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19.
Cycle Vietnam
4th
September 2005
HI Everyone,
I am still in South East Asia, working, occasionally,
actually just about every day. Last month we were asked
to make a big decision about where we wanted to work.
 Intrepid
has got very big and so they (the powers that be) decided
that the region would have to be split into smaller management
sections. So we were given the choice of working in Cambodia
or working in Vietnam.
Hard
choice but I decided on Cambodia - more diversity in trips
and some trips start/end in Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok
so really get more variety in countries. Vietnam was just
Vietnam north to south and south to north trips. I could
see myself going nuts! - or at least more nuts.
So
my final Vietnam trip starts in five days, and of all
trips I am doing it is "Cycle Vietnam". On a
bike for two weeks I am predicting a very sore ass! I
haven't done the bike trips but once again the powers
that be in all their wisdom thought I would be the perfect
candidate for potentially losing my life on Vietnams roads.
The
guys who usually run the trips have gone nuts and are
using a cyclo (three wheeled people mover) to ride from
Hanoi to HCMC - they have given themselves a month and
it is all for charity - check it out at www.extremecharity.info.
The
other reason I was chosen as the biker was that last month
I ran a half marathon. I didn't really mean to, I had
a week off in Thailand and I didn't know what to do. I
knew I could run 10km but I had no idea whether I could
run 21.1km (yes that 0.1 is important).
Well,
I can and I was very chuffed with my efforts, I even got
a big gold medal souvenir, a t-shirt, a towel, a hat and
a bag. I am hoping to run the Amari midnight run in Bangkok
next month but it all depends on my allusive days off.
Sad
news recently as well being that a good friend of mine
died in the London bombings. Mike had just finished working
with Intrepid and had gone over to be with his girlfriend
(also an ex leader) in London. Moral was very low in leader
land after that event as well as many of our local guides
and operators.
I
asked for some time off over Christmas as I was planning
to go to Australia to say "G'Day" but I was
told to "... get real...."as that is the peak
time of year and there was no way I could bum my way out
of the schedule.
Actually
I am quite 'senior' as a leader in the region. Nearly
two years and in this job that is a very long time. I
don't know how much longer I will be hanging around. I
am still having so much fun I think it will be at least
another year.
So when are you coming over. None has come and visited
for months. I am a great excuse for a holiday in Asia!
Love Marlo
About
the Author
Marlo Perry is a Group Leader for Intrepid
Travel. She likes looking at cakes and can kill a
man with her bare hands.
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