Bhubaneswar, Oct. 31: A group of seven adventure enthusiasts, including an IPS officer, from the city will embark on a journey of a lifetime. The seven adventurers will fly out from Calcutta tomorrow to take up an international cycling trip from Vietnam to Cambodia.
The 16-day expedition will cover around 2,000 km from Hanoi in Vietnam to Phnom Penh in Cambodia through Ho Chi Minh City.
The aim of the journey is to promote the culture of cycling in Odisha along with enhancing the friendly ties with these countries.
IPS officer Sanjeeb Panda, who is one of the cyclists, said: "Both the countries have strong Buddhist connections. And our state has a strong impact of Buddhism since ages and therefore we chose these southeastern destination."
"We look forward to interacting with the local people of Vietnam and Cambodia. We would love to know about their culture, lifestyle, social values," Panda said. The team admitted to have done a lot of research before embarking on the gruelling trip. "We have learnt that our cycling route has a lot to offer, including adventure and picturesque views. We have been in touch with the Odia community there and they have offered a lot of help during the planning of the trip," said Ajay Nanda, another member of the group, who quit his lucrative corporate job and set up 22 Bikes, an adventure bike store.
The seven-member cycling team will fly from Calcutta to Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam, on November 1. From there, they will cycle along the coast of South China Sea through Than Hoa, Vinn, Hong Son, Truong Nha Ho, Hue, Da Nang, Quang Ngal, Tuy Hoa, NHA Trang, Nhiet Dien Vinh Tan, Lagi, Long Khanh to reach Ho Chi Minh City on November 15. From there they will cycle to reach the land border of Cambodia at Bavet. They will cycle for two days to reach Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia, on November 17.
"We will fly back to Calcutta from Phnom Penh on November 19 and then to our hometowns," said Nanda.
They are carrying their cycles with them. "We were fortunate enough that the airways by which we are travelling have allowed us to take our bikes. This will be a big help," said Nanda.
Last year, the cycling team had taken up a journey of 1,252km from Bhubaneswar to Bhutan. Before the journey, they have been on long distance trips. They have travelled from Bhubaneswar to Visakhapatnam before.
The cyclists belong to the Bhubaneswar Cycling and Adventure Club that conducts trips on a regular basis to promote it as an eco-friendly mode of transport. The team also do a fair amount of mountain climbing.
