TRAVERSE 30
Then, just as quickly, the colour drains away and the sky turns deep blue. The fishermen’ s boats become small lantern-lit shapes drifting across the dark surface of the river. Somewhere farther downstream a dog barks and the sound carries across the water.
Night settles over Stung Treng with the same calm patience that defines the river itself.
The town doesn’ t rush into darkness. Lights flicker on slowly along the riverfront. A few more people wander down to the promenade to enjoy the cooler air. Couples sit together quietly on low concrete benches, watching the Mekong slide past in the darkness. It’ s in moments like this that motorcycle travel reveals its true value.
Riding allows you to arrive somewhere gradually, to feel the landscape change mile by mile rather than jumping abruptly from one place to another. The dust, the heat, the long stretches of empty road all become part of the memory of arrival.
TRAVERSE 30