80km .. but then, who's counting?

Day 3 ... we have been introduced to our first of several long cycles - and the end result is rather pleasing! Leaving the hotel at a perky 7am, we headed out to cycle through the outskirts of Siem Reap. It was such a memorable day. We were led by our wonderful guides along a severly pot-holed dirt road weaving past roaming oxen, moped drivers carrying seemingly overwhelming loads, countless children and many 'PAN' donated wells. The children were effectively wonderful cheerleaders as they stood on the side of the road yelling 'hello, hello'. They were stunningly gorgeous children with looks of absolute delight filling their faces at the mere sight of us. What more motivation does a cyclist need?!

The dirt roads were an adventure and a half. When I return home I am tempted to pull out a picture of a Cambodian pot hole whenever anyone comments on a pot hole on a NZ street and while employing my best Crocodile Dundee accent excalim, 'That's not a pot hole, THIS is a pot hole'.

We cycled through several villages in approximately 30 degree heat (and unbelievable humidity) before reaching a temple in what certainly seemed like the middle of nowhere. We were once again given an all access tour. It amazes me that tourists have the access that they do to such precious structures. Following yet another delicious lunch we began to make our way back to the hotel. I decided, in a moment of brilliance to jump on the back of the ute, hold on for dear life and obtain video footage of the cyclists. I was able to convince a fellow participant, Kyle, to lie on his stomach and take the still photos. We were successful in our mission. Kyle however may just have a few bruises from the many pot holes that caused him to rise and fall - quite hard onto the bed of the ute.

It was eye-opening to watch each of the participants as they rode. Each person seemed to gain so much momentum from the building grou dynamics, interacting with the local children and absorbing the changing views of paddy fields, villages, highways and city streets. Several participants seem to relish the occasional race or random move on the bike. It is particularly fun to watch the more experienced riders challenge children on bikes - jumping over pot holes and off roading into the ditches. The kids love it. The almost 80km went ridiculously fast. We arrived back at 3.30pm, exhausted, dirty and satisfied. Oh and the participants of the second challenge may be happy to hear that the itinerary has been changed for day 3 - no more mountain :).

Apart from one minor spill that involved a participant falling off his bike while pointing out a pot hole for another participant (before you ask - yes he did get nominated for both the do-gooder and the nuffy award!) we returned home in fairly good condition! I did however grab the opportunity to enjoy a massage at the local 'Blind Massage Institute'. Nice.

Now for a couple of introductions. First Moire Cuncannon and then Aleece Forman:

My luggage finally decided it would abandon it's stay in Singapore and join me in the lovely country of Cambodia, I now have bike gear and my bottom is thankful for the comfy gel seat. Today started off well with cooler weather than expected. We had a few tumbles but luckily no major injuries. The off-road cycling was challenging but we enjoyed some great views of Cambodian countryside.

Some of the ladies decided to try out the 'natural' fake tan on their legs, this was easily achieved by moisturiser melting and orange dust clinging to them. After a quick snack with some tough street kids with a sling shot and their new found snake trophy we were on our way again. As we cycled through the villages swarms of children flocked to the streets to encourage us on with 'Hello, goodbye'. Their enthusiasm was amazing and made us cycle harder.

The temples were fantastic, on a slightly smaller scale from yesterday. Lunch was yet again delicious traditional Cambodian food. The redbull fanclub is also continuing to grow and we hope to have everyone a believer by the end of the trip. The top score is 3 cans in one sitting at the moment.

We are slowly learning how to avoid tourist buses, whose goal seems to be 'how many cyclists can we take out today'. The landscape is wonderful and we are learning how to avoid the potholes and craters in our paths. Obviously after 80km we are tired but are all very excited about what's to come.

P.S. I am having trouble uploading pix and video ... I hope to have this resolved soon as we have some great footage and photos. Keep checking back!

Angkor Wat, pavement visits and Craig

Today was simply an extension of the thrill and fun of yesterday. The fun just has not stopped. After our daily briefing we were once again thrown onto the streets of Siem Reap. Once again experiencing riding side by side with Cambodians and once again breathing, smelling, experiencing all that these streets have to offer. We cycled in single file - although we all became a bit confident at times and virtually took over the road. It is safe to say that we feeling a little more confident on these streets! One thing is for sure, the 1.5m rule is not in place here. I am developing a fast appreciation for Auckland drivers!

Each day there are two awards offered, one is for the 'do gooder of the day' and the second is called the 'nuffy'which is for the person who had the most impressive fall/mishap of the day. Well 1.8km into the days cycling, Katy applied a little too much pressure on her breaks and went flying head first over her bike onto a very busy section of city street. Other than a grazed elbow and impressive bruise on her leg she is okay although it did get me to thinking - 'gosh it's scary how far one will go to win an award' ;).

Each day I am going to get a different participant to contribute to this blog. It is quite interesting to hear another's perspective on the experience of the day. Today it's Craig's turn:


This morning we started out at 7am and hit the chaotic and dusty streets of Siem Reap once again. We made out way to the Angkor Wat temple complex and visited Ta Prohm (of Tomb Raider fame) Bayon, Baphuon and the incredible Angkor Wat.

As we weaved through all kinds of bustling traffic and felt the warm breeze on our faces it felt surreal to be here, surrounded by centuries old archealogical and artistic treasure on a grand scale. Today was an amazing day.

I also learnt and practiced the phrase, 'Te aw kohn' or 'no thank you'. Young kids would approach us in swarms and give us a hard sell. It was annoying but also I felt it was part of the experience of this place. One little girl asked me my name and where I was from. After telling her I replied, 'New Zealand, capital city Wellington' and then she quizzed me to see if I knew Cambodia's capital. Very cute.



Craig Haythornthwaite

Smiles, smiles and more smiles

I write this in the morning of day 2 and I think I would be on the mark to report that the smile has not left my face since I arrived here! We are less than 24 hours into this experience and I am seriously on cloud nine - in fact if the clouds were ranked it would perhaps be cloud twelve. We went on our first bike ride yesterday and I do not think I have had that much of an exhilarating experience in a long time. It was amazing!




All 21 of us received our first briefing which covered all the rules, itinerary details, introductions etc we were then led to a fleet of 21 brand new bikes that are to be our transportation for the next 11 days. Wearing our matching bright red Charity Challenge shirts we posed for a 'before' shot before jumping on our bikes and forming an assembly line behind our fantastic Cambodian guide, Smey. We then rode out into what can only be described as highly organised mahem. Our Austalian guide told us, regarding the streets of Cambodia Ít's nuts but it works'. It was insane! We were surrounded on all sides by moped drivers, trucks, cars and fellow cyclists. All competing for road space and all so beautifully friendly. It is hard to become frustrated at someone coming straight for you, or cutting you off causing you to ride into the gutter when they have a gorgeous smile to accompany that action!

From the beginning of the ride I felt enormously overwhelmed by this experience. It was nothing short of intoxicating. Here we were, a group of cyclists here for the same cause, riding along the streets of Siem Reap with absolutely no barrier between us and this incredible outside world. It was just amazing. We were riding in the thick of our experience - no glass window between us, no tour guide speaking through a microphone, no foot rest or air conditioned comfort. I became convinced that we were at an incredible advantage by seeing this beautiful city this way. We had an absolute blast as we responded to the many horns being honked, children waving and as we notified each other of upcoming pot holes. The Cambodian people are just gorgeous. I think they see us as being quite the novelty which I guess we are! At any rate it was unbelieveable - an assault on all senses. At one stage a participant yelled out to me Çlaire! You haven't stopped smiling all day!' I yelled back Í know! Isnt it great!' I was indeed the cheshire cat and I was not alone.

Air-conditioned comfort

We have officially arrived in Siem Reap. The itinerary for today involves a round of showers, swimming in the pool and an afternoon ride to Angkor Wat. More to come....

P.S. Message for my dear friend Olivia who took delight in the knowledge that I would be without the comforts of home ... I am pleased to inform you that I have a hair dryer in my room.

Anticipation abounds

We are officially on our way to Cambodia! I write this from 40,000 feet in the air somewhere over the Pacific (or perhaps Australia) and I have spent the last hour trying to get myself to sleep. The truth is how on Earth am I to do that when the challenge that we have all been a part of for over a year now is shifting into its most exciting phase? I have reconciled with the fact that adrenaline trumps sleep for now - and to be honest I look around and see that my fellow participants join me in that sentiment!

It was fantastic to meet face to face with those that I have spoken to countless times over email and the phone. The atmosphere at check-in was nothing short of jubious. Everyone is abuzz with what is to come, albeit a tad nervous. Participants unite over common concerns ... 'Have I trained enough?' 'Have I packed everything?' 'Will I chafe while cycling?' I try to reassure them however I am acutely aware that those same questions are running rampant through my mind!

Talk continues on to that of sausage sizzles, book sales and begging family and friends for donations. I am floored at the commitment the participants - on both trips - have shown. I sit and listen and feel nothing but admiration for each participants journey in making this challenge happen. Talk moves onto training. Oh the training ... We have trained and trained and trained - to the point where many of us can no longer distinguish between our bike seat and a slab of concrete. There is a moment where we then realise that such training is but a teaser for what is to come! 500km over 10 days to raise funds and awareness for Cambodians in need. Well worth it I say.

Looking around at the participants I am struck by the simple fact that aside from a few connections we are all relative strangers, from different parts of NZ, working in different industries, of different fitness levels and yet there is this common denominator that gives me goose bumps and I believe defines the challenge - we are all wanting to make a serious difference in the lives of those less fortunate. The rather cheesey Intrepid strap line of Órdinary people, doing extraordinary things' seems to perfectly sum up the underlying motivation across these challenges. So yes, Intrepid, the cheese should stay! It works.

For now I am going to watch my inflight movie, eat my beef stirfry and well tomorrow... may this Intrepid journey begin!