I slept quite well last night thanks to my ear plugs! Up at 5.30am again & had the pleasure of a phone call from hubby Steve. It was lovely to have a catch up but it did make me homesick so I felt quite down heading off to breakfast. Breakfast itself was yummy - eggs & baguette & we even had a little pot of jam - amazing!! One of the girls on the trip gave me a tea bag which, although it was Earl Grey, tasted fabulous! We started talking about what our first meal will be when we get home. I have a huge craving for some Marmite on toast with a large mug of tea! Mum/Steve if you're reading this please can you get some marmite - I finished it before I left!! Thanks!
We had a warm up on the street - courtesy of Brenda - overlooking the Mekong River then we set off at 7.30am. I found this first stretch really hard emotionally. I think I cried on & off for the whole hour! I felt really homesick & the route we took was a track through villages where all the children came running out of their houses shouting "hello" & were so excited to see us - I wanted to cuddle every child I saw! After the first stop I cheered up a bit & had a chat with some fellow riders. It snapped me out of my down mood & I focused on the reason why I'm here. Although I really miss Steve & the kids I know they're proud of me (or will be when they are old enough to understand!). I have uploaded 2 videos of the kids running up to greet us. I filmed them while I was cycling & the terrain was quite bumpy so they're a bit hit & miss but you should get the gist!
We had a little bit of wind to contend with today but nowhere near as bad as yesterday. This morning the challenges were hills! At least the up hills were rewarded with down hills. There's nothing more demoralising than a climb then a flat then another climb!!
Lunch was amazing! We had spaghetti bolognese & a boiled potato. We had chopsticks & a spoon but I didn't bloody spot the spoon until my last mouthful - Div!
I had a great afternoon's cycling. It's amazing how the words "we've only got 15km til the next break" excite me. The whole group smashed it this afternoon. We flew through the kms & finished ahead of schedule. Maybe it's the prospect of a nice hotel with a swimming pool!! We're all looking forward to soaking our weary bodies in the pool although we'll need to scrub ourselves before we get in!! We get so grubby cycling & the facilities in our hotels haven't been good enough to get really clean so it's not unusual to come down for dinner still being a bit dirty!!! Last night I showered then dried myself with the hotels white towel - it was filthy by the time I was dry!
We can't use the tap water in hotels to brush our teeth & even after washing hands (not using their soap) we use our hand gel. I keep thinking if that scene in 'Sex & the City' movie when Charlotte opens her mouth in the shower in Mexico, swallows water & then poops herself!! :-)
The hotel is brilliant. It only opened on 13th January this year so everything is lovely & new. It's still quite basic but in comparison to last night it's 5* luxury. There's soap to wash your hands with, the water stays warm when showering & there are no cockroaches! All bedrooms have windows too!
We just has time for a chilly swim in the outdoor pool then off for dinner.
Tonight has been the first night I've managed to stay up for a bit & have a beer & a chat with some of the group. I'm hoping it doesn't affect me too much tomorrow but as it's the last day I'm hoping I'll be fine.
It should be a good day. We had the choice of 2 routes. First one along the highway which can get a bit boring because single file is the preferred method of cycling due to the fast traffic - there's no speed limit in Cambodia. Or second route is one where 80% is off road - 20% of which is bumpy, 10% jungle (?!) & the rest a graded road/track. We have voted for the off road but will have to ensure that the stronger riders support the weaker ones as I'm sure they would have preferred the highway.
Right, it's late now so off to bed.
Lots of love
Xx