Liverpool to Luxembourg

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We’re still alive! 3 countries and god knows how many miles we’ve rode or strange beds we’ve slept in since we last updated the blog!

We left you in Nha Trang, Vietnam where we enjoyed some R&R time off the bikes. We did proper tourist things and even had a mud bath to cleanse the Vietnamese road grime away. Nick claims it took years off him (yeah right!)

From there we escaped to Dalat. A lovely town in the highlands where the French used to go in colonial times to get away from the heat on the coast. The town still has the feel of an alpine village, it’s beautiful and unlike anywhere else we saw in Vietnam.

We spent the Lunar (Chinese) New Year in Saigon and, as we missed the western new year, we were really looking forward to a huge colourful celebration. We heard the fireworks outside but didn’t see a thing. Nick had toilet explosions of his own and couldn’t stray far from the hotel/bathroom. We didn’t venture far for 4 days and tight arse Nick (so to speak) was in more pain when he paid $260 at the international hospital just to be diagnosed with traveller’s diarrhoea. In the end we were glad to leave Saigon, the traffic is crazy there and Nick’s toilet troubles didn’t help. Follow the link for a sample of Saigon traffic…

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From Saigon we followed the Mekong Delta toward Cambodia. The guidebooks direct tourists to specific border crossings where they can get a visa and clear customs etc. We didn’t realise this until it was too late and had opted for a crossing normally only used by the locals. We left Vietnam and cycled across no man’s land not knowing if they would let us into Cambodia without the right documentation. However, with a few extra dollars, and even more smiles and excuses we managed to get a visa at the border. (who needs the lonely planet!)

Cycling in Cambodia is totally different to Vietnam, the pace of life is just much slower, there is only a tiny fraction of the traffic on the roads and it’s much flatter! We took a leisurely week to ride to Takeo, Kampot and Sihanoukville. We cycled in the morning, when it was cooler, and soaked up village life in the afternoon. Volleyball is very popular and there are courts marked out in gardens, car parks, forecourts, everywhere actually. Nick watched a game in Kampot hospital grounds and when it was over a motorbike and sidecar ice cream man turned up. The team captain, a nurse in the ear nose and throat ward, bought one for everyone including Nick. Like virtually everything else we ate for 2 months it was served on a bed of steamed rice!

We left Cambodia and went to Phuket via Bangkok. The chicken chasers from the Cook Island, Sean & Gareth, are renting apartments in Patong so we crashed with them and their Thai girlfriends for a few days. We couldn’t keep up with them on our push bikes so we hired a moped and lived their life - lazy mornings, fishing, pool and late night beers. They showed us the sights… it was hard to tell who was a he/she and who was a real she!

Jen’s mum, auntie and uncle flew to Phuket for a holiday and we spent nearly a week with them in absolute luxury at Cape Panwa. It was really lovely to see them, they spoilt us rotten and the time went all too quickly. (Thanks mum, Pam & Bren).

We’ve moved on from Phuket, done a bit of island hoping and sea kayaking and are currently in Krabi, southern Thailand. We’ve cycled over 2000 miles on the bikes, that’s the same as Liverpool to Luxembourg and back, TWICE, but we’re coming to the end of the road and wondering what to do with them…

That’s it from us, we’re still loving it and each other. Hope you‘re all well.

Love

N&J

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Comments

[lizzkenny]

Liverpool to Luxembourg
Lovely to read your latest blogg, glad to see that your both well. You are experiencing some fantastic sights, some of the photographs on this blogg make you stop and think, the simple and poor life stuggles that these people have and yet they are happy, it is the only way of life they know, humbling indeed!! Nicholas i hope your much better now, your mum said to us that you had a touch of the DEL BOY's ( trotters).... keep getting better. Everyone is well here, spring is around the corner and the weather is a little bit milder now. Keep on enjoying yourselves take care of each other, love as always...... Lizz and Mattxxxxx

[Sharne & Les]

Hey Guys, thanks for the blog entry, (and the postcards) love catching up on your travels and the photos are always great. Spring is springing here in Liverpool. The night are getting lighter, we can drive home from work without head lights on. Some parts of the UK had snow last week!! Waiting for it to get warm enough to enjoy an outdoor swim at DLs. Take care, much love to you both. Sis and Les. x x x

[Ann Craddock]

Family Reunion!
Glad you all had such a lovely time in Thailand, its lovely to see the photos. You mum, Pam and Bren must have been thrilled to see you both again. Not too long til you return to Old Blighty! Love from Wilb and Taff xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx