That's the Way we Roll...

If you have a few days to spend in Siem Reap to visit the Angkor temples, and are conscious about your carbon footprint after those planes, taxis, buses and tuk-tuks you took to get down there, we have a proposition that might get your wheels turning… I hope you’re pumped up!  White Bicycles have been getting visitors from A to B around Siem Reap since 2006, when the NGO was first set up by Ken Oishi, who you’ll find at the Soria Moria hotel.   The idea is simple: rent a bike for only $2 a day, and pedal towards a better future for Cambodians living in a nearby rural village.  How? 75% of the proceeds go directly towards education and water projects, the remaining 25% used for maintenance and up keep of the bikes.  Sound too good to be true?  It isn’t!

 We realize as a traveler in Cambodia, you are often confronted with projects such as these – never quite sure which one to believe or support.  That’s why we asked Ken to show us the projects in Sra Brae village to see for ourselves.  About an hour’s drive out of Siem Reap, you feel as if you’re in another world… rural life is serene, lush, and peaceful.  Though, while picture perfect views are easy to find here, well-equipped schools and clean water are harder to come by.  That’s why White Bicycles has made such an impact.  They have sponsored student’s education, supported schools to provide them with proper facilities, and distributed water filters to families in the area.  For a westerner, the idea of not having access to education or water may seem as foreign as we felt standing there in what was once a Khmer Rouge controlled area.  But this is a very real problem for many in Cambodia.

Imagine for a second, what that would be like…

After seeing first-hand all the good that White Bicycles has accomplished in Sra Brae village, the lives it has changed, Will and I eagerly rented out White Bicycles the following day.  We biked all around the outskirts of Siem Reap, pedaling past rice fields, stilted houses, and villagers – who would giggle at their English as they shouted out a big, smiling “Hello!”  It was a great way to spend the morning – getting in some exercise and seeing a different part of the Siem Reap Province.  It felt good to know that not only did we get a whole day of fun for just $2, but that we had contributed - in a small way - to a much greater cause. 

Rent a White Bicycle at one of their 14 locations in Siem Reap, including the Golden Banana and Soria Moria Hotels! For more information, visit their website at http://www.thewhitebicycles.org/index.htm.