Quad bike adventure = awesome. So it felt a little expensive compared to other Cambodian prices but it was worth every dollar. We went on a two hour tour out into the back roads and Cambodian countryside. As the only one of us who had not driven a quad before I was taken out solo for an assessment and after mastering the controls of the quad I was give a PASS by the guide and we all mounted up.
The road soon changed from pot holed to ditched, dusty and sandy. Helmets on and masks up we roared into the wilds. The children of the villages ran to the road to wave and smile. As we waved back many grinned and a few giggled and laughed! Little faces with big smiles.
We stopped at an orphanage out of town and where we were guided round by the cutest 14 year old. He wanted to be a tour guide so practiced with with all the visitors. So there was a board showing why many of the children were there. HIV shows up all too often, another sign of how big a problem it is in this country.
Our next stop was in a very small village where we drank fresh coconut (dong) the guides taught us even more Cambodian laughed at my pronunciation. Worried PP videoed that bit! It was also decided I was a 'pretty boy' much to their further amusement.
The roads were dusty but we had been given masks and the helmets has visors Scott and Rachel decided this gave them a power ranger look that they fully embraced!
The quad tour was so much fun and we learned more about rural life for many Cambodians. We experienced how simple life can be and how much of a difference a small amount can make.
It left me with a deep respect for the people and for the children of a country that feels full of love and compassion with such a brutal recent history.