Day 25: Lam Ha to Bao Loc (103km)

Day 25 started with a warm up in the hotel lobby to Gasolina, a 2004 hit with Spanish lyrics by Daddy Yankee.  With confusion on Chris Gallet's face, his first response was...

"Tim, what are they saying?"

Far right: Tim Gomez

We would like our readers to know, that Tim Gomez is from the UK and his heritage is from Guatemala. Not Mexico.

After getting the blood pumping, I decided to set of early from the pack. Not because I was treating H2H as a race but to visit my aunt who lives on the route. She lives in a town called Di Linh, it's exactly 60km into the ride and would be a great place to stop for lunch.

The last time I visited her, she cooked all this for me.

The last time I visited her in 2010

She even fed me.

I know what you're thinking... Look at the size of that gob...

So, I called my sister in law, to call her sister to tell my aunt that I was coming with 16 other hungry riders. 

My aunt is such a humble lady and really enjoys cooking for people. That morning I managed to sprint 60km in just 3 hours. With no break and no regards for any of the graded hills. I just wanted see my lovely aunt and make sure that she was fine with cooking all that food. 

When arriving there at 11am, I learned that there was some miscommunication. One of the sisters was using FaceTime and it mysteriously cut off moments before asking her to cook food. 

Blind panic! 16 hungry riders promised lunch only to learn that there was some miscommunication. Quickly thinking on my feet, I remembered the local town well and recommended a really nice restaurant to all the riders up the road. 

Instead of food, my aunt offered water, Pepsi and Red Bull. God bless her soul, she though that Red Bull is what we needed to get us through the ride. 

My Buddhist teacher was right. 

Compassion, without wisdom, is like a bird trying to fly with only one wing. 

Speaking of wings, Red Bull does not give you wings. Just a giant sugar rush followed by a comedown. 

With Carolyn being able to speak Cantonese to my aunt, the same questions came up. 

How old are you?

Are you married?

Do you want to marry Tat?

Was she really trying to hook me up with Carolyn? Love my aunt. Not the first time she's tried to find me a wife. 

From an early age, I've always made it clear with my mum and aunts.

"I would never let you choose my clothes, let alone my wife." 

Anyway, it was nice for the other riders, to stop by and show their respect for my aunt. Even if it was just brief. Just such a shame that my aunt never got the message in time. She would have loved to have cooked for everyone. 

For future riders, please see below for the location of the restaurant in Di Linh. 

The restaurant is at the end of Di Linh town centre. Just moments after the turning to Phan Thiet. 

It's the largest restaurant in the area

Lots of tour buses stop there and the staff speak English.

Words: Tat

Photos: Chris Tran

Fundraising is a go!

H2H's spiffy new website is up and running (http://www.h2hcharityride.org/), meaning that we can now get started on fundraising for the 2012 ride! WOOHOO!!!! Each H2H participant has pledged to raise at least 750 USD for the charities we support, but I'm sure we all hope to raise far more than that. Here's a detailed rundown of where donations will go:

Saigon Children’s Charity www.saigonchidren.com

SCC was founded to help disadvantaged Vietnamese children to get an education and a fairer start in life. Its key activities include educational scholarships, building schools, vocational training and working with other like-minded organizations. Its area of operation is in the south of Vietnam, around HCMC, the Mekong Delta and extending to the Cambodian border.

The 2012 H2H funds will support the following:

- Thang Long Vocational School, HCMC, is run by SCC in partnership with the local Government and currently has around 300 children between the ages of 12 and 19 who either cannot or do not attend mainstream public school and are directly affected by poverty. H2H funds will be supporting this vital ongoing work, creating opportunities, choices and brighter futures.

- School scholarship urgent support fund. SCC currently enables around 3000 children to have access to school by providing the resources they need for themselves and their families. The urgent support fund provides extra support to the poorest of these children in the event of a crisis or special need. The funds will support school materials, bicycles to get to school, family provisions, uniforms, reading glasses, wheelchairs, extra tuition, whatever is needed to ensure they can maintain their schooling and learn to their full potential.

The Children’s Initiative www.childrensinitiative.org

The Children’s Initiative is dedicated to improving the lives of children in Vietnam through strategic, long-term investments in community-based projects and programs. TCI works in partnership with local communities to help them realize their aspirations for their children. Its area of operation is in the north of Vietnam, based around Catdang village near Hanoi.

Funds donated to TCI will be funneled towards the following:

- Catdang community kindergarden project. The construction of a new kindergarden facility to enable all under 5’s in Catdang community to learn in a safe, well equipped, child-friendly environment.

- Catdang community family micro credit project. TCI empowers families with small business loans of $250 combined with training and support, e.g. a piggery or bamboo cutting machines. These target parents of the poorest students at the school. The positive impact on household incomes has particular benefits on health and education for the women and children within the families.

- Catdang community library project. Completion of the library project that H2H has been funding for 2 years, serving 800 students in the community. This will go towards more books, audio-visual equipment, DVD’s, shelving and storage as well as a librarian stipend. In Catdang, $50 can buy 25 books, 1 month’s pay for a librarian or a 1-year scholarship for a student.

ILACN www.discovereltvietnam.com/page.php?p=197

The ILA Community Network (ILACN) aims to make a real difference to the lives of disadvantaged children in the communities in which ILA operates, in and around HCMC.

The 2012 H2H funds will mainly support the following:

- Go Vap Orphanage Khiem Thi project

Go Vap orphanage cares for over 200 orphaned children, mainly with disabilities. The Khiem Thi facility provides specialist care and training for visually impaired children at the orphanage. Funds will support equipment such as tables, chairs, beds and mats, the specialist staff required, massage training for the children as an income generating skill as well as therapy and enable necessary hospital visits for the children.

The remaining funds will be used for essential needs at the other ILACN-supported centres:

- Green Bamboo Shelter (ex-street boys aged 8 – 16)

- Ung Buou Cancer Hospital (Children’s ward, 150+ patients)

- Little Rose Warm Shelter (vulnerable girls, aged 11 – 18)

- Bung Sang Shelter for the visually impaired

ILACN supports the centres through regular trips out, teaching  English, funding essential equipment, improvements and repairs, projects that improve the environments and prospects of disadvantaged children, enabling access to education and vocational training, raise awareness both in Vietnam and overseas.

Pretty impressive, no? Now, what can you do to help us meet our goals, while helping some of Vietnam's poorest children? If you're in the U.S. or Canada, you can make a donation through my Firstgiving page, where all transactions are 100% secure: http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/michaeltatarski/bikeride.

If you're anywhere else in the world, visit my Justgiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/Michael-Tatarski. Residents of the UK can even get a tax break for donating through Justgiving.

This is H2H's third year, and we're trying to make it the biggest yet in terms of fundraising. Please be an awesome person and go ahead and donate. Every little bit counts! 

Happy riding,

Mike