although the journey itself is not as important as getting out of town and letting rip, Pasqua has found a series of interesting back streets, apart from a short stretch along a main road, that lead to Phnom Tamao Wildlife Park. “As a motorbike driver, I discovered Phnom Penh countryside by myself, but it takes time to find the good places, the nice roads,” he explains. “Most of the people here don't have days and days to spend searching the right road, so we did it for them!”

On the way to Tamao we stopped at a small pagoda – Tmor Nemei ¬– with good views of the surrounding plains and what appeared to be an extensive re-forestation project. The way back included lunch on the Tonle Bati with a visit to the twelfth century temple, Ta Prohm, there. The highlight of the trip though was visiting the wildlife park. In addition to watching the elephants showing off their football skills – I dare anyone to tackle them – we were allowed to go round the back of the tiger cages. Quite whether this is on the ‘official’ tour I’m not sure, but stroking the flank of an animal that could tear you limb from limb as soon as sneeze at you, is an experience I’ll never forget. Fortunately, I hardly ever used my left hand anyway.

Blazing Trails provides an interesting and, for the biking novice, safe way of accessing the beautiful countryside close to Phnom Penh. One final piece of advice is to put on plenty of sun-block, that is unless you want a dappled suntan in between the lumps of mud that are sure to cling to your legs.

Blazing Trails, Killing Fields Road, Tel: 012 676 381 / 012 542 916, www.blazingtrailscambodia.com