I arrived in Sydney two days ago after five weeks in south east Asia. I leave again on Friday for Africa, where I’ll be for the rest of the year. I’m spending these four days at home uploading photos, seeing friends, and going to the gym. A nice little break to appreciate Australian accents, being a local and sleeping in my own bed.
The cycle through Vietnam was amazing. There was a group of six of us (two had fundraised for the National Stroke Foundation, and the other four had fundraised for Parkinson’s Victoria). We had a great Vietnamese guide who spoke excellent English and knew a lot about the country, and was very accommodating and kind. The people I cycled with were all fantastic, and by the time we left, I felt as though I made a new group of friends, which I didn’t really expect at all.
And the cycle! The country! It was amazing. It was fantastic to cycle through the back lanes and see rice paddies and rivers, and have locals wave and shout “Hello!” wherever we went. Cycling is truly a great way to see the country. Oh, and the food was great too.
After the cycle, I spent a week in Cambodia, in Phom Penh and Siem Reap, where I learnt a lot about its depressing history, and saw a lot of temples.
Nex stop after that was Thailand, and in the two weeks I was there, I went to Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. It’s a great country, with beautiful people and fantastic food.
I took about 3500 photos, and some of them are up on my Flickr page.
