Ben does Burma. The official tour video!!

 

The perfect record of the trip - filmed on GoPro, produced and edited by Ben.

 

 

This is London Calling.....

"A journey is best measured in friends rather than miles" - Tim Cahill

And as we all collected our baggage from the carousel after an uneventful flight, the warmth of the farewells suggests that by any account this was a most excellent journey.

The stop over in Bangkok was a opportunity for at least some of us to indulge our western taste buds.  If Gemma and Kirsty's faces were happy with a cheese and ham toasty in Yangon for lunch,  they were positively ecstatic with a whopper and fries in Bangkok for dinner!

Stef fulfilled her final duty of the trip without mishap - getting the 17 of us to gate E4 and on the Thai Air 747-400 that will see us all the away to London.

Once aboard supper and sleep came easily to all of us, I think.  The pre-landing announcements signalled our imminent arrival into London - overcast and 16° is slightly different to what we've been used to over the past week!

Just the short ride to Reading on the Railair coach now, and then the lovely anticipation of seeing Helen and the boys.

So, time to sign off. Over the next few days I'll update the blog with photos and videos so do keep reading. Thanks to all my fellow adventurers for such a wonderful experience. We all come back with so many memories I'm sure they'll keep us going for a good few days yet.

What a privilege to see such an extraordinary country in such a unique way, and to help those little lives in the process.

The final leg...

Just waiting to board TG 910 to London. Nearly home!

Happy in Bangkok

Day Seven: The reason for it all

For some Friday merged seamlessly into Saturday.  

For others the process was a little messy,  but at 1000 bags were packed for the last time. Its quite a military enterprises getting ready each day, packing day packs and suitcases. On this final occasion there was no need to carefully segregate the fetid pile of dirty cycle gear from the clean clothes. Washing machines back home be warned: you don't know what's about to hit you!

Our faithful bus takes us to the centre of the town and the Bogyoke Aung San Market where we have an opportunity to stroll, barter and shop.

After coffee and lunch at a very civilised coffee bar,

 we board the bus to visit the purpose of all our our fundraising, sweating and endurance: the Hosanna Children's Home.

 Wearing our Hope Asia t-shirts we leap off the bus in the middle of a busy, dusty suburb and are met by Pastor Va.  He walks with us to the home and we can immediately see the results of the generous donations we've raised: the perimeter wall, nearing completion.

 (The Pastor later explained that when the home itself was built - by hope Asia two years ago,  the impression was that the community were wealthy,  so need the extra security.)

It was a moving two hours of singing,

playing and reflection on the love and security these children receive, when otherwise they would have had such a blighted future. I was struck by Pastor Va's words, encouraging them to work hard so they can go out into the world to become teachers, doctors lawyers. The youngest child, a toddler of two in a little yellow vest runs round to each of us handing us cool water bottles. He was found abandoned in rags by the side of the road.

Our time was all too quickly over.  High fiving and shaking hands we reluctantly say good bye,  and board our bus to make the short journey to the airport.

Day Six cont'd: Time to Party

We arrived back at the Hotel Clover in good time, in spite of the ludicrous Yangon traffic,  a by product of the progress here.  Previously the tax on imported cars was punitive and trade sanctions meant that new cars couldn't be imported anyway. For years visitors commented on the ancient rust buckets held together with tape, string and wire. Now those are almost all gone: the roads are packed with cars, the infrastructure failing to keep up with progress.

It didn't seem possible that a week had passed since we were in the same lobby, tired from the long journey from home and filled with nervous excitement. Now the perception of comfort and familiarity were surely an indication of the many experiences we have had in such a short time.

A rendezvous at 1945 was preceded by a drink at the bar next door,  decked out for Halloween and the drinks served by a couple who seemed to be taking their fancy dress rather too seriously!

We had dinner at a downtown restaurant called Monsoon.  Clearly a popular expat choice as two previous visitors to Yangon had been taken there on their previous trip. We had the chance to toast our guides and support team: Wallace, Coffee, Longman and the rest of the crew and driver thanking them for the incredible insight to this remarkable country they have given us.

And of course we thanked the remarkable Stef, our wonderful tour lead.  After three HopeAsia trips the personal bond between the charity, Crispin and many of us on the trip is a testimony to her amazing and unparalleled skills in helping people to enjoy a challenge of this nature when they are stretched well beyond their comfort zone. Any future endeavours will never quite be the same without her.

We also bade a fond farewell to Lisa, Rachel, Alan and Marc who have an early morning departure to Bagan tomorrow. No bikes for them - just a hot air balloon ride!

For some bed called, for others a chance to witness a side of the colonial history of the country with a happy hour cocktail or three at The Strand Hotel. The night of celebration was only just beginning.

For some the rest of the night is a blur, and not just because of the breakneck speed and erratic driving of the taxis back to the hotel.

Karen'sTardis Bag

If you come away as well prepared as Karen,  then you need to ensure you have a Tardis bag in which to keep all your  snacks, suncream, inhalers, etc. Who would have thought so much could fit into something so small.....

Day Six in pictures

Day Six: Mission Accomplished!

The Hotel Zewkabin served us well for the now traditional dinner dishes with the added novelty of them being served on a lazy susan. The party headed to bed at about 2100. No communication home due to an earlier storm knocking out the mobile cell. (Myanmar's pretty good WiFi network has been established over a mobile phone network built by the Norwegian and Qatari mobile phone companies).
So a delay in posts I'm afraid.  By the time you read this and yesterday's blog we'll be back at the Hotel Clover in Yangon.

So day six dawned.  Alarms at 0530,  breakfast at 0600 and on the bus  for an early morning tourist jaunt to the Kyauk Kalap Pagoda - an eye wateringly beautiful stupa on the top of a limestone outcrop surrounded by water. In the long shadows of the early morning this will surely be one of the images of Burma that will last with us all for a long time.  Could this have been the inspiration for the Avatar movie?

Back to the hotel?  But just to mount our bikes and set off for the final 50km of the adventure.  Where has the week gone?

A glorious ride as the rural day to day activity started its daily routine.  We were passed by many dumper trucks and lorries,  the majority would definitely fail their MOT in the UK. But three or four pristine yellow trucks and a huge articulated flatbed with an excavator stood out.  'a present from the people of Japan'  declared a sticker on their cabs.  Another sign of how things are changing here.

The sheer beauty of the landscape is hard to put in words.  At one bridge crossing the rocks outcrops and broad confluence of  number of waterways would, in so many other countries, be a tourist hot-spot.  How long before the hotels are built on the banks?

A great morning's cycle at super pace kept us all together and we made very good headway.

We pulled off after about 30kms to visit the Kaw Gun caves.  As monastery in habited by lively monkeys and built around hot springs that provided relief for tired feet and, in the case of Adam, Peter G and me, full bodily immersion!

Soggy cycle shorts were not ideal for the final push, but we only had ourselves to blame! The moment of truth was just a few kilometres away. the moment we would say farewell to our trusty bikes of the last few days and the last chance to shout 'mingalaba' to the incredulous Burmese on the roadside, to see their faces erupt into the most wonderful endearing smiles.

We regrouped just before the final 6km for a quick puncture repair to Ben's bike, and to allow an advance party to enjoy the last opportunity to stretch their legs to the finish line where we were greeted by Crispin and his horn. We so missed him on our last leg today, but he sensibly stayed in the cool of the bus, feeling far from 100%.

The timings of the the final 6km tell a story:
1km:3.48 mins, 2km:2.28 mins, 3km:2.13 mins, 4km:2.03mins, 5km:2.07 mins, and finally 6km:1.44 mins. Slightly downhill on a great road surface it was a wonderful conclusion to the athletic exertions of the past 5 days. Chance to pick up a bit of speed and head to the line.

And that was that. 345.25km (215.94m miles) conquered. 

We pulled over, dismounted our bikes for the last time and stripped them of our customisations in broiling heat. Did we really cycle in that?! Saddles removed and we sat down to a celebratory drink and chicken noodle lunch. Boy, did that beer taste good!

And then we retracing the route we cycled by bus for a long transfer back to Yangon accompanied by torrential rain.  As I write I'm surrounded by reclined chairs, open mouths, sweat-drenched cycling jerseys drying from the curtain rails. Contented exhaustion sums it up perfectly.

A night of celebration in Yangon awaits before visiting the reason for all this: the orphanage which will benefit from all of the generous donations that spurred us all on at our lowest ebb.

Let there be no doubting the physical challenge of the whole enterprise. The long flight, the lack of sleep, the jetlag, the inevitable tummy rumbles, the heat, the hills.

But the friendships made, the prospect of the first cocktail in The Strand Hotel tonight, and above all the £25,000+ money makes that all worthwhile.

Bravo everyone! We done good!!

Day Five: Where's Wally?

The delights of the hotel continued to please. Dinner was served in the banqueting hall,  but no-one leapt on the stage to perform. Dinner felt very civilised with attentive staff and the usual diet of rice, chicken and nuts, beans watercress and garlic. Our guides left us looking ready for a big night on the town with pressed shirts and big anticipatory grins.  Clearly there's something about Malwyamine for  young men to dress up for.  We retired to the terrace for some Dutch courage beer style in anticipation of the big hill tomorrow.

Morning dawned with a nice breakfast on the same picturesque terrace with a view over the river - as long as you didn't look too closely at the magnitude of rubbish washing up along the shore.

At 0745 we were ready to board the bus out of town. But we were missing our guides! Stef called Wallace to be told they had a problem with the van.  We suspect their cover was blown when they rocked up about 40 minutes later looking rather worse for wear and wearing the same clothes they had left for their night out!

The morning did indeed start,  rather later than anticipated,  with a big hill. Even the Budda at the top was reclining.

In fact I think it was over more quickly than billed. We were joined by our own police escort for much of the morning: a sort of Burmese CHiPs.... On a moped.

As we came down the other side of the mountain the landscape changed to lush green pancake flat paddy fields surrounded by mountains and interrupted by rocky outcrops. In short, spectacular.

Equally as spectacular was the concentration required to cross the two suspension bridges, each almost a kilometre. The cycle path was just two feet wide or else we risked tye peril of tyre sized gaps between the iron slats.  And just to add to the thrill the second bridge had missing sections of safety rail.  Thrill seekers will enjoy this video: I love Clive's punch of the air when he reaches terra firma.

Lunch in a small restaurant run by an enthusiastic young chap was punctuated by a couple of illnesses: poor Kirsty and Crispin succumbing to the heat, or a bug, or both. Once back on our bikes we completed another 27kms along a straight, flat tree lined road flanked by large paddy fields and waterways with impressive mountains for a backdrop and our day in the saddle was complete. Our last few kms completed in the first rain of the trip and we finally also cracked the skill of cycling as a group by now.

At one of our regroup stops Wallace was approached by three men from Burma's SkyNet TV channel asking for an interview when we got to the hotel. Stardom at last! I'm sure our pace clocked up a notch as the camera car drove past.  Not just the villagers we've passed on out travels, but now the whole country will be able to witness the invasion of Stef and Crispin's florescent lycra army!

On the way to the Hotel Zwekabin we stopped at the field of a thousand Buddhas, situated at the foot of an imposing mountain that glowed an eerie ruddy colour as the sun set. Rachel, in particular, was purring as we drove into the hotel grounds...a collection of lodges nestled below the mountain. We'll wake up to quite a view.

So a further 64km added to the tally today. There's no doubting this is a real challenge with ripples, undulations, and hills to conquer, and each of us have had our own personal moments where the challenge felt like it could beat us.  But it's a great group, and it's amazing how many more kms you can complete, that you really didn't know you had in you when a cycling buddy comes up alongside you and kicks off a conversation...

So who are those buddies? I haven't had a chance to mention everyone yet,  so here's this action movie's cast list:

Producer: Crispin
Director : Stef

Leading Ladies
Donna
Kate
Gemma
Kirsty
Margaret
Lisa
Rachel
Karen

Main Men
Alan
Marc
Ben
Clive
Peter G

Fathers & Sons
Peter W & Adam
Stephen & Ed
Crispin & Sam

Screenplay
Chris

Day Four in pictures

Day Four: As authentic as it gets

Sadly last night's accommodation did not provide any of the luxuries that we craved. In fact it didn't have many of the basics that we needed!
The town of Tha Hton is well off the beaten trail, so the town is not blessed by many options for 20 British cyclists.  So this was a night that few of us will forget in a hurry, the party split between two different guest houses. The names were nice enough, Yellow Cloud and Blue Cloud, but not every cloud has a silver lining:
Up to three of us shared windowless rooms, and even beds. We swapped tales of plastic chairs,  unorthodox wiring, showers that didn't work, and hotel staff who tried to fix it by turning on the TV.  Yes, there was TV and that worked fine, but it was about the only thing that did.  Sadly we didn't have a Burmese equivalent of Basil Fawlty present to complete the experience.

To continue the authentic theme, dinner was in a very local Chinese restaurant. Tonight was clearly going to be a night to cope with,  although in fact the food was pretty good and a drop of Grand Royal whisky as a night cap eased us to bed!

Day Four dawned with quite a few reporting unexpectedly good nights sleep. A 7 start this morning,  and authenticity continued as we headed to a local tea house for breakfast.  Crouching on nursery sized chairs we marvelled at the efficiency we were each served two eggs on toast and tea or nescafe (or in some cases both mixed together)

 And then to the task in hand. We were reunited with our bikes just outside the town and pedalled along a fairly busy road but with views and experiences to compensate : two tuk tuks with even bigger sound systems than we saw yesterday complete with jiving young men walking directly in front of the cacophony.

At one water stop we were encouraged across the road to meet a five families who lived in one small compound of teak houses on stilts.  They were just as curious of us as we were of them. Ben was, in their eyes, the special one,  receiving many admiring comments for his height, pale complexion and good looks. And had we not rescued Kirsty I think they would have been more than happy to welcome her to their family for good.

  A short photo stop at a waterfall for the team shot wearing our Hope Asia challenge t shirts and we pressed on to complete 48km at our lunch stop.  A chance to relax in the shade was most welcome as we waited for the food to be freshly cooked for us.  A most pleasant experience experience provided you didn't need to go to the loo.  Post lunch there was even a chance for some to catch 40 winks. I'm not relishing the prospect of seeing the photographic evidence of that.

Another 10km and we arrived at one side of a bridge spanning and vast waterway - 3km in fact which was a joy to cycle over. Then a leg burning hill climb to a spectacular view point

and a pleasant downhill run and waterfront cycle to the Hotel Attran as the heavens darkened and thunder rumbled around us. 

This couldn't  be more different to yesterday as we were welcomed with iced jasmine scented face towels, chilled orange juice (10% juice content?) and the sun sank below the horizon on the other side of the river.

Just as authentic but in a rather more agreeable way.

Day Three in pictures