Cycle Cambodia

Current Live Diary! Cycle Cambodia 10 - 20 March 2006

After a couple of bags went missing and were delivered by the airline that night, the group settled down for their first night in Cambodia. The weather was very hot, and they even got to go for a swim on their first night!

They had a bike fitting later that night, and their bikes are apparently very comfortable.

Sunday 12 March
The group had an early start at 7.15am and had a one hour transfer to Kampot. They cycled 52 Km today.

The weather was very hot, around 36 degrees, so everyone is drinking lots of water. The group are constantly followed by Cambodian children intrigued by their bikes. Everyone has made a lot of friends!

At the end of the afternoon they stopped at a temple, where Carl Morris, the new group photographer, made friends with some local children. He apparently also succeeded in making them think he was a robot whilst trying to explain his cochlear implant!

That night they had a lovely dinner by the river where they celebrated Tony's birthday with a cake.

They then spent the rest of the night playing cards and recovering from the heat.

Monday 15 March
The group set off really early today, at 6am, to avoid the heat. It got to 41 degrees today, so the going was very, very tough.

They cycled 86 Km, with lots of stops for water. The group made quite an impression at the local market they visited, with lots of pointing at their lycra shorts.

Lunch was taken at a temple today, and they met lots of monks. After lunch the monks gave them all pillows so they could have a little afternoon nap and recover from the heat a little! They then visited a traditional Cambodian home which was lovely.

Apparently the cycling was very difficult after lunch, but everyone managed and felt really proud for completing the day.

At dinner that night after a bet from Tracey, the local guide Kun did a little Karaoke, and now owes the NDCS £10!

Some messages from the group:

'Only bad news today is that we lose the sea breeze, which made it bearable today!' - anon.

'Not too many sore bits yet! Everyone needs something to look forward too...Cambodia is lovely' - Tony

'Hot...damn hot!' - Tim

'Houses on stilts, cows on road, kids shouting hello and red dusty road - first day!' Sally

'The advance has started, the team are building, the water is flowing, the temperature is rising and the fun and challenge go together' - David S.

'Everyone is enjoying being in a small group. It's very humid...cycling is great on the flat roads!' - Hema

'Amazing. So moving with all the gorgeous kids waving like crazy and shouting hello or goodbye and all wanting their photos taken. It's hot and very lovely' - Kate

'Bringing a case instead of a rucksack hasn't meant I'm finding anything any easier' - Pauline

'Can't believe the heat after the past week's freezing training!' - David T

'Cambodia is beautiful and hot' - Carl.

New Update: Tuesday 15 March
Helen sent this update visa email last night

We got up at 6am for breakfast and made our way back to the restaurant where Kun made his karaoke debut last night. As soon as we set off on our bikes again, it started to rain, which was very very very welcome indeed! It really helped everyone a lot, after the challenge of yesterday. We've all had rather soggy bottoms but no one's complained!

We've been going at a cracking pace and everyone has been really enjoying the cooler weather.

We visited a temple which is as old as those at Angkor Wat today. Very beautiful and stopped at a restaurant by a lake for lunch.

Dave C. has been trying to convince Kate that electric shocks really do work to stop bites itching, but she's not really convinced. The group went storming off after lunch and even managed to form a peleton with a moped/truck at the front!

Tim has been doing magic tricks for the children that we meet. Poor old Tracey and Tony, didn't have the best luck though. They were cycling behind a farm truck that was transporting a pig. The pig decided that it was going to relief itself and Tracey & Tony got their second "rainfall" of the day!

The group are doing brilliantly and are very strong. We cycled 80km again today and made it to Phnom Penh by 3.30pm which gave us enough time to even get a massage or two.

We ate at a restaurant called "Friends" tonight which is run by a charity who train street children in lots of different careers, one of which is catering. The food was fantastic!

I sent through some photos of the group cycling.



 

Update Tuesday Afternoon:

The group have cycled 30 Km today, and the weather is a little cooler and overcast. They ctcled through Phnom Penh today which was an experience! Thousands of cars, mopeds and ice-cream sellers driving everywhere. Just when you thought that you had worked out what side of the road to drive on, you'd turn a corner and be heading towards a moped at top speed!

That afternoon the group went to visit the killing fields and visited the S-21 prison which held a lot of the prisoners of the Pol Pot regime. It was a very emotional experience and everyone was very moved by what they saw.

The group then did a little off-road cycling in the afternoon which amused all the locals who had not had much contact with mountain bikes before.

They then had a three hour transfer to Kompong Thom, where they visited a spider market. Julia the doctor and Tim both ate a fried spider, whilst lots of the group were very brave and had tarantuals crawl all over them! At one point Helen had 6 crawling on her, and David summerfield, Andrew Breen and Pauline Walker apparently almost left with some in their pockets!

Tomorrow is another early morning, with visits to a local deaf school and a temple.

Stay tuned for another update!

Regards,
Roxy.

Thursday 16th March

The group had a change of itinerary on their 60Km cycle today. They cycled to the Sambor Temple complex, which is older than Ankor Wat. It was apparently a very nice change to the itinerary.

The cycle there was all off road, so it was very bumpy, but very quiet and beatiful too. It was very dusty, but an amazing experience, and one that most tourists will never get to experience. An incredible day.

The group are getting a lot of attention as they cycle, with children, and adults, going compeltely crazy and shouting and screaming when they ride past! They said they felt like the Tour De France!

The views are amazing, cycling through lots of basic little Cambodian villages. Lots of fields and houses on stilts. The weather is very hot again, in the high thirties, but it is shady, so that is some relief.

Mo almost cycled into a cow today, and apparently did quite a spectacular stunt fall off her cycle! No injuries though and she's back on the bike ready to face another cow on the road if necessary.

Carl drank some 51% proof wine today...he may have come off a little worse for wear too!

The last ride back into town was very bumpy and very challenging.

The hotel they are staying in is lovely, but there is a wedding going on over the road, and there have been very noisy celebrations for over 24 hours! Those of you who have experienced the pleasure of South-East Asian pop music will appreciate this. Helen did a lovely impression for me!

The group are heading to Ankor Wat tomorrow, where they will cycle around it, so stay tuned for the next update.

Best wishes,
Roxy.

Friday 17 March
Helen just emailed me a new update from Cambodia!

Once again, the weather has been really hot today and made the cycling a real challenge. We started cycling at 7.30am after a transfer to an 800 year old bridge. The temperature soon got up to the high 30's.

We stopped off at a local school to donate some clothes and toiletries, and got to see the children in their classrooms. They were certainly shocked to see a group of lycra-clad cyclists turn up!!

After a sweltering cycle we stopped at a temple for lunch which was beautiful and shady.

We finally arrived at Angkor Wat at about 4pm, with just enough time for a quick photo.

We cycled 75km today and have now completed nearly 400km overall...and don't we know it!

Tomorrow it's off for a 35km cycle around Angkor Wat itself...we can't wait.

Comments:
Only one day to go, today was really hot, so a swimming pool at the hotel was a real treat. - MO

Don't reckon much to this off-roading...not really my thing! - Kate

Now we all know what "sticky rice" feels like after cycling 6 days in Cambodia - David Summerfield

Tomorrow we'll be the only tourists at Angkor Wat who really deserve to be there - David Carr

What a great group of people!! Having a great time! - Carl

Everyone is looking forard to visit the temples tomorro wand the group spirit has always been there during the trip - Hema