Posts made in January, 2013

DAY 6 A road of two halves

Posted

Lets keep this one brief.  Half of today’s distance took three quarters of the time due the road’s unrelenting, wrist and arm shattering ‘design’.  The other half was lovely. I finally got sun burnt today. I dropped my bike on Johnny’s already damaged family jewels, right before we set off this morning.  Sorry about that. I sort of feel I should point out that they do have real roads over here (in at least some of the places) – it’s just that we can’t go on them.  The highways aren’t a good place for a team of cyclists, regardless of how good their matching kit looks. ...

Read More

Day 7 – Battambang – Siem Reap and Ankor Wat

Posted

I’d placed the alarm on the other side of the room knowing that was the only way I’d force myself of bed as it was set for 4am. Rather than waking straight away, the alarm for a short time slipped in to my unconscious mind and was ignored as something happening in the background of the surreal world of my dreams. Eventually though it nagged its way through my conscience and I admitted defeat and let go of the dream. Stumbling across the room I stubbed my toe then bent a finger back making a grab for the alarm. My colleagues (and my children) have occasionally commented on a passing...

Read More

Day 6 – Moung Ressy – Battambang

Posted

The first half of today really shouldn’t be written about. We left town on the support bus as the roads were apparently too dangerous to cycle on. Don’t know what they meant. On the 15 minute journey to the start point we only saw two accidents. The first a lorry on its side, windscreen smashed and its cargo divided between the roadside and the field its rear end had come to rest in. Half a kilometer further on a relatively new car on the other side of the road had carved a path through some bushes and was curled sickeningly around a tree. The dirt road we were on was covered in small but...

Read More

Day 5 – Pursat – Moung Ruessey

Posted

I’d managed to get very little sleep even though exhausted. The surrounding area was very noisy, the room hot and sticky and even when I did manage to drop off, vivid dreams repeatedly found me sitting suddenly up in bed confused as to where I was. Another early start and I was still only half awake by the time we set off. However today was to turn out to be my favourite so far. The plan was to follow a canal in Kandieng District, built in 1976 during Pol Pot’s rule, it cuts a straight and unswerving line for 50km. We joined it 5km along and hit the obligatory dirt track as a gorgeous...

Read More

Day 6 Moung Russey to Battambang

Posted

Day 6: This morning myself Ola and Mattias met at 6pm to go in search of breakfast for the team. Our hotel over looked the market so we didn’t have far to walk! We managed to find some bananas and baguettes which seems to have become the norm.  Once we had eaten breakfast, we were ready to start our journey from Moung Russey to Battambang. The journey today was again very rural, and much to every ones anguish the roads were once again extremely bumpy, so much so the support vehicle and trailer had to take a few detours. We cycled through small villages stopping occasionally for water...

Read More