Cycling component complete!

I can't believe the cycling part is over already. We started the day on the bus, heading into the hills. Then we rode through beautiful coffee and rubber plantations until we hit the roadworks!!! Today was advertised as an 80km day. However, given the 'dangers' created by the roadworks, the travel company hasn't ridden the 80km for five years!!! Time to update the brochure.

The roadworks were a terrible way to end what has been, overall (!), a beautiful component of the trip. We rode for 30 km in amongst horrendous traffic. An image I will never forget is riding up a hill between two merging steamrollers!

Overnight in Bien Ma Tout - coffee country. To Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon, tomorrow before heading into the Mekong Delta.

Day 7 - 100km!!!!

There is nothing more to say really, except, 'I did it'!!! When I called Gussy,before he even said hello he asked, 'How many ks today?' When I told him he said, 'Not bad for a girl!' When I asked him what he meant by that he said, 'Well, a boy could have done probably half a k more!' Clearly, Mummy needs to get home and begin his re-education!

Day 6 - Back on the bikes

Today was a relatively short 40km day on the bikes. Remember that those 40km involved unsealed and semi-sealed roads, darting in between chickens and dogs and kids and motorbikes and cars and trucks. Relaxing! To quote Claire, another rider in the group, we have worked out the Vietnamese system of horns approaching from behind. A log, loud horn means, 'I am a truck and if you don't move, I am going to kill you'. A short, sharp horn means, 'I am a motorcycle and if you do move, I am going to kill you'.

We visited the memorial at the site of the My Son massacre. It is so sobering to be reminded of the atrocities of war. And yet the Vietnamese are such beautiful people and don't seem to harbour any resentment. There was a particularly wonderful installation among the canals at the site. Set in the concrete are imprints of soldiers boots, the bare feet of the Vietnamese villagers, and of bike tracks, depicting the soldiers entering the village and the people trying to run away. It was heartwrenching to see the remains of houses where the boots went in and only the boots came out- an iamge that will live with me forever.

Day 5 - A day of R&R in Hoi An

We had a day 'off' today. Some people on the group decided to do the 'guided' tour of the town. Some of us just did the Lonely PlanEt walking tour. Most people in the group had clothes tailor-made. I couldn't find any fabrics I liked, but I happily followed along for pattern and fabric selection and fittings. The work was so fast and of such great quality.

One place I did love was a handcraft workshop staffed by handicapped people. I am trying to mostly buy from craft collectives and places like this,. All the artists and shop assistants were so attentive and so very proud of their work.

We finished the day with cooking school and a fashion parade of all the tailored clothes. Lovely.

I am trying wrestle the photos. I have managed to get them from the camera to the iPad. Now I am trying to figure out how to get them From The iPad to the blog. Standby for retrospective pics if I can manage it.

Love and kisses

Jxxxx

Day 3 Trains, traffic, and abject terror

'It was somewhere between 2 am and 3 am that I began to hate Care Australia,' quipped one of our group, who shall remain nameless!

We travelled alot by overnight trains in China, and we loved them. I was not prepared for four bunks in a room that was about 2m wide by 3m long. We shook, rattled, rolled and held onto our bladders all night so we didn't have to use the shared carriage toilet.

We arrived in Hue at about 8.30am with only one or two hours of broken sleep under our belts. After a much needed shower, wee, and quick swim and were fitted for our bikes. I say 'fitted' very loosely. Some of our group own light-as-a-feather carbon fibre bikes at home. Our very clunky and less than new mountain bikes required very little fitting, except for the gel seats most people (except me) brought from home. That is your fault Johnnie Roberts. You said it was a muscle thing and that padded seats make very little difference. I think I beg to differ!

So we headed off for what was to be a quiet day of cycling around the quaint little town of Hue. I need to mention a couple of things here. I don't know why, but it never occurred to me that we would be riding in the right hand side of the road! Obvious I know, but it didn't even cross my mind. Secondly, the quaint little town of Hue has six lanes of traffic. Thirdly, we were riding in those six lanes!!!!!

Within the first five minutes, I had already collided with a motorbike!!! (I'm fine Mum. The lefthand turns are the worst. You need to cross three lanes of traffic to get to the centre
lane. Then you have to cross three lanes of traffic going the other way, all the time also
watching out for people driving on the wrong side of the road. The advice we were given was
the same as for crossing the n road - step out into the traffic and maintain and consistent
pace, hold your line, and keep going. So I saw three lanes of traffic, which went through a
red light, heading towards me and I tried to be brave and hold my line, but clearly, they
don't always go around you!!!!!

I recovered enough keep riding. We rode along the Perfume River to the Citadel and the Imperial Enclosure, before braving the traffic back home.

Then, our guide somehow managed to talk us into dinner at a restaurant where we dressed up as emperors and courtesans and concubines for one of the strangest nights of my life!

Day 4 - The long and winding road

Today we headed out of town, and thankfully away from the traffic, to start our ride to Danang along beaches and through rice paddies and tiny villages. This is more of what I had hoped the trip would be like. It was beautiful. We rode for 40 km and after lunch we hit the Hai Van Pass, otherwise known as the Sea Cloud pass. You get the idea. It was 10 km of 8-10% gradient. - up. I just really wanted to make it up and I am proud to say I did. By the end, I was particularly aware of where my bum was located.

The beauty of what goes up, means it must come down and down I came, tentatively testing my brakes the whole way!

At the bottom of the Pass I was taking some pics of a rice paddy. I was getting down close to my subject, being at one with my art, when one of the other girls asked for some picture-taking advice. I was so absorbed in being at one with my art that I wriggler back to show her how to get a better shot and landed on my arse in the middle of the paddy. Excellent!

With me smelling of paddy field, We then made our way to the beautiful UNESCO-listed village of Hoi An. The buildings and the city are beautiful, but unfortunately the city is now geared just for tourists.

We had a sobering incident while some of our group were being measured by Hoi An tailors. A guy came off a motorbike right in front of the shop we were in. One of our group is a doctor, who ran to help. While Virginia attended to the victim, we were directing traffic (with bolts of fabric still under our arms!)and fashioning a makeshift spine board from a shop sign. There are no ambulances here (eek!)so we loaded him onto a flatbed truck and to the hospital. Virginia was amazing and the image of that man's face will be burned into my brain forever. Virginia suspects that he had an epileptic fit, which caused him to fall off the bike and to be unconscious for close to 45 minutes, but I guess we will never know. Thank goodness tomorrow is a free day.

Day 2 - Hanoi

The thing about organised tours is that they are, well, very organised. I finally have five minutes to spare to catch up on my blog posts.

We spent Day 2 in Hanoi, a gorgeous town. First up was Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum. I think it was my very good friend Peter Warrington who first brought the 'ceremony' of mausoleums to my attention. I love it. Ho Chi Minh's ceremony was exactly the same as Mao's in Beijing. Queue for an inordinate amount of time. Divide the queue into side-by-side pairs. Eyes forward, (almost) march forward. Approach the steps. No talking. No laughing. No smiling. File past what could be a dummy from Madame Toussard's in reverential silence and that's it. Fabulous! The downside was there was very little memorabilia on the other side. The Chinese don't miss a trick with Mao watches and Mao t-shirts. I am on the lookout.

Then we saw Uncle Ho's house and the beautiful Temple of Literature. We had lunch at Koto, a restaurant set up by an Australian Vietnamese who trains street kids in hospitality - all before Jaimie Oliver I believe! we also met with Care Australia's Vietnam Program Director and learned a little bit more about the 43 project Care has on the ground in Vietnam. Then we had just a couple of hours to look around Hanoi. It was nowhere near enough. Note for Emma Baker Spink - the streets are arranged by 'wares'. I spent too much time in spectacle street, but we had no time for shoe street! I was devastated.
No time becaus we had to board Reunification Express to Hue.

Day 1

I made it. After about 20 hours door to door, we arrived in the old city of Hanoi. We are a diverse group of nine women and we all seem to be getting on well already.

We had a small walk around last night and we are site seeing today and an overnight train to Hue tonight.

So, not much to say, but sending hugs and kisses to you all.

We made it!

Thanks to all my generous family, friends, and complete strangers, we have collectively raised over $3,000 all of which will directly benefit CARE Australia's projects in Vietnam. The tour group together has raised more than $25,000.

I am overwhelmed and humbled by your support.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I fly out tomorrow at 6.00 am! I can't believe that the day has finally arrived. When I booked this trip I was full of bravado. Now I feel like the most selfish mother and partner in the world. And, as my very sensible friend Bronwyn pointed out, I am unlikely to have a life-changing experience. However, I hope  I will go someway to finding me and who I want to be in this world.

J

We mounted Crosby!

I am trying to catch up on some incomplete challenges before I go. Yesterday, my boys got up early to help me complete Challenge 8 - climb Mt Crosby.

As I mentioned, I have lived here for seven years and never realised there was a 'mount' at Mt Crosby!

A big thank you to Donna, MIchael, and Annie, not only for their generous support of both me and CARE Australia, but for introducing us to a beautiful part of our backyard. We will do it again.

Thank you to my photo families

I have just spent a fantastic weekend with some amazing families, taking photos of them to raise funds for the trip.

I sent an email to some of my girlfriends who forwarded it on, and then it was forwarded and forwarded and forwarded! I only knew one of the families I photographed. Everyone was so interested in the trip. Many donated more money than the suggested amount. One family lost everything in the floods, yet were still happy to help CARE Australia. Amazing. I am busily editing the pics and getting them ready to send to you this week, More photos to do next weekend.

This trip is bringing me so many encounters with such warm and generous people I would never have ordinarily met. I am very grateful (thanks Lou!)

Back to blogging

I have been very remiss in my blogging of late. Believe me I have been training (just not necessarily on the bike - oops!).

So I thought I should blog about a lovely training ride I did with Gus and our darling friends the Greenop-Roberts. We started at Toombul and rode to the Boondall Wetlands Information Centre. A hot and long ride for little legs.

Thank you all for helping me to train. You are such great company, I (nearly) forgot we were biking as we chatted.

Jxx

Thank you CAQ

Last year, I edited a book on golf croquet for my dear friend and neighbour Terry. I did it as a favour for both Terry and the Croquet Association of Queensland, a non-profit organisation Terry is very passionate about.

I was surprised (and horrified) when a cheque arrived in the mail. I tried to give it back to Terry, but he insisted on paying me. He told me to use it for something special, to make my work on the book a 'positive experience'.

So, because I never expected to receive payment for this work, I have donated this money to Care Australia - making the work a very positive experience, paying it forward.

Thank you CAQ.

Challenge 3 - ride across Straddie - complete!

 Ali is my oldest friend. We met in Year 9. She was reading Jeffrey Archer's Kane and Able; I was reading The Prodigal Daughter. We were destined to be friends. Over the years, as well as improving our taste in literature, together we have been through many boyfriends (me, not her); a husband (her, not me); births; deaths; career changes; laughter; and tears.

Ali challenged me to ride across Stradbroke Island. 

I was so excited when she decided to join me. 

Our boys (big and little) came along too and 

we made a weekend of it. 

Weather not withstanding, we had a great time.

Given the amount of traffic on the island, we decided to ride from Point Lookout to Amity Point, rather than Dunwich. We packed our bags for a whole day ride. We left at 5.30 am and arrived at Amity Point at 6.30 am! Just a slight miscalculation. 

We descended into Amity via a long and large hill. Keen to avoid heading back up the hill, on the advice of locals, we started to ride back along the beach. How amazing - it is my new favourite thing. After about 45 minutes, we decided to leave the beach, convinced that we must be close to our hotel. We left the beach only to find ourselves at the base of THAT hill! Another slight miscalculation! Only slightly deterred, we headed along a 4WD track and arrived back to a delicious breakfast and view.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to my precious friends Ali, Mark, David and Noah for sharing this adventure with me. Straddie - we will be back to do it all again.

J

Challenge 7 - complete

Xin chào (Hello!)

Ivor and Karen, taking your advice (and challenge) to learn a few words of Vietnamese, I have concentrated on those I am most like to say or hear on my two-week trip. Apologies in advance for some of the dodgy diacriticals – I couldn’t find them all in Word.

I anticipate in the first few days I will be saying:

Cách dây bao nhiêu ki-lo-mét? (How many kilometres!?!?!?!)

And more than likely:

Bánh xe tôi bi xì (I have a flat tyre).

I sincerely hope on those first few days that there won’t be too many núi (mountains), but plenty of riding beside sÔng (rivers) and biên (the sea), with a little bit of lying on the bãi biên (beach) at the end of each day.

Words that I won’t learn, because I don’t want to hear them are:

Có tai nan! Làm ón goi xe cűu thoung! (There’s been an accident! Please call an ambulance!).

As I start to hit my stride, I image that the phrase Cái này giá bao nhiêu? (How much is this?) will come in handy, along with the very useful Tôi lăy cái này (I’ll take it), and the can’t live without Ban có nhân thé tin dung? (Do you take credit cards?)

And why has it taken my so long to get to Tôi tim nhà hang (I am looking for a restaurant), because that really goes without saying. You two know me so well. However, I hope that it doesn’t lead me to ask Tôi tim phòng vê sinh (I am looking for a toilet) pleading Tôi bi tiêu cháy (I’m diarrhoea – as close as I could get!).

Since the guidebook does not include a word for beer, by the end of the trip, I may just fall into an exasperated heap and ask, Có ai biêt nói tiênh Anh không? (Does anyone speak English?)

Challenge 8 - Walk to the top of Mt Crosby

Keeping it local, my amazingly generous neighbours, Donna, Michael and Annie, have challenged me to walk (thankfully not ride) to the top of Mount Crosby. I have lived at Mount Crosby for seven years. It never occurred to me that there was an actual 'mount'!

Stand by for pics of the mysterious mount.

Donna also recommends some 'resistance training', so I can resist trying to bring some kids home in my luggage!

Challenge 7

From my darling friends Ivor and Karen - learn some Vietnamese words!

Challenge 6

Ride from Rafting Ground Road to UQ and back for lunch with the lovely Kelly Greenop!

Eek! Feels like a long way, but Kelly's gorgeous husband Jonnie does it every day, so I'd better suck it up without complaint!

Challenge 5

Set by the Burke family (and paid in advance!) - ride 10 metres with the whole family on the bike and 5 mattresses tied on the back. Video evidence is required!

Challenge 4 - Ride like a local - complete

Here is my completed Challenge 4, set by the lovely Belton-Marin family - learn to ride like a local. I am hoping that two kids, two chooks, and a fruit bowl on my head to mimic a Vietnamese hat, qualifies! I did get my feet on the pedals, really I did.