Day....

It's over. There has been lots of celebrating, as such, not much posting. However, I am happy to report that all 13 riders made it back to HCMC safe and sound. Though, I must say, I am not so sure how well everyone is feeling after last nights welcome home party. It was one for the ages.

Thank you all for stopping by the last month. I hope you've enjoyed the blog and I hope you continue to enjoy it. There will be more pictures coming soon and I am sure more reflections. Also, you can still donate at the link in the upper right hand corner. So far we've raised almost $24,000 dollars.

The Final Countdown

Sooo we have an interesting array of days behind us. More mountains (we never really got rid of them...) with a particularly good spot two days ago of 10k uphill of pure gravel. Actually, it was worse than gravel. It was bumps, unevenness, potholes, and rocks galore. And it was humid. However, it did bring us closer to the third mountain of that particular day, which means closer to the exhilarating descent from the clouds (quite literally) that the final 20k brought with it.

We got through that and through yesterday also, which brought hills but nothing threatening (bar MORE bumpiness). The countryside is also becoming a bit more varied than it has been (oooh another mountain edge, positively enthralling), with lots of cute little roadside villages, a few rice paddies, some woodland and a lot of green. We rode into Bao Loc yesterday to a sign indicating "TP Ho Chi Minh- 188km" (I couldn't quite believe it) and another bearing the promise of pizza (much to the excitement of many an H2H-er).

Pizza cravings fulfilled, thought today would be an easy ride, of sorts. And it was, once we got through another bout of our favourite terrain- about 15k downhill of road littered with rocks the size of fists and a whole lot of trucks to share with. This sounds easy, but we had to go very slowly and ours hands died a little with every squeeze of the brakes (the only way to avoid hurtling off our now-worn-out bikes). Unfortunately we didn't escape unscathed as Jacinta acquired a flat so big that it caused Bac the driver/genius-bicycle-repairer to utter his infamous "Waaaaaa!!" at the sight of it. He worked his magic though and soon enough she was whizzing onwards onto the relatively flatter terrain.

The expected 90k of today was cut short to about 70 after we arrived into Dinh Quan, our destination for the day, with more time with which to aniticipate tomorrow's arrival into Ho Chi Minh City. A combination of feelings from everyone- sadness from not wanting it to end, mixed with excitement at seeing everyone in Saigon and desire for personal comforts ( sleeping in til at least 1pm on any given day comes top of my list). At times you feel the frustration of less challenging flat roads and just want to get to the end, and at others you want to cherish every moment.

Array of feelings aside though, and that fact is that our ride ends TOMORROW. We've gone through at lot and experienced highs and lows (altitude-wise of course), freezing feet and sweaty backs, and the largest combined muscular pain known to man (with the Tour de France a close second :P). Can't believe how quickly it's gone by and simply the fact that we've cycled 2000km, with only the 110 of tomorrow to go. On that note...

See you in Saigon!

-Ronni

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Americans celebrated Thanksgiving by saying "Happy Thanksgiving" and eating lots of pizza in Bao Loc. I washed mine down with a pina colada and I think others chose beer. Or something.

2 days to go and less than 200 km to go. I'm feeling great.

Also of note: I finally washed my water bottles. Sort of. And it didn't really help. But adding orange soda did.

Thankfully, there's only 2 days of potentially nasty tasting water left.

-Justene

Day 24

My Dad, my sister and I were almost finished constructing my sisters bed. We had just finished sanding all the pieces and my sister was priming the parts that had been finished. After the initial coat of primer was applied, we went to Knox Lumber to buy the final ingredient--the paint.

As my sister perused the hallways of paint samples for just the proper shade of pink, I fascinated myself with all the PVC pipe accessories. For some reason all the connectors, joints, and various kinds of puddy drew my 10 year old attention like nothing else.

Finally, my sister had decided on a color. She found my dad who then found me. We took the color sample to the paint section of the store. The man in the red apron behind the dye stained counter read the number and began to open a gallon can of latex paint. When the can was pried open I was astonished to see that it was white. I promptly notified my dad of the mistake. We had wanted pink, not white, paint.

As the man behind the counter went to work "making" my sisters pink paint, my dad patiently explained that the man would add a few bits of colored paint and then the can would be put in a machine and then we would have pink paint. Memorized, I watched the man add just a few drops of paint from the dye dispensaries, arranged circularly around two lazy Susan's in the middle of the paint sections fortified employee's only island. The man then put the gallon can between two sheets of metal connected to some kind of machine. He tightened some bolts so that the can was securely in place and would not budge for anything short of an earthquake. After double checking his work the man flipped a switch and the machine started moving the gallon of paint a centimeter or two vertically with little horizontal movement but at a very impressive speed.

Ten minutes later the man behind the counter stopped the machine and handed us our paint. The few drops of dye had evenly spread through out the creamy white latex to create a uniform hue of purplish pink paint.

Now, I've never been inside one of those paint making shaking machines. In fact, the story above illustrates my only encounter with one ever. Yet, with that said, I can empathize with the paint from the story. I know what the paint feels when it's being created. After the past few days of riding I understand violent, repetitive, and sustained oscillation. See, the roads the last few days have not been of a the highest quality. It's not as if there are gigantic, truck swallowing potholes, the roads aren't bad in that way, no it's the endless series of half inch deep cracks and small bulges emerging through the pavement that have pummeled us riders. My whole body aches, not from the exertion of riding 50+ miles a day, but from the constant undulation of Vietnamese highway 27. These roads have made mush of my knees and scrambled my insides like a Denny's grand slam.

Now, personally, I've been hunkering for a Perkins Belgium Waffle, but I have to say I am hope the roads become kinder and gentler as we approach Saigon. We've only got 300 kilometers to go and I don't want to eat a liver and cheddar omelet for breakfast, even if it comes with a whip cream soaked waffle.

A fun fact for the day...

Another day off and still, none of us have cleaned out our water bottles. Tasty.

-Ronni

My knees say thank you.

Ahhhhhh a day off. In the questionably named Buon Ma Thout no less. Lonely Planet has informed me that this is a boring dusty town. While I could venture through the city and find out for myself, I am quite content to be lazy and take their word for it today. This allows me more time to do the very essential things us riders need to do. This includes: skype, eat, drink coffee (we're in the 'caffeine capitol' of Vietnam after all), journal, buy cheese, and internet (obviously).

This day off is important. Cycling seems to be 60% a mental sport- being that its a lot easier to pedal up hills and through wind if you are thinking positive and REALLY believing that you are capable. The past few days of riding has been a bit o' mean winds and cold temperatures (cold meaning upper 50s-lower 60s F). There are also more trucks and buses on the highways now that we're in the south, and they truly have no regard for those of us sporting non-giant non-motorized vehicles. I've been glad to have awesome riders and a tiny mp3 player to keep my mind entertained and free of negative thoughts.

The other 40% of cycling is physical and I have been more aware of this bit recently. My knees have been less than happy. They've been more.....furious..... at what I've been putting them through. On the evil bitch day that took us through 20 km of 10% incline (described by others in previous blogs) my left knee essentially stopped functioning. That day after lunch I could feel that something wasn't quite right. I tried to pedal more with my right leg. At several points I even took advantage of the fact that I have clip-in pedals. I developed a system: I let my left leg rest on top of my water bottle while my right leg did all the work. It looked ridiculous and didn't help much. Frustrated with my body (or at least one essential joint in it) I begrudgingly got into the van and drove with Bach for the last 25 km of the day. I've spent several days taking it safe and easy- walking up scary hills and just generally going at a super mellow pace. I'm hoping this day off will magically heal all badness in my knee and I'll suddenly be Lance-ette Armstrong.



Here's an exciting example of the roads we've been on the past few days. There hasn't been too too much to take pictures of. Hilary and Katie are biking there if you look closely. Yay trucks and construction!


AND we've gone a full 1,580 kilometers (love me my bike computer) and spent 20 days on our bikes. Damn. Go team.

-Kat

Deep thought of the day

My butt hurts.

Day 21

We're taking a rest day in the coffee capital of Viet Nam--Buon Ma Thuat--pronunciation is up to you. Then, 5 days+ 450km= Pizza!

Like a band of gypsies (welcome to the jungle)

These are the kinds of days I expected when I signed up for this gig.

We’ve been back on the road for seven straight days and each has been challenging, to say the least, in its own way. Leaving way we past old ruins and soon found ourselves in the countryside. The much-feared and expected 10 percent grade inclines began — and didn’t stop. Food and drink became more more difficult to find. Some riders turned to religon. Some found religion. And others thought of casting their bikes off the road into the abyss, the endless green valleys below. It was already getting dark by the time we settled in A Loui, having put in nearly 80 kilometers.
We rested nervously that night, knowing that our first “bitch day” — 100-plus kilometers of moutains with little in between — awaited us in the morning. I was up by 5:45, anxious for our 7 a.m. departure. After some Vietnamese hip swivels and thrusts to ease to tension and increase our stamina and performance, we set off, back through Bo Don and into the mountains.

The first 25 kilometers were relaxed enough as we rolled up and down hills. At a junction we proceeded down the Ho Chi Minh Highway just four kilometers from the Laos border. The masochism began anew. We climbed and climbed. Behind every switchback loomed another switchback. As we ascended, the sun grew higher in the sky and the humidity more stifling. Somewhere up the first mountain, we left the forest and entered the jungle, deeper in the heart of darkness.

We pushed on, out of water and out of food as we summited and coasted down another mountain in the early afternoon heat. Since Bach and the van were a good distance behind us we thirsted on a mountain stream out of necessity. The water was as pure as it gets for Vietnam. We stopped in a town (a few shacks), praying for some kind of nourishment. The first woman we encountered, who looked to be atleast 200 years old, didn’t even speak Vietnamese, rather some local highland dialect or even Laotian, we speculated. The eggs, noodles and Bidrico, “Vietnamese Shasta,” we devoured couldn’t have tasted any better. One last steep climb and we cruised into P’rao, exhausted but accomplished.

That’s all I have time for now. Can’t tolerate the kid screaming next to me playing his shoot-em-up video game.
-Chet

“On the road again

Goin’ places that I’ve never been.
Seein’ things that I may never see again

And I can’t wait to get on the road again.
On the road again -
Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway”

Full Metal Jacket

So its day 19 and I er... still haven't started my diary. This is due to the fact that i am unable to put into words the experience I’m having and to be honest, my eyes, ears and thighs have memories etched into them I’m never going to forget. I didn't realize Vietnam was this beautiful and my thighs didn't realize Vietnam was this high! Nevertheless, I am now finding myself relishing uphill in front of me which tells me i am either stronger or stupid. Long are the days when i was worried about going on the Duke of Edinburgh award treks because I thought I’d get blisters.

So this last week has been awesome. Ok, i would not have said that at 11am on Wednesday morning whilst scaling a 20km mountain, I say it now because this week is what I signed up for and a lot of people in the team would agree. I knew I was capable but mentally we have been pushed this week. James is took pushing to the extremes the other day by cycling up a mountain, then a third of the way down again to shout at people in full metal jacket-esque style. Nothing to do with people struggling, but because he can.

Like James, I too have had a spiritual experience this week. I honestly shouted out 'Jesus you have deserted me' and 2 minutes later I suddenly had a Zen like calm descend upon me and my breathing became even and my thighs had the energy of a thunder god. Well sort of. I rocked up the last part of the mountain and wizzed into town to yelling I’d 'found Jesus!' then Chet and James proceeded to smack my thighs with much aggression. Wednesday was, as people have described, tough. In one day we had cold, rain, heat and sun. As i reached about 10km up the mountain I had to pay the price for having only a t-shirt on. I found myself standing shivering in a pair of lyrca shorts and a sports bra as the exchange between t-shirt and long sleeve top happened. For the next 30 minutes i remembered all those freezing cold mornings on the river in Canterbury shouting at four rowers in a boat toiling away while i sat in nine layers. Those thoughts got me up the mountain and it turned out to be my most satisfying rides yet.

Today was less torturous and we were able to take it easy. Mainly because Sam got three punctures in the space of 47km which allowed Katie, Hills and I to dance on the roadside while Bac worked his magic. We also indulged in a bit of a fashion show for the locals. I found myself on lying on the road in stitches as Hills and Sam stood with their shorts pulled up to god knows where and pranced around like tweedle dum and tweedle dee. I looked just as bad.

So... off to get some dinner now with the others and pack in some carbs for tomorrow's hills...

Jacinta

Day 18- goodbye mountains, for now!

The killer day two days ago left many weary achy riders. We thought we were leaving the mountains but there was one more unexpected monster climb, every time i thought i was reaching the summit i would turn a corner and there would be more.

"how can a mountain hide?"

We climbed so high we were in the clouds, not quite as poetic as it sounds. The reality was freezing cold and rainy, but an amazing experience. There was a strange village at the top, run down houses and blanket clad women lined the road. It took well over an hour to reach the summit, and little over ten minutes of a hair raising 10 degree slope to reach the bottom!

Yesterday we had a short ride, only 60km. Me and Kat were happy with this as we were both sporting minor injuries from the strain of the last five mountainy days. We took it easy and accompanied by Rob we had a pleasant relaxed ride. We passed through a flooded area, the road was raised through the middle of it, it looked eerie, like a tree graveyard. We had many stops, and as we were unable to ride up any steep hills it took us 6 hours to reach Kom Tum. We were happy to find cable TV and decent food as the town is on the alternative tourist route. It was actually quite strange to see other westerners everywhere!

Another short ride today, only 48km! It was an easy ride, we had a leisurely break half way here in a great little roadside cafe with swinging chairs. My ankle was much better today and i was enjoying not having to get of and push my bike up the hills, infact we flew along at a good speed the whole way and reached Pleiku at 11.30. It is a big city, not that interesting but me and Ruth went exploring in the local market for lunch, there were baskets of live animals and sea food everywhere, nothing that appertising! We found the rest of the riders in an ice cream cafe, I think they had the right idea.

- Sophie

P.S. i have added photos to my previous post

Day 18

Day 17- Some more of the Finding Jesus thing...

Today we went up a never-ending mountain. We have yet to figure how, after every reached summit, the hills just kept appearing. Where- or indeed how- does a mountain hide? we wondered.... We're smack bang in the central highlands of Vietnam now so team H2H was treated to our fist bout of cold- I mean, really cold. Finger-gnawing. Mixed responses to this but personally, I love a bit of cold so long as I'm hiding behind a big jumper.

Post 50km mountain however, we reached the valley and the sunshine, and weaved up and down the miniature mounds that brought us to our destination- Plei Kan. The scenery is stunning- the mountains we have conquered now seem so small and spread out into the distance, varying shades of green shining in the sun. Very pretty.

Big shout to Ruth who, after a nasty tumble on the gravel and alarmingly deep wound to the elbow (she's all good so no worries please!) got it all bandaged up and right back onto her bicycle-brave girl if I ever saw one.

Tomorrow, we believe, brings us valleys and so it seems our time of zig-zagging up the hills (much like drunkards, stumbling home from the pub) are coming to a close- for now at least.

-Ronni

There's no 'I' in 'team'

We've taken on over 1000 kilometres of Vietnamese highways including, mudslide covered mountains, erratic Vietnamese children and waterbuffalo. We've endured rocky roads, blaring sunshine and lengthy periods of time sitting a top what feels like a wooden stake. We've had many a flat tyre, numerous buckled wheels and several chain/sprocket/derailer problems. There's even been a trip to a hospital.

Nonetheless, our troop, stronger than ever has become a socially and highly organised system. Within our democratic yet strict outfit, one will experience morning warm-up drills (including the infamous Go2 at 4 in the morning dance), group debates (to dicuss issues like who's responsible for not claiming a jar of peanut butter in the minibus or discrepancies with James's team agenda) and a reward system for excellent riders of the day (the Mr Sexy time award) to keep team moral high.

We've also been using our have time to pose for team photos with the toothless dinosaur gurn (see above)

-Sam

Thigh Burning Ascents and Brake Burning Descents

I'm not sure of the date, I don't know what day of the ride we are on, and I think a pig is being slaughtered out back of the internet cafe here in Kham Duc, but I am feeling fabulous. Maybe a little bit sore, but a lot strong.

We had our first day off in Hue. Most spent it wandering the city, eating Western food, and running errands. Some didn't even leave the complex until early evening. Apparently I'm a masochist because I woke up at 5:45 am (earlier than I get up on cycling days) and went on a 12ish hour tour of the DMZ, which was fascinating, but possibly only to a history geek like me. Anyway. I had a great day revisiting the past and spending time away from my fellow H2Hers (even though they are all great people to cycle and hang out with).

Then we crossed the mountains along Highway 47. I was supposed to find Jesus on this ride and though it appears that James did, I did not. I did find pavement when I lost all momentum and toppled over in the road. Apparently it was hilarious because Jacinta laughed like a fool while I continued to lay sprawled out in the middle of the highway with my bike on me, but I emerged unscathed. Up and up and up and up, then down and up and up and up and up, then DOWN! and I found myself arriving in A Luoi to the cheers of fellow teammates. We had survived our first 60 km of mountains!! And it felt good.

The next day was over 100 km of mountains and it was tough. Obviously. But it was a hilarious and peaceful day. Because of numerous landslides caused by the 2 big tropical storms that had recently come through, no one was using the road except us. I believe the state of the road is secret Vietnamese knowledge that we are not privy to. Empty roads meant we didn't have to endure speeding busses or the deafening horns around every winding corner. We could pedal and coast and be speed racers all over the road. There were some epic falls into the mud (looking at you Cox) and some muddy warrior women seen arriving into Prao. We all finished, we all completed the day despite the mud, iffy road conditions, and numerous flat tires. If we finished this day, we can do anything.

2 more short days of cycling through beautiful jungle scenery with a few mountains here and there brought us to our current location of Kham Duc. It appears to be bigger than most of the specks on the map that we stay in and we've had some awesome food. That didn't make me cry. Tomorrow is another long day and it's probably relatively flat, but even if it isn't, who cares? We've conquered the mountains before and we will do it again.

-Justene

Lactic Acid Washed jeans

Hahhhh-ohhhohh…. Hahhhh-ohhhohh… hahhhh-ohhhohh… There were no other sounds, just laborious, lungs busting breaths, one after another, as I peddled up relentless incline. I take that back, I made other sounds. About 2 klicks back, it sounded more like blahhhhhh…achkah…upluch…upluk….as I lost my lunch over a guard wall to the valley many hundreds of meters below.

It was our first “bitch” day—60 kilometers up, and over the Truong Son Mountains to an outpost of a town within sight of the Loation boarder. To say the day was tough would do disservice to the word tough. In fact, somewhere along the line, when “bitch” all of the sudden wasn’t strong enough, the team abandoned one word adjectives all together. Instead we used a metaphor. We were going to find Jesus.

Early on in the ride, a fellow rider shouted, “I’m saved!” I am sure she was, but the geographical location of her afterlife, wasn’t the reason for her outburst. No, she thought she had made it to the top of the mountain. However, that was not to be the case. No it was just another switchback with a somewhat sympathetic flat 100 meters before returning to never ending 10% grade ascent.

It was about this time, that I realized we were not searching for a happy new testament, Sermon on the Mount, camel and needle Jesus. This was grade A, fire and brimstone, thunder and lightning, old testament territory. There would be no Jesus; only atonement. I was there to repent! To purge my mortal body of sin! Sons were to be sacrificed out on Vietnamese route 61!

This purgatory would be filled with fire, though the fire would not burn my skin. No, the fire would burn deep in my thighs, spirits so agitated all they could do is explode in a manic, firery convulsion, looking for any avenue to escape my quadriceps. Although, this was not of immediate concern as a demonic carpenter had begun ravaging the insides of my lungs with 30 grit sandpaper.

Pedal, pedal, pedal, was my mantra as I stomped on my bikes cylinder heads, making slow but steady progress, tiring rapidly. After an all too brief and terrorizing trip down the first mountain, the ascent of the second begun.

“Tell me your sins so you may be forgive child,” a voice whispered. Hallucinations, I thought, drink some more water. Ignoring the voice, I toiled upward. Daring not to stop and photography the idyllic surroundings of my own, ohh... so step, purgatory.

It’d been 45 minutes since earthly nourishment had violently existed my mortal coil for a more vestal creation of the all-mighty. This could explain why the peripherals of my sight line shrunk to a smaller and smaller circle, my focus narrowed in on an, as of yet, out of sight objective, though it isn’t. There was something more.

“BLESS ME FATHER FOR I HAVE SINNED!” blasted the Holy Spirit, involuntary like kicking when the doctor hits your knee with her orange triangular hammer, off my tongue. I thought I had left this remnant of childhood behind like a dirty green security blanket. My mom has suffered for it. Her son, had left the church and she though it a failure of her parental talents. . It was only tucked away in a dark recess of my mind, like one of the unlucky acorns a square finds at the beginning of spring.

“It’s been many years since my last confessional.” I blurted, this time less constrained. I was hungry for nourishment whether it came from a farmer or the lord; I was going to eat it. A starving man can not be picky with his dinner.

As I examined my conscious, mentally reliving the nights of lust, gluttony and greed that Saigon breeds, the road to salvation shallowed. Encouraged, I recounted the sloth, pride and envy that damned my previous relations with fellow mortals. The half-assed lessons, the lying and cheating cascaded out.

As my roadway to redemption steepened, I wondered out loud if all those hot showers, wholly unnecessary, counted as mere venial sins or where they more serious. Did they kill my soul and slam the door on my relationship with the Devine? I pumped harder and harder on my pedals, my chain straining under the immense torque of atonement. Is global warming a mortal Sin? No, this exercise was not to be in vain. Purification had to lie over and around the next switch back.

In fact, this, the last climb of the day, was absolution. After all, a Hail Mary or forty would not and could not absolve two years in Saigon. I had to purge the demons from my soul not with prayer but with enduring pain and so I trudged, pedal by pedal, through the aches and burning insides to the summit.

As I write this, I am not sure how I stand in the grace of the Catholic God but I do know that Jonathan Edwards had not built a city on top of that hill 60k west Hue. I was not yet to be a Sinner in the Hands of an Angry God. Yet, I do know I’ve been purified. I know what it is to be alive. I know sacrifice. I know purpose. It’s been a long time since I could call my self so satisfied.

MOUNTAIN!

Day 14.

106km

Creeping slowly up the mountains was so time consuming on day 13 that we decided to leave an hour early, we met up at 7am for morning stretches and bike tinkering. We implemented a buddy system, i was lucky enough to have three- Justine, Ronni and Rob a.k.a. the quad massive. It was all fun and games for the first couple of hours, enjoying the spectacular mountain views and odd orange soda breaks. However, before long the ups just kept going up. Legs burning, sweat dripping and tears streaming (OK a little over exaggeration!) we conquered the first hill. The first of many. Our thunder thighs were powering us up the hills and everything was going great.

Until Rob's tire burst. Again. Again. And again. Justine and Ronni went off on a rescue mission. Luckily Bach and the van were never far away and by now he is a tyre patching guru! By 2 o'clock we still had 40km to go and the mountains weren't getting any less mountainy, with no places to stop for sustenance we were beginning to grow weary. The race to reach the next town before nightfall was on, the last thing we wanted to do was get in the van but the pass would not have been safe in the dark. Slowly on and on, due to the last two punctures it had taken an hour to go 3km. Now, with 37km to go the road seemed never ending, everything was hurting but we were still smiling, this is it, the hardest day and we were doing it!

With 20km to go we found a cafe and hungrily downed a bowl of noodles, my morale was low as we had stopped at the bottom of a mountain and the top looked a long way up. Delirious yet determined we flopped back onto our saddles and set off on the last stretch. We soon started following the path of a river and enjoyed some rare downhills, mixed in with the ups. We made it into town, two hours after the group, 10 hours after our first peddle drenched in sweat and accomplishment. What a day!

Day 15.

50ish km

More of the same terrain but with less than half the distance to cover than yesterday we could relax and take our time. With tired achy legs we took a leisurely break after only an hour of cycling. The ups were still tough but there were many lengthy downhill sections, it was so satisfying to sit back watching the 'Kilometerstones' go by with no effort. 6km from town we stopped at a waterfall, after passing so much amazing scenery it was great to have the time to stop and enjoy it. We climbed up past a couple of water buffalo and found a deep splash pool, within seconds i was in the water and enjoying a refreshing swim. We arrived at Thanh My at lunchtime and joined the group for lunch- rice and noodles.

- Sophie (and Rob)

Day 13- Mountains galore

Troi. Oi. Today was a bit of a tough one. We left our mid-range hotel (this means leaving swimming pool and free buffet breakfasts) and peddled into the somewhat greyish distance. Alright to begin with, the hills we came upon were steep but short and we made good progress in plenty of time. However, shortly after my comment to Katie (along the sweet, innocent lines of "It's not too bad is it?"), the landscape changed a little: new hills. Very steep. Very long. Alright still, with the pretty scenery and the mass whizz breaks provided by the wonderful true fact that what goes up, must come down (mostly).

A stop for lunch (oh rice, I have missed you so) and a big cheer to Katie who did 40k with TWO punctured tyres and some dodgy front breaks, and we set off again, excited about the shortness of the remaining 30. But then, the road started to incline. Higher and higher. Steep to the point that many of us were unable to coerce our bikes into taking us any further. Some of us got off and walked. The walk-a-bit, ride-a-bit system carried on for a good 20k, on a mountain-hugging road that wound nicely around forestyness and waterfallyness. Very beautiful and made even more picturesque by the fog (clouds, perhaps?) that hung around the tree tops right at the mountain summits. All peaceful and of a calming effect, bar the unpredictability of the road (curse you, manic minivan) and of the road barriers (ooh swerve the wrong way and you may just fall off the side of the cliff). Pretty amazing.

We sweated away for a good few hours but in the end all was good after a 7km milestone (or should it be kilometrestone?) and a quick freewheel downhill brought each of us into the cries and cheers of fellow teammates- we had made it!

6 easy kilometres down the road of nominal flatness and we had reached our destination of Aluoi (the most beautiful place in Vietnam??). A day of highs and lows (but mainly highs!), and two more to come (s'alright, we're a confident bunch), tainted only by the fact that facebook has been blocked in Vietnam. Lame.

-Ronni

Goodbye Hue, hello mountains!

It is 6.18am on the morning of day 12, the next three days in the central highlands are apparently the most difficult days of the ride. I am feeling mixed emotions- excitement for the challenge ahead, and utter terror! We have all enjoyed our day off in Hue- city tours, pizza, swimming pool, pizza, movie channels, bike repairs, pizza and comfy beds. After resting, relaxing and stocking up on peanut butter and factor 81 sun cream i feel ready to go.

The last couple of days of the ride were pretty tough because of the heat and sun, i had to resort to pouring bottles of water over my head and seeking shade every 10 minutes at midday in an attempt not to over heat. I have never been so happy to see a cloudy drizzly day before in my life, and i have my fingers crossed for the bad weather to continue. Rob is also glad about the rain as he won a bet against James who wrongly predicted there would be no rain for the entire ride.

Today we are going about 70km to apparently one of the most beautiful places in vietnam, what an incentive to keep peddling!

- Sophie

And on the twelfth day we rested

We’re now in Hue, almost exactly halfway through the country, and enjoying our first day off. The last three days were particularly strenuous thanks to both the scorching heat and long distance we covered: almost 300 kilometers in three days. Besides resting our aching legs, we’ve filled up on Western food (I just put down lasagna, a cheese pizza and cheeseburger and fries) and done some real laundry. We were stinky. And we all have some seriously sexy tan lines.
After we left Dong Le on Tuesday (which we were all pretty happy about given the particularly nosy people and the manager of the hotel trying to steal our Mr. Sexy Time trophy), we experienced the best scenery yet. Morning fog caked the mountains as we rolled up hills and coasted down. Colorful cemeteries dotted the hills and we crossed river after turqouise river. Things were going really well…until Ruth and James had an accident. A group of schoolchildren on bikes swerved out in front of them sending both Ruth and James crashing to the ground. James landed directly on his shoulder and Ruth on her back. From Tina’s account a woman instantly tried to drag Ruth out of the street as she lay on her back. Swear words may have been uttered. Tina frantically shooed away gawkers and other Vietnamese exacerbating the situation as she stopped semis. Some icy hot, painkillers and a sling for James and they hopped in the van, stopping at the hospital in the next town. Nothing broken, but lots of pain. The whole ordeal shook everyone up pretty good and was a blow to our morale, as well as a reminder of how quickly — and easily — accidents can take place. I held an extra grudge against the Vietnamese for the remainder of the ride. We settled in a hotel near the beach after ending the day with 40 kilometers or so on Highway One. Sprits climbed again and both James and Ruth were able to get back on their bikes the following day.
Wednesday night we spent in Cam Lo, perhaps the smallest town we’ve stayed in yet. It didn’t have much to offer besides Messy (cough-syrup soda in a bottle), power blackouts and hairy meat soup.

We’re back on the road tomorrow after a breakfast buffet at our hotel for the first of one of our three consecutive, and most difficult days. That means mountains and 100 kilometer days as towns are scarce. Hue has been a necessary rest, but a tease of the civilized, luxurious and easy life. It’s back to sweating, pho and rice tomorrow.
-Chet

Day 11

“It looks kind of like the Boundary waters”, Chet declared as we both rode up one of many rolling hills.

“Yeah, but without the black flies”, I replied.

“I’m not sure if I’d rather have the flies or this heat” Chet replied.

I didn’t have answer at the time and after two days of searing Vietnamese heat I still don’t. But we were both on to something. The rolling foothills, just east of the Trong Son Mountains, sure do have a Minnesota quality about them.

I was peddling, uphill, through a rubber plantation, with high voltage power lines overhead when I first had this realization. There was something about the smell of the trees’ sap, the rubber, which transformed me back to the St. Croix River. I took it in and remembered picnics on the beach.

For most of the last days there hasn’t been too much remarkable. Our path is jammed-packed with rolling hills. We trudge along. We’re in Hue now, resting before the three hardest days of the ride. All three in a row. Though, it’s said that every silver lining has it’s grey cloud, so depending on where you fall on the masochistic scale, we’re going to one of the most beautiful places in Vietnam. Look for pictures in the next couple of days.

A recap

Yesterday was a half day; we only road 50 some klicks. Your H2H narrator, of course, used the time to "rest". As such, I don't remember how far we road the last two days or the last time I posted. Let alone what town I was in last night. (Though, there was a statue of Ho Chi Minh and some very friendly gentleman who borrowed me their motorbike to ferry other bacchae to the karaoke.) Needless to say, without such information, there will be no recap for the last two days.

Though, have no fear, dear reader, all this is mere dicta, asphalt under the mighty, yet thin, tire of the H2H Juggernaut. There will still be content. Let that proclamation ring throughout the valley of the mighty Internet. Content...content...content--*echoing*.

We've been on the road for eight days now. We have riden approximately 630 kilometers. The picture above illustrates this best. There have many popped tires, a bum wheel or two, more fussy derailleurs, and countless views that, despite Cannon's best efforts, must remain, only in the imaginations of my fellow riders.

Dirt Tracks and Dance Parties

As fellow riders have already suggested, these last few days have been punctuated by all sorts of unexpected twists and turns and general randomness. Yesterday's short 50-something km ride placed us by a lake, where we spent a good part of the afternoon relaxing by a statue of Uncle Ho listening to some tunes (Chet brought some mini-speakers) and attempting an ultimately unsuccessful (but amusing nonetheless) seach for a karaoke with English songs/internet cafe.
We settled for ice cream.

Today proved even more bizarre. We did indeed expect a day similar to yesterday, getting us to our destination early. However, due to a scenic/erroneous detour up a mountain along with a road that was impossible to ride in some bits (barely got unclipped before a flat dirt patch suddenly turned into a steep incline of mud), our ride was much longer....and just that much better as well! At one well-timed rest stop, a few of us had just finished our muscle-flex photo op, and were psyching ourselves up with a combo "Peanut Butter Jelly Time"/"Iron Man Dance," when a van of three Vietnamese guys pulled up, blasted the bass, and launched the Katies and me into a full-on dance party frenzy..in the middle of the road. A few kilometres on, we stopped for a minute and were immediately surrounded by first about 5...and then about 30 schoolchildren, complete with red scarves and blue sun umbrellas. After the requisite photo ops, Ruth, Justene, Sam, the Katies, and I broke out the Hokey Pokey (US version, which is apparently inferior to the UK version - the jury's still out on this assertion) and gave those kids something to talk about at school tomorrow!

While I opted out of the swimming option later on in the day, I did try some local Coke (courtesy of Soph and Rob) that tasted like a cross between Dr. Pepper and cough syrup...and after this afternoon's nap, I feel ready to face the throngs of locals this evening. I second Chet's inability to lie on my stomach, as my thighs are really barking (can one's thigh's, in fact, bark?), but my soreness right now feels more like a good burn...so bring on the looooooooooooooooong day tomorrow!

...and finally, I would just like to give a shout out to Elton and all the others at Harris Cyclery in Newton, MA...I am so pleased with all the gear, especially the gloves!

- Hilary

Somewhere in that skinny part

Day 8 of cycling is in the books. What was supposed to be a relatively easy 50 kilometer day was made difficult by road construction, the heat and another missed turn up a mountain. It seems like every time we go the wrong way we make a massive ascent. We're now in Dong Le in Vietnam's central highlands, somewhere in the skinny part of the country not too far from the border with Laos.
It looked like rain when we set off from Huong Khe this morning, a town where a couple locals told us they'd never had so many foreigners in their town before. We made an afternoon out of eating bun cha and putting down beers by a statue of Uncle Ho. Good times.
The people here are incredibly friendly, but all the attention is starting to get tiresome. You can't go anywhere or do anything without attracting a crowd and a multitude of "hellos." I'm used to being a circus freak of sorts to be gawked at, and I understand it's part of being a foreigner in Vietnam, but sometimes you just want to be left alone.
We've had better luck with the food, but the options are really limited in these small towns.
We've all become really fond of our amazing driver, Bac. He's quick to fix a grumpy chain or a flat tire. When we're having trouble with the route, he drives ahead and parks the van so we know where to go. He even knows which bag belongs to each of us and packs them and removes them from the van. When we're too spent, he fills up our water bottles. He has a hammock he carries around and sets up when he needs some lounge time. Plus, he has an amazing smile. We are planning a big karaoke night for Bac at some point. We obviously wouldn't be this far and doing so well without him.
It kind of hurts to sleep on my front because my thighs and quads are so sore. Going up hills yesterday, they felt like they were going to burst. But we've all become conditioned to the aches and pains. The pain isn't as piercing as it was a couple days ago, but getting up in the morning or after a long sit is accompanied by a grimace.
Just four more days of cycling until our day off!
-Chet

DAY 8

So originally today was going to be a thigh-burner - a 100km ride ending with a steep incline. The path, however, was altered and it was no longer a thigh-burner but a bum bumper ( I don't know which is my preferred choice)!

After an initial smooth 25km (29km for those who had missed the turning, rode up a hill/mountain and turned around, James included!) we converged at a small turning to ride on a rather tumultuous track which ran parallel to a train track (felt a little like we were from Stand By Me but on bikes). Despite the road conditions and a few mishaps - Sam managed to work his way through two inner tubes (perhaps he was eating them; don't know why there's plenty of peanut butter), this ride was absolutely wonderful. The beauty of the area was breath-taking - we were not only surrounded by lush slopes of green vegetation but also by some quite amorous French colonial Churches. Thus the ride was delightful and when we reached a glowing greeny-blue river our day was made even more picturesque - of course a few of us (Kat, Katy, Justene, Sam and me) who were a little behind the majority (punctures and small school children carrying red plastic stools had distracted us along the way) decided we had no other option but to submerge our sweaty, dirty bodies into this fresh flowing water before we continued to our destination. This was a good and practical decision as it refreshed us and our smelly clothes namely Sam's gloves!

-Ruth

Day 6

If yesterday was boring then today would get two words--chaotic and serene. The day started off with a massive wrong turn and some miscommunication. After the 10k detour was finished and we were on the right road things couldn't have been better. The HCM highway is amazing. I call it the autobahn of Vietnam because the quality is so good. The road surface is top notch and new, there are switch backs with normal, human inclines and usually there is a guard rail on both sides. Though the highway is more then just the sum of its physical parts. There are very few buses or trucks, there aren't massive piles of kids in the road either. Usually, there is just terro and straw drying on the shoulder and an ox cart or two putting along. The sounds are not of horns and fast moving vehicles but of crickets and birds. Just today I saw a fox, a salamander the size of my arm and at least ten of what appeared to be red wing blackbirds (or their Asian cousins) at different times. Will be on the HCM highway for a little longer before we bailout to highway 1 again for our day off in Hue.

Day 6

After the long ride yesterday we were looking forward to riding only 80ish km today, we set off punctually and headed out of town- in the wrong direction! Mr Bac (our driver/navigator/bike repair man) realised after 10 km and turned us around, he closely escorted us to the right road and we were on our way.

The first stretch of the ride was great, it was such a relief to be off highway 1 and back in the countryside. We stopped and refueled at the only major turn so no more wrong turns.

(Jacinta got a shot of James sunning himself/ sitting in the middle of a roundabout directing us riders in the right direction. Pure genius.)

We went down the Ho Chi Minh highway for 64km, it was beautiful riding through the mountains on a windy hilly road, there were farms, forests, rivers and smiling children along the way. At first it was great fun climbing the hills and cruising down the other side, but soon started to tire, it was relentless and i am sure we were going up way more than we were going down. With 40km to go we stopped at a cafe, some crazy riders had a beer, personally i found a hammock and collapsed there until it was time to leave. The rest of the group sat contemplating where the welcome back party should be in HCMC, early days for that conversation! The last 20km was grueling, there was no place to stop and have lunch along the way and i had ran out of steam, every hill seemed like a mountain and just as it seemed to be getting flatter another would appear. With only 3km to go i was lying on my back in a pile of hay staring at the last big hill, the thought of a hot shower and a proper meal spurred me on. James, Chet Sam and Bac gave us a warm welcome at the edge of town and led us to the guesthouse. We ended up riding for 95km and it was definitely my hardest ride yet!

- Sophie

Day 5

Day 5 can be described in one word--BORING. We took highway 1 south for 64 kilometers before headed west 33k on highway 7, not to Victoria, but Do Luong. In all it was 1o1k. (We had a 2k trip from our hotel to the main road this morning). That's right, we completed our first Metric Century. I am proud to say that the Classic Lake Conference members of the group led the way, well most of the way. Tomorrow should be easier as we only go 80-something klicks on a nominally flat plain. Famous last words.

Day 5- The long and not-so-winding road

This morning we rose from our comfortable (and soft!!) beds by the sea to face our longest challenge yet: 99km down and across the country, on flat (read boring) terrain. These many miles were split as follows: 63 km down Highway 1- a long and endless stretch of flatness, with the occasional railtrack and rusty-propaganda-poster-adorned town. Fun for the first 20 km perhaps. However, 60 kilometres of vehicles completely failing to understand the opposing-lane system (you know, some cars drive one way, some go the other way, you try to avoid the crash with the cyclist rather than cause it...) and many cows later, we were all looking for new excitement.

A stop for lunch in Dien Chau brought new hope and kebabs a-plenty and as we set off for the remaining 36km stretch of our day, full on across the width of the WHOLE country (virtually), we felt a surge of energy lead us on our way. We had no idea what to expect and although the scenery was much the same, it was interspersed with a nice little mountain range, lake and conifers, as well as more cows ready to run Justene (amongst others) over. Fun times.

We cycled into Do Luong in plenty of time and to the largest gathering of staring schoolchildren yet and Ruth the genius found us a spacious hotel in which to crash for the night. Tomorrow, we are told, will be so hard up the mountains that we will be strongly encouraged to find Jesus. After today though, how hard can 60 km be? [she smiles naively...]

-Ronni

Day 3 and 4

Day 4 was a heck of a day. We started the day pedaling down a deshevled, broken one lane road that ensured all surfaces of our caravan were covered with a thick grime. That, however, wore off quickly as we were treated to smooth sailing on Vietnam's version of the autobaun--the Ho Chi Minh Highway. It was smooth sailing in to the town of Quan Lao. Upon arrival we were invited to the "President's" house. I assume this was the chairman of the local peoples commmittee. We didn't get to meet the "president" but he did let us stay in his beutiful guest house. Day four was much less eventfull. We took a senic stroll down Highway 45 to the metropolis, or it seemed to us after being in villages for the last few days, of Thanh Hoa. There we turned south on Highway one--the busiest stretch of pavment in Vietnam. We cruised south with the trucks and buses at astonding speed until we reached our current destination of Tinh Gia. We're staying on the beach here saving our energy for tomorrows 99k day.














Pitstop on a bridge- refuelling! (taken by Sam who likes to think hes a bit artsy...)

And a bit of hotel action- us girls were so hungry we resorted to making peanut butter balls covered in oatmeal off paper on the floor. the bags of oatmeal contained ALOT of sugar. as you can see. (jacinta)

Day 4

We set off at 8.30 from Quan Lao to Tinh Gia, the main stretch of the 70km ride was on highway 1, which we are trying to avoid as much as possible as it is a busy truck filled road. It turned out to be not so bad as there was a hard shoulder to cycle along, and not as much traffic as expected.

We were all going along at a good pace, no bike technical difficulties today, so me Rob and James took an extra long break at a roadside cafe to chat to the local school kids, although only one girl was brave enough to talk to us and practice her English. We arrived at Tinh Gia just after midday, our quickest ride yet.

Ruth and Chet found us a bizarre empty hotel on the beach, the staff are thrilled to have us stay with them. Everyone was so excited to be at the beach, we didn't expect to hit the beach so soon but daily changes to the route means that we never know what to expect. So in high spirits and more energy than the other days we spent the afternoon on the beach, eating seafood, sunbathing, baseball, collecting shells and general laziness! Tomorrow we have a 100km ride across the width of the country.

- Sophie

Make haste while the roads are flat

Jacinta and James getting comfortable, Quan Lao, Day 3

'Fast' would be the right word to describe day 4's events. Largely, this was due to our fairly early arrival to our destination, but other aspects of the ride require much of a similar description.

Firstly, the morning regularities like warm-ups and bike preparation were highly efficient. Similarly, there were no bike problems to slow us down as we began our journey. The roads were smooth, and there were no hills to slow us down. The landscape was rice and corn fields chased by small mountains in the far distance behind us. As we headed further East toward Thanh Hoa, the mountains slipped away completely.
At Thanh Hoa, we turned right, heading South along Highway 1. As you'd expect, this road does exactly what it says on the tin. We made haste. Averaging 28km/h and arriving at our destination before noon. We did 73km in 3 hours.

Not long before we arrived however, a sudden, dramtatic, but not-to-worry-about event occured. I managed to do lateral sumasault (spelling?) over an unsuspecting Vietnamese man and his Honda as he was crossing the road. Travelling towards him at 30km/h, he clearly hadn't seen or heard me due to my lack of a bell, and I was travelling too fast to make the necessary corrections. I didn't brace myself. Instead, I 'let loose' the bicycle and I hit the rear portion of his bike. He was knocked over, unhurt. I ended up on the floor, also unhurt, a metre past him, with my bike lying on the floor with him. Ronnie, riding behind me, saw the calamity and pulled up seconds later. All was well though. Bikes were checked, laughs were made and hands were shook. We rode on!
Now we're on a beach, 2km East of H1 and the 'likely' town of Tinh Gia. The hotel we're staying at is large, dusty and seemingly unmanned (almost like the place in 'the shining'), but functional nevertheless. Our early arrival and the sight of the sea prompted all to get naked (almost) and go swimming. We had crab for lunch...softball for afters.

Tomorrow: 100km down H1 to 'Vinh' (or somewhere thereabouts).
-Sam

Go pho yourself

We reached the small town of Quan Loc this afternoon after a 85 kilometer day. The first three days of cycling have totally shattered my expectations about how amazing, adventurous and fulfilling the trip would be. I've basically had a smile on my face the entire time.
Plans changed before we even left Hanoi on the first day, as it was obvious the 13 of us had no chance of fitting in the van with our packs and bikes as well. My bike was one of the six tossed in the van so off I went. The plan was to send the van and our driver, Bac (who we immediately discovered spoke not even an ounce of English. Or atleast pretends not to is my theory. That way he knows we won't even try.), back for the others. Rather than splitting up our initial sextet decided to wait for the latter septet and depart as a unified group.
Though the initial plan was to depart from our hotel by 7 a.m., it was 11:30 by the time we started. The first half of the ride was no better than our training rides around Ho Chi Minh City. The air was smog filled, the landscape was nothing to look at and worst of all, trucks had no qualms about driving in the opposite direction in our lanes and completely forcing us on the dirt, rocky shoulder.
The traffic lessened and the scenery -- and importantly, morale -- improved during the second half of the day's 60 kilometer ride (about 35 miles). Jagged limestone rock formations sprouted up out of the rice fields, reminiscent of Halong Bay sans water. We cruised into Hoa Binh about 2:30, found hotels with $5 rooms and found some much needed nourishment in the form of pho and com ga (chicken rice).
Had a nice evening stroll around the city and made it up to Bac Ho statue (Uncle Ho) for some pictures. We held a 8 p.m. comrade meeting in a room designed for comrade meetings. Our H2H Commie leader James Ortmann whipped out his "purge list" next to the bust of Ho Chi Minh City standing behind a podium and microphone and in front of a Vietnamese flag. Okay, so all we really did was go over some important things to know and remember, but this room was just too perfect.
Dear leader Ortmann led us in some pre-cycling stretches before our Day 2 take-off. At the prior night's meeting, Marx Ortmann had notified us we could expect a "pretty flat" ride. That was obliterated within the first five kilometers as we began a steep ascent up a hill, or rather moutain. Katie Cox's chain snapped and she and Marx returned to town in the van to find a fix. The rest of us pressed on.
At the town of Muong Khen we were to meet up with Highway 12B which would take us to our destination of Vu Ban for the night. I made an executive decision, abetted by others that we should continue on since we had not yet run into 12B. The kilometers passed by and pretty soon we were climbing a steep, steep mountain. It went on for another five kilometers. We finally stopped and asked some people. They pointed us in the other direction. At least it was downhill.
When all was said and done, five of us (though everyone went the wrong way, fortunately they didn't make it up most of the mountain) went 15k out of the way, tacking on 30k to what was supposed to be our most relaxed ride. So much for that.

The final stretch to Vu Ban was dusty and bumpy. We split between two hotels, settled in and showered. I set about exploring the town. As while riding, almost everyone says "hello" or waves. In three days I've waved or said hello over 1,000 times. That's no exaggeration.
So anyway, I'm strolling around Vu Ban, mingling with the locals and a dude with a cart and a water buffalo invites me up for a ride. I hesitate and then think, "How can I turn down a ride by a freaking buffalo!?" I climb on and we parade through town. Clearly, I was feeling attention starved by the locals and needed a little bit more. Just saying hello to a big ugly foreigner is enough to give them fits of laughter so seeing me holding the reins of a water buffalo really set them off.
That's all for now this keyboard sucks.
But bottom line we've gone about 220 kilometers in three days and everyone is healthy, safe and our bikes are holding up pretty well. The only complaint is we're all sick of pho!
-Chet

Day 2 - Ridin' and Socializin'

Bike repairs, Katy and Locals, Vu Ban

Wow, this trip has been even better than I could have expected! And no, this is not only because I've been able to experience a hot shower and electricity at some point every day...

Yesterday, after a morning of James-style warm-ups (basically consisting of a series of leaps, bounds, flails, and kicks, no doubt to the amusement of all watching), we headed off to what we had been told would be an "easy, downhill" 50km day. This...it was not.

After about 5km or so, we headed up into the mountains..and the road just seemed to keep getting steeper...and steeper...and - wait for it - steeper. I used my thunder thighs to the best of my ability, but I was still huffing and puffing by the time we got to a semi-flat bit where we could rest. After that, tho, it was only a little higher until some seriously fantastic downhill coasts which took us through villages towards a mountain-side hotel. Alas, a few of us took a wrong turn at this point and decided to tackle part if not all of ANOTHER mountain before realizing our mistake and heading back down. Ah well - a road full of water buffalo and a child waiting by the roadside, arm extended, for a 10-second anticipated high-five made it well worth it..for me, anyway!

Once arriving in Vu Ban, we relaxed for a bit and then I went for a wander....during which I bumped into a group of children who asked me the usual "Where you from?" question...but which didn't result in the usual "America" answer/end of conversation. Nope. These kids wanted to CHAT, and Hilary wished her Vietnamese were just a bit better. But after facing the Vietnamese inquisition of 16 kids and adults (they actually pulled out a little stool and I perched there as they surrounded me), the evening turned into a combo of songs ("The Hokey Pokey" seemed to be an instant classic), dinner (one of the kids invited me to her house to eat), and a lot of gesturing, giggling, and utilizing of the Vietnamese "I dunno" arm shake! All in all, not an evening I anticipated..and I can only hope there will be more like it in the future!

Ok, I was going to write about today as well, but this is already longer than I meant it to be...so that's it for now!

- Hilary

The Sun Sailor!

we got some local press. Check it out!

Day One

My brain is fried and I have very little to say. Everything about today's ride was great, though I wasn't a fan of the 20something guys that thought it would be a great idea to drive their motorbike right next to where I was riding my bicycle. So close I could have slapped them. But I didn't. Even when they pretty much ran me off the road. When is that ever ok? But by cleverly applying the brakes, I was able to ditch them and the rest of the ride was lovely.

But I did fall off of my bike. Twice. I'm okay and I think Sasha is ok as well. The people around me appeared to be a bit amused, especially when they realized I was perfectly ok.

Will be in bed early tonight and it's probably the only time in my life that I will have ever been asleep before midnight.

-Justene

People are leaving the hotel, heading towards the van. 7 riders will be loaded in within minutes! James is chilling out, Sophie is handing out passports, Kaitie has reapplied her tire and I'm feeling great.

The final countdown- Hitting Ha Noi

So we've made it to Hanoi in one piece even if our bikes got a little battered along the way...The train wasn't too bad in the end- we even managed to have some sneaky bottles of wine (the ever classy James deciding to drink from his water bottle, then pouring it all over himself whilst in a white t.shirt)

Since arriving in Ha Noi most of us have spent our days getting last minute supplies (inc. the mammouth task of tracking down bags of oatmeal. It proved to be elusive but we cornered it in the end!) We've also been, to put it simply, eating tonnes. From a girls point of view this trip may strip us of any curves we may have had so I've decided to bring jars of peanut butter in which i will mix with my rice. Bit of homemade Satay sauce, very nice.

So...with just hours to go we just went to the train station to collect our bikes. It was such a surreal feeling finally riding through Ha Noi (Sam on bike a'la video camera- nutcase- and Ruth/Hillary/myself singing West Side Story whilst zooming past the lake.)

This evening we are all going to have one last proper meal then sit back and watch a film. Hopefully we'll all get a good sleep before setting off tomorrow morning- keep you posted!

Jacinta