Annaventure

Saving £s, losing pounds

I am overweight. I am going travelling. These two facts do not fit well together. So how do i get fit on the road if i don't get to goal pre-RTW flight? 

In Paris i cycled... which was fun and taxing but still relaxing.

I have given up cocoa which will help as the easiest junk food to find on the road is chocolate. Kit Kats and Mars bars seem to defy all geographical impediments and have invaded the shelves of every small shop around the world. If my choices are limited to local snacks i may lose weight and learn something more of the culture along the way. 

In November Daniel and I are heading to the Cinque Terre in Italy. While we will be hiking between villages, the aromas of perfect pizzas are likely to distract us from any whiff of success losing a few pounds may produce. 

We start our journey in Asia, flying into Bangkok for a night then taking a bus to Chanthaburi where we will stay at the Fasaai hotel for 14 days. I plan to swim, kayak, swim some more and hike a bit in those two weeks.

Cycling for a good cause is another appealing option. Can't stop half way because it's too hard. Can't duck out if it's bad weather (bad including hot hot hot). But i am scared of disappointing people if i can't do it. That's not the attitude is it. 

I keep wanting to go on lipotrim as i know i can lose two stone by the time we go but even the idea of LT sends me to the fridge. Maybe a simple calorie counted diet, 1500 a day and lots of exercise. Sounds so simple, even to me, but i have started new diets on so many occasions and failed. 

I like the cross-trainer and the treadmill but i go an embarrassing shade of bright purple when i exercise. People in the gym who are double my size cast sympathetic looks in my direction. Jersey has a boot camp thing going on right now, it's in a big field in between the two main roads that head to the West and i know people look at all the girls getting grilled by tough army types because as we drive along i peer through the railings at them myself. I am going to set myself some goals - week by week until we head off. Maybe looking at the distances we will be walking in Italy in November and working up to that. 

I wish i could take a month off before we go so i could just get on with it and exercise, do yoga and spend time cooking healthy meals. How stupid is that - i want a month off before my year off! Just get on with it Anna...

Challenge4Ben - Cycling from Hue to Ho Chi Minh

Yes it's true, Daniel and I are undertaking a Challenge for Ben in March 2010. 

We are going to cycle from Hue to Ho Chi Minh which is about 1100 km. Having been inspired by Ben's life I have wanted to do something adventurous and memorable since I heard about Challenge4Ben. We start in March 2009 and are allowing 3-4 weeks for the ride. Eeek. I have probably not ridden for more than an hour since a cycling holiday when i was a wee lass and Daniel cycles to work every day but that takes about 3 minutes. This is going to be a genuine challenge, especially in the heat of Vietnam in March. We are undertaking this challenge as part of our round the world adventure which means training for it will be particularly hard but we are pretty determined so fingers crossed!

Challenge4Ben:

I used to sail at the Royal Channel Island's Yacht Club in Jersey with a great guy called Ben Poole. Sadly Ben died in July 2008 while on exercise to become a member of the UK Special Forces. His lovely parents Nick and Madeleine have established this charity to carry on Ben’s personal ethos of setting oneself demanding goals. Ben was a fun loving, determined and adventurous guy who I am proud to have known and I wish I could say i live my life as he did.  

We are undertaking this challenge to raise money for Help for Heroes and Brighter Futures. We would really appreciate your support and encouragement so please feel free to e-mail annaventure@live.com or leave a comment on the website.

If you want to sponsor Daniel and I, please

1. Click on the button below 

OR

2. Send a cheque payable to Anna and/or Daniel Corden c/o Dr Hughes, Ivy House Surgery, 27 The Parade, Jersey JE2 3QQ

Thank you for your support!!

Cycling Vietnam - the route

We start in Hue and travel down the coast to Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) for Challenge4Ben (see post).

VWVagaonds.com have given us the following 1000 km route:

Hue - Lang Co (67 km)

Lang Co - Da Nang (42 km) 

Da Nang - Hoi An (31 km)

Hoi An - Tam Key (60 km)

Tam Key - Quang Ngai (60km)

Quang Ngai - Bong Son (92 km)

Bong Son - Quy Nhon (92 km)

Quy Nhon - Tuy Hoa (100 km)

Tuy Hoa - Van Gia (64 km)

Van Gia - Nha Trang (63 km)

Nha Trang - Da Lat (110 km)

Da Lat - Bao Lac (118 km)

Bao Lac - Dinh Quan (76 km)

Dinh Quan - Bien Hoa (89 km)

Bien Hoa - Ho Chi Minh (26 km)

Total = 1090 km

Our mini adventure

Daniel and I walked from St Helier to St Ouen on 18 November 2009 and we camped overnight in our friends' garden. It was very windy.

This is us starting out having hastily packed our new rucksacks. Daniel had only given me half an hour's notice we were doing this.

 

I'm such an idiot!

Daniel taking photos of the Autumn leaves 

This was my view as we walked through St Peter's Valley. It has been pretty wet recently so we walked through puddles to get to a tasty pub lunch at the Vic in the Valley.

A daisy from Daniel.

 

St Peter's Valley, about to climb Daniel's favourite hill to St George's school.

Past the Farmers now where we stopped for a Tango and a toilet break. Not far to go...

And here we are. Wind blown and ready for bed.

We think it was about 8 miles as Daniel and I drive pretty much the same route all the time. Had a really good day. Highly recommended outing, even in November!

Faasai resort, Chanthaburi, Thailand

Daniel and i are staying at Faasai resort, Chanthaburi, in the East of Thailand. It is an eco resort which we found through responsible travel. The resort is situated in a lovely, friendly place in the middle of untainted Thailand. There are few English speakers, no cons, no inflated tourist prices. Faasai is only a few minutes walk from Khung Wiman beach and there are shrimp farms 10 minutes in the other direction. The children often wave and call out "foreigner" when they see us and everyone is genuine and interested. 

Saturday 23.01.2010 Day 2

Breakfast this morning was either English breakfast, pancakes, cereal or fish porridge. I went for egg on toast and Daniel the pancakes. They do not understand vegetarians here so i got eggs, bacon and sausage. Actually, they just don’t understand much English. We have come to a place in Thailand with few visitors which is exactly what I wanted but I may be given the occasional full English breakfast while we are here. Lucky Daniel.

Daniel and I now feel at home at Faasai. There are only a few people staying here, a very nice family of 5 from Copenhagen and a friendly Londoner called Marty who has been giving us tips on what to do. 

We had a swim this morning and Daniel’s fitness regime kicked into gear in far more organised fashion than mine. I swam a bit, kicked around a bit and tried to remember my aqua fit classes to no avail. Daniel on the other hand had written a programme for himself which he then followed with alarming energy. We are both nervous about cycling in Vietnam and want to get as fit as possible in the next 6 weeks but I am still trying to relish my new found freedom and am not looking for a new to do list quite yet. 

Despite the sun beating down against my factor 30 covered white skin we decided to try a walk “around the block”. Marty had told us we could walk in a circle along the coast. We were doing really well until about 40 minutes in when I started feeling the heat. It was noon and HOT with only a rare breeze. We preserved however and got a few nice photos. 

  

 
 

Everyone is so friendly and greets us with a smile or a wave as we walk through the villages.  I got a few strange looks as I turned post box red and the nice friendly ice cream seller kept doing drive-bys in sympathy. Instead of an ice cream van he has an ice cream bike with a fridge attached to one side and his bike plays friendly tunes as he drives along. He was very friendly. Unlike the dogs. There are quite a few dogs around here wandering the streets and looking either cute or fierce. Daniel started carrying a stick about ¼ of the way in as I had been chased by a dog on our first bike ride yesterday. I had yelped and cycled as fast as I could (luckily I was going downhill because as fast as I could was slower than walking pace on my 70s style child’s bike) but it had made me question going too near any dogs. Eventually we reached a dead end on our walk when we came across a large dog with a significant muzzle on and it started running toward us. Back we plodded in the heat and the sun with me pleading for shade and suggesting we swim back as we were walking parallel to the beach.  

 

We stopped to cool down and get some lunch in the village on the coast. Daniel did his best to get some cold water and did pretty well getting some cool soda water. Then we were given a menu entirely in Thai which was pretty daunting. Then we were passed a menu with some translation which offered us “penetration of crab” and “penetration of prawn”. We just wanted fruit according to boot camp leader Daniel and so Daniel drew a picture of a pineapple. The very sweet man serving us disappeared off after this and we weren’t really sure where but then he returned with the owner of the store next door who had trays of fruit for us. How lovely that he was happy for us to eat food from a rival shop at his table. We sat and had the freshest most delicious pineapple and also some watermelon for our lunch which was just what we needed to climb the short hill back to the resort. 

After long cold showers I decided on a whim that my hair was too long. I asked Daniel if he would cut it and without hesitation he said yes. So we went outside, he got his scissors out and he chopped about 4 inches off. It looks quite cute. Cheaper than back home. It’s amazing how much freer I feel already. 

 
I am sure I will get used to the heat, that’s one of the main aims over the next few weeks, but today it beat me. I am typing with a headache and a red face and Daniel is back in the pool for session 2. 

Cycle preparation - week one

Well...i knew this was going to be tough, i honestly didn't realise how the heat would affect me though. At home i have cycled from St Helier to St Ouen to visit my lovely granny and although I have arrived red faced and in need of a drink i have always enjoyed it and been able to get on with my day, albeit after calling Daniel for a lift home. Here i am struggling.

Faasai resort has bikes for hire at a cost of around £1 an hour. The offering is a bit mixed, some of the bikes here are, like me, approaching 30 years old and come in all shapes and sizes. Fortunately there are two mountain bikes that fit us and have some gears and brakes that just about work. We have been taking these out daily for the last 4 days and can now cycle an hour at a time. I know that sounds lame but we are also swimming, hiking and being cooked by the Thai sun.

Cycling here is both exhilarating and exhausting. Daniel is cycling with a stick in his rucksack which he can retrieve in a very Orlando Bloom from Lord of the Rings way when we see a dog, which is every 3 minutes. We have been chased several times but I am less worried than Daniel as i am determined that dogs love me and can sense that even as i cycle past. We have cycled along Khung Wiman beach, beside water buffalos, past shrimp farms and along newly constructed highways with astoundingly good cycle paths. I have cycled behind Daniel because if i was setting the pace we may slow to a stop on some occasions.  We haven't taken many photos yet, partly because i am worried about my balance and partly because a large proportion of the cycle trip i am staring down at the few metres in front of me hoping for shade.  

We should probably be eating more but as we are training and trying to shift some kilos before the cycling starts for real it is a difficult balance. The food here is of course amazing, delicious soups, amazing rice dishes and the variety of mysterious looking fruit is bewlidering. 

I am definitely holding Daniel back, he is telling himself not to be soft while i am generally hoping i am not overdoing it. A sentiment shared by the lovely Marty, our Faasai travel companion who we are very sad is leaving tomorrow. He isn't at all sure about the wisdom of this challenge but is very encouraging all the same. Daniel only today felt a slight twinge in his backside while i am rating the level of discomfort in my bottom area on a daily basis. I rate the pain from when i get on the bike and it takes a few minutes for the bruise like pain to fade (or be suppressed in favour of thigh burn) to when it comes back as a kind of pressure bruise after about 25 minutes of cycling. So far i have got up to a 6 on my newly invented scale which is on the basis that 10 is life grabbing torture and 7 is pretty damned unbearable. Were i in Jersey on my way to see gran and feeling as i did today, i would have walked the rest of the way (or called Daniel). I have thought about Ben Poole every day and know that he would have pushed on, which helps me see the bigger picture and not just the road ahead.

I hope i don't sound too miserable, we are really very happy and i am sure our fitness levels are already increasing and our weights decreasing. Faasai is lovely, i am liking it more and more by the day as we get to know the staff better and now they know us they have started decorating our table with new flowers every evening. We are using Map my Ride to plot our daily cycle rides here and to plan Vietnam and we will post these soon. 

To all our loved ones back home, all in all, don't get too jealous, wait until April before you start wishing you were with us. Hopefully then we will be admiring our new toned bodies, drinking cocktails (i am in detox mode and don't even feel like alcohol at the moment) and lying on a beach somewhere thinking about our tans not our sore bottoms.  

Any encouragement will be gratefully received. 

Hanging out in East Thailand

 Sunday 23.01.2010 Day 3

We played in the pool with the children of the family from Copenhagen and Daniel taught the younger daughter Stella some swimming techniques. We ended up staying in the pool for a few hours until around 1.30 which explains our sunburnt shoulders. I did try to explain to my Australian husband the benefits of suncream re-application after an hour in the pool but he was determined that he was fine. He is now “fine” lying on the bed with moisturiser from the fridge on his back. Unfortunately aftersun was jettisoned from the rucksacks in favour of battery chargers as we ran out of space. Now, the only sunscreen product we can find is “whitening” UV cream which isn’t exactly what we want.

Tried rambutan, aka red hairy ball fruit. Was delicious.

 

I have realised, after a day or so getting used to my new hairdo that it is definitely not as straight as I at first thought. Daniel is under the illusion that telling me having longer hair on my left than my right is “cute” will persuade me to keep this random hair experiment. Marty told me it was just a matter of how I held my head; yes, if I hold my head straight it is uneven but how easy to solve, just a small crick in my neck and I look dead normal!  The other problem is that my hair needs no help to look abnormal. The right side of my head has a subtle curl, the left side of my head is pretty straight. Combine with that the fact that the shorter my hair is, the curlier it goes and we have poodle hair on the right and sleek long locks on the other.

Monday 25 January 2010 Day 4

Today while on our first 40 minute cycle Daniel tried to teach me to how to stand on the pedals while we speed downhill. I told him where to go as it was just my first time on the bike and balancing was hard enough.

I had my first beer today, shared with Daniel. We had a Chang which is the cheapest one on the menu and very good. Was extra pleased I had ordered this when I realised that Daniel had forgotten to order my bowl of green curry soup.  I had wanted the prawn fried rice but Daniel’s disapproving tones put me off so I had only ordered steamed rice as well. Daniel bought me another sample of previously undiscovered fruit again today. This offering would have looked like grapes - if grapes looked like potatoes. Very strange and unpeeling the potato like shell we found what looked like garlic cloves. We have named them garlic potato grapes as we are yet to discover their secret identity. Quite tasty but nothing compared to rambutan.

Daniel stayed out of the sun today having burnt his neck again yesterday. Some may have described him as being like a bear with a sore head but of course I wouldn’t dream of saying such a thing.

Change of plan

After a few days at Faasai Daniel and I realised we had a decision to make: to stay or to go? To follow the plan and go to Cambodia then Laos on the 5^th of February or to train for Vietnam? Obviously training is crucial (the more I train the more I realise I need to) so we are now staying at Faasai until 12 February then going to Bangkok for Chinese New Year then who knows where. If you know of anywhere in Thailand where we can stay for £25 a night and access a pool and some decent bikes, let us know.

Got some photos of a local Buddha.

Day 5, 26.01.2010 Australia Day 

First full hour cycling. I honestly can cycle for an hour at home but this heat is testing me. Daniel was amazing; he looked after me, coached me, taught me, pushed me, encouraged me and put up with me. We cycled along a road that is being built as we cycle along so we wave periodically at workmen wearing jeans, long shirts (some even wear layers - layers of clothes in this weather!!) and hats or balaclavas to protect them from the sun.  The road we are on is therefore very modern and has wide cycle paths at the side making our ride today very safe and comfortable (as comfortable as I will ever be on a bike). That was until we reached the end of the road and not only was the cycle path not complete, the road wasn’t there yet. Fortunately there was a wooden bridge for pedestrians and us.  And a few dogs. Daniel has found a new stick to carry which he keeps in easy reach in his rucksack. We haven’t been bitten yet although we have been chased. Bizarrely I am more concerned about not getting bitten because I want to be healthy for Vietnam than the risk of rabies or pain.

 

After our cycle we both had massages today from the ever wonderful manager Sula, she was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G and I highly recommend a visit to Faasai just to meet her and let her work on your body.

Partly for Australia day and partly because Marty dared us, today we tried some green frogs spawn looking dish that Marty had bought from a lady selling various wares on her bike. We were all nervous trying it as it literally looked like small fluorescent green eyeballs. I am still here to tell the tale, in fact the tale from the owner of Faasai, Bronwyn said it was just tapioca. Daniel is convinced it is jelly devil food though.

We had a great dinner with Marty for Australia day. Marty had ordered some huge prawns which we ate with steamed rice and green curry soup. Daniel was even tempted to have some beer. We had been given some by a nice Swiss German guest who had some spare when he left. Good man. Unusually we even had desert which we could barely manage, our appetites having all but dried up in the heat. Marty had ordered a dish earlier in the week that he enjoys at his local Thai restaurant back in London and after looking at him strangely because there are no deserts on the menu here, they had made a version of it for him and it was this we tried. It was delicious but strange. It looked like bananas floating in watery coconut milk and I think that is exactly what it was; warmed.  I promise it was nicer than it sounds.

Day 7. Thursday 28 January 2010 Faasai, Thailand

Wiped out today but still managed an hour long bike ride past the shrimp farms for the first time.

Marty’s last day today which is really sad as we have both really enjoyed spending time with him. We had a great dinner together and Marty had very generously treated us to prawns the size of lobsters and Miang Com wild pepper leaves. I had been told about these leaves – they look like they have been gathered from a local park but they are served with an interesting variety of fillings to be added to a curled up leaf cone according to personal tastes. The options were chopped up limes, shallots, grated and toasted coconut, peanuts, finely chopped chillis and ginger pieces. It is important unless you have Thai adapted taste buds to put the whole leaf in your mouth at once so that the tastes intermingle. I have never before put a whole piece of ginger or lime in my mouth and I can tell you it was refreshing, delicious and startling all at the same time. We wouldn’t have tried it without Marty’s recommendation, nor would we now have a large and much needed selection of sun creams, insect repellents and herbal creams which he generously left us when he went. Thanks Marty.

Day 8, Friday 29 January 2010 Faasai Thailand

We set the alarm for 6.45 so we could say goodbye to Marty. Daniel refused to get up until we heard his suitcase rolling past our door but he had forgotten he was wearing earplugs so I had to roll him off the bed and into his boardies. Marty was delighted to discover that the ever hospitable Sula was willing to make him breakfast and we sat for a while all mutually downbeat about Marty’s imminent departure in the Barbie pink taxi. Promising to keep in touch and meaning it we said goodbye and waved Marty out the drive.

Later that day I felt like a stroll and meandered around the various pathways at Faasai then sat in the sun feeling pleased I had finally found a moment to sunbathe. After a good sweat I had a dip in the pool and climbing out I noticed that I had been swimming with a small and very friendly brown frog which appeared to need a leg up out the pool. A fleeting fear that its skin may contain poison that would cause instant death delayed me momentarily but then, feeling very brave, I cupped it in my hands and took it to the shade, only shrieking  once when it jumped up my arm without warning. Coming back to the room I noticed that Daniel had a bleeding forehead. He had slipped and whacked his head on the corner of the wooden bed. He asked me to come up with a more heroic story but I didn’t want to overshadow my bravery with the scary frog. I don’t want to sound mercenary, and obviously I was worried about the amount of brain cells he may have lost, but really my first thought was, yey, he won’t want to go cycling today!

Day 9, Saturday 30 January 2010 Faasai Thailand

We cycled 31 km today, woo hooo. Our average day in Vietnam will be 60 km so we are getting there. My bottom still sore but I am kind of getting used to the pain and I enjoyed myself (for about 10 minutes) for the first time today. This really feels like progress. It was great having a day off yesterday then cycling this morning straight after brekkie because we had more energy and now, at dinner time, I am ready for tomorrow’s ride.

Managed a bit of sunbathing today. Daniel dared to sit in the midday sun without any cream, assuring me that 20 minutes each side was fine. He has of course burnt his bum and is not very happy about it. At least both of us have bad arses now.

Today we walked up Springwater hill behind Faasai resort to Khung WIman beach. I saw a big lizard and lots of chicks (as in baby chickens) which immediately made me miss my grandparents who used to have lots of small chickens just like the ones we saw today. I am already feeling a bit homesick, especially as my lovely granny has just moved into a home and I am not there to be with her.

Visa issues

Daniel and I are going to stay in Thailand until we have to fly from Bangkok on the 4^th of March. This however means that we need a Visa. According to Daniel this is very complicated and he has been staring at the unhelpful computer with angry eyes today. We can either hire a motorbike here and go to Trat where there is a laid back immigration office or go to the main one in Bangkok while we are there for Chinese New Year. I want to go to Bangkok, Daniel wants to head to Trat. My argument is that we are in Bangkok anyway and that neither of us have any desire to see Trat. I would put money on Daniel winning this one but it would be an unfair bet.

Day 11 Monday 1 February 2010, Faasai, Chanthaburi, Thailand

Cycled 32 km past Chao Lao beach and up a steep hill at the end of the road (there were signs warning lorries about the gradient so I maintain it WAS steep). Daniel made it to the top of the hill in one go, I needless to say did not. In fact I took the first part head on and stood up on the pedals to motor myself up the steep incline but overdid it and had to stop. I tried again but it was just too hard and after a while of pushing myself I couldn’t get my breath then I started panicking and consequently hyperventilating. I know, it all sounds so stupid now but at the time I was really gasping for air. Must get fitter! When I finally got to the top Daniel had to calm me down and reassure me that I was not going to die here on this small hill (small STEEP hill). It was only on the way back to Faasai that Daniel explained about hills and gears etc. Things have been easier since.

Day 12 Tuesday 2 February 2010, Faasai, Chanthaburi, Thailand

20 km cycle today. Nice easy ride because Daniel has a cold. We hired the Faasai scooter today which was good fun; we went to Tesco Lotus where most of the products and some of the shopper announcements were in English as well as Thai. We needed some money and this was the only cash point we had seen since leaving the airport although we are buying most things locally of course.

Day 13 Wednesday 3 February, 2010, Faasai, Chanthaburi, Thailand

Daniel shaved today. That’s the second time since we got here, it’s so quiet here that this for me is news!

Cycled about 40 km today over 2 and a half hours, we were slower than normal because of the HUGE HILLS that we had to go over TWICE. I cycled the whole way and no more panic attack dramas either now that I have mastered the gears. Unfortunately my bottom was really suffering by the end of today which was such a shame because physically I could have carried on. Daniel says I am sitting on the bike the wrong way (how many ways are there?) and he needs to check out my bike tomorrow. Apparently part of me are hurting that shouldn’t be hurting. Aaron, thanks for the advice so far but any tips on how to sit down on a bike? It looks so simple. My bottom was pretty unhappy at dinner even sitting on two cushions and I will be sleeping face down tonight. I wish it was a different part of my body that hurt, I have had my bottom on the brain for far too long now. Luckily we are going to Trat tomorrow to sort our visas so we won’t have time to cycle anyway.

Cycling in Chanthaburi, East Thailand

I have made some notes about the cycling conditions in the area followed by an interesting day's ride when I got chased by a very scary dog.

For anyone wanting to cycle in East Thailand

The roads in this area are generally very good with a fair sized hard shoulder, about a metre wide when unobstructed. Having said that you do have to keep an eye out for bumps and dips but some of these will disappear when the roads are finished. Signs are occasionally in English but generally in Thai which can make navigating hairy. We have been planning a route using map my ride or a local map which Daniel then gets into his head and I follow him blindly. There are useful km markers which act as a guide and also helped us figure out how fast (or slowly) we were travelling. 

The children we pass smile and wave and passing groups of children in schools is always a special experience as they generally shout out to us and wave frantically. We wave back then they burst into fits of giggles. 

The traffic is generally light and also friendly, with approximately half of the vehicles hooting or waving. I have had a few scary moments cycling along quite happily and then I almost fall off my bike because a large truck honks his 20 decibel horn just as he drives past. Maybe once a day we will see a motorbike heading towards us on the wrong side of the road and in our cycle lane. We overtake them by passing into the road which seems the most natural thing to do, especially as they show no signs of moving. 

We haven’t worn face masks as it is rare to follow a truck pumping out too much black smoke although I we were riding on the main highways more we would probably have some with us. The days are hot so we try to leave early but breakfast at Faasai starts at 8.30 and inevitably we don’t get going until around 10. This means we are cycling in the hottest part of the day, so we wear hats and re-apply sunscreen on route. We haven’t been bothered by mosquitoes or other bugs during our rides but a pair of sunglasses doesn’t hurt because every now and then a bug might fly into your eye. This happened twice today on the one day I discarded my sunglasses in favour of a hat.

Day 20 Wednesday 10 February 2010, Faasai, Chanthaburi, Thailand

Wow, what a ride. We cycled 50 something k today and we are both wiped out. Daniel made me have a re-hydration pack when we got back as I had stopped a few times, once in tears, needing a rest. We had cycled 46 km the day before and were both feeling pretty tired even before we set off. Feel pretty good now we’re back at Faasai and showered though. 

I saw two elderly Thai gentlemen playing chess today; they were using a chess board, some homemade chess characters and a few pieces of fruit. 

At one point today while on Highway 3 I was lagging behind Daniel and I noticed a black dog in the garden next to me. Without warning it started pegging it toward me as if firing off from starting blocks. I yelled at it in my loudest voice as I started pedalling but it only hesitated for a second then continued its pursuit. I can honestly say I have never seen a dog running like that, this dog wasn’t after a chew toy it was after a leg to chew on. I cycled like I have never done anything before, my legs motoring in mad motion. I yelled Daniel at the same time as he had no idea I was in danger and he had the stick. Fortunately Daniel heard me and stopped but he was so far ahead that the demon dog had given up chasing by the time he turned round. Well, that was fun. 

We almost took a wrong turn but in a strange stroke of luck, the fact that I had fallen over the last time we had been at the junction where we were turning, made Daniel realise we were not at the right place.

We had to cycle through some muddy roads today and because Daniel has mud guards and I don’t I came through looking like a hardened mountain biker and while Daniel looked like he had a few freckles on his legs, I looked like I had a fatal disease. 

This was our route.

Day trip to Cambodia and herbal remedies

Day 29. Friday 19 February 2010.

The owner of Faasai, Bronwen, very kindly gave me a herbal tea this morning which is supposed to aid weight loss. There are impressive numbers of rare and unusual plants and trees within the grounds of Faasai, some growing naturally and others have been planted as they need protecting and this is an eco resort. It was delicious and Bronwen has shown us where we can collect the leaves so that we can boil up a pot or two while we are here. We are both eager to lose some weight before and during our cycle trip and so far I have been struggling, although I am definitely getting fitter.

Recently I have been having digestive problems lets say. Daniel is famous for his tummy troubles and I am joining the bandwagon. I mentioned this to Bronwen as I wanted some advice on more fibrous foods from the menu and she suggested trying the fruit of the Golden Shower tree, the national tree of Thailand that adorns itself with the most beautiful delicate chandelier shaped yellow flowers. The fruit looked like a mix between a long runner bean and a stick but opened up I could see it was gold and green in colour. Each tentative bite tasted different, at one moment I found it quite spicy then peppery then like an apple. I knew it was going to do me some good when I afterwards felt a slight burning sensation in my mouth. It felt as though something was stuck in the back of my throat. I felt better after dinner and I am pleased to say that it did work very well. I am hoping the weight loss herbs are equally fast working.

Daniel and I are getting on brilliantly and loving Faasai. It is super relaxed, genuinely eco friendly and as I overheard one guest stay, it’s so welcoming that it feels like staying with a family rather than in any old hotel.

We had to drive to Cambodia for a day trip on 18 February because we were about to overstay our Thai welcome. Fortunately we are staying only a few hours from the border crossing and so we drove there in Faasai’s pick up. Daniel is determined to buy a pick up when we settle down, either that or a jeep. An original army style jeep that is. Not sure how many of those I have seen in Jersey. The two hour drive to Cambodia was lovely, much nicer than our drive to a couple weeks ago to Trat (not that you can tell from my photos).

 

We arrived at the border and found a large (and free) car park so we pulled in and just at the end was the sign saying “Thailand Border”. Great. Daniel was looking after me and making everything seem very easy as always. We watched people walking across the bridge to Cambodia. Some people pushed carts full of large blocks of ice, others travelled in family groups and looked as though they went back and forth regularly.

 

 

We headed to passport control and almost immediately my documents were taken from my hand and a very kind Thai man started telling me what to do and where to go and for £30 each did everything for us. The “everything” included him walking to the Cambodian passport office for us to get our Cambodian visa then coming back and getting our documents ready for re-entry to Thailand. We wanted to cross the border though so we took the 20 steps there and 20 steps back again just so we could say we did. 

Moving on

So it’s almost March, training is nearly over and it’s just about time for Vietnam. We are ready. We are ready as we will ever be anyway. We are comfortable doing 60 km rides, albeit we can’t prepare for cycling while loaded down with our belongings stuffed in bike panniers.

CHANGE OF ROUTE

We have been advised to change our route slightly but anticipate still doing around 1000km. We will probably now start in Da Nang rather than Hue. We have been advised by a few people we have met that the road between Hue and Da Nang is going to be almost impossible and seasoned cyclists who have cycled around Asia and Europe have advised that they had to push their bikes up the hill, at a pace of 2km an hour and that the distance and roads make this dangerous and to time consuming for us. If you have any questions about this, please e-mail either of us, although Daniel is in charge of technical stuff like which way to go.

SPONSOR US (PLEASE)

We have cycled around 700 km just in training though and I promise we are working hard. The trip to date has officially not been a holiday. It was 35 degrees in the shade yesterday when we did a 4 hour ride with the wind against us most of the way. On that note, for anyone who wants to sponsor us and hasn’t yet done so, please let us know so we can add up what we have raised even if you don’t send us any money until we have finished. Please e-mail me at annaventure@live.com to let me know what amount you want to give us and I will keep a record and ask for it later. We are fundraising for Brighter Futures and Help for Heroes. We are working really hard to raise money and to undertake this challenge of a life time for Challenge4Ben and all support is much appreciated.

NEXT FEW DAYS

We are heading to Bangkok on Tuesday so that Daniel can take his beloved Apple to the store to be mended. I haven’t been online much recently as he has not only stolen my Apple and broken it but now he needs my Samsung too. Mum, please don’t worry about the Red Shirts in Bangkok, I am sure it will be fine. We fly to Vietnam at 7 am on Wednesday when we set about getting our bikes and provisions. The bikes have to be sent ahead of us on a freight train so we will organise that and then have a night in Ha Long Bay which I am very excited about. Daniel just wants to start cycling but I am determined to fit Ha Long Bay in the schedule. Ideally our first day cycling will be on Monday 8 March when we cycle 32 km from Da Nang to Hoi An, one of the most beautiful stops on our route I hear. I only found out yesterday that there is surf all around Da Nang and Hoi An... I wonder if I’ll lose Daniel for a while?

RECENT ACTIVITY

Well we have continued cycling along every road in the area, accompanied by the occasional dog chase (the last dog that went for me was puppy sized and curly haired but I only heard it barking and running so I just legged it while Daniel laughed). Daniel says I could join the Olympic sprint team but they would have to set dogs on the competitors first.  The other day Daniel, who manages to retain his sense of humour even 3 hours in to a ride, started commentating on our ‘race’ to the finish. The last few hills at the end of our rides are usually accompanied by moans and groans from both of us but today Daniel was determined that I was “catching up on the inside” and “gaining ground with her sprinter thighs”. Weary as I was in the heat of the 1 O’Clock sun I decided that maybe I would “make a sneak attack” and so changing gears I started racing ahead, much to his surprise. I even threw his commentary off guard as he tried his best to catch up. Not a hope. I think that on day 33 I found my competitive streak.

We took the moped to Chao Lao the other day for dinner as Daniel was having cravings. Chao Lao is a beach about 10 kms away next to which are situated many resorts, businesses and restaurants. There is one cafe/restaurant run by an American/Thai guy. He has a big belly and he looks as though he was born in Thailand but raised in the USA. Daniel had been dreaming about a burger and chips since we passed this place on one of our rides. So the moped it was. It was a stunning 15 minute ride along all the same roads that we have cycled along on many, many occasions but in the evening, while the sun was setting and powered by petrol, it looked completely new. The red sun shone down on the shrimp farms providing a vista of red water surrounded by green banks of grass. Daniel wasn’t allowed to enjoy the view of course because he had to concentrate on the roads. Because the roads are being built some are gravel, others dirt and some have had one layer of tarmac laid which is bumpy and often covered in sticks to stop drivers ruining the newly laid road.  In the UK of course we wouldn’t be driving on roads in the process of being constructed. There would be barriers and warning signs for hundreds of metres diverting or slowing traffic. Not here, here there may be a few orange signs but generally the driver simply uses his common sense in overtaking the trucks and steam rollers. We arrived at the diner and Daniel ordered cheeseburger and fries with a diet coke; Daniel heaven. I ordered the pizza (the only item on the menu capable of being made vegetarian, i think he removed the pepperoni). My pizza was small but tasty. I had eaten about half when I noticed Daniel putting the last bite of his burger in his mouth, his fries long gone. “Do you want another?” I asked incredulously. “Yes” Daniel said. So he got another and enjoyed it just as much. Of course he felt awful the next day but I think it was worth it. The drive home was interesting. There are strip lights next to all the shrimp fields to keep the shrimp moving at night apparently. This made the very quiet area look like a big city lit up at night. Surreal. Daniel had to weave in and out of braches and partly laid roads on the way back. The light of the moped barely lit more than 2 metres ahead because there was a basket attached to the front of the bike and so this was brilliantly lit, I could see every join in its design, but not much else.

FAASAI

Bronwen, the owner of Faasai, has been an angel. She has shown us how to make an amazing herbal tea that I think is the reason I have started to finally shift a few pounds; she has lent me some superb Buddhist books and we have tried all sorts of foods we wouldn’t have had otherwise. We have said goodbye to her now as she has gone home to New Zealand for a holiday. Faasai has been a real find; perfect for what we needed (hence our staying for 6 weeks instead of 2). It has been a safe haven with little temptation, the lovely cook, cleaner and massage therapist Sula, good food, peace and quiet, bikes and some wonderful advice and help from Bronwen. I hope we will be able to come back one day.

FITNESS

I am delighted to report that I have finally started losing weight. Not enough to get excited about, all the same clothes still fit me and the smaller sized clothes I bought with me are still sitting comfortably in the wardrobe, but I am toning up and that’s fantastic. After many years of going to the gym and trying to avoid chocolate, if only I had known that all I needed to do was quit my job, leave Jersey, stop socialising, start doing 4 hours of exercise a day and eating nothing but rice and soup - I would have been skinny years ago!!

WRITING

I have finally started writing my book about this venture. It’s hard keeping up with annaventure, e-mails and writing but I have finally found time and inclination. Please say your prayers or cross your fingers or send me positive vibes to wish me good fortune in my writing endeavours. Then buy the book when it’s done J

Day 1: Da Nang to Hoi An

Da Nang to Hoi An. 

 
 

Weather forecast: 60% chance of rain. 18 degrees. Stormy. Windy.

Start time: 09.40

End time: 11.10

Distance today: 35 km

Total distance: 35 km

Road: Mostly very flat.

We set the bikes up this morning which took about 20 minutes. A few people stopped and watched us with the now familiar laughter in their eyes. Lots of locals ask where we are from and I just say Australia as it is easier after a while. Everyone we have met has been so friendly, i am loving it. An Australian guy who was working in Vietnam and staying at the hotel warned me that the roads were dangerous (like i hadn't noticed) and obviously wanted to tell me we were crazy but just said "those bus drivers are maniacs". In Thailand it's the truck drivers you have to watch out for. I am just going to look out for everyone I have it covered. 

 

 The BBC squirrel will be with us every rotation of the way.

 

I even have my own Vietnamese face mask. Don't i look fine.

After several deep breaths we set off.

The first road we were on ended in traffic lights and we had to make a left turn onto a large bridge. It is daunting setting off at these lights, even though we were at the front this time, because few people wait until the lights are green and most people going in the other direction continue even though their lights are red. I fell behind Daniel on the bridge, partly because i was looking at the view but mainly because Daniel overtook some schoolgirls riding in tandem on the bridge and i couldn't. I really couldn't, i wasn't just scared. It is hard staying together all the time on the busy roads and at intersections because if your timing is slightly different (and i am travelling behind Daniel most the time) then when you arrive somewhere things could look totally different. 

Once we reached the beach though we were sorted. The road was ride and new and very quiet. This is the tourist area, China Beach where the US soldiers went for R&R during the American/Vietnam war (it feels wrong calling it the Vietnam war when you are here as they call it the American war). There are mountains either side of the beach and it was pretty nice, despite the cloudy weather.

 

 

There were some huge hotel developments along the road but generally the first 50 minutes riding was a construction site. Hopefully we will come back at some point but it will be to a very different place. We continued along the same road most the way and it changed from building site to old houses and children coming out of school waving and calling out to us.

At the turning to Hoi AN we decided to take a slight de-tour and checked out the beach but it was just sooo windy and there was an official, or just a guy with eco tendencies, who wouldn't let us take the bikes on to the beach. 

 We turned back and stopped for more photos on a small bridge and my bike rolled away in the strong wind. 

 

We had to overtake a cow tethered to the side of the road then we found ourselves in a very pretty town, we were in Hoi An alive and after a really nice 1 and a half hour ride. I haven't stopped smiling since.

Hoi An is full of ancient buildings and is a protected UNESCO site and these buildings are rare in other parts of Vietnam. It is charming and pretty and I really like it.  If you visit Vietnam, i would highly recommend stopping here for a few days.

 

Part of the market. I wanted to get photos inside as it was just wonderful but i didn't risk it as i was bound to lose my concentration and fall into a pile of fresh vegetables.

We went to the post office and oh wow, it was the most gorgeous post office i have ever been to! It was almost all wood with carvings everywhere and old fashioned phone booths also wooden. 

 This was a map of the world behind the tills.

  

We had lunch at the Mermaid which we only realised afterwards was the first place recommended in the Lonely Planet guide we are carrying around. We also accidentally ordered a Hoi An speciality, white rose, which is shrimp encased in rice paper and steamed. We also realised for the umpteenth time that we rarely get what we think we ordered. I ordered a special pancake dish, thinking it would be like a vegetarian spring roll from the description and i got an omelet looking thing with meat and prawns.

 

Daniel is going to get lots of extra food this month as he has to eat half of what i order. It only costs about £1 a dish here and so we have been able to try a few extra things in the knowledge that we won't be finishing every dish.

We had a coffee at Banana Split cafe where they cook, book flights and they burn DVDs. I actually drank Daniel's coffee as he didn't like it. How funny, i hate coffee normally and that's the second cup i have had since being in Vietnam because even the coffee here is delicious. While we were there we were asked where we were from, as we so often are and then we were offered a taxi to the airport if we wanted. We explained we were cycling along the coast and i could see the other travellers' ears picking up, especially when the lady started laughing and saying she would never go so far on these roads, not even on a motorbike. I am loving the reaction we get. I cannot quite believe it is me doing this trip that everyone says is so dangerous. I said my prayers before we started this morning but actually you do get into the swing of things and i am not toooooo worried.

Rice paper rolls are awesome. Totally awesome. 

We walked around the village after dark when i hoped all the street lights would be turned on. There is a full moon festival here monthly and the streets are covered in decorations and lights hang from every available space but only about 1/4 of the lights were on as we have missed the festival by a few days (very sad for a fiary light lover like me). Still it was charming.

 We had dinner at Tam Tam cafe. Daniel tried the local speciality Cao Lao and loved it. It's a noddle, vegetable and pork dish and like most things here, very good (so he said anyway).

 

 

  

  

Day 2: Hoi An to Tam Ky

Hi everyone it's Dan here. We are in Tam Ky. We are safe and alive after our second day of cycling. I must say Tam Ky is the ugliest and soul sapping town I have been to for quite some time. No restaurants to go to.. tonight's dinner consists of popcorn and a baguette. First encounter with HWY 1 today from Hoi An and rather chaotic and hectic to say the least... about 1000 horns beeping for the 60 km's, however that was tempered slightly by the hundreds of school kids shouting hello and racing us on their bikes.

Danno

Weather. Windy. Not always in our favour as anticipated (grrr)

Distance. 61 km

Leaving Hoi An was stressful as expected but finding the right turnings was not easy. There just don’t seem to be road signs. We stopped to ask people 3 times but no one spoke much English. Daniel deals with this by repeating the sentence again and again then asking them some much more complex question that is something else we want to know but unrelated. Strangely he never gets much useful information this way. He asked for Highway 1 every time and of course they don’t call it that. I kept coming up behind him and asking for Tam Ky which seemed to do the trick and they started gesticulating with their hands. Daniel still didn’t trust the directions we were given, even when 3 people told us the same thing, as we could see Highway 1 going in one direction and everyone pointed the opposite way. Highway 1 was on a high pass over our road and it doesn’t join where it looks like it does on the maps so you just have to follow another road until they eventually link.

Both of us have one good pannier and one bad one. On the bad ones only one of the clamps that keeps the pannier fixed to the bike works properly. Daniel’s pannier started falling off while he was cycling and the bag on top was leaning over dangerously. Daniel had already been cycling pretty close to people when he was overtaking and eventually he did hit the basket of one of the many women we passed. I apologized as I sped past. We go a lot faster than the locals as our bikes have 30 more gears than theirs. We stopped and hooked the pannier back on without incident. Later on, about 30 minutes from Tam Ky mine half fell and hit my foot so I couldn’t cycle. The bolt had fallen off so it couldn’t be mended and Daniel had to strap my pannier on with zip ties.

We were greeted by school children all the way along, from young children to teens who almost always giggle when we shout hello back. Some guys on motorbikes slowed when they passed us and asked where we were going. It is quite tricky to navigate the roads and the traffic while holding on a conversation with someone driving a motorbike to your left, especially as they are generally being beeped from behind by larger vehicles.

We made it to Tam Ky just after 2pm because of the delays, detours and stops. Tam Ky greeted us as it has treated us, with contempt. We had to cross a narrow bridge where all the traffic in two directions merged so we just had to hope for the best. After that there were fairly substantial road works where the road did not work and we had to navigate the one lane pathway with several gigantic trucks all around us. Great, i thought, we are in Tam Ky, where’s the lovely hotel I have been looking forward to? The answer was - nowhere to be found. We couldn’t find the hotel we wanted to stay in that we had seen online so we ended up cycling along the whole stretch of Highway 1 that is in Tam Ky and turning back when we reached the end, sore bums and all.  The hotel we found on our return journey was called Dong A. Daniel of course found that very funny. I of course just wanted to stay somewhere nice i.e. not at a hotel called Dong A. The rooms were MASSIVE with incredibly tall celings. I can't really describe how big as you won't believe me but Daniel asked me if i would ballroom dance with him so that may give you an idea. It was only $20 but this was far too much for what we got, other than floorspace. The room felt dirty and I insisted we buy bug spray as i squashed two mosquitoes in the first 5 minutes and i wanted to spray the bed too. Daniel's left leg is covered in bites from bed bugs, yuck.  The bedroom window opened to the noise of Highway 1.

I didn’t like Tam Ky at all, it is ugly and noisy but without the advantages usually associated with big towns. I wish we had had the energy to carry on to the next town but we had started too late in the morning and had not had lunch or much to drink so we had to stop and it would have been too far to the next town. There are no restaurants, no bars, no cafes and only a few shops but none that sell very much other than bike tyres, mobile phones and kitchen equipment. We found some popcorn (which tasted rubbish) and a baguette and some avocado which we had for lunch and dinner.

The lady who helped bring our bags up to the room told me I was pretty. At least I think she did, she pointed at my face and smiled. I have had this quite a lot. It’s weird because a) I am nothing special b) I frequently look hot and tired and have weird hair with long bits sticking out all over and c) people who I am not even dealing with are telling me this, a lady in a book shop, the guy looking after our bikes while we have coffee, random people in the street...

I feel like I can judge the bikes after a riding a 60 km day. Obviously the panniers could have been better but the bikes have been great. The gel seat is so much better. Yes I had a sore bum to begin with but this went after a minute rather than the 10 minutes it used to take while training in Thailand. The gears work and there are lots and lots of them. The brakes work. This is a huge improvement. It feels strong and light and comfortable and if it weren’t for the traffic I think I would be enjoying the physical act of cycling. Time was going really quickly at first because we were so busy concentrating and everything was new.

 

 

 

 

 

Day 3: Tam Ky to Quang Ngai

Weather. Mid twenties. Overcast. Not too much wind.

Distance. 63 km.

We were both very glad to say goodbye to Tam Ky this morning. We had been kept awake late into the night with all sorts of noises, mostly from within the hotel rather than the busy Highway 1 outside our window. I have read that some massage parlours/karaoke bars double as haunts for friendly ladies and i think we had found ourselves one of the more hospitable hotels in Tam Ky. The same noise levels woke us at about 5 am and i was pleased that we hadn't over tipped the lady carrying our bags the day before as i was sure i could hear her above everything else. 

 
I was sure there were bed bugs anyway despite spraying the sheets several times the night before so i got up and started packing.  Daniel was on ABC Victorian Country Radio at 6.40 am anyway and we wanted to leave straight after that. We got off at 7.10 am and the road was already busy and beeping. 

We didn't have anything for breakfast as there wasn't anything to have at the hotel or anywhere else we could see. We had a yoghurt drink in our packs for later but we just wanted to get the hell out of there. The road wasn't very pretty but it was still prettier than Tam Ky. After an hour we decided we needed a drink at least and stopped at a cafe saying Coffee on its sign. This was pretty much all they served so we had some coffee. Mine was ready to drink first and I drank it fairly happily thinking it was a tad strong but i am new at this coffee drinking malarky (this was only my third cup ever). Daniel sipped his and almost spat it out. "That is way too strong for me" he said and pushed it away. "You mean i am drinking this stuff as an amateur, i am going to be HIGH!".

 
We got a bread roll from across the road and this was filled with pureed something so i had a bite and handed it back. We are trying to eat healthily and lose weight but the lack of choice makes this a bit hard. 

We continued on and after about 10 minutes we heard a siren behind us. The trucks and buses and cars all have unusual sounding horns and some sound more like sirens than the ambulances we have seen. A few seconds after the siren though we saw a bright yellow bike with the Vietnamese flag fly past (a bit later we saw the same guy taking a leak at the side of the road). A few minutes later another passed, then another and a few police cars with their lights flashing. I suggested we stop so we could take photos of whatever celeb was going past. We pulled over joining many locals who were all doing the same thing. Shortly after a few cyclist shot past at speed (obviously they didn't have to carry their RTW luggage with them!) and many support vehicles with bikes and bike parts on their roofs. 

 
 It was quite cool but it was over quickly so we started cycling again. The next thing we knew we were cycling along side these guys (only very briefly obviously as they were going three times faster!)

 
  

 
We became a bit of an attraction ourselves. This guy was taking photos of us, the locals kept waving and clapping as we went by following the support teams. Some mimed to us to go faster and others even had enough English to tell us we were too slow.

 
Our view as we cycle. It was lovely when the racing bikes past as all the traffic stopped and it was just us and the other bikes. Then they caught up though!

 
We stopped at a train line to get some photos (on Daniel's camera so will add later) and these school kids stopped to watch us. There were only 2 at first then a few more, then we were the entertainment for the day. "hello" giggle giggle, "jow" giggle giggle, "bye" giggle giggle.

We arrived at Quang Ngai just before i insisted on stopping for a rest. I was shattered after 4 hours and not much food or sleep. The hotel we gratefully pulled up at knowing it had a swimming pool was full though. You should have seen my face, i was not happy. Luckily a guy who had walked up to look at us and our bikes spoke some English and recommended another hotel round the corner. Off we went and that's where we are now. Happily encased in a room with clean sheets, a big window and nice view and best of all, a towelling robe. I jumped up and down with joy when i saw it hanging there all fluffy and new in the wardrobe. 

I ordered sweet potato with garlic for lunch and received greens sauteed with garlic. I am not sure where i am going wrong.

I am starting to think i should get my hair cut professionally while we are here. The odd cut Daniel gave me seems to be getting worse. There are bits sticking out all over the place. Daniel says it looks cute. I think it needs a cut. 

Day 4: Quang Ngai to Sa Huyhn

Distance 71 km. Started at 9.30 am having had yet another inadequate breakfast and got in at 2.30 pm having had no lunch.

Weather. Hot with the wind against us.

Mood. Anna's baaaaaad! Daniel's "there's surf" i.e. very happy. 

Road. Ok but a few hills which were tough in the heat. We know that they are only baby ones compared to what is to come though so we were pretty happy to have some practice.

Ok so i am smiling here, this smile is for you guys reading. The sunglasses (which i dropped twice while riding and didn't bother to pick up the second time) are hiding the bitterness in my eyes.

A statue at our first stop. We had to put some sun cream on as i was already burning at 10.30 am. Watching us cream up were about 100 school children. It is lovely that everyone is so friendly but it is a bit much when you are having a bad day. I also couldn't help but question what they can possibly learn all day because we pass thousands of school children at all times of the day. They are never at school. Maybe they share schools and cycle from one to the other between lessons? They are going in both directions, looking very smart in their crisp white or blue shirts and fashionable face masks. Where are they going? Why are there soooo many of them?

Daniel's seat moved today while crossing one of the many bumpy bridges. The roads and the hard shoulder are pretty good but not perfect by any means. 

Our hotel, The Vinh. Supposedly the only one in town but we did see another after we had gratefully booked in. I have genuinely never been so happy to see a hotel in my life, and this was nothing special. There were several large moths in the room, one medium sized cockroach, many mosquitoes and a fly. Not for long though as we had bug spray (this is not the first time we have been staying in 1 star accommodation!). When we went to bed later we realised that the mosquito net was a bit small for the bed and we had to crawl under it army style to get in and out of bed. It was probably easier for a mosquito to get in and out than us.

The hotel backed onto a canal and the concrete bridge led directly to the litter covered but pretty beach. If our window had had glass in it we would have had a lovely view but it didn't, we either opened the blinds and let all the mosquitoes not already sharing our room in or we shut them and couldn't see a thing. 

 

Lunch. You can see in this picture my plain noodles which obviously were not served with octopus or prawns. 

Daniel went in to body surf before speaking to Sara Palmer on BBC Radio Jersey. He was very very happy. 

We made a friend. Daniel very nearly trod on this little thing but i saved him. He then stared at us for ages, as everyone in Vietnam does.

This is the reception area and manager's bedroom.

We went for a walk in the evening looking for sun cream (which i had managed to lose) and took a few pictures. Daniel had to point at the sky and rub himself as though putting cream on to convey suncream. The few shops in the area didn't sell much other than orange yoghurt drink and Pantene. 

 

While walking along we attracted the attention of a few school kids.

Hello hello hello hello hello hello hello hello hello hello hello hello hello hello hello hello...

 

 

It was crazy. I wanted to post a postcard so i got it out and one of them pinched it and ran away with it and they all went after her all trying to read it. Eventually i got it back and Daniel waded through the crowd to the post box. I cannot imagine being famous. Seriously. They are so gorgeous though.

Day 5: Sa Huyhn to Phu Cat

Distance. 75 km

Weather. Hottest day so far and wind strong and against us which made for a very long ride.

View as we left Sa Huyhn

We left the hotel at 6.30 am. We planned to leave at 6 am and had set the alarm for 5.40 am but we lost the key to the room and Daniel's Leatherman tool (which we use as much as the bikes!) and it took us ages to find them again. We didn't get in to the hotel until 2pm and it was pretty hard going. We didn't have any breakfast at the hotel again (there wasn't any) but we hoped to stop at a cafe on the way and then again for lunch. Ha ha ha. I honestly thought when we started that i would have to use my willpower to refrain from enjoying the bakeries here (a legacy i was told from when the French were here). Other than small baguettes being sold at the side of the road, we haven't seen a bakery since Hoi An. The baguettes they sell here (and i don't mean to sound spoilt but i am from Jersey, an Island so close to France it is practically obligatory to have croissants once a week - at least i wish it were) do not taste good. They must be missing salt or something but they are pretty tasteless. Also, they only sell them with meat or other unidentifiable products. Daniel got us 2 baguettes and i had a few bites. We stopped a few times at shops hopefully asking if they had food or maybe a cold drink. Eventually we got some cold water and Daniel had an ice cream. I got one too but mine tasted really bad and i wasn't risking dodgy re-frozen cream. 

No food today and not much yesterday meant that i was not concentrating much (not good on these roads as i think i have said). In a 5 minute period i stopped to have a drink and dropped my bike from under me then when i set off again i got my iPod headphones tangled in my bike spokes and i heard Chris Moyles dying a death as the wire got torn apart. For safety reasons (mum this is mainly for you) i only have the headphones in one ear so I can still hear everything around me. There is no danger in any event that anything could drown out the noise of the beeping horns.

 

About 10 km before our hotel we stopped for a drink to get out of the sun. With much sign language we managed to get some Milo with water instead of milk, a red bull equivalent and some mango.

We almost had a crash today but only because i nearly hit Daniel when his pannier holder thingy broke and all his bags went flying off behind him. We pulled over in a fairly quiet area and immediately became the local entertainment for the day. Daniel was not in the mood for it and i had to soothe him to stop rude words escaping at the friendly locals. The bolts had broken and we didn't have anything to replace the bolts. We got some zip ties out and with an eager audience we started (ok Daniel started) repairing the bike. 

About 10 minutes later one of the locals found the right part and helped Daniel fix it on and we moved on.

 

I have to say that when my energy levels were particularly low today I was thinking that maybe i am not so keen on Vietnam after all. However, I am delighted, ecstatic, over the moon to tell you that we have just found some food at the hotel. Daniel managed to persuade them to open the cafe early and provide room service and we have just had rice, noodles and two vegetable dishes that were extremely healthy and extremely delicious. Daniel is in 7th heaven. Ah, life is good again.

Very disappointed

So i just weighed myself. I shouldn't have done but the hotel we are in had scales in the bathroom which was just too much temptation. 

I have only lost 6 lbs since leaving Jersey. That was 2 months ago. In that time i have totally changed my diet (for the better obviously) reducing my calorie intake and eating much healthier food and i have also increased the amount of exercise I have done more than i can say. We are doing at least an hour of exercise a day but more often that not we are doing 3 or 4 hours of really tough exercise per day.

I know that you will probably say that i have lost fat and put on muscle but i am still the same dress size as in Jersey, which is several dress sizes larger than i want to be. My clothes are a bit looser but i haven't come close to fitting into the next size down.

I am pretty upset. I honestly have no idea what's going on with my body. 

Tao Garden, Chiang Mai, Thailand

 

 
This was the sign awaiting us as Chiang Mai airport and once we arrived at the resort i found that i was listed as Mrs Wife everywhere, much to Daniel's delight! I am now Miss Anna so that's good.

We are spending three weeks in Chiang Mai, over Songkran which is a water festival celebrating the Thai New Year (our third New Year of the year). We were soaked at lunch the other day by the staff during the festival they held here.

We joined the throngs yesterday

See separate post re Songkran for more pics.

Tao Garden is lovely. We are relaxing and enjoying meeting lots of lovely people. If you ever want to visit a health farm in Thailand let me know and i will tell you all about this wonderful place. We may be home in a few months because we have spent all our money here but that's another matter!

We were told there was a pretty dam here about 20 minutes away so we took a walk.

It started well as we passed through fields full of organic fresh fruit and beautiful trees and lakes

 Then we realised we had taken a wrong turning and we had to walk about 15 minutes back and around or cross this. Obviously we crossed here..

I got this next one as i was walking unsteadily along the wall

 
 

 

Then we couldn't find a way up to the top so we had to scramble up this wall of boulders: 

 
 

It was pretty interesting climbing up the loose boulders in 35 degree heat but it was pretty much worth it.

 

 

When we got back we were told by someone there is a big Buddha at the top which we missed completely so we will go back again and look for a better way up next time.

We have only been here a week so i will add more later.

21 days at Tao Garden, a leading holistic health spa

Hey folks

Daniel and I have well and truly recovered from our cycle ride, in fact we have finally had an opportunity to relax and de-stress. It is only now that i realise how pumped up we were cycling in Vietnam. Unfortunately we are now in transit for 3 days and staying in Bangkok tonight. The news is full of the rally filled streets and riot police etc. We decided to avoid the centre on this occasion and are safe and happy at a small hotel near the airport. Daniel's laptop was stuck in a shop in the centre of the rioting so we had to ask the shop to mail it to us in Chiang Mai. Daniel hasn't spoken more than 3 words since having it back but i think that's cos he is so happy and is hugging it all the time.  

We checked out of Tao Garden today and you will be pleased to know i was no longer being referred to as Mrs Wife, i was instead Mr Anna Corden. It seems that I left my identity in Jersey when i left my job, the last time i used my maiden name. 

So, the last few weeks have been interesting. We have both had several colonics, done 3 fasting days, been pummelled by teeny tiny Thai women, steamed every last toxin out of us, balanced and stretched through daily Tai Chi style classes and gone without bread, chocolate, alcohol, potatoes, corn, rice, pasta, noodles, fried food, sweets, caffeine etc. Everyone we met in the first week seemed to have been before and told us stories of their 4 kilo weight loss after only one week. After two weeks i still hadn't dropped a pound. Not good so off i went to the doctor and had a blood test. I have a thyroid problem he says, which means almost no amount of counting calories or exercise will help unless i start taking the supplements i need. I have had the same symptoms for years but was tested and found to be ok. Thai doc said that the thyroid problem was not identified when i was tested in Jersey because they only tested my TSH (one part of the thyroid function). This time the test was done by a holistic doc who wanted to look at something called my T3. Terminal 3 in Anna Central wasn't working so i am not on a cocktail of supplements and after a week i started seeing movement on the previously concrete scales. Whoop. So the walks to the dam and the swimming and the jogging and the daily sit ups and tennis and table tennis finally paid off. I still have a long way to go but I was beginning to think i needed to be studied due to my inability to shift the pounds, even with all the cycling and missed meals.

So the colonics were interesting. Our therapist was called Porn, naturally. This kept Daniel amused for the full 3 weeks. I was shocked to discover i had any interest at all in shit, but when you are lying there watching the result in the plastic tube you want to 'do well' and expel any old crap that's stuck in your system. I highly recommend them anyway, even after 3 i would have gone back for more if the travel budget had allowed. Not sure Daniel feels the same and i quote "It's an outie not an inny".

The best thing about Tao Garden was the people. We met some of the best people i could have hoped to come across during the whole trip. We were gifted not only with their company but with their advice and love and i feel like a different more radiant person thanks to them. Which is pretty cool. 

Daniel's birthday was on the 19th of April while we were staying at Tao Gardens so there was no beer, no toast and scrambled egg, not even a cup cake. We celebrated by doing less exercise than normal and i let Daniel win at tennis (seeing as that when he hits the ball i can barely see it fly past me, that didn't take much sacrifice on my part). Monique had decorated the breakfast table with frangipanis and we skyped and spoke to some great friends but when you can't get hold of any cake it aint a birthday in my book so we are having a late celebration in Bali next month.

We went diving in a dam which was a 40 minute walk away and a cool swim in the fresh water was a real treat. The 140 steps back up to the road afterwards were less fun mind. 

We head to Tioman (Malaysian Island) on Friday for 10 days and will be doing our Open Water Diving certificate. My beautiful mother e-mailed yesterday when she realised that some of South Pacific was filmed in Tioman and was delighted that she could tell my granny i was heading there as nanna has watched South Pacific about 2000 times. I think she has been through three copies from over watching.

After Tioman we are in Bali for a month before finally heading to see Dan's family and friends in Australia which we are super excited about. 

We are really missing everyone back home but we are really happy and feeling the joy of freedom every day. Thanks for the lovely e-mails, we love hearing all the news from back home.

Lots of love and peace and joy to you all, Anna and Daniel