Day 1 Kep – Takeo

The only street lighting in Kep – a small cove like resort town which is our starting point for
the 500km bike ride – is along the main strip which gives host to a fish market, some very
small fishing boats and around twenty identical restaurants lining the beachfront. A lack
of street lighting is common in Cambodia but the speed at which day turns to night and plunges the surroundings in to darkness never fails to
surprise. It’s as though someone has suddenly dropped a heavy drape across the sun to put it to bed
as day time’s old partner in crime takes its place.

Unfortunately for us no one had undraped the sun yet when we arose in time for a
5.15am breakfast. Having eaten, we loaded the support bus with our belongings and
mounted our bikes for the short ride to the starting point of our 500km ‘adventure’.

Having taken the obligatory team photo, during which a small stray dog took it on himself
to adopt us we set off on the first stage which was to prove deceptively pleasant in the
cool of the morning. The road was tarmacked and mostly free of potholes and our canine
companion even obliged by running ahead of the group and scattering a small troop of
monkey blocking the road ahead. Alas our companion was not to stay with us and nor was
the pleasant smooth road surface. After our first water stop at around 12km we turned off
the main road and on to a red soil dirt track to head across country.

The surroundings were beautiful however we did not have the time to take in most of the
scenery as we had to spend much of the time concentrating on avoiding the scattered rocks
and pot holes which made the going far tougher than before. We rose steadily through
remote farmland and the odd village, passing pepper plantations and various fruit farms
until we hit the higher jungle area. Even though we were cycling uphill the ride was interesting
and not too taxing but once we reached the jungle the land plateaued out and surprisingly
this proved much harder going than the slower uphill ride.

Wherever we passed, local people especially children shouted excited hellos and we
responded in kind waving and smiling. We must have made a strange sight. Eight identically
dressed cyclist covered head to toe in red dust passing through their villages and extremely basic
settlements. I don’t know the Cambodian expression for it but if this was England it would
sound something along the lines of ‘hey, check out this bunch of looneys’.
Although being Cambodia the greeting were always with smiles and the utmost
friendliness. The children giggling and laughing at what must be a very strange sight to
them.

After 60 km we eventually and with great relief turned back on the a tarmac road. After
lunch we hit the final stretch but as the heat was now topping 30 degree and without the
shade of the jungle it proved uncomfortable and exhausting.

The relief after finding out at our penultimate water stop that we only had another 10km to
go for the day was tangible within the group. I hit the finish exhausted having experienced at various times in the day cramp, nausea and dizziness (due to the
heat) and what felt at one point like a complete lack of feeling in my legs as they turned completely to jelly.

At the time of writing this and having eaten and showered. The unpleasant feelings have
subsided and the memories of the smiling faces on the kids we passed, the beautiful
countryside and the fantastic camaraderie within the group which showed throughout
the day means I’m sitting here typing feeling strangely excited about tomorrows leg of our
fundraising trip. With an earlier 5.30am start tomorrow it’s time for bed.