Day 5

Today was only a short riding day, 65kms. We were done by lunch time and it kind of felt like we were cheating! We arrived at our hotel at about 1.30pm to a beautiful lunch awaiting us in a very fancy, brand new dining room with white tablecloths, wine glasses and more waiters than we could possibly keep busy! So walking in, in our riding gear covered in mud just didn't feel right! We rode through some more beautiful little towns today with lovely, welcoming and excited people! We really do feel like celebrities on this ride with the way that people's faces light up as soon as they see us and they start waving and cheering and calling out to us! It will be very grounding coming home! I had a good chat to Kuhn Thiew today, and continue to be amazed by her strength, determination and courage...... Over the past 24 years she has had over 1000 children die in her arms at the orphanage yet she continues to be the most compassionate, caring and sensitive person I have ever met. She greeted me with the biggest hug this morning, and keeps telling me how strong I am, but I can't help feeling so humbled merely by her presence on this ride. She does keep telling us the difference that hands has made to the orphans, where on average 2 kids died every week, but not a single one has died since hands became involved. But it's not only their health that has improved she explains, it's their hope for the future, their self esteem and their confidence that has bloomed. I can't wait to get there in two days!