FOLLOW THE RIDE: Help Le Meridien Angkor as we support the Angkor Hospital For Children and, local girl, Sreihi's open heart surgery with a 460km bike ride.
On Sunday, June 19, Greg braved the traffic and colorful streets of Bangkok once again to go across the city and increase awareness of the Think Yes! cause.
Greg arrived by bicycle to the Starwood Hotels and Resorts' General Managers Conference for Asia Pacific at our sister property, the Royal Orchid Sheraton on the banks of Bangkok's Chao Phraya River. Hotel Manager, Tina Liu, and her team were gracious enough to welcome Greg as he cycled into the hotel's main entrance. With all of the Starwood leadership team gathered in one place, this was the perfect opportunity to continue to raise funds for the Angkor Hospital for Children's Cardiac Unit and for Sreihi's open heart surgery.
Big thanks to everyone who has already donated! If you haven't donated yet, there's still time. Donate TODAY by clicking the banner below. Check out more pictures of Greg's Arrival below:
Greg surprised everyone and arrived into Bangkok last night, June 13th, at 6:30pm after pushing himself through an eleven hour journey totaling 182 kms. A last minute route change resulted in a shorter than expected total journey, which finished at our sister property Four Points by Sheraton, Sukhumvit 15. Despite finishing early, it was not an easy ride:
"On arrival last night to Sa Kaeo, Thailand . I could not use my left hand fingers... it's like they’re numb from a prolonged postion. The next morning... no change.Tonight .. they’re useless." -Gregory Anderson
At around 4:30pm Greg called Le Meridien Angkor to let us know he was 60kms outside of Bangkok, felt good, and would push himself to finish the journey one day earlier than expected. Adrenaline took over at that point, he was ready for the lights, the colors, the buildings, and the traffic of Bangkok. Speaking of the traffic:
"In Bangkok, it was fun ducking and weaveing between cars in traffic. One turn was too close between cars and my shoe was caught, then I fell on to the bonnet of the adjoining car. It was a soft landing and--in the land of smiles--we all smiled. If you were to step back a few meters, the view is of lots of local moto drivers skillfully nagivaging forward through the gridlock traffic, and then ... bang...the farnag hits... LOL. Also when coming down from one of the many high arched bridges in Bangkok… a bump at the end shook me so hard that my hands lost grip of the handle bars… whoa!" -Gregory Anderson
Greg sends his most sincere appreciation and thanks to everyone who has donated to this cause and has followed his journey. There is still time to donate! In the next couple of days we will continue to upload Greg's pictures and more stories from the road.
Check out the route and full GPS statistics and some road pictures below:
We have just received word that Greg will be arriving in Bangkok today, earlier than anticipated. He is due to arrive in bangkok by today, June 13 2011, around 6pm. He has been making good time, feeling well, and eager to complete this journey. Please DONATE TODAY to help Sreihi.
The sound of the traditional Khmer music still echoed as Greg lead a group of roughly 30 bicycles around Le Meridien Angkor's driveway and out the front entrance to begin his journey to Bangkok. Hotel employees joined him for the first 16kms of the ride, cheering him on as they pedaled out of Siem Reap. The obstacles came early and in the form of a flat tire when Greg reached Pouk District, about 40kms outside of town. Nothing some sidewalk mechanic work couldn't fix and he was back on his way to the border, where he arrived at Poi Pet after 4 hours of riding by bright green rice paddies.
Greg made it across the Cambodia/Thailand border after a brief stop. The afternoon was encountered with pouring rain, it is--after all--the beginning of the monsoon season. This also caused Greg's backpack strap to break, yet, this did not slow down his Average Speed of 32km/hr. On this first leg of the trip, Greg reached speeds of up to 61 kms/hr as he reached the town of Mueang Sa Kaeo, Sa Kaeo Province, Thailand, where he spent the night.
Total Distance Cycled: 192.61kms
Total Time Cycled: 6hrs 10 mins
This morning at 7:30am, about 60 hotel associates and guests gathered at Le Meridien Angkor's lobby to see Greg begin his 460km journey to Bangkok. After a traditional Apsara blessing dance, about 30 hotel employees cycled alongside Greg for the first 16kms of the ride.
Greg will be bringing a GPS unit to assist in his journey; but just in case... he will be also carry along the map below as a back after he crosses into Thailand.
