Update from Claire

Claire is having a great time. There have been some accidents, but surprisingly not affecting Claire! Can you believe it - broken arm, gashed chins and arms and she is still intact. I can't believe it myself.

She has drunk snake wine. I'm sure she will elaborate.

Vietnam is done, and a text at stupid o'clock this morning said that she was at immigration crossing into Cambodia. She didn't actually say if she had made it through...here's hoping!

Day 1 - Ho Chi Minh

Talk about mental. Everything about this city is amazing, the traffic being the most obvious thing that makes this place stand out.

We arrived at the airport greeted by hundreds of Vietnamese clutching signs with names of the people they were were waiting for, bouquets of flowers, gifts.... none of which were for us. Instead we found our guide Fat (yep, that's his name, and he is not I should add) and Hi (oh yes, the laughs we had alll saying 'Hi' to Hi) and off we went for the bike fitting and later on to the hotel.

I am sorry that I will be keeping this breif, a cold beer awaits me in the bar! Anyways, the city is particularily busy as tonight is Lunar New Years Eve, everyone going mental in preparation.

Streets lined with lights, beautiful trees covered in gold decoration - stunning. And I swear in this country of 8 million mopeds at least half of them were in Saigon last night.

Due to all the travelling that we did yesterday we didnt have much time in Saigon, hotel, shower and dinner. As we were leaving the city this morning we knew that if we wanted to see things we had to go as soon as.

So dinner done and knowing that Saigon was in party mode we left dinner and went for a wander while the majority of the group went back to the hotel. Fools!

I was always told that crossing roads in Saigon was literally a leap of faith. You know that bit in Indiana Jones, the Lost Arc I think where he has to cross over a massive gorge... between the lions mouths? Well, if you do you do and if you dont then shame on you for not knowing your Indiana Jones! Anyway, thats how you cross the street in Saigon, dont look just cross. The firt few times were terrifying, but once you are used to mopeds and scotters flying towards you you kinda becomg immune to it... acceptance that "yes I may get hit, but at least I cant be surprised"

Exciting huh?

We werent just on a kama kazi mission, we were on our way to check out the Lights, as was the rest of Saigon it seems.

The atmosphere was amazing, everyone out, grannies babies - everyone, street sellers, flowers sellers, food vendors (by the way there will be full blog post on the food here - from amazing to gross!!) these guys really do New Year.

...... OFF FOR A BEER, WIL FINISH LATER!!

LOTS OF LOVE XXX

He is Legend

Sin jow!

Yep, as you can see from C's update below, I made it here. 16 hours in planes and aiports following a 10 hour dash (!) in the car to get me to the airport on time! All thanks to MrC (and really, it was ALL down to him!)

Anyway, thanks baby - I made it here!

An update on Claire...

For those who might be interested (and I'm guessing you are) some texts confrim for Claire that she has safely made it through Singapore and is now in Ho Chi Minh! Which I think is where she was aiming for (someone correct me if I'm wrong)...

And she has some celebrity sightings to report...

Leaving on a jet plane, Don't know when I'll be back again.... (actually its 2nd feb)

The time has come and I am out of here!

Off to catch our train daan saarrf before by bum-numbing 16 hour plane ride. Ahhh, believe me in a few days time I will be delighted to have a numb bum. (I plan to use copious amounts of Deep Heat to make this a reality!)

So many things running through my head at the moment, and I seem to be worrying about, well, lesser important things and I cant help but think I am worrying because I feel I should. Given what a big deal this is (as people keep pointing out, and that's not a sarky comment, it seems I really do need people to tell me these things!) I guess it wouldnt be right if I was too chilled out. Although given the things that are running through my mind it seems I may be avoiding the bigger picture ....

1. Will anyone speak to me (silly as already got a bit of banter going with one of the other girls on email and text)
2. But what if her friend who she is going with doesnt like me and wont let me speak to her
3. What if NO on likes me and and I am on my ownio...at the back (will take ipod.... dodged that bullet.. mentally striking this off my list of worries)

In case you haven't grasped yet, I so seem to have the concerns of an 11 year old....

1. Maybe I will miss my flight - in fairness this is understandable
2. What if I fall off my bike on day 1 hurting myself so much that I cant cycle anymore.... again, a fair conern as I have a track record of toppling, lots.
3. ....I get sunbrned and end up being the loser who has to ride in the van
4. ....my dodgy elbow plays up and I have to ride in the van (how embarrasing if I couldnt complete because of an elbow!! )

I was going to carry on then, but really I am getting myself worked up into a state over nothing... more to the point if I carry on finding things to worry about I will miss my train and then I really will have some issues.

Maybe I'll just relax and enjoy it!!

Goodbye Scotland, hello Asia...

Thanks...

I have now raised over £1500 in sponsorship for this trip, this was the target I had set originally, so a big thank you to everyone who sponsored me.

I know some of you may feel left out of my warm embrace of thanks, so (to allow more of you to have the wam fuzzy feeling inside) I have upped my target.... lets see if we can make it to £2000!

www.justgiving.com/what-clairey-did-next

1 more sleep....

Thats my last day at work done and dusted!

I have been so excited for the past 2 days, but today was such a slump in my mood. What goes up must come down and all that.

So a little stress today when MrC and I had a disagreement about train timings, and a big stress trying to clear my desk to get gone. I have to say it was so weird saying goodbye to people knowing what I am off to do, dont normally get goodlucks when you go on hols... of course this isnt really a holiday. Surreal, and I guess thats what reminded me how big a deal this is.

So I cried a few tears on the car on the way home, and I think I pulled myself together once again. Pathetic.

Hints and Tips...

There are a few things I have learned about cycling while training. Now you have to understand that at the time when I signed up for this 'jaunt' (ah yes I will regret my flippant attitude, I do love the "I told you so's" :) ) that I had spent very little time on a bicycle since the days of my summer job berry picking. When I was 11. (Catherine - we were good back in the day!)
Now, I'm not that much older now, but 14 years off a bike, well, it makes a girl a little rusty. Other than the odd spin class and the day when I bought my current bike 5 years ago (literally the day, and by day I mean sitting on it to see if it fit/I fit (?)) I was pretty much starting over.

So, blase as ever and with that "wouldn't that be fun" attitude I seem to have developed, I signed up.

With a lot of help from Cycling Steve I got a training plan, and a little reality check when I realised how much I had to do. Training aside all was going well. Confidence was peaking and I started going out for longer and longer cycles out on the road. And that was where I discovered my nemesis. Ice. Yep, you all know that story. I believe I even may have bored some of you with the wound itself, but if you dodged that bullet, fear not....




25 years old and there I was a-falling off my bike and calling my "muuuummmy" I should say that back in the day when I was hitting the road on 2 wheels en route berry picking this never happened (although I did have a spectacular fall when I lost a pedal... oh and once I ran over a rabbit - impressive, no?)

You'd think that I would have learned my lesson after this and the fractured ribs from a few weeks previous, and I did... overall I have learned the following:

• Don't take your dog out cycling.... you will only end up dealing with the tricky decision, "do I run over the dog... or go over the handle bars?" (FYI I chose handle bars, hence the broken ribs...) For the comedians amongst you I don't mean take dog cycling on bike, that would be silly. Although I am loving the image of Scuba on a bike.


• If there is ice on the road, slow down.


• If there is ice on the road, slow down and pay attention


• If there is ice on the road, slow down, pay attention and stop singing as if you really think you could make it to the x factor... Albeit in the "worst auditions show"


• Cycling right on the edge of The Dee can lead to disaster (please note the 5 foot drop underneath my bike

• Padded shorts are a must


• Thongs are not suitable underwear while cycling, despite the presence of the padded shorts


• Cycling for long periods of time indoors in boring, unless you have something good on tv...

• People will never tire of telling you you need stabilisers!
  
• Lycra is not really a good look, ever.

Guys, the list goes on.

The main thing I have learnt? Is that you can bloody well do anything. To think how far I have come in just a few months is amazing, imagine how much I could have achieved had I been training a little longer? And not just physically. I come from an amazing family, big sis (as ever) has been an inspiration to me as has my mum. Both into their long distance running marathons, and triathlons being raced all over the place. I am trying to keep up, but am going with a sitting down sport first.

The countdown is on!

So, this is becoming really real now! Time for talking is over, its nearly time to hit the road and get going!!

Tomorrow is my last day at work, Thursday my last day to figure out what I do and dont have and then Friday its too late as I am finally going to be well and truely on my way.

It feel like the prep has been going on for a while, but in reality its only been 14 weeks. Yowsers!

So off I go...

My aim is to keep this updated as much as I can while I am away, although the updates will be minimal, to keep my friends and family up to is the main aim. Yes Dad, you can try and google earth me but I am not sure if you will be able to make me out.....

Its for CHAS

While I am doing this because I wanted something to do, it is not a wholly selfish act. I am also raising funds for CHAS.

You always hear about people doing these great things, pushing themselves to the limit for something else, so I figured that I ought to take advantage of myself (can you do that?) . So I am using this trip (self funded, all money I raise has gone to the charty) to raise a little towatds CHAS.

That's all.

19 days and counting.

In ninteen days time I will be flying to Vietnam. In 20 days time I will start pedalling. 8 days and 400 kms later I will arrive in Angkor Wat, Camobia. What was I thinking?

Bascially I felt like doing something; stressed out, bored with my life, and all in all feeling a bit low about myself, I decided to find something to do.
The Something that I found was a cycle challenge. 400km from Ho Chi Min City to Angkor Wat. Anyone reading this who knows me knows thats just the way I seem to work. A tendancy to jump in with both feet without thinking things through, running before walking... or in this case taking off my stabilisers waaay to soon (cracked ribs and a lovely scarred left knee are testimony to that!) I should point out that that was, of course, metaphorical... my cycling skills are not that dire althought I know there are a few people out there who will argue otherwise!

Training has been intense, I have accumulated a number of injuries (all part of the experience right?) and have most definitely been a slacker at times. Early morning starts, spin classes, lonely hours spent pedalling on stationary bikes, swimming (yes it is old lady swimming but swimming none the less) weights, medicine balls, lonely hours, more swimming, stretching...
I cant complain as I have loved (almost) every moment of this (in particular the stretching, I can do this well and I wish I could "downward facing dog" for the 400km, I sincerely hope people get that yoga reference!)

The change of diet has been a problem for me, but hey "out of the frying pan"... sadly I know if I had been more stringent with myself on this then I'd probably have improved my physicality no end which does weigh on my mind. Perhaps that aspect of the challenge was too much too soon!! A girl needs a cheeky wine though right???

So, 19 days and counting. Bring. It.