Blazing a trail

3 of our interested spectators as we passed through countless villages

Starting out on a smooth road in the countryside

Looking for something a bit different during your stay in Phnom Penh? Look no further than the quad-bike adventures that Blazing Trails can offer, from a sunset tour to a village adventure to a two-day, overnight pagoda stay and trek. I have just got back to the office after a 3 and a half hour quad ride around the villages southwest of the city, beginning at the company's HQ just 200 metres before the Choeung Ek memorial site. And it was great fun. Fortunately most of the tracks and paths we used were fairly dry or else I would've looked like something resembling the 'swamp monster' though the owner, Pasqua, says that when its really wet the quads and the adventure steps up to another level. I was quite happy with just a small layer of dirt, not being a motorbike enthusiast in the slightest, whereas my colleague, Nick Ray, was born on a bike I reckon. Whilst he was thrashing his 150cc automatic Chinese-made ATV Quad-bike, I was following a more sedate path, stopping to take photos and interact with the locals. At most of the villages, on cue the younger children would run to the side of the track, waving wildly, shouting and jumping for joy as we passed by, which is always guaranteed to make my day. For much of the trip we rode alongside the Prek Thnot River as it meandered its way through the rice fields and acts as the border between Phnom Penh and Kandal provinces. We stopped at a few pagodas, as well as a sugar-cane juice break and got to see exactly what most tourists miss if they stick to the tried and tested routes. It really is a great way to experience life in the countryside and to see the Cambodia I love, where the majority of the population still live a rural lifestyle. Do yourself a favour and checkout the folks at Blazing Trails for your up close and personal experience. And to make it even better, the prices are good value too. Link: Blazing Trails.

The Prek Thnot River was our companion for much of the route

I'm trying to negotiate a wooden bridge and oncoming traffic

Nick looking mean and purposeful at our sugar-cane juice stop

Another pose against a backdrop that is typically CambodianNick, the biker, doing his best to splash as much mud on himself as possible

A pagoda pose of course, rather than some rank awful bad driving!

Catching the day's lunch in a pond en route

When will this muppet stop posing?

Advice on how not to conduct yourself at a party

It wouldn't be a trip in the countryside without the regulation Neak Ta