pedalling furiously through indo-china exodus · bamboo-framed houses on seven-foot high stilts...
TRANSCRIPT
Source: Evening News (Norwich) {Main}Edition:Country: UKDate: Saturday 25, February 2012Page: 32,33Area: 1119 sq. cmCirculation: ABC 18831 DailyBRAD info: page rate £2,320.16, scc rate £9.23Phone: 01603 628 311
Keyword: Exodus
Pedalling furioussly through Indo-ChinaDespite stifling heat and the odd saddle sore, the 500km bike trip that KATE HODAL undertook through Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam turned out to be the ride of her life.When the poet TS Eliot penned, in 1922, his
immortal line that “April is the cruellest
month”, he was not cycling through Indo-China
in 34C heat with 95% humidity.
But here I am on a mountain bike in the middle
of the Thai jungle, cursing the poet, the
sun and sticky heat dripping down
my arms and legs.
It is 10am on day two of a 500-
kilometre cycle tour of
Thailand, Cambodia and
Vietnam, and I wonder if I
have already lost my mind.
The thick air is sweet
with the milky scent of
frangipani, the hills dotted
with endless palm trees.
Bamboo-framed houses on
seven-foot high stilts squat in
rows along the dirt roads,
their thatched palm roofs
blowing in the hot wind.
As I shuffle around, trying to find a
comfortable position for the 95 kilometres
looming ahead of me, I can say with certainty
that my bum will never forgive me for this two-
week bender of eco-alternative tourism.
Eight of us, all strangers, have decided to
pedal our way through Indo-China on a 16-day
tour with adventure specialists Exodus.
If it weren’t for the slight breeze awarded by
our two wheels, we’d most likely be napping
like the locals in hammocks alongside the road.
Even the stray dogs are snoozing in the middle
of the street.
April is the preamble to the monsoon season
in Indo-China (southeast Asia’s peninsula
containing Burma, Thailand, Malaya, Laos,
Cambodia and Vietnam) and as a result
scorching heat can sometimes erupt into
thunder and water droplets the size of cotton
wool balls.
Our motley crew - comprising a German, a
Canadian, a Pole, two Danes and a few Brits -
has prepared for the weather by wearing
breathable lycra, wrap-around shades and
cycling shoes.
I own none of the above, a fact that elicits
clucks of disapproval from the more serious
cyclists when they see my leopard-print dresses,
turquoise sunglasses and large hoop earrings.
But I am here for the views - not to race!
And anyway, the brochure said that this was a
“moderate activity” trip so I’m
surprised, being the youngest in
our group, that I am also the
slowest.
We are such a fast group
(the Tour de Sadists, I dub
them) that our soft-
spoken, 30-something
Thai tour guide Al, who
cycles this route six
times a year and is
unfazed by the heat or
the distance, continually
looks like he’s been
dunked in a pool of pure
sweat.
But in true Thai style he
laughs off the challenge of
ascending hills and long rides, setting
off quickly each day before anyone can
complain.
Our other local guide (we always have two,
throughout the trip) is much more relaxed. A
former Buddhist monk, Sart’s real job is as a
singer in a Bob Marley band. Astonishingly, he
plays Bob Marley.
“I wear a wig,” he confides. “You would be
surprised at how similar we look.”
Sart and I become fast buddies, stopping
together to marvel at the surrounding
landscape: vermilion and gold leaf Buddhist
temples, water buffalo in the emerald rice
paddies, farmers with eight foot-long shotguns,
and children holding out their palms for rapid
transit high-fives.
One day, after feeding a few stray puppies on
the side of the road, I realise the Tour de
Sadists are racing each other - and, even more
bizarrely, motorised tuk-tuks - to the day’s
‘finish line’.
“Now they’ve really lost their minds,” I
Reproduced by Durrants under licence from the NLA (newspapers), CLA (magazines), FT (Financial Times/ft.com) or other copyright owner. No furthercopying (including printing of digital cuttings), digital reproduction/forwarding of the cutting is permitted except under licence from the copyright owner. All FT content is copyright The Financial Times Ltd.
Article Page 1 of 5
206228193 - KRICHA - A12454-20 - 57174750
Source: Evening News (Norwich) {Main}Edition:Country: UKDate: Saturday 25, February 2012Page: 32,33Area: 1119 sq. cmCirculation: ABC 18831 DailyBRAD info: page rate £2,320.16, scc rate £9.23Phone: 01603 628 311
Keyword: Exodus
Kate Hodal was a guest of adventure specialists Exodus Travel (0845 8639601, exodus.co.uk), which offers a 16-day Cycle Indo-China and Angkor Wat. It includes accommodation, transfers, some meals and flights ex-Heathrow for £1,879. Connecting flights from regional airports from around £100.Next departure dates are April 14, July 21, August 4, Sept 15 and 29 and include cycling in Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam.
Key Facts - Cycling In Indo-China Best for: Adventure enthusiasts who
appreciate being off the beaten track. Time to go: November to March is the cool
season, monsoons last from May to October. Don’t miss: Local delicacies such as sweet iced
coffee, fried tarantula and Vietnamese Pho (noodle soup).
Need to know: Indo-China is conservative, so dress accordingly.
Don’t forget: Your own saddle, or a supply of padded bike shorts.
Reproduced by Durrants under licence from the NLA (newspapers), CLA (magazines), FT (Financial Times/ft.com) or other copyright owner. No furthercopying (including printing of digital cuttings), digital reproduction/forwarding of the cutting is permitted except under licence from the copyright owner. All FT content is copyright The Financial Times Ltd.
Article Page 3 of 5
206228193 - KRICHA - A12454-20 - 57174750
Source: Evening News (Norwich) {Main}Edition:Country: UKDate: Saturday 25, February 2012Page: 32,33Area: 1119 sq. cmCirculation: ABC 18831 DailyBRAD info: page rate £2,320.16, scc rate £9.23Phone: 01603 628 311
Keyword: Exodus
Reproduced by Durrants under licence from the NLA (newspapers), CLA (magazines), FT (Financial Times/ft.com) or other copyright owner. No furthercopying (including printing of digital cuttings), digital reproduction/forwarding of the cutting is permitted except under licence from the copyright owner. All FT content is copyright The Financial Times Ltd.
Article Page 4 of 5
206228193 - KRICHA - A12454-20 - 57174750
Source: Evening News (Norwich) {Main}Edition:Country: UKDate: Saturday 25, February 2012Page: 32,33Area: 1119 sq. cmCirculation: ABC 18831 DailyBRAD info: page rate £2,320.16, scc rate £9.23Phone: 01603 628 311
Keyword: Exodus
Reproduced by Durrants under licence from the NLA (newspapers), CLA (magazines), FT (Financial Times/ft.com) or other copyright owner. No furthercopying (including printing of digital cuttings), digital reproduction/forwarding of the cutting is permitted except under licence from the copyright owner. All FT content is copyright The Financial Times Ltd.
Article Page 5 of 5
206228193 - KRICHA - A12454-20 - 57174750