Can't quite believe that this time last year it was 19.00 on the 19th November 2009. I had spent the night sleeping on a farm in Takeo, Cambodia, in a hammock under the stars, spraying mozzie crap in our eyes and ears, and woke through the night to the sound of cows, screaming cats and what sounded like a possessed goat. I'd just cycled 72km to the capital of Phnom Penh, and we were knackered.
I was one of 13 volunteers who cycled a total of around 409km for Concern Worldwide. Raising a total of £3,700 each, it was by no means an easy task. We faced temperatures of 35-40 degrees centigrade every day. We struggled to find places to eat. We lived with our platypuses. The sights and smells were incredible. The people beautiful. The stories harrowing. It was a short ten days, but the memories will last me a lifetime!
This was our itinerary:
DAYS 1 & 2: The first few days were spent seated, travelling from Dublin and London, to land in Phnom Penh. A four hour bus journey brought us to the coastal town of Sihanoukville, staying in the CSS Hotel where we could finally relax and get some sleep.
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| Me, Leon and Mic listening to our guide, Aki fill us in on some local knowledge.. though Leon looks like he'd had enough by this point! |
Day 3: PES - KAMPOT.
Transfer: 49km
Cycling: 51km
We had a quick bus transfer to Pes, and were introduced to our bikes for the first time. Having assumed the saddles would be kind to our butts, our hearts sank as we saw the tiniest racing saddles I've ever seen. Well, as they say, 'no pain no gain', and we thus cycled 51km in the blistering heat to Kampot: a sleepy riverside town boasting some of the finest examples of French colonial architecture in Cambodia.We stayed in the Borei Bokor Hotel.
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| One of the more modest loads we saw being carried. Others witnessed was a motorbike carrying not one, but two wardrobes, and anther with five passengers, including a young girl at the front taking the opportunity to do her homework. |
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| The very first km. Fresh legs, and bums that aren't sore... for now. |
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| Fishing Boats in the Harbour |
Day 4: KAMPOT - TAKEO
Cycling: 93km
We woke up at the crack of dawn for our longest day of cycling: 93km from Kampot to
Takeo, a place best known for the nearby temple area of
Angkor Borei. In the rainy season, Takeo is transformed into a lakeside town as much of the surrounding area is completely flooded.
This was by far the toughest day of the cycle trip. We had some difficulty trying to find a local roadside restaurant that could produce enough food for a group of our size. It wasn't until we had cycled 70km that we were able to sit down to some well earned fried rice and meat! The roads were rough, switching between tarmac, red dirt and finally the bumpiest and heavily potholed tarmacked final 11km.
By the time we reached the Mittapheap guest house we were staying in we were all absolutely shattered. The family who ran the place were lovely, preparing us a traditional Cambodian meal under the stars. Whilst most of the group ventured into their respective stilted farm houses, myself and a few of the guys decided to take the opportunity to sleep in the row of hammocks. Seemed like a good idea at the time, however as the sun went down, so did the heat. The farmhouse beside us housed the livestock below; the cats kept fighting, the mosquitoes were out in their packs, and a few of us found ourselves face down on the sandy ground once or twice having fallen out of our hammocks! Needless to say, it was a rubbish nights sleep, apart from Gerry, whose rhythmic snoring was an unwelcome addition to the rest of the noises around us.
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| One of the entrances to a Buddhist temple. The entrances were very grand and a spectacular site in amongst the extreme poverty that surrounded them. |
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| Awaiting our much anticipated meal! Hungry, worn out and ready to collapse. |
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| The dust that blew off this road was crazy. I remember taking off my glasses and receiving shrieks of laughter at my white bits! |
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| Finally reached the guest house! To the left, you can see the hammocks. Straight ahead was the girls accommodation where the cows and goats slept below. To the right is where the boys slept. |
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| Here we have the cycle group as well as our hosts for the night. |
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| I slept in the one at the very back to the left of this photo. For brief periods, hammocks are wonderful. Catching a full nights kip however, one word: OUCH. |
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| Sitting down to our meal. We were all so famished! |
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Day 5: TAKEO - PHNOM PENH
Cycling: 72km
After a restless nights sleep, we were all feeling pretty knackered. Sitting back on the bikes, without going into detail, was
agony. It was hilarious how a group of near enough strangers will walk up to each other and ask 'how's the butt?' We cycled 72km from Takeo back to the capital of
Phnom Penh, taking it pretty easy to begin with, me at the front setting the pace. We arrived in Phnom Penh in the early evening, relieved that two of the three longest legs were out of the way.
That evening we had the opportunity to visit the Concern Office to have a chat and a coffee with the staff who will be putting your fund-raising to good use. They showed us a presentation of what issues they had in the past, how they've been rectified and what else they needed to do. One of the main problems with Cambodia is the stark contrast between their seasons. In the rainy season, the land floods, hence why their houses are built upon stilts. However, during the dry season, much of the country struggles with the drought. It's a constant battle to grow as many crops as possible at the right time before the rains wash them away or the sun dries them up.
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| Check out the kid with the woolly hat... It was roasting this day, poor thing! |
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| One of the many government signs. I think this one was to do with rioting and antisocial behaviour...or something... |
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| Group photo at one of our drinks. We had to have frequent stops due to the heat, and rehydrate and fill up on carbs. |
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| Cambodia Rush hour. . |
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| All of us outside the Concern Office with staff. |
Day 6: PHNOM PENH – TUOL SLENG MUSEUM (S21) - KOMPONG THOM (THE KILLING FIELDS)
Transfer: 163km
Cycling: 30km
This was a pretty emotional day. We visited the
Tuol Sleng Museum (S21 centre) and
Kompong thom (t
he killing fields.) Tuol Sleng, known as the Museum of Genocidal Crimes or S21 was once a school, but in the late 1970s was used by the
Khmer Rouge as a detention and torture centre. It now houses exhibits, paintings and photographs of many of the victims and serves as a stark reminder of the terrible crimes of the Khmer Rouge. We met
Chum Mey, one of only four known survivors of Tuol Sleng who told us his story of his experience there.
Following this, we made the journey to the Killing fields of Choeuk Ek. Many people were transported here after detention and torture in Tuol Sleng, and more than 17,000 civilians were killed and buried here in mass graves between 1975 and 1978. If you don't know much about the Khmer Rouge, Pol Pot or the killing fields, I suggest you have a quick read up about it. I've attached a photo below which explains some details of the killing fields. It's a tale rarely told, but one that the whole world should know about. It says a lot about why Cambodia finds itself in the poverty it does today.
After this chilling reminder of the Khmer Rouge regime, we cycled the remaining 30km to Kompong Thom itself, ending with a great sprint into the sunset.
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| Explanation of one of the torture methods used. |
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| The Buddist Stupa memorial built at the Killing fields and known as Choeung Ek. Within it is more than 5,000 skulls displayed over 17 layers recovered from the mass graves. |
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| Some of the kids we spoke to on our way |
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| A beautiful Cambodian Sunset |
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| Couldn't get Scouse away from his footy! |
Day 7: KOMPONG THOM
Cycling: 62km
We headed from Kompong Thom to the temples of
Sambor Prei Kuk, cycling 62km. It was a beautiful and quite leisurely cycle over some quiet gravel roads and through small villages. A few of our team got carried away with the terrain, quite literally, and we had quite a few nominations for the gaff pants award! The temples were beautiful, but we were warned to stick to the path, as there are several unexploded shells that were dropped during the Vietnam War. We had several kids follow us around the complex, trying to sell us scarves. I eventually gave in as the little boy was just too damn cute!
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| Me, Dave, DJ and three of the kids. The girl to the left kept kicking the boy on the right (my wee man) It was so funny, little madam! |
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| The lion temple |
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| Spider |
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| "Money for school mister!" They knew all the tricks in the book! One girl learnt my name, and followed me around saying "Jenny, money for school, must feed my family" I turned to her and said "Don't you dare blackmail me!" To which she giggled then straightened her face straight away and replied "Money for school!" |
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| This local lady was fascinated with Sorcha's pale skin. Aah, the skin of the Irish! |
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| Peekaboo! |
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| Sitting down to a well earned dessert. I was literally dreaming of junk food the whole time I was out there, you couldn't get it anywhere. So when the waiter announced that he had icecream, the entire table shrieked like a bunch of 5 year olds. |
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| Sporting our dusty tans. |
Day 8: RAKSMEY SOPHORN - SIEM REAP
Transfer: 80km
Cycling: 73km
It was another early start from Kampong Thom for a bus transfer to Raksmey Sophorn. This 73km cycle was our final leg of the journey which would see us reach our final destination of
Siem Reap with only the distance around the Angkor Temples left. The bus left us off at the 800 year old Khmer bridge and we cycled to an orphanage on the outskirts of Siem Reap. The Orphanage was beautiful and upon arrival the kids sang us several songs and we even sang some back. Relying totally on the donations of passing tourists, accommodation is tight. Whilst the girls sleep in the school house, the boys sleep out on the 'jungle-gym' which is draped with well worn mosquito nets. Ed, one of our cyclists, had brought along tshirts from his local primary school and the kids went mental - it was amazing how many of the football teams they recognised and Liverpool was a massive hit!
The roads got busier as we reached Siem Reap and it was a daunting ride to the Angkor Way Hotel where we stayed out final two nights.
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| Our guide, Aki, demonstrating how they normally cycle in Cambodia.... |
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| The Kids singing |
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| This girl was two years old and so so cute! She always posed for the camera like this, however it was unsettling to think who taught her this and why. |
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| Where we began our cycle this day. This is the 800 year old Khmer Bridge. |
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| I tried to get a picture of as many milestones as I could... I failed miserably! Here we're about half way there |
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| The kids kept giving us flowers |
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| Dinner after another long day |
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Day 9: SIEM REAP – THE TEMPLES OF ANGKOR
Cycling: 28 km
Our final day of cycling. Our butts had finally gotten used to our saddles, or as one of the group said “it’s not that it no longer hurts, it’s just that the pain almost feels good!” We cycled to the temples of Angkor, covering 28km on our way and visited the Great City of Angkor Thom which includes the Bayon, the Terrace of Elephants, and the Terrace of the Leper King. Words cannot describe how magnificent these temples are face to face and the pictures really do not do them any justice at all. We spent the afternoon exploring and visiting some of Angkor’s 100 temples, meeting back at the spectacular Angkor Wat to head back to the hotel and finishing our mammoth journey by crossing the finish line outside of our hotel!
Our final meal and everyone was in great spirits. Reminiscing about the trip, listening to Leon’s bizarre stories and collecting votes for our various prizes including the ‘Gaff Pants’: a pair of leprechaun printed briefs to be worn by the winner of the biggest gaff of the week. A well deserved merry night was had by all, waking up on our final Day number 10, for some shopping, recovering, and to catch our flights back home.
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| At the finish line! |
About Concern Worldwide in Cambodia:
Around 35% of the Cambodian population live below the poverty line, with 90% of these living in rural areas. They largely depend on small plots of land and common forests and fisheries for their livelihoods. Chronic malnutrition continues to be a problem with 37.2% of children under five chronically malnourished.
This gap between rich urban centres and poor rural communities is increasing. Therefore, Concern Worldwide supports local communities, helping to improve access to food, improve education and provide microfinance.
Concern began working in Cambodia in 1991, but had been working with Cambodian refugees in the Thai border camps since 1979. Much has changed over the years. Concern is now working with 17 partner organisations in 476 villages in four provinces. Their work is mostly focused around improving farming techniques, rehabilitation of irrigation systems and giving small business grants.
Other achievements in Cambodia include:
- Now working with 21 local partner organisations in Cambodia
- 125,000 people benefited directly from Concern’s natural resource management work
- An additional 181,000 people also benefited indirectly from the programme
- Concern helped many landless families secure access to common land for farming
- Communities have also successfully participated in public forums to fight against illegal logging and land encroachment
Small business grants in action
Mrs Long Sokhom is a widow with four children. She was only able to make €5.50 per month (18 cent a day!) while spending over €10 a month to support her family. This was putting her deeper and deeper into debt. In August 2008, she received a grant of just over €67 to build a chicken house, buy some chickens and expand her vegetable plot.
Currently, Mrs Sokhom is producing chickens and growing vegetables and earning about €35 per month. Able to pay off her debts, her family no longer faces food shortages and her children are back in school.
Concern are currently assisting over 34,000 families, just like Mrs Sokhom’s, to make that first step out of poverty. Any donations that you make to Concern, are broken down as following:
To be able to see firsthand where this money is going, I can personally vouch that your money is going to be spent correctly. Concern Worldwide operate in such a way that they have fewer staff conducting big jobs so as to keep outgoings on wages etc to a minimum, and more money is spent on the actual charity work. This is not about handing people money, it’s about giving people the opportunity to make a life for themselves, without relying on ‘charity’.
I swear I'm becoming obsessed with the weather... for good reason though! I'm flying back home on Monday to N.I. for Christmas to be with my family. We've recently been forecast more snow. Now, I know for some of you American readers, the snow is not that big of a deal where you are. Especially not the meagre amount that we get here in the UK. However, the sad thing is that it only takes a few inches and the entire place shuts down. We just can't cope.
