Thursday 16th November - Day 1: Fly from Heathrow (London) to Hong Kong
Couldn’t sleep last night. Nerves got the better of me! Ended up getting up at about 3:50am checking and rechecking my luggage, medical kit, documentation etc…
Waking Charlotte up at stupid o'clock for the long drive down, I was eager to beat the traffic. Glad we left early as there was quite a bit of road works along the M4.
Saying our goodbyes I left Charlotte in the capable hands of trusty TomTom to get her home.
At 8:30am, I was the first to arrive at the meeting point (Mr Punctual). Sitting on the floor opposite the “Cathay Pacific” check in desk I heard “Steve” being called out. Turned out to be Colin (Colin Malcom). Quite funny as he recognised my CamelBak from photos off my blog.
Everyone else turned up in pairs or in 3’s. Turns out it was only myself and Colin who came on this trip not knowing anyone. Everyone else knew someone else in the group. Lucy (Across the Divide Expedition Leader), Julia (AtD Expedition Doctor – and real life GP), Maggie - dedicated Oxfam worker and friend to Vicky and Sarah (out here for Sarahs 40th – I mean 30th sorry Sarah :), Juliet (Lucy’s sister), Catherine and Bernard (work colleagues).
After checking our bags in we pretty much hit the bar… the 3 hour wait to board just flew by! As did the Stellas!! Everyone seems really nice and are doing it for different reasons/charities.
Plane journey 1 – Heathrow to Hong Kong. 11 Hours… felt like 30 more like!!
Onboard entertainment was OK but nothing can really help pass the time for me when I’m boxed in 36,000 ft in the air!! Booooring and slightly claustrophobic!! I had the window seat which didn’t help the situation (I like to get up and walk around) so was having to ask 2 people to move each time I wanted to get up/out. Bummer!!
Window seats are OK if you can see stuff but when it’s pitch black and cloudy, not a lot you can see really!! It wasn’t until we arrived at Hong Kong that the window seat was an advantage as the views were amazing!! Chasing the sun over Asia. Fantastic!!
Never seen clouds like it!! Stunning is the only word that comes to mind!! especially as we made the descent through the clouds revealing the wonders of Hong Kong.
Father and son of local tribe
Volleyball with the locals
Me chuffing on a traditional pipe in one of the markets
Colin taking it easy on an open stretch
Faithful "spidie mallet" scares 'em offFriday 17th November – Day 2: Hong Kong – Vietnam, Hanoi
Hong Kong airport is HEEEUUUUGE!!
No time for sight seeing, we literally had about ½ hour to get off the plane and onto the next one…
Plane journey 2 – Hong Kong – Noi Bai (Vietnam)
1 hour 40 minutes later (and after our forth in-flight meal) Vietnam came into view.
Paddy fields and rice hats – I’m here!!
After checking in and getting everyone’s kit we met up with our Vietnamese expedition leader and cycling guru Cuong (pronounced Kung).
Changing our money to Vietnamese Dong and being made millionaires (30,000 Dong/£) we boarded the bus into Hanoi City.
The scenery on the bus was fantastic. Paddy fields, water buffalos, armed guards, mopeds (x 3 Million), chaos roads, tiny houses…
Arriving in Hanoi City was just mad. I’ve never seen so many mopeds and bikes in my life!! It’s seemed to be law to beep your horn at every opportunity, the noise was deafening!!
Checking into our Hotel (Hong Ngoc Hotel) it was about 2pm (Hanoi Time) Friday 17th November. Weird, I left the UK 1pm Thursday 16th and arrived a day later even though we were only on the planes for 12 hours 40 minute we somehow jumped 7 hours. Still can’t get my head around that!!
We all planned to meet up at 5:30pm in the hotel lobby for a welcome talk and briefing so we had a good few hours to kill before we had to do anything.
Some people hit the sack to try and catch up on some sleep whilst others went out to explore which is exactly what myself and Colin decided to do…
Maaaaan what an experience!!!
Out first mad experience (other than actually being in Viet Nam) was a “lucky lucky” bike ride!! “Wan Dolla” lol, love the accent!!
We took the bike taxi through the hectic traffic to Hoan Kiem lake (translating as Lake of the Restored Sword). Seeing Lucy, Julia and Juliet they recommended an ice cream from a little café on the lakeside. Taking their advice we grabbed an ice cream and decided to go for a plonder around the lake.
Mad experience 2: Everyone seems really friendly, some a bit too friendly as we got approached by a guy (seemed genuine enough) talking about “English football” and how much he loved England. Trying to explain I was actually from Wales fell on deaf ears!!
Anyway… after a few minutes talking it appeared our new friend wanted to be a bit friendlier than we liked so we made our excuses and ran!! I still maintain he fancied Colin!! We later found out the “top end of the lake” is a regular haunt for the gays. Some pre-warning would have been appreciated but still… it made us laugh!!
The city is a non-stop hustling mass of organised chaos!! We were told all about the roads (or was that warned?!) and it was literally like taking a “leap of faith”!! You just have to walk out (don’t run!!) and the thriving mass of beeping mopeds, bikes and cars literally just drive around you!! Utterly mad but quite fun. Certainly kept you on your toes!!
Mad experience 3: Walking along the back streets we were grabbed by an old Vietnamese guy who was obviously upset about something? Holding on to our arms he starting shouting something (I don’t have a clue as to what he was shouting, what with my vocabulary of only being able to say hello. Which is phonetically spelt “Sin Chow” for your information :P). Trying not to laugh (didn’t want to offend the poor chap) I spotted a guy behind the mad man who made the gesture of “he’s a bit loopy in the head” at the guy. Taking this on board we freed ourselves from the nutters grip and calmly walked off. Wonder what he was shouting though?
Mad experience 4: Looking for places of interest we decided to try and find the “Army Museum” but on getting lost several times, we ended up asking some chap who explained it was closed but he wanted to take us to an old temple. I was a bit apprehensive at first but adrenalin and adventure got the better of me and we followed him through the bustling side streets of Hanoi and before we knew it we were in a hidden and tranquil forecourt of an old temple.
Not speaking any Vietnamese and our intrepid guide not speaking any English we didn’t have a clue what was happening. Walking around the back of the temple through (probably) the oldest door in the world we had to take out shoes off and were given a lit incense stick.
I’m not sure what exactly happened but we had to put some money on an alter, step back and bow 3 times with our hands clasped. The man would then place the money back in our pockets and move us to the next alter where we had to repeat the steps. This happened several times. What we were doing will never be explained in detail but we got the feeling we were being blessed for good fortune!! An incredibly spiritual and surreal experience!!
Finding our way back (thank god for the hotel map) and after declining several million offers for a moped taxi (never in a million years - I like living!!) we found our hotel and after a quick refreshing shower met everyone in the hotel lobby.
Having being officially welcomed to Viet Nam and having our brief on what to expect for the next few days we jumped on our bus to go to the top restaurant in Hanoi.
Mmmm, takeaway food will never be the same back home.
So many different flavours, spices, textures… Don’t ask me what we had altogether but I do know we had some kind of chicken and weird mushroom soup for starters!! Lush!!
After the heck of a journey to get to Hanoi/Viet Nam/Asia we all decided it would be best to have an early night so it was back to the hotel for a few “tiger” beers.
I think I pretty much went out as soon as my head hit the pillow and slept 6 hours straight then woke up wide awake at 3:30am.
There was no chance of getting back to sleep. I was too exicted!! I came downstairs to the hotel lobby hoping to be able to get a coffee. All I found was several mopeds and a few Vietnamese people sleeping on the floor.
Tip Toeing across the floor I sat at a table to write this diary entry. Can’t believe I’m sat here on me own writing this. It’s now 4:45am Saturday 19th November and I’m in Viet Nam.
It’s still dark outside but I think the city is about to wake up… time to try and find somewhere to find a much needed coffee!!
Hanoi - thriving mass of mopeds
Funnelweb Spider - muaahhh
Lunch by a river - no croc's :)
White Tai Head of house & Viet Nam war vetran
Massive Orb Spider - double muuaaahh
Locked in cell at the old french prison
Said old french prison!!Saturday 18th November – Day 3: into the hills
After an early breakfast (6:30am) we got on our bus for the 4 hour journey to Mai Chau and headed out to the mountains, leaving the hustle and bustle of Hanoi behind.
After a few stops (including visiting the “Happy Bush” – Chuong’s term for the outdoor toilet) and having made the long and pretty dam dangerous mountain passes in the bus, we arrived at our destination for the night and the starting point for our cycling adventure.
Mai Chau is a small traditional ethnic village home of the White Tai tribe. We had the privilege of actually staying in one of the family houses. Wooden, open plan and on stilts with nothing more than a mossie net for insect protection. Good job I brought “Spidie Mallet” with me I thought!!
After a rather tasty lunch of traditional White Tai delicacies and having mastered the art of eating with Chops Sticks, we were given our bikes and set off for an afternoon of cycling through the surrounding villages, paddy fields and dust tracks.
The scenery was out of this world. Mountains just appearing from nowhere. Turning a corner you’d be surprised to see how much the view differed.
Stopping at one village to investigate and sample the local market I was more than happy to be the volunteer to try a “traditional” smoke pipe (AKA Bong in the UK). Nothing “illegal”, purely tobacco!! Wasn’t harsh at all!! I think I impressed the man at the store as I took the smoke in and blew smoke rings out.
Sarah also had a go and in return gave the guy some “Golden Virginia” on which he coughed his lungs out after sticking some in his pipe. Can’t see him converting to western tobacco!!
The smell in the market was vile. I had to hold my breath passing some stores. Apart from what you’d expect in a market being clothes, fruits, vegetables there were crabs, different meats (cow, pig, horse etc..), fish, spices, but the worst smelling store and visually sickening were the ones selling whole “cooked dog”. A sight I’ll never forget. Certainly made Chepstow market look tame!!
Back on our bikes we carried on the dusty road until we came across another village where we saw the locals playing volley ball. Being such friendly people they invited us to a game. Us being myself, Colin, Bernard and Cuong vs 4 of their best players.
Several falls on bum/grazes/ooohs and ahhhs/slam dunks/rounds later they took the trophy home. We were close, but no cigar!! My ass was killing from my momentous attempt at diving for the ball – which happened to go about 30 ft in the air and landed “out of bounds” (would have been one for the video camera, if we had one) and for some reason they were absolutely besotted by my tattoos (dragons). Everyone of them coming up and pointing to see them. Strange!!
Saying our thanks (phonetically spelt “cam un”) we hit the road again for the cycle back to our home stay for the night in Mai Chau.
Cycling between paddy fields on our return, in single file formation due to the thin dust track we were following, I was forced to take a wide berth across a paddy field when a bull took a fancy to me and decided to try and charge me side on. Slipping into 21st gear I was able to get away, only after shouting “there’s a f**king bull chasing me” at the top of my lungs as I rode past the group and leader Cuong into the sunset.
Everyone found this hilarious. My life passed before my eyes as the 2 ton beast charged me. 13.5 stone of Welsh Beef vs 2 ton of Vietnamese Buffalo. I made the right decision. Wasn’t funny (at the time)!! I thought he was just jealous of the prime Welsh Beef being on his turf, at least that’s what I joked to the group when they caught up with me. Yup, I was the only taff in the group. Obviously the bull didn’t see the English Beef as competition!! :P
Every child we pass shouts “hello” and upon hearing our “hello” back, laugh and cheer running along side us. Saying “Sin Chow” back brought even bigger smiles.
Our White Tai hosts made us feel very welcome on our return to the village and had prepared even more food. Boiled rice (part of our daily diet along with all the bananas you could eat), pork, fish, fruit, noodles, spices and soy sauce. To finish it off we were given home made rice wine. Can’t say it was tasty but it certainly cleared the lungs and left you with a glowing feeling inside. We washed this down with tiger beer/coke/sprite...
Even in the middle of rural Viet Nam you can get a Coke, that’s scary!! Probably see a MacDonald’s in the next jungle passing (edit: we never did actually see a Maccy D’s, Burger King during our entire visit I’m glad to say).
After thanking our hosts we all went to the local bar in the village to continue the “socialising”.
Later in the evening we were treated to a traditional song and dance by the local’s. Didn’t have a clue what they were singing about but Cuong told us it was all about how they live their daily lives, collecting rice, dancing around trees, jumping up and down, you know, the usual tribal way’s of life…
Certainly was a sight I would have never seen if I went to Viet Nam as a “traditional” tourist. Was a rare privilege, even if I did fall asleep on several occasions throughout the showing only to jerk myself awake with the sensation of falling… Couldn’t help it. Jetlag and lack of sleep was getting the better of me or was it those tiger beers?
Show over we were all invited to participate in dancing and singing. This involved holding hands and running around in circles. Quite bizarre but good fun. Especially the communal drinking of rice wine through bamboo straws. Maaaan that stuff is strong!!
Apparently it is a Vietnamese tradition to sing/dance for your hosts in return for their generous hospitality. Unfortunately none of us had enough “rice wine courage” to start a song so Bernard gave a rendition of “we were strolling”. He was on his own as none of us had a clue what he was singing. The only group song we could all agree on was “Jingle Bells” much to the amusement of the White Tai people.
Hit the sack by 11 in preparation the next days riding. Our first “full day” of cycling.
We all staying in the same room last night. Only mossie nets and our sleeping bag liners for protection. I was so glad to have Spidie Mallet at my side!!
Hoan Kiem lake
Market lady "you wan sam?"
Me at Phy Ly Pass
Lucky lucky bike man "I tak you for a wride"
Me at the top of Mai ChauSunday 19th November – Day 4: Mai Chau to Son La
6:15am wake up call – we survived the night!!
The village is already busy with people selling their wares, sticky rice, fruits and vegetables etc… Breakfast consisted of bread, cheese and eggs.
Saw my first “Orb Web” spider this morning. Not very big but still scary as…!! Thanks to Maggie for pointing that out!!
After a quick “cold” shower to which there was no point as within 2 minutes I was already dripping with sweat thanks to the heat and humidity, I couldn’t help but think today was going to be a tough one.
Whilst brushing my teeth I jumped out of my skin on seeing a spider run at me along the sink. I absolutely bricked it, scaring Vicky in the process. Luckily for it I didn’t have spidie mallet to hand otherwise… I was on high spidie alert for the rest of morning!!
We boarded the bus for the quick trip to our next cycle starting point. Mai Chau to Son La. On the bus it’s good to see everyone in the group is getting on and moral is high!! Whether we’ll all be as “paly” and on high spirits by the end of the week, time will tell but for now we got a good vibe.
Slapping on factor 50 sun cream, filling our water bottles/Camelbaks we hit the road and what a day of cycling we had!!
Some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world!! We started off pretty flat, then after a slight incline we hit a really steep and long climb!! Think everyone was finding it hard to catch their breaths due to the heat/humidity.
Finally reaching the top, we were pretty much at the peak of the biggest gorge I’ve ever seen. Jungle lining both sides with an incredibly steep, dangerous, pot holed, sandy, gritty, stony road running along side the valley. Cooool!! This is more like it!!
Talk about downhill!! As much as I absolutely love down hill (I’m a speed freak) holding on for dear life hurtling 30 – 40 mph for approx 20 miles none stop, my arms and hands were killing.
The gorge soon opened out and we were literally just cycling along side a huge mountain side. You could see for miles on end!!
After several hours we were glad to hear we had a dinner stop coming up. A further 10 – 15 miles later we pulled up next to a river in the middle of nowhere. Bees and bugs everywhere (my worst nightmare).
One bug (which we found out was harmless) looked like a giant leaf with legs, I thought it would make a brilliant photo. Feeling brave I got someone to put it on my hand for a photo shoot. Photo taken I tried to put it back on the bush out of harms way. Not wanting to leave the comfort of my cycling glove the little shit would not budge.
Starting to panic (as I do with bugs within 2 meters reach) I tried shaking him off. It still wouldn’t budge. With shaking not working I tried brushing it of. Still not budging and with my heart rate rising fast I started to jump up and down shaking furiously. Everyone was saying calm down but I just couldn’t and with one huge shake of my hand the bug jumped up on my chest!!
That was it!! I was screaming!! Jumping and dancing around like a right numpty, much to the amusement of the locals and our group. After what seemed an age (probably a few seconds) I finally managed to get it off me and sat down shaking desperately looking for a smoke. I vowed to leave any insects alone from that point on!!
Panic and dinner over we boarded the bus for our afternoons starting destination and to escape the midday heat.
2 hours later we stopped the bus and jumped on our bikes for the afternoon leg. Cycling through more villages and answering “hello” to every child we passed, we finally hit Son La, knackered, hot, sweaty and incredibly thankful for the rest.
Cycling to the top of the town we had a tour of an old French prison used during the French occupancy. Once again, Cuong gave us a fascinating insight to his country’s history, war and political past.
Leaving the prison I spotted the BIGGEST spider I’ve ever seen. It was a huge Orb Web spider, easily as big as my hand!! As much as I hate spiders I find them interesting and must have taken a dozen photos of him sitting peacefully eating some small dog (joke) or something in the middle of his 3m + web!! Urghhh, gave me the shudders big time!!
After another 20 minute cycle through the town we were at our hotel. After warming down and showering, then getting bitten to f**k by mossies, we were treated to Tai Cabbage Soup (which I actually ate!! – see Mum, I can do veg!!) battered pork, boiled rice, fish in banana leaf and spicey beef. Mmmm
Food over with it was time to show the locals how we play pool!! Unfortunately it happened to be on the worst pool table in the world!! The balls were almost as big as the pockets so trying to get some “side action” was proving impossible. I think the quickest game we had all night was a shocking 45 minutes long. I’ll never slag off a pool table again!! Still, it was good to get to mix with the locals. A few more games and several bottles of tiger beer later we were all in bed by 12.
Look at the camera and say "bluuuur"
Local boy tries trusty brain protector on for size
Me again :P
Somewhere in Son La
CheeeeeeeeseMonday 20th November – Day 5: Son La to Dien Bien Phu
Woke up at 6am to the sound of a full on monsoon. Never seen rain like it!! I was still up for riding the rain. Riding in a full on watershed would have been another experience to add to the growing list since landing in Viet Nam.
Fortunately it cleared up no sooner than it started, leaving everything with a glaze reflecting the sun. Luscious greens from the foliage, reds on the roofs of old houses and a golden haze across the town. Stunning!!
Breakfast was at 6:30am – the normal, bread, fried rice, rice cakes (which tasted remarkably like donuts), cheese, jams... There were more traditional Vietnamese foods on offer but today I felt like something I knew and liked. Stuff with chilli, noodles, dog, cabbage etc… doesn’t sound like breakfast to me!!
Managed to drop my shopping bags this morning!! I know this isn’t something to write home about but I’m normally like clockwork and considering it had been almost 5 days I was beginning to get worried my stomach wasn’t able to digest the sheer mountains of rice and bananas we were eating daily. Anyway, I felt 2 stone lighter which should help on the hills I thought!!
7:45am, just got on the bus for our next transfer, trying to write this diary, good job you can’t see my writing!! Today should be a bit easier than yesterday… apparently!!
Sat on the bus writing this my legs are itching like mad. I’ve been bitten by those flying bastards!! Knew I should have put that deet lotion on after my shower, or is it it’s just not working on these hungry mossies!! Or they’ve got a tasting for Welsh blood? Either way, they itching big time!!
…
I was right!! Today was a lot easier, but incredibly scarier.
The first near death experience we all encountered was when our support bus got stuck trying to make a steep climb over rough ground. Due to the heavy rainfall the previous night the road was covered in slippery clay. Not having 4 x 4 didn’t help and as we started to slid sideways (backwards) I literally shouted at everyone to get off the bus quickly.
It may have seemed OTT at the time but I’m sure everyone was thankful when after getting out, the bus continued to slide backwards towards a 500ft drop. No barriers to stop vehicles going over, myself, Colin, Bernard and some locals managed to stop the bus moving whilst someone went to get help from some road work bulldozers working further up the pass.
Hats off to Mr Su though (support bus driver extraordinaire) he was cool, calm and collective throughout the hair raising death defying experience.
With the bus literally dragged past the “danger zone” by the JCB, we all jumped back on to continue the bus trip to the start of the days leg. Although Mr Su was considerably more cautious on the incline.
Getting to the top we bailed out the bus and jumped onto our bikes. After a short flat we were hurtling 30 – 40 mph downhill for approx 25 miles (if not more). This was some of the hairiest cycling I’ve ever done. The cliffs and sheers drops alone were enough to scare the most experienced of cyclist. Hairpins, gravel, lack of barriers, and mad people in trucks… it was brilliant!! Although my hands were aching from holding on for dear life for more than an hour, downhill, with bald tyres!!
Halfway down the pass Colin thought it would be funny to “fake” an accident on a very tight hairpin bend. Placing his bike dangling over a very big drop and running 10 – 15 meters further down the road to hide, I have to admit I shit a brick when I turned the corner to see his bike rocking slightly over the edge of the cliff but then seeing him laughing in hiding… it gave Lucy (AtD Expedition Leader) a heart attack when she came around the corner in the support bus and spotted his bike precariously balancing over the cliff.
After a good telling off and laughing like school children we jumped back on and sped down overtaking cars, motorbikes and other group members!! Speed demons!! I think this is where Mr Su found my nick name of Lance Armstrong!!
A medical support team is no good up here, a parachute would have been more appropriate!!
We had our first puncture of the trip and yes, it happened to be me!! Luckily it didn’t pop on one of the steep downhill sections or I may not be here to tell this tale if it did!!
The support vehicle soon caught up and with a quick wheel change I was able to catch up with the others pretty quickly.
The view rushing downhill was breathtaking, although everyday the scenery is breathtaking out here, but today was by far the prettiest.
Hitting the bottom of the mountain and having refuelled on a lunch of bread, spicy pork and bananas we all jumped on the bus to escape the midday sun and a quick transfer to our next starting point.
During the short bus ride we got caught in a hail stone storm. Never seen hail stones as big as golf balls!! The sound of them hitting the bus was deafening and we literally had to stop and find cover for the bus under a tree. Mr Su was worried they may shatter the windscreen. They were huuuuge!!
Arriving at the next starting point for the afternoon we were treated to more slightly undulating flats, steep uphill’s and downhill’s, the road conditions were something to be desired. Although I was actually happy to experience the “off road” conditions. I’m a “mountain” biker not a “road” racer!!
We arrived at our hotel in the pitch black having getting caught in the mad rush hour traffic, an experience in itself!! Evening meal was at 7:30 so a quick shower and change of clothing we were all eager to get some much needed food in!!
After a few tiger beers and laughs about the days events we hit the sack. Everyone in the group is still getting on fine, apparently a rare sight according to the group leaders. Knew we had a good team when I met everyone in Heathrow airport. Glad to see my initial impressions are proving true! My right leg is aching big time, think I’ll need to adjust the saddle height tomorrow, stupid dodgy knee!!
Tomorrow is going to be a hard day. Forecast rain!! And we’ve a full days cycling with no “bus” trips. My clothes are already stinking so rain’s only going to make it worse!!
Stuffed little big cat - used as teddy by children in Pha Din
Said children of Pha Din
Bus stuck on mountain pass - scary as ....
The AA came to help...
"I made it!!" Me at the top of one of the high climbs
and puuuuuushTuesday 21st November – Day 6: Dien Bien Phu to Lai Chau
6:15am wake up call. Ouch!! I could do with another 6 hours at least. Still trying to get over the jetlag!! I’m knackered!! or is it the hangover?
Egg and bread for breakfast (I miss my Weetabix!! Not to mention a decent cup of tea!! Still, when in Rome…).
7:45am we’re back in the saddle. The weather forecast of rain couldn’t be further from the truth. It was boiling by 8am.
We cycled to Dien Bien Phu to the history museum where we were all taught about the “proper” Viet Nam war. I never actually knew how it all started and now having learnt the truth, have a lot more respect for the people of Viet Nam. Once again, Cuong amazed us with his knowledge!!
After an interesting hour at the museum and having photographed some of the weapons of war (it’s a blokes thing) we cycled to an old French bunker. Can’t imagine what it would have been like but it made you think how scared they must have been down there with 1000’s of pissed off Vietnamese people wanting their blood. Can’t blame them either. Shouldn’t have been in their country in the first place… now why doesn’t Bush take note. Don’t occupy other people’s country’s unless they want you there!!!! Don’t get me started!!
Leaving the bunker behind we hit the road again. Several hours later we hit a really steep hill. Not sure on the distance but the incline was hard going to say the least.
This broke the group up in no time with everyone riding at their own pace rather than in formation. I did my good deed and cycled alongside one of the women in the group. There’s nothing more demoralising on a bike ride than when your tired, pissed off and on your own. Riding alongside, talking, motivating her, we made it to the top together, much to the cheers of the group members who made it quicker.
I’m OK with being tired, hungry, wet, in pain and demoralised on a bike, I did train on my own after all (helps build inner character)!! For me this trip isn’t about pushing physical boundaries (although it already has), it’s more emotional boundaries. The whole reason for doing this trip is in memory of my Granddad. When the going has been hard I’ve just thought of him. I like to think he actually helped me get up some of those hills today. I was absolutely knackered by 10 this morning but kept pushing myself on. Just thinking of him helped ease any pains or doubts.
At the top of the hill about 50 meters away was the infamous Laos boarder sign. Well… if you managed to make it through the thick line of jungle about a mile!! That was close enough for me!!
Banana and breath break over, another hair raising descent for approx 10 – 15 miles none stop, my brake pads were literally smoking. I was actually glad to get down to sea level!! There’s only so much downhill you can handle before your hands start giving in.
It was a really hard morning’s cycle, especially with the heat and humidity, but we all made it!! Some found it harder than others but we’re all proud of the morning’s accomplishments.
Having lunch at a small village (Muong Lai) where again, we seemed to be a great interest to the locals, we boarded the bus for the transfer to the start of the afternoon leg.
After more undulating flats , several hours later, we arrived at our stay for the night in Lai Chau.
Today we saw members of the Black Tai tribe, and lesser known hill tribe groups such as the Lo Lo andSan Dui. Really felt like we were in the think of the jungle today!!
Hot (ish) water (for me at least – sorry Col!!) I managed to have a decent shave. I was starting to look a bit hairy to say the least!!
Market in San Dui
Not even Asda do chicken this fresh!!
A pink buffalo!! I know!!
Morning Tai Chi in Hanoi
Sarahs 4.. 30th Birthday Cake :)Wednesday 22nd November – Day 7: Lai Chau to Pa So
6:15am wake up call – god I hate this!! I’m so tired from the cycling and late nights not to mention jetlag!!
No stops today. Cycling for 8 – 9 hours none stop. Ouch!!
Up, down, up, down, up, down, up, up, down, up, down, flaaaaaaaaaat!! Hardest days cycling of my life. The scenery is stunning and ever changing, as are the people but my legs are really burning and my ass… tender doesn’t even go there!!
By lunch I was suffering from heat exhaustion. I was literally shaking and gagging to be sick. Lucy saved the day by pouring about a litre of water over my head.
I think everyone suffered today, if they say they didn’t find the going hard their lying!! Even Cuong and Han were struggling in some places!!
Funnel web spider city – that’s what we cycled through today!! They were everywhere!! Got some great shots!!
During lunch today we were “invaded” by bee’s (the size of your thumb!!). They were massive and as much as the Vietnamese support team were telling me to stay still there was no way on this earth I was listening to them!! Bee’s, size of thumbs, stay still… no chance!! I was running around screaming whenever one flew my way!!
Passing through another market we stopped to sample another “ethnic” shopping spree. The usual on offer but the best had to be a complete horse, all cut up and ready for bagging.
We watched how they made rice wine and were invited to “tea” in an authentic tai house!! The green tea was disgusting but the gesture was greatly appreciated!!
Another 4 hours in the saddle later and having climbed what seemed the highest pass in Northern Viet Nam we arrived at our stay for the night.
We had a pretty decent tea consisting of umm rice, pork, fish and cockroach (don’t think that was supposed to be part of the ingredients!!)
Everyone was pretty much in bed by 9pm ready for the big day tomorrow. My ass hurts big time and I’m knackered!! Dreading tomorrow!!
Overnight train from Sa Pa to Hanoi
Gala Night - everyone had to wear traditional hats
Clouds over Sa Pa
And some more :)
Wine and Flowers for the finish line!!
Cycle Vietnam Team Nov. 2006
Ooooh look... some more clouds
Silver Waterfall in Hoang Lien Son
Whaaaat?? I like clouds!!
Photo of me and Pops left at Heavens Gate
The view from Heavens Gate
Memorising the moment...
Hard selling tribe lady
Hoang Lien Son
Me again :P
Bridge over river something...Thursday 23rd November – Day 8: Pa So to Sapa
6:00am wake up call. This is it. The big climb of the trip!! I don’t feel ready for this at all.
After a quick “cold” shower, breakfast and getting our stuff together we hit the road. As today was the last day of cycling I strapped the photo I had of me and my Granddad to my handle bars.
2 ½ hours uphill, mostly 10% inclines with which the heat and humidity made them absolute murder!!
I’ll admit I found this morning the hardest thing I’ve ever done physically. There were so many times I felt like giving up and jumping on the support bus but each time I looked back and saw the support bus coming up the hill it spurred me on to dig deep and carry on pedalling. Train hard, fight easy… there isn’t a mountain high enough in Wales to train for this!!
After the longest and steepest cycle of my life (and probably everyone else's) we had an afternoon of more undulating flats until we reached our final destination. Sa Pa
On reaching our hotel in Sa Pa we were welcomed with red wine and flowers. Hugs, cheers and a massive round of applaud by everyone...
Having a HOT shower (heaven!!) and even managing another shave we met up and had our Gala Night. This consisted of everyone buying/wearing traditional Vietnamese hats, eating lots of food (including chips!!) and drinking a heck of a lot of beer. Cuong and the Vietnamese crew sang to us both traditional Vietnamese songs and some "golden oldies" of the western world.
An amazing end to an amazing adventure!!
How many legs...
Making rice wine
Vietnamese Pot Bellied Pigs
Itchusflyictus ButFlyus
Poisonous Lesser Spotted Browny Butterfly
(I was joking about it being poisonous)
Cuong and Han - Think "Chips"
Tribal lady and child
I'll have 4 pork chops, a shank of lamb and a horse head please
Another stunning view
Tank, Tank, Tank, Tank!! (it's a bloke thing!!)
Can't remember where this was but I look good :)
Juliet racing buses up a 12% incline "go girl!!"Friday 24th November – Day 9: Sapa to Hanoi
No wake up call today, sheer bliss!! Breakfast, bacon, eggs, cereals, fresh fruits, toast… sat overlooking the clouds of Sa Pa. Stunning!! Spent the day walking around Sa Pa markets and city. None of us could muster the energy for the "couple of hours" trek up Ham Rong mountain so we took refuge/rest in a cafe, drinking coffee overlooking the high peaks of the surrounding mountains.
We caught the overnight train from Sa Pa to Hanoi. This was another experience I’ll never forget. It was like stepping back in time riding on some old school train. Brilliant!!
Boxed in 4 to a room, I didn’t really expect to get much sleep but how wrong was I! the motion and constant sound of rail tracks soon had me in a deep sleep… the next thing we knew it was 5:00am and we were pulling into Hanoi city.
Am I doing this right?
Laos!!
Me at the Laos boarder
Oo oo ooooo Ho Chi Minh
Cheers!! Me and Colin enjoy a cold beer from the executive mini-bar
Just before leaving Dien Bien Phu
Now thats a portable BBQ!!Saturday 25th November – Day 10: Departing Hanoi
As we hit Hanoi so early, a few of us decided to visit the lake to watch the morning’s Tai Chi brigade. This was mad!! It was earlier than 6 in the morning and yet there were hundreds if not thousands of people on the streets doing Tai Chi.
Our last few hours in Hanoi were spent sitting by the lake. Myself and Maggie managed to see a Turtle in the middle of the water which we later found out is viewed as very lucky. It was a rare and privileged sight. I’ve never seen a wild Turtle.
4:00pm we were back on the bus and driving towards the airport. Can’t believe how quick the time has flown. Seemed like only yesterday we were arriving. We’ve seen and done so much in such a short space of time…
Not looking forward to the 13 ½ hour flight home from Hong Kong to Heathrow…
Where’s that bar again??
Flight back to Hong Kong 1.5 hours
Harnessing water power
Mai Chau
Cycling through Mai Chau
Pha Din
Working in the paddy fields
OK, you can get it off me now!!
Mai Chau
Flying over Hong Kong
Bananas!!Sunday 26th November – Day 11: Back on UK soil!!
The flight back to Heathrow was a massive, never ending hell of 13.5 hours. Didn’t help we didn’t have seats next to each other so I ended up with Sumo Jo and Princess Konitchiwahwah next to me.
Old fatty Jo kept falling asleep and his fat head kept falling into my personal space. I quickly and silently ninja’d his head (without him knowing) back over to his side. Little princess Konitchiwahwah pretty much slept throughout the entire flight or was she a crouching dragon, hidden tiger in waiting???
Landing in Heathrow and collecting our luggage we all said our goodbyes and hugged/shaked hands. I was eager to get a full works fried english breakfast at Reading services so I rushed out, rice hat on, heaving a big fat rucksack to meet my best mate Mark who came to pick me up and drive me back to sweet sweet Wales where I had a second "surprise" cooked breakfast thanks to Charlie :)
We’ve made plans to have a re-union next year. I’ll let you know what country it’ll be in…
Has it been a life changing experience for me?
Can’t really say it was life changing, but it certainly was an eye opener and an adventure of a lifetime. Something I’ll never forget!!
Would I do it again?
Without a doubt!!
Would I recommend it?
Definitely!! Everyone should try something like this at least once in their lives. By far the best way to see and experience a country is by foot or by pedal. Forget your “fake tourist” shows, get off the concrete paths and see the “real” country!!
Thank you:
Lucy, Julia, Colin, Bernard, Catherine, Sarah, Maggie, Vicky, Juliet, Mr Su, Han and the man who made it all the more interesting, Cuong!!
Cancer Research UK, St Anne’s Hospice, Across the Divide, everyone who sponsored me, supported me and encouraged me, all the companies who donated items and my friends and my family. And a special thanks to my Granddad. I did it mate!!
I had the time of my life!!
Steve
