HOT WHEELING AROUND

“Good afternoon ma’am, welcome to Heritage Suites Hotel.” The front desk staff, dressed in traditional silk attire with a modern touch, greets me with exceptional five-star hospitality. My next journey brings me to the simmering heat of Siem Reap. This time around, 14 fearless women from WOAM, myself included, set out on a 55km bike trail—with temperatures reaching a high of 42 degrees Celsius—to raise funds for Sala Baï, a hotel management training school set up in 2002 by the French NGO Agir pour le Cambodge which also aids in the fight against human trafficking. Unfortunately, Cambodia is known to be a huge ground for human traffickers, which put the lives of underprivileged children at risk— with some prostitutes known to be as young as 16. What is more shocking is that these traffickers are sometimes even relatives and in some cases, the parents. After having checked in, we paid a visit to the beautiful school grounds. Upon our arrival, an enthusiastic crowd of students and teachers, giddy with anticipation, lined up in formation to greet the arrival of the team. Some of the ladies from WOAM had organised interactive talks and leadership workshops for the students, teachers as well as managers; sharing their insight and knowledge on the hospitality industry. After the productive sessions, we were then treated to a scrumptious five-course meal prepared by the students. The next day, we set out on our demanding bike tour—we were to cycle 55km under an unforgiving sun, around Siem Reap’s Unesco World Heritage sites such as Angkor Wat and the Killing Fields, taking us back in history to when the Khmer Rouge initiation

WOAM teammates on their bikes, with the historical Bayon temple as a backdrop; students of Sala Baï assembled at the school grounds