A bike ride for the heart, mind and kids

A bike ride for the heart, mind and kids

Increasingly it feels like there are so many things that divide us.

From Covid to identity politics to the Voice to Parliament, the lines that separate us are sharp and the wedge seems to be growing. But there is always one thing that will unite us no matter what. And that is children and our shared community purpose of ensuring that disadvantaged kids are given a fair opportunity to thrive and build a life.

When a friend asked me to join a group of bicycle riders in Thailand, I didn’t know what I was signing up for but in the heat of the moment I said “Yes”.

Doing Good Rewards, an Australian charity had organised a group of 20 people from all walks of life to participate in an annual ride in Thailand. We would ride 500kms over 5 days in the south of Thailand.

We started from the coastal town of Hua Hin, peddled to the sleepy town of Baan Grood, pushed through many rolling undulations to Chumphon, going via the Ratchaprapha Dam to the Khao Sok National Park and then finally arrived at Baan Tharn Namchai.

Everyone knows Thailand is a beautiful country with a free spirit, but riding through some of the more remote and country areas was breathtaking. We rode on highways, through villages, past dams, through natural parks, up hills, on asphalt roads, red dirt terrain, past cows, roaming dogs and chirping monkeys and all while being greeted and welcomed by the locals.

We suffered heat exhaustion, frustration, many times wondered why we were doing it, walked with aching quads up hills, pumped our bodies with electrolytes, listened to music and weathered some serious downpours but kept peddling.

None of us were super fit. But there was something special about a group of people supporting each other to finish. Crossing new boundaries with our will power and pushing our bodies (and our legs) to a new maximum.

But all of that was easily surpassed by arriving at the orphanage in Baan Tharn Namchai and being greeted by the beautiful children and their big-hearted helpers. The orphanage was created after the December 2004 tsunami ripped through coastal villages in Thailand. Many children were left behind after their parents were taken by the waves. But over the two decades the orphanage also cares for children who are abandoned or whose parents are no longer able to take care of them.

Hands Across the Water, a not-for-profit social enterprise, was established in 2005 to support these children and their communities. And they organise about 4 to 5 bike rides a year to raise funds. Our group raised over $100,000 for the orphanage.

And the good deeds are food for the soul, but the addition of doing something from the heart whilst pushing your mind and body does something to you that is difficult to explain in words. It puts you into a deeply meditative state. It helps you understand that your potential is immense. It brings many emotions to the surface. But most of all it allows you to escape for 5 days into a blissful state where it is just, you, on a bike, with some friends and a shared whole-hearted purpose of creating choice for children who don’t have the wonderful privilege of having two parents that they can depend on.

The money goes a long way. But what I discovered was that the knowledge and reassurance that a group of Australians reach across the waters every year to support them makes them feel as though the universe has their back.

A highly recommended ride and if anyone is interested for next year, please reach out.

Prath Balasubramaniam is a lawyer and the Managing Director and Founder of Capital Five Partners

The views expressed in this article are his own

This article was first published Issue 5 of the Hoodies Magazine.