Reflecting on PEPY Ride 4

The PEPY Ride IV raises $19,079. Trip Leader Lucky Herath describes the adventure in the following article:

The PEPY Ride IV was an incredible ride across Cambodia, through bustling city traffic and down quiet countryside red-dirt roads alike. We rode in between cows crossing our paths, through landscapes of open blue and white sky mirrored by dusty golden land, and with a little laughter and help, managed to pick ourselves up out of rice fields when we fell. We stopped to fly kites with friendly children, suck down sugar cane juice and coconuts by the ton, and rest by the side of the road on the edge of wide fields as mobs of small curious kids gathered to say hello.

While the physical effects of a three week cycling trip are still with me (everybody come look at my leg muscles! Come look at how big they are!), it is not just the journey that sticks with me as I recall my adventures on the PEPY Ride. The people that came out for this trip are amazing. Their collective ideas and energy made the trip fun, adventurous, and educational. From our first night of reserved introductions to our last night on top of the world basking in the glow of our achievement, we grew together as a group over those three weeks and became good friends.

One of the highlights was our time with Rithy, who joined our trip for a few days. He cycled with us from Battambang to Phnom Penh and along the way told us some of his life stories, goals, and thoughts on tomorrow’s Cambodia. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed his company and we wished he could have stayed longer.

During our NGO visits, we learned about some amazing development work improving the lives of Cambodian people. Our diverse group asked insightful questions and brought a range of perspectives to our excellent discussions on various approaches to sustainable development we witnessed along the way.

After months of planning and the challenges of our epic trip, it was tremendously rewarding to see the huge smiles and shining eyes on everyone’s faces at our final stop on the top of the hill in Kep. Congratulations to the PEPY Ride IV riders! Thank you for bringing your energy, critical perspectives, and openness to Cambodia. We hope to see you here again!