DREAMSCAPES FALL 2018
26
Cycling Through
CAMBODIA
"THE THINGS WE DO FOR
FUN!" I SHOUT AT ONE OF
MY CYCLING MATES, AS I
DROP MY MOUNTAIN BIKE
INTO A LOWER GEAR, PUT
MY HEAD DOWN AND PUSH
THROUGH THE GRUELLING
2.2-KILOMETRE CLIMB TO A
VIEWPOINT OVERLOOKING
THE GULF OF THAILAND IN
SOUTHERN CAMBODIA.
EDITORIAL & PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAMELA ROTH
T
he air is thick with humidity; the
dense forest blocks any hint of a
breeze. My bike bounces wildly like a
bucking bronco over sharp, slippery rocks as
sweat drips into my eyes and coats my fine
hair, making it feel like I'm having a shower.
Quads burn the further I climb, yet somehow
my 35-year-old legs refuse to stop pedalling.
"That was awful," says Kevin as he
reaches the top and collapses on a small
wooden bench. Others are all smiles,
basking in the glory of what they had just
accomplished.
THE PLAN
Being an occasional cyclist in Canada, I had
never ridden a mountain bike up a steep
hill, nor cycled more than 200 kilometres
over the course of five days along an assort-
ment of roads that often left me vibrating
like my mother once she's had her morning
cup of coffee.
