Day 7 - Kampot to Kep - Mud Cake and Jaffas

Team Itinerary Overview

Coastal ride

Kampot to Kep

Cycling distance: Approx 30km
Terrain: Muddy, bumpy with a dash of potholes
Team Spirit: Incredible...and muddy
Overnight: Keb

Mud cake and Jaffas

The mud splatter graphic on the back of the Windermere Adventure Challenge T-shirts has been a source of fascination through the journey. Going back to training rides, passers-by would comment on how dirty the tops were, not realising it was painted on. Even some within the team asked the significance of the image while in Cambodia.

On Day Seven, in a short ride from Kampot to the coastal town of Kep, they found out.

The steady rain that greeted riders when they left the hotel intensified after a few kilometres and most of the 30 kilometre journey was on unmade road. Within minutes the fake stuff was covered by genuine mud – not splatter either, it was caked on.

Olivia Lyon and Samantha Smith were excited at the prospect of its exfoliating qualities. “We pay a lot of money for this back home,” they agreed. “Here we get it for free.”

As the ride progressed and the mud got thicker, Eva Foster and Shanae Brooks came up with a new team nickname – the Jaffa WACers – given the orange and brown combination.

The locals didn’t make much of an effort to hide their amusement and delight as we rode by. There was a lot of pointing and laughing.

“You can’t say Aussies are soft after this,” Meleea Wood countered.

Leading the way was pocket rocket Brooke Hayward, who felt a bit queezy overnight, yet soldiered on regardless (the coach would have been proud). The guides must have sensed she had a bit of intestinal fortitude, because they had labelled her bike Brooke Wayhard. That she is!

The team of guides – led by Chenra, Bron and Short Man – are nothing if not ingenious. A couple of kilometres from our destination, they directed riders into a car wash. Not the fancy drive-through types like home, but effectively one man on a Gerni, and we were all lined up for a good hosing down. People first, bikes next.

The needle-like spray must have dented everyone’s senses.

A few metres up the road the group ran into school peak hour. Four girls stood hand in hand across the road on one side of the intersection of the school gates and four boys at the other. Some riders thought they were playing a game, so they barged through and broke the chain. Ross Cheesewright was on to it though, informing the miscreants that they had just violated a school crossing. “Where’s the local laws officers when you need them?” Councillor Graeme Moore laughed.

Given the conditions the scheduled trip to Rabbit Island was cancelled, so after lunch team members were allowed to go their own way. Some had massages, some caught up on some sleep and a group set off on a four Tuk Tuk convoy to take in a few of the sights around Kep, a luxury resort during the French occupation that was left to decay under subsequent regimes but is now finding its magic again. The unofficial tour took in an encounter with monkeys in the wild and a few local landmarks and monuments, including the White Lady and the Big Crab.

Geoff Bainbridge actually made Rabbit Island. He spotted a vessel for hire while lunching at The Sailing Club and, finding no takers, set off on a three island tour of his own. At the last stop, he was waved in by three men standing on the beach. One was a local copper who needed a lift back to the mainland. Geoff obliged and earned an almost cold Angkor beer for his effort.

With a little bit of time to reflect, given the itinerary change, team members were asked to reflect on what they had found most surprising about the challenge to date. The consensus seemed to be around the team spirit and camaraderie that exudes from a diverse but connected bunch. This is how they answered:

Olivia Lyon

That a group of strangers can come to a foreign place and have such a great time together. We have all come from different backgrounds and different stages of our lives, yet we have all brought something to the table.

Eva Foster

I have been surprised at how organised chaos is over here. I thought it would be chaotic but it’s not – whether it be on the roads or in everyday life. Things always seem to happen in their own way.

Alison McHenry

I expected it to be harder than it is, not in terms of the challenge, but the place, seeing all the poverty and the children, who just look so happy. Perhaps I was a little judgemental before I came? The other thing that has surprised me is the camaraderie amongst the group. Nothing is too hard for people. Simon, for example, did so well helping me through the 90 kilometres yesterday.

Samantha Smith

I was very nervous coming here and I have been surprised at the amount of help you get from people. Carina and Ann have been fantastic and most of the others are so willing to do what they have to do to get to the next step.

Cath Zulian

It was not really a surprise, but what Geoff did for me to help me through the 90 kilometres yesterday. Just the willingness amonst the team to help someone else. The team spirit has been amazing.

Geoff Bainbridge

The surprising thing for me has been the generosity of the team, whether it’s sharing their stories and really sharing this adventure. It is a very generous group.

Brian Paynter

The surprising thing for me is the group bonding so quickly together. After having such a special group for the first challenge, it’s pretty incredible that you would find another group with such similar qualities.

Graeme Moore

I am happily surprised how well everyone is getting on together. They have supported one another through thick and thin, for such a diverse group of people.

Suellen Conway

How every single day is a different adventure and it’s been a bit of an emotional roller-coaster. The team spirit has been fantastic. And I’m surprised on completeing the 90 kilometres!

James Wynne

I have been surprised by the dynamic of the country – the way the traffic is controlled, the way people trade produce out the front of their house and everyone can go and eat with them. The place has a real natural beauty and nothing closes, it just seems to keep on going. I also like the way the team is getting on so well and working well together.

Brooke Hayward

My big surprise has been the generosity of the team – they share everything they have with everyone else. I have also been surprised by the loyalty and good humour of the locals, who are very quick to smile. But the biggest surprise has been the rubbish, seeing it in places you would not expect. The other day Ross and I saw cows eating rubbish!

Brooke Thomlinson

I knew everybody would be nice, but I thought it would be like every man for themselves but that hasn’t been the case. Everyone is so attentive and devoted to each other.

Meleea Wood

I have been surprised by how resilient and happy the Cambodian people are with what they have been going through, from the French occupation to the rise and fall of the Khmer Rouge and the poverty. They are a happy people and run to the roads to greet us and invite us into their homes.

Krista Thomlinson

I have been surprised at how diverse Cambodia is. You can travel such a short distance and everything is so different – from highways to dirt roads and farming lands to cities and towns. And the weather changes just as quickly.

Simon Crowe

The fact that those providing change or exchanging goods struggle to do the maths at such a basic level, which I suppose comes back a bit to the Pol Pot days of killing everyone of intelligence and education. Witnessing their joy of seeing strangers and their life of contentment has been quite amazing.

Shanae Brooks

My greatest surprise was finishing the 90 kilometres and how close I have managed to get to everyone. Just how nice the people are – our groups, our guides and the Cambodians.

Gaylene Howe
I was pleasantly surprised by the progress made and the new developments at the orphanage. It has taken some big steps since we were last here - like the dance hall and playground - making it an even more wonderful place to visit.

Ann Selby

I was concerned about people being sick by the bike leg. Although Buscopan has been the buzz word, the team spirit has been outstanding. There is so much glue sticking this team together – it’s magnificent.

Carina Tomietto

I was reminded of how the Cambodian people are so accommodating and helpful, even for a large noisy group of 22 Aussies coming through the doors of their hotels or restaurants!

My greatest surprise has been how well the team has bonded and how little the first aid kit has been required. Everyone is keeping healthy and enjoying the experience.

Quote of the day

“It was like we were riding through Tarantula rain,” 

said Suellen Conway when describing the morning ride. We think she meant torrential, but there could be delayed trauma from the spider stop a couple of days ago.

A bit later, having lunch overlooking the ocean, Suellen commented:

“This isn’t what I thought Thailand would be like.”

What? It seems there are Suey-isms to rival the Gaylene-isms we learned about on the bus.
Footnote: It transpires the Suey-isms are pretty common and have actually been given a name by her mates. They are officially Swisims.

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Garry Howe – Editor Star News Group
Carina Tomietto and Ann Selby – Windermere Adventure Team Leaders