Back in the saddle

Since my little tumble I've not been back on my bike, so I'm hoping that the combination of body balance, Pilates and the odd bit of swimming will have helped.

It's always an early start to the day on cycling adventures, but thankfully Vietnamese breakfasts make getting up early worth.  With all the tropical fruit on offer it's easy to get my 5-a-day!

And I'm quite fond of stir fried vegetables and chicken noodles at this time of the day too.

Cycling for one is quite a luxury because I get a cycling guide and driver all to myself.  Let me introduce the team

Tan my guide and Tuhn the driver.  And down below the bikes all fitted out and ready to go.

Well we were until I spotted dragons - of the leafy kind - they were huge, the place was filled with them all ready for delivery.

Cycling the Mekong Delta is a little different. There's no roads to speak of, so we're using the many lanes and by-ways that cross the region and of course we had to

use the many bridges that connect the land.  This one is fairly substantial compared to some of the rickety bamboo affairs I spotted, but thankfully didn't have to peddle across.

The mighty Mekong brings rich soil deposits down to the Delta, so the surrounding land is lush and, if you'll forgive the terrible pun, fruitful.

The area we cycled today is known for its huge Jack fruits.

Don't you just love the shape and line of this? No idea what it is, but knowing the Vietnamese I bet they eat it...

We stop to sample local produce as we go.  Tan's favourite is the custard apple, which tastes more like pear to my mind.  The bright red ones are mountain apples and at the top a pile of different types of mango.

Everything is transported by boat.

At the floating wholesale market each boat advertises what they have for sale by tying some to a long bambo pole and hoisting it above the boat!

The land shops operate both sides, to cater for land and river customers.

Finally, after 30 km we reached my hotel, Mekong Riverside Boutique Resort and Spa.  This is the view as I sip my welcome lemon grass and honey tea; a bit of a perculiar combination.

Pretty table flowers.

India was all about the doors, maybe this Vietnam trip will be ceilings?

See the long poles? Fishing bambo rods.  Don't think that's for me...

All the rooms are little houses on stilts over the water lily lake

This is mine, no.5

I love the blossoms on my towels and see the present on my pillow?

Much nicer than a chocolate!

All around the organic gardens are bursting with flowers

and my Monday night swim was just devine!

An unexpected pleasure.

Do you ever have a day when things don't go quite as planned but turn out to be a delight all the same?  Well last Sunday turned out to be one of those days.  

With the London Prudential 100 looming large in my cycling calendar I need to start thinking about lengthening my rides....time to get those little legs peddling!  A 30 mile ride was planned, a big bowl of porridge eaten and a bannana stuffed into my jersey pocket and a bag of jelly babies in my top bag and off I went. Two minutes later I was back and it was on with the knee warmers, high-viz gillet and a buff; it was deceptively cool out there!

But it soon started to warm up and there were freerange geese in Mattingly to cheer me on! 

Bowling along, checking my progress on the iPhone against my scribbled-on-the-back-of-an-envelope instructions I was going well.  Then I must have taken a wrong turning, the phone battery packed in and I hadn't a clue where I was! I'd also eaten my snacks, needed the loo and my legs were starting to ache (25 miles plus already cycled) when I spotted a couple of yellow ribbons tied to a tree and a smiley lady with a walkie-talkie.  A NGS (National Garden Scheme) open garden afternoon - I was halted with 'stop and look at our garden, there's lovely tea and cakes too'.  Once I'd accertained there was also a loo I needed no other encouragement: tea, cake and a loo = cycling heaven!

And what I treat it was too.  Brick Kiln Cottage, Lasham ( for indeed I now know where I was...) has a delightful bluebell wooded garden, 

a plantation style tree house

which I even managed to climb into - an interesting experience whilst wearing road shoes!

The garden was divided into different areas connected by small paths so we were all able to wander through peaking at the garden from various different angles.

Parked up near the tea tent was this rather splendid shepherds' hut on wheels

The inside had a ( rather narrow, it must be said) bed and a working wood stove,

but It was the rusty, peeling outside that captured my attention.

Quickly followed, for the princely sum of £3, I had a marvellous clotted cream tea - complete with refills as required.  What a treat! what a bargain!

A quick last look around, doesn't the wild garlic have beautifully delicate flowers?

Whilst this garden arrangement wouldn't look out of place on Easter Island!

But, as with the rust on the shepherds hut, it's the mundane still life that captivates me : the pattern and texture of an old worn path

and the heavy iron roller parked by the outside loo!

But I'll give theses stunning tulips the final word!

Goooooood Moooooorning Vietnam

Don't judge me, I've waited ages to write that as a post title!

Having arrived (and been delayed) due to heavy rain it was with trepidation I looked out of the window this morning.  Nothing to fear, blue sky!

A 7 am start so I needed my five-a-day, which this morning included mango, passion fruit, banana, pineapple and something green which I didn't know of, but ate anyway.  Oh and some really lovely yoghurt in a cute glass bottle, which I admit I only selected because of the bottle! 

I had met Lam the tour leader late last night but this morning was the first time I had met my fellow cyclists.  They couldn't be more lovely, one from Germany and the other from Naples, so we are really international.  I joked how I was worried that this would be their honeymoon, and do you know what, it is! But they got married two years ago, so I don't think it counts!

We drove for an hour to the outskirts of HCMC and if you could have seen the scooter traffic you'd understand  why.

On and on it went......

We are riding mountain bikes this next two weeks, here's mine

 

I love it already.  And here is the team who will look after it, and me

 

Tang ( or is it Tong?) the bus driver ( or does he drive the bike truck?), Lam, the tour leader who is very cheerful,Tong (or Tang) who drives the truck ( or could be the bus) who is also cheerful, but is shy to speak and finally Lee, the mechanic.  He hasn't spoken much, but cycles at the back to fix us up if needed.  Tong and Tang drive ahead and at junctions act as traffic marshals, so what with all the waving and 'hello-ing' as we cycle it rather feels like a Royal Progress!

The Vietnamese are renouned for their friendliness, and going by today that is true.  One lady nipped up alongside me to admire my bright lime green top.  So add fashion icon to the list too ;-). School children wave and shout 'hello' - actually the adults do too.

 

However not all the locals are necessarily accommodating, so we have to move out of the way from them...

 

More water than Cambodia at the moment, Vietnam is green and lush.  Although hot, after Cambodia it seems cool and there is a breeze as we cycle along.

 

One of our drink stops was a military cemetery, so had a quick wander round.  Think I need one of these for my allotment -

  

There is just so much to see

 

I love the way the sun through the plan leaves creates the secondary patterning on the trunk and the lime green against the blue sky is just wonderful.

Before lunch we visited the Tunnel Complexes at Ben Dinh.  These were used by the Vietcong, and what ever you think about the whole Vietnam War situation, you have to stand in awe at the skill of the 'tunnel rats'.  First we were shown how they hid the openings, 

 

Then it was our turn to go down.  Build small to accommodate the slim Vietnamese, the bigger American soldier then got stuck and trapped

The picnic lunch was ready when we had finished our tour of the tunnels, fortunately it wasn't chicken

 

there's no fat chickens in Vietnam!

And one final shot of bamboo, which reminds me I still need to buy some for my beans when I get home!