I heard about the charming town of Kompong Cham and its bamboo bridge. But where exactly is it and how do I get there? With my beautiful road map of Cambodia, I was able to easily locate it and plan my trip. After a 3 hour bus ride from the capital Phnom Penn, I finally arrived at Kompong Cham and was fully 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 headed out of the Mekong Hotel to grab my rented bike (perfect for cruising around town), the sidewalks and streets were packed with people. bustling activity, even at this early hour. Goods were on sale, including every shiny fruit and spicy vegetable imaginable, plus fried fish and whole chickens dangling by their legs.

Men at stalls, women crouching on the ground, and young children on motorcycles were doing their part to entice passersby to buy 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 tranquil sunrise. After finishing the amazing tofu breakfast, I hopped on my bike and headed towards the Mekong, just as sunrise was at its peak.

Getting up so early allowed me to beat the midday heat. In eastern Cambodia, April is quite hot, and I knew that the hot sun would ruin my plans, and I had a long bike ride ahead of me. I’m a pale face from Michigan and I was made for the cold. Next time I will plan my trip to this quiet and authentic riverside town between the months of November and February, when it is cooler.

A year earlier I had read about a feat of astonishing ingenuity and hard work, engineering and creativity, a bamboo bridge linking 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 for the small island, called Koh Paen, and a necessity. But lacking the funds and materials to build a permanent bridge, the locals came up with their own genius solution that required more work than money. I greatly admire and respect the perseverance of the Cambodian people, and I have always been fascinated by culture. But I couldn’t find any photos of the incredible structure, neither on Google nor in books. I came to see for myself.

I fumbled along the river for a while, couldn’t find the bridge from the road. I rode back and forth, but there were no English signs anywhere. The group of Cambodian children sitting on a bench were no help either: they only laughed and blushed when I asked, “Bridge? Bamboo?” and he couldn’t blame them or expect them to understand. Now, why didn’t I take a Khmer (Cambodian) language course before going on this journey? It would have saved me so much pain and frustration. But I kept going, grabbed my backpack, and finally 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 he had expected. I didn’t realize how amazing it was until I was at it. Up close, it was much wider, larger, longer, and more complex. Made entirely of woven bamboo and mud, I was amazed at how sturdy it seemed to hold up to cattle, motorbikes, trucks, and my bike all at the same time!

The bridge swayed in the wind and under the weight of the heavy passing carts, but it showed no signs of weakness. It was tough and strong, just like the people who built it.