Dreamscapes Travel & Lifestyle

Fall 2018

Dreamscapes Travel & Lifestyle Magazine

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FALL 2018 DREAMSCAPES 27 But when I signed up for a seven-day cycling tour with Grasshopper Adventures, I was looking for a unique experience that would challenge me both physically and mentally, while viewing a new country (and one that was relatively flat) through a dif- ferent set of eyes. The plan was to cycle 330 kilometres from Siem Reap in the north to Sihanoukville in the south, then spend a few days relaxing and recovering on the beaches of Koh Rong Samloem—a laid-back tropical island paradise just off the country's southern coast. AN INVIGORATING EXPERIENCE The first two days are a breeze, cycling about 25 kilometres each day through the lush countryside around the sleepy city of Battambang. Then the real adventure begins, cycling 60 kilometres in one day, 65 kilometres the next, then another 45 kilo- metres in heat that makes me sweat just sitting in the shade. At times the cycling is easy and my bike flies along the roads like the Road Runner from Looney Tunes. Other times it feels like I'm trying to move a tank stuck in thick mud. "Hello!" yells a group of enthusiastic young children as they run from their tiny homes toward the side of a dirt road in the countryside. Arms stretched, they eagerly await a high five from the group of 15 cyclists whizzing through their village like a swarm of bees. It's things like this that make cycling through Cambodia an intimate experience that invigorates all of my senses. Mainly sticking to quiet country trails and back roads, I'm hit with a variety of smells as we pass through villages and towns, dodging chickens, dogs and numerous herds of cattle along the way. We meander along pothole-riddled roads fringed by tropical palms gently swaying in the breeze and basic homes that look like they're built on stilts. I hear OPPOSITE: Paradise found: Otres Beach at sunset. TOP: Children run from their tiny homes to greet us as we whiz through their village. CENTRE: Our group of cyclists takes time out to rest and enjoy the view. ABOVE: A typical scene in rural Cambodia. LEFT: Grand sprawling temples are found throughout Cambodia.

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