I can’t quite believe that my legs saw me through to the end and even on the final 70 odd km there were times when I just wanted to get in the van and call it a day… The support of all the riders was great through and we chatted as we rode just to keep the attention away from giving up.
And then of course when we arrived at the orphanage it became inconceivable that we could have doubted ourselves. 2km from arrival the kids came out to ride with us the final stretch of the way – some on trainer wheels!!!! (Stabilisers for those in the UK) Their little legs were peddling as hard as they could to bring us to their home with such smiles. What a welcome – hugs and smiles from all of them thrilled to invite us into the Home Hug family. The emotion was beyond overwhelming. The children are so loved and so cared for and have such challenges they are overcoming. They sang and danced and proudly showed us round their orphanage. We saw the veggies they grow and frogs and turtles they keep. The personalities ranged from outgoing to incredibly shy but they each connected with us in their own way. I’m humbled by the work that Mai Theiw and her amazing team do on a daily basis to create a refuge for those kids orphaned with HIV who are shunned by parts of society in Thailand – particularly the local government in the region who due to its link with HIV won’t acknowledge that the orphanage, less than 3km from the council offices, exists.
Incredible.
We were sad to leave the orphanage but after a quick rest at the hotel the kids joined us for a celebration evening and party. What a party!
They had prepared the most moving slide shows with pictures of the riders and highlights of the tour and the emotion was flowing all evening. The girls demonstrated beautiful Thai dancing and the boys showed us Thai boxing – with Mai Theiw having quick costume changes joined in both. She is truly amazing and deserved the award in 2011 of Asian of the Year. The party was in full flow and we danced and danced and danced. One little boy, i’m guessing he was about 5, sat at the edge of the room not wanting to look at anyone or get involved very quietly showing no sign of the joy and mayhem that was around him. I sat with him for a while as all week I have been particularly wanting to spend time with the children that sit back from the group observing rather than being in the thick of it. My heart went out to this little boy as he wasn’t sharing all the fun we sat and sat and then Sister (another inspiration) from what I could gather in Thai gave him the option of either laying down to have a sleep or having a dance… He opted for a dance. We stood at the end of the dance floor swaying holding hands but he still looked so unhappy and then out of the corner of his eye he saw one if his younger friends being held on the shoulders of Mugcup one of our van drivers. He smiled and I took him over and asked if could be lifted high – well! What a transformation!!! He smiled and laughed and giggled as he danced high above the rest of the group on the Mugcup shoulders and it continued for the rest of the night. The picture below shows a happy little boy and this change is a memory that I’ll treasure always.
My other treasured friend was a beautiful girl age 12 called Lana and she looked after me from the minute I arrived at the orphanage. She took my hand and showed me where to sit and stand and in fact when Sister gave a command to the group in Thai Lana made sure I was in the right place at the right time always – very consciousness 🙂 she loved the party and dancing and took photos on her camera of us, she made me feel so looked after even though I was hoping to look after her. It may seem a cliche but despite having so little these kids give so very very much. This makes the epic hard work of the fundraising and riding all worthwhile. Thank-you Hands for the experiences you are creating and the lives you transform in Thailand and Australia. Do get involved if this resonates with you and check out the new website at www.handsacrossthewater.com.au
I’ll close off this section of my blog now and we’ll get back to the (equally?) thrilling world of learning transfer soon – I do mean that! We all contribute in different ways and the Lever Learning team have certainly supported me to be part of this experience and hopefully we will go on to continue to contribute to the lives of others through this avenue and other causes too. A big thank-you to my team. Thanks too to all those who supported my fundraising and came along to events, bought raffle tickets and gave time and energy to make my $10,000 target. I have seen the difference the money makes and it is saving lives. A special thanks to my family who have been incredibly supportive from the UK despite this being one of my craziest endevours yet – especially as I’m not really a cyclist!
The final thank-you goes to Nickie Race-Jones who has been the most amazing friend and co rider supporting me on the days when I nearly couldn’t go on and was terrible to room with – now with the journey complete I realize how absolute anxious I was the whole time!!! Thanks Nickie.
We made it on the bikes.
And the kids have made it for us.
