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Sue O'Neill
Oxfam Challenge Vietnam/Cambodia participant
I have just returned from the most fabulous adventure. It wasn’t quite a holiday but an experience of a lifetime. A group of 37 people took the 'Oxfam Challenge', each raising $5,000 and then cycling from Ho Chi Minh City, through small rural towns in Vietnam and Cambodia, to the capital Phnom Penh and finishing up in Siem Reap. The group from all over Australia was incredibly diverse, ages ranging from 18 to 60 … [and we shared the same passion:] raising money for Oxfam for the people in Cambodia.
Adjusting to the heat was difficult for most, after day one (52km) many had a touch of heatstroke, we did acclimatize and the heat exhaustion was replaced by gastro and upset tummies but we soldiered on in remarkably good spirits.
The next three days we covered 254km on excellent roads. Your exposure to your surroundings, the environment, and the people you pass is so intimate on a bicycle. We could cycle alongside giggling school children on their bicycles, wave to the villagers and absorb the sights, s mells and sounds of rural life first in Vietnam then in Cambodia so up close and personal.
Day five had to be the highlight of the trip for me and many others despite riding on the worst dirt road. It was dusty and dirty, full of potholes, puddles, rocks and hazards. Dodging potholes, cows, dogs and chickens was all part of the day, but this road took us through quite isolated villages where the locals lined the road cheering and waving, amused and amazed by this group of lycra-clad bike people. They would yell 'hello, hello!' As we rode past the children would extend their hands to 'high five' and squeal with delight as our hands touched theirs. This was a day for regularly stopping.
I had packed some bubbles and a stamp. For children to see bubbles for the first time was such a heart-warming experience. Cambodian kids don’t cry, push, shove or throw tantrums (maybe the ones at the temples selling books do), but the village kids waited patiently, took turns in blowing bubbles and watched in awe almost with a hushed amazement as the bubbles floated away.… A few houses would have a grandmother or fewer, a grandfather. These beautiful souls were generally very frail and tiny, mouths red from chewing beetle nut, and would love special acknowledgement.
It was wonderful to walk over, hands in prayer position, and ask for a photo with them. They would smile and give you pats and hugs when you showed them the digital image back. While not able to communicate verbally with [people] 80 years plus, you just feel an amazing admiration and respect for them and what they must have endured through their life-time. This day was slow, hard work on the bike; I averaged around 14kph, while previous days rode around 21kph. This was a day when the road bikers ended up at the back of the pack.
… Day six we had a bike-free day and took the bus – visited the Oxfam project in Takeo province. We met with all the people in the village and listened to the [Village Development] Committee explain the goals and achievements over the years while receiving Oxfam support. It was a wonderfully simplistic model with the primary measures being cows, pigs and looms. All the children in Takeo did attend school and had some English.
… From Phnom Penn we went on to Siem Reap. I was in Siem Reap just over a year ago and could not believe the changes. While the second biggest city in Cambodia, it was quite sleepy and quaint on the last visit. Now many, many more hotels have opened, restaurants have become glitzy and westernised. The temples which I remember as relatively quiet had bus loads of tourists coming and going. The airport which was just a shed is now modern with airport-type shops. I was surprised at the transformation. So visit Siem Reap now before all its charm vanishes.
I have just had a very special experience, one I would recommend to anyone. There was an amazing group dynamic in which we all bonded and formed friendships, while experiencing the wonders and warmth of Cambodia and the Khmer people.