lorrainehunt

[lorrainehunt]

Setting off from ticket office to Angkor Wat ! Final leg

[lorrainehunt]

Setting off from ticket office to Angkor Wat ! Final leg

[lorrainehunt]

Kompong Thom - Siem Reap

Final day ! Today is a much shorter day , I think we are all getting a little tired now We set off , everyone is in good spirits, but a little quiet and a bit sad it’s coming to an end . We have our first stop which the team tell us us our lunch stop and still a bit full from breakfast ( time 9.30am in the morning) just on the outskirts of Siem Reap. The restaurant situated over a river , plenty of hammocks to relax in. We had a quick lunch and briefing about the final stretch. We got back on our bikes bikes and rode to the ticket office for Angkor Wat which is about 6miles out of town . This place was on a dual carriageway and soooo hot ! We were all melting and having to apply sun cream as it was just melting off us . We arrived at the ticket office where we collected our tickets that allowed us entry to the Temple complex and decorated our bikes with balloons.We popped them on the helmets . Everyone had the Women V Cancer t-shirts and we all looked fab going into the town ! All excited we cycled the last few miles to the front of a temple of Angkor Wat where a banner was held at the finish line Roomie and I crossed the line Lots of hugs all of us extremely emotional it’s over . We done it , it’s was hot , very tiring and emotional. Lots of photos later we defitted our bikes and headed to Angkor Wat for an hour and feeling very pleased with ourselves.

I would like to thank everyone who supported me and sponsored me .. you are all very special. This event has been able to raise over £360,000 for the women v cancer charities breast cancer care , Jo’s cervical cancer trust , and Ovarian cancer action which is quite incredible and this is still rising

Celebratory meal with local dancers

Quick roomie update … she’s just discovered her bike helmet has not fitted all week because the balloons we put on wanted to take the helmet from her head. But we survived….

Thank you all again and I’ll see you all soon. X

[lorrainehunt]

[lorrainehunt]

Kampong Cham - Kompong Thom

Big day today .. lots of miles to cover and it's getting hotter and dryer , we leave the hotel the sun is just rising and head off .. everyone is in good spirits and ready for our biggest day , we pass along uneven roads and lots of wind !!!!it was hard going and the road was going slightly up hill but we all made it and regrouped This road passes many temples and pagodas , these are incredible! and the paintings inside are beautiful the monks are quite fascinated by us are willing to have their picture taken. We then head on a main road through the Cambodia countryside this is fascinating. The houses are called stilt houses theses are a wooden houses basically built up on stilts or piles and the children are always eager to greet us . In the afternoon we then pass through lots of agriculture land most of which is covered in trees which they use for charcoal and riding through more trees we come across rubber plantations . You can see the little bowls near the base of the tree collecting the rubber sap. We pass miles of these and the road is very straight and hot and you can see the waves of heat in the distance, we have water stops to keep us cool and hydrated everyone is feeling the heat but in good spirits we then start a slight up hill journey travelling into the back of Kompong Thom where we see stone carvers and many other traders all selling much the same thing . We then find our hotel for the evening... massive day over 68 miles covered today. It's been hot , dusty and we are all pleased the day ended on a high as we had a pool to jump in and relax before next briefing and then supper . Roomie antics ..Before we start the day we always have the suit case packing problem but finally after we both sit on it squash it , the zip decides it will work . We cycling along together and chat away to help with some of the long stretches of road that we have to encounter and we play the odd game of ispy and chat with many people around us about there life and stories. We end on a high with no dramas feeling pleased we had achieved such a big day. 69 miles ... completed

[lorrainehunt]

We are here in Angkor Wat it's been an incredible journey but we made it !! meal and dancing to celebrate then early bed as I'm getting up for the sunrise 4.30 again .

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Not far from Siem Resp ... lunch stop at 9,30 am.....

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Rest stops with amazing snacks , dragon fruit , melon .

[lorrainehunt]

Phom Penh - Kampong Cham

After a very short night and up at 4.30 we pack and get ready for another days cycling , we have a very short bus ride as the road is not quite built then we start .These bikes are much the same as the Vietnamese bikes but a little older and we have a quick go then off we set. We head off it’s a main road but fairly busy this then turns to country roads . In first few Km’s the weather has turned and gone very windy and it’s difficult to pedal against it . We lunch at pagodas which are beautiful and the paintings in side quite incredible. Later that afternoon we then head down more rural lanes where there are lots of children and families. Agriculture life is important in this part and they all seem to have a cow, chickens and many dogs . The children are lovely and want to greet us all saying ‘hello’ and waving enthusiastically. We then carry on over the river and in to the town of Kampong Cham , we go through the back streets and find our hotel … it’s amazing!!! It’s brand new and we seem to be first guests a hot shower and a quick gin and tonic and more briefings on following day we are ready for a super buffet dinner . Cambodia is dryer than Vietnam and less humid , but I feel they country seems poorer and there’s lots more rubbish around .

31 miles

Up again at 4.30

Roomie antics .. well what can I say she was well behaved today . Only one incident with a moneybelt but . In fact it's was probably my turn as I flooded bathroom as shower door did not seal . We ran out of toilet tissue and reception gave us paper napkins as they didn't have any either ..all in all a quiet day !

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Phnom Penh 🇰🇭Cambodia

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Chau Doc - Phnom Penh

Today we have a day off the bikes everything has to be defitted. We are then transferred to the harbour on the Mekong where we board a boat and we head towards the Cambodian border. There are many boats and houses on the river and this just shows how life for the Vietnamese on the river is so important. Unfortunately one of our group lost a passport which made the border crossing a little difficult than usual but we all got through , our team that look after us are incredible and are doing a great job . We arrive at Phnom Penh for a super lunch right by the river and then head to the national museum. This was very interesting, we had a great guide who was telling us about the stone carvings and statues and the facial expressions on them . We then get to the hotel and collect our new bikes and fit them , this is done in a extremely hot garage with cockroaches. In the evening we have a bit of fun and take a ride into town on a tuk tuk and have a ride around the royal palace it seems that everyone else has has the same idea , it was a huge laugh and the Cambodia people are all smiling and waving at us . Roomie antics... during the bike fit my roomie was quite happy fitting her pedals on until she got a bit hot she then decided to go for so fresh air ... unfortunately she walked out of the hotel garage turned left and left and left hopefully to find herself in the same place but No ... she was then lost with no phone , no money , a screwdriver in hand only looking like she was a about to murder someone and not knowing the name of the hotel we were staying at . . 20 -25 mins she did eventually find it ... came up to the room weary and in state .. still with screwdriver in hand . A large Wine and Gin was needed in large measures !! So please note .. when dropped off at hotel make sure you know the name of it ! No miles day off

[lorrainehunt]

Heading to Chau Doc and the Paddy fields

Our hotel in the mountain for the evening ... such a treat , saying goodbye to the Vietnam team as we head to Cambodia in the morning

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The paddy fields and mountains on way to Chau Doc

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Can Tho - Chau Doc

Had a great breakfast today food has been great very tasty however because we are western there’s a tendency to give us western food which isn’t good but in the whole we have omelette and rice for breakfast which is great! We had to have a short bus ride as the road section we were doing was not quite complete . We start off on flat tarmac roads through pleasant countryside and the odd village which is always interesting .We see many acres of paddy fields now they used to have two harvests but because of mechanisation they can grow all year round . They grow many varieties jasmine , Thai, sticky . In the afternoon we then see the beautiful mountains which are quite something amongst the paddy fields , it’s quite breathtaking. We slowly climb uphill all afternoon it’s not too bad the gears on the bike are very good , which is great as they are heavy bikes there are many potholes and people will shout ‘watch out 'and yes you guessed it I always hit them ! Our hotel for the evening is on top of a hill but before that we have a steady 200metre climb it’s really hot now we are full of isotonic drink and salty snacks and ready to go. So me and my roomie are group 1 and we smashed that hill !! Ready for well deserved swim . Our first swimming pool , so very pleasant!!

Roomie lastest antics whilst getting ready she got her hand caught in her belt so I had release her from her bum bag, she’s lost her bottle too today . Tonight we found out we have a new roomie to share with us as we were the first in we chose the beds with mozzy nets , wise choice as in the night there was a bat in room ! New roomie was not happy about the bat oops .

37 miles

[lorrainehunt]

Typical rest spot and my bike with my luggage !