The mud, the blood, the guts and the endless Bok Choy! Wilfred Owen would have known this place. Today can best be summarised in terms of tedium ad infinitum - tedious long straight roads, never-ending rutted surfaces, the incessant oppressive heat and humidity, the constant wailing of passing traffic and the endless piercing pain shooting through body parts in close proximity to the pubic bone, not to mention the omni-present drone of Simon’s lament.
The day started as every other day – early – with the troupe on the road by 07:40hrs after a plain breakfast comprising two fried eggs and a foot long baguette, each. Conditions appeared promising at first, with a slight breeze and shade helping to suppress both tempers and temperatures. Alas, the serenity was shattered all too soon as the sun climbed inexorably towards its zenith, with Alex forced to pull out for fear that her calves might carbonise.
Like the day before, we rested at regular 20km intervals, with everyone diving for shade, ice and extra sun screen at each pit stop. Shortly after the first 20km stop we finally met up with Ben Paul, who had flown from Singapore to Phnom Penh the night before and took a taxi out of town to intersect our route. Already dressed for the occasion, he was immediately allotted a bike and shortly thereafter found himself embedded in the Peloton among seasoned veterans.
After the 2nd pit stop at 40km we veered off the road to visit the ancient Hindu temple of Bati, which was constructed in the 11th century. Despite its ruined state, enough remains to demonstrate the highly advanced engineering accomplishments and know-how of the Khmer empire, at a time when Britons tried (and failed) to keep a certain French git from conquering their shores by farting in his general direction and accusing his father of being a hamster. Thereafter, all people in Britain were called Norman of course!!!
Lunch was had at the same location, with Simon, like me, being abstemious as he too now suffered from Ghandi’s Revenge. However, we all enjoyed a few beers, and after the women filled their cleavage with large chunks of ice (this aparently had a soothing effect for the women, though it had the exact opposite effect on us men), we continued our bike ride towards Phnom Penh. This next 20km stage proved to be the toughest, with everyone’s enjoyment level wilting quickly under the midday heat.
Thankfully, a couple of cute puppies at the next pit stop (both on the menu) raised our spirits to carry us on our next short 10km stop to the banks of the Mekong river at the edge of the city metropolis. Suitably invigorated by the vista we embarked on our last 10km stage to the Raffles Hotel; arguably the most dangerous of the entire trip thus far given the need to cycle through the city centre alongside, in between and opposite every mode of animal and mechanised transport conceivable.
After negotiating these perils, we finally arrived at the Hotel at 14:45hrs, completing 83km for the day. The fanfare however was momentarily interrupted by the presence of the Slovakian president and his retinue, with the street leading to the Hotel lobby cordoned off. Simon of course called reception to ask them if they knew who we were. Clearly they did not, so we thus faced the ignominy of trying to access the rear entrance; a prospect which appealed greatly to Bryan!!! However, even this was blocked, with many a groan. Finally, we were allowed to enter the main lobby, though our dishevelled, smelly and absurd dress attracted due disdain, despite the grandeur of our surroundings. Lycra & perspiration are not cool in the Raffles, apparently!!!
The day started as every other day – early – with the troupe on the road by 07:40hrs after a plain breakfast comprising two fried eggs and a foot long baguette, each. Conditions appeared promising at first, with a slight breeze and shade helping to suppress both tempers and temperatures. Alas, the serenity was shattered all too soon as the sun climbed inexorably towards its zenith, with Alex forced to pull out for fear that her calves might carbonise.
Like the day before, we rested at regular 20km intervals, with everyone diving for shade, ice and extra sun screen at each pit stop. Shortly after the first 20km stop we finally met up with Ben Paul, who had flown from Singapore to Phnom Penh the night before and took a taxi out of town to intersect our route. Already dressed for the occasion, he was immediately allotted a bike and shortly thereafter found himself embedded in the Peloton among seasoned veterans.
After the 2nd pit stop at 40km we veered off the road to visit the ancient Hindu temple of Bati, which was constructed in the 11th century. Despite its ruined state, enough remains to demonstrate the highly advanced engineering accomplishments and know-how of the Khmer empire, at a time when Britons tried (and failed) to keep a certain French git from conquering their shores by farting in his general direction and accusing his father of being a hamster. Thereafter, all people in Britain were called Norman of course!!!Lunch was had at the same location, with Simon, like me, being abstemious as he too now suffered from Ghandi’s Revenge. However, we all enjoyed a few beers, and after the women filled their cleavage with large chunks of ice (this aparently had a soothing effect for the women, though it had the exact opposite effect on us men), we continued our bike ride towards Phnom Penh. This next 20km stage proved to be the toughest, with everyone’s enjoyment level wilting quickly under the midday heat.
Thankfully, a couple of cute puppies at the next pit stop (both on the menu) raised our spirits to carry us on our next short 10km stop to the banks of the Mekong river at the edge of the city metropolis. Suitably invigorated by the vista we embarked on our last 10km stage to the Raffles Hotel; arguably the most dangerous of the entire trip thus far given the need to cycle through the city centre alongside, in between and opposite every mode of animal and mechanised transport conceivable.
After negotiating these perils, we finally arrived at the Hotel at 14:45hrs, completing 83km for the day. The fanfare however was momentarily interrupted by the presence of the Slovakian president and his retinue, with the street leading to the Hotel lobby cordoned off. Simon of course called reception to ask them if they knew who we were. Clearly they did not, so we thus faced the ignominy of trying to access the rear entrance; a prospect which appealed greatly to Bryan!!! However, even this was blocked, with many a groan. Finally, we were allowed to enter the main lobby, though our dishevelled, smelly and absurd dress attracted due disdain, despite the grandeur of our surroundings. Lycra & perspiration are not cool in the Raffles, apparently!!!To recover our dignity, we re-convened at the pool and tried a few cocktails, beers and wines with Ben Paul clearly leading the pack and consuming more than his share!!! Dinner was arranged on the river in PP and we revelled in this ancient city, so marred by the recent slaughter and lunacy of Pol Pot’s madness; not to mention Q’s lycra!!
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