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This challenge should have been titled mountain climbing on bike challenge! Yesterday we climbed 3800ft. Today the ride was around 78km but up the side of a blimmen mountain again climbing 5800 feet! My legs feel they've done exercise but they're not dropping off. Yet this morning they did not want to go at all! Fatigue! I ate well last night and this was the first hotel to cater for us Brits lol. Bacon, toast, eggs and chips for us for breakfast served with chop sticks of course. So we were well fuelled. However, Anna had to tow me for a few km. For non riders that means riding close to another rider to make it a little easier. I struggled to believe I could make it up those mountains today but your body starts to ... read more

Wupwup we woke to a clear blue sky! Oh and what a difference it makes. Now we can appreciate the beauty around us. Today was the toughest day I've ever experienced in my life! We started riding through local towns and villages. Before today I said to Anna how subdued China is. But today it came to life! It seems they chill at weekends so that's why nobody was about. We experienced gridlock in a market town and were given a line dancing performance by two locals. We saw locals trading chickens and fresh produce as well as locals cooking in the streets. Anna said how awesome it was because walking you feel vulnerable and in a vehicle you don't appreciate much. As a tourist you wouldn't really visit these parts anyway. Then Anna joked: imagine ... read more

Although I didn't arrive with expectations I discovered I have. Beijing was dressed in 27 degree sunshine in my minds eye not hiding behind a cloud of smog! I thought as we approached the country after 2.5 hour drive the smog would lift but it's like Bwlchgwyn on a foggy day but hot and humid. Weird in fact. So with little to see we all slept (14 of us on this flight). We were woken to our Chinese tour guide excitedly announcing our first sight of the great wall and we are searching with our eyes feeling unimpressed as you can't really see it! We were greeted at our hotel to be told there's a music festival on and they're sorry but we will be disturbed. As we approached our rooms we were greeted by backpackers ... read more

So yesterday was my last day and I was woken with a call at around 6.30am to tell me that the taxi driver had managed to find fuel and did I want to go to the airport via taxi. In an instant I said yes! It was the right decision - when I stepped out of the hotel there was a huge queue of traffic. Word had got out there was petrol in the pumps! People were literally pushing their cars along in the queue! My last day at work - no electricity all morning again - surrrrrprise! I spent the first hour doing a week-end (rather than month end) with Blessings and thankfully we got a cash reconcilation to balance for the first time! WUP WUP WUP!!!! Attention to detail has paid 'Kwatchaaaaaaaaaaa' (their currency) ... read more

I’m a celebrity, please keep me in here…. www.tongle.com is a eco wilderness lodge deep inside Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve so a good 45 minutes (maybe even an hour) of the journey was literally through the middle of the bush in a 4 wheel drive. The ride was very exciting and I saw water buck and baboons on the way in which was a wonderful taster of bush life. This reserve is one of the country’s largest conservation areas so it’s not commercialised. It’s vast at 1800km2 and the terrain is rugged spanning altitudes of 500m to 1638m so seeing wildlife here is a privilege and not guaranteed! After being jiggled around all over the place and beginning to feel a little queasy I was relieved to be greeted by the management and team with a cold ... read more