As the trails of Temple Town are freed from hoards of tourists, out-of-work and exercise-starved locals are reclaiming Siem Reap's once-crowded tarmac and taking to two wheels to escape the virus monotony.
As the sun begins to set in Siem Reap, cyclists across town strap on their helmets, hop in their saddles and head for Angkor, the ancient capital of the Khmer Empire.
From downtown, it’s a five kilometre cruise on smooth tarmac flanked by lush forest to the southern edge of the moat surrounding Angkor Wat – the most famous of the temple complexes housed within Angkor Archaeological Park, emblazoned on Cambodia’s flag.
Normally, the park would be filled with tourists attempting to capture the perfect sunset picture, but since the coronavirus swept through Siem Reap, the ancient monument has fallen silent. But as she watched the virus spread across the globe, she realised her vacation was likely to be extended.
"At first, I thought maybe I can just relax since it was only spreading in China," she says. "I thought in June or August it would be fine. But later, when the virus spread worldwide it’s not a holiday anymore. It’s a big problem."
By the end of February, she started to feel stir crazy. Like many others, he doesn’t know when or if his job will be waiting for him in post-virus Siem Reap. His company told him they would contact him in July.
It’s not just locals riding out the virus in Siem Reap, with foreigners also jumping on the cycling bandwagon.
British national Benedict Tweedie found himself stranded in Cambodia after China implemented a travel ban on foreigners a day before he was scheduled to fly back to Wuhan, the original epicentre of the virus and where he taught English.
He bought a used bike in Phnom Penh, his first temporary home in Cambodia, and once the novelty of cycling the congested, noisy streets of the country’s capital wore off, he packed the backpack he’s been living out of since January, threw his bike in the belly of a bus at Central Market, and moved to Siem Reap.
2350.714 SRY