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01/04/2007: "Red Dust Storm Treck 30079890 bump on my bum mission PEPY 2007"
music: Anything from the Apocolypse Now soundtrackmood: dustyness
Greetings from sweet and sour Cambodia!
This is Audrey Howatson reporting live from the Red Dust Storm Treck 30079890 bump on our bum mission PEPY 2007! We made it through the crimson red dust clouds of death of the desert storm in Cambodia to tell you how unforgettible our ride has been so far. Gasp! Coff! EEK! COFF! Good times, intense gravity roads and more dust then your great great grandmothers attic who happens to live in Namibia, home of the the oldest desert on our planet could possibly have. Yes - that much dust.
COFF! BLEEP! URK!
The first two days of roads were tragic - kind of reminded me of the set on the movie Terminator II - you know - the part when the world was coming to an end? Right - NEVER ever ever in my travels have I seen anything thing like these roads! And my last job was actually circling the planet (www.peaceboat.org) Intense Gravity.
The only worse thing that could have made the roads look or be worse would be if bombs were dropping while riding. Dust everywhere - rocks - boulders - lots of bugs and bits of road kill - mudslides of dried decay - rocks and mud and pebbles and dust and cow dung everywhere, did I mention dust? Dust, totally red dust - totally annoying dust stuck to everything, life with a red glow, nice people saying hello to us every 2 seconds and as rural and poor conditions you can get, sadness, happienss, beauty, frustration, love love love, kindness and genorosity, people riding by horse- with cows, pigs apparently drugged in meshed baskets on motobikes, people biking, people on motos with 100 chickens fluttering away in the non-wind, smiley people in nice Range Rovers that only the Cambodian Government Officals or big NGOs seem to own, smiley nice people walking, scary dogs and freaky chickens, nice people who want to practice thier English and drive with you on thier motobike for a very long time - then come back! Again and again! And almost annoy you but not quite completely... People on wheelchairs from some of the landmine victims, the nicest PEPY team you could IMAGINE, a little romance in the air (oops did I just say that?) and old grannys with no almost teethless smiles and laughter and people asking if they can marry you, ...and and and! Are you getting the point?
SHOCKINGLY intersting. Fascinatingly cool. These have got to be some of the most interesting and unique experiences of my super interesting life so far. WOW! Wish all you readers were here! It would be rude not to get on the next PEPY Ride team.
Serious.
The only real danger of riding your bike here in Cambodia with PEPY is that everything is so interesting you only want to focus on the jaw droppingly landscape that presents itself ALL around you at all times. You almost just want to fall off! And drool. Often! Despite the madness I feel very safe and completely happy here!
Something Interesting? : No kids here know what McDonalds is! Daniela Kon met someone who didnt know who Michael Jackson was....
COFF!
Best food of the day - squares of delicious gelato like icy cold coconut ice cream lodged in a bagette! Riduculously delicous! Cambodian Omlettes are the best I have ever tasted! So glad I have not been sick from the eats yet!
Interesting: Cambodian peoples favourite English word happens to be "Happy"
After red dust storm treck Pepy 30079890 bump mission today - Day 2 Jan 2nd- we will have paved roads! Bless paved roads!
Our team is filled with rockstars - all exceedingly interesting people with mad personal and professional experience that adds nothing but brillance to this mosiac of PEPY 2007 Group!
Big love and thanks to all the PEPY voulnteers on the December trip! We are still talking about the beauty, positive changes and inspiring significance that it had on all of us AND the PEPY school!
Off for icecream and Omlettes! Bring on the carbs man! Our first 111 KM day tomorrow! EEK!
Big hugs to all!! And love - with dust!
Audrey Howatson audrey@pepyride.org
