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!