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Our two entrepid explorers, tired of Marathon Runners, Abseilers and Church Cake Sales hogging the limelight of altrusim and all-things-charitable have taken it upon themselves to Do Something That's Hard To Do, and hopefully raise a little cash for needy, needy kids (or whatever) in the process.

With that in mind, they will Ride The Length Of Vietnam on Motorcycles, using nothing more than their cunning and guile to defy death, and in doing so the admiration and respect of their family and peers.

Also, it's like, way easier than training for a Marathon.

It's about 1500km, so £150 seemed like a sensible target. We'll be doing our best to keep you posted on our progress, no doubt exaggerating greatly the perils involved. We may even stop for photos. Also, Ice Cream.

Help us people!

Update - 17/02/10

Ok, so we're about halfway down the country now, resting up in Hoi An (it's like being in the south of France, if the south of France was full of Vietnamese people trying to make you rent a motorbike) so we thought it was a good time to update you on our progress so far. It's the least we could do for all the generous donations.

So, things we've observed about the journey so far:

0) Contrary to earlier reports, Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City is more like 1700km, not 1500km. I blame Ruth for the error, though it was probably my fault; My map-reading skills have been consistantly poor since we arrived and we've come to the unspoken agreement that it's better for everyone if Ruth is in charge of the map.

1) Highway 1, just south of Hanoi, is probably the most dangerous stretch of road anywhere on the planet. Buses and Trucks compete with each other over who can perform the most dangerous, most reckless overtaking manoeuvre and everyone else just tries to stay out of the way. Usually, a bus will overtake a truck as it's overtaking someone else, which on a one-lane highway, is a recipe for disaster. We both had some pretty close calls and I'm not sure it's a trip either of us could ever take again.

2) Once you're away from the Highways, the mountain scenary in northern Vietnam is pretty much as spectacular as you'd expect. It's hard to take photos when you're hurtling along at 80kph so we can only suggest that everyone goes and sees them for themselves. Failing that, just close your eyes and imagine a really, really great mountain scene, with windy roads overlooking lakes and valleys, cloud lingering on the peaks, lush green rice paddies and children frolicking on the roadside, throwing petals in the air as you pass.

[Ok, that last one might not quite be accurate, but it brings us on to...]

3) There are more children playing on the highways of Vietnam than one would reasonably expect. And by 'playing', I mean that on what in the UK would be a 60mph 'A Road', there are groups of children playing hopscotch with no regard for the traffic hurtling past them. Also; cows, goats, chickens (one of which I hit, don't think I killed him though) and dogs (which I nearly hit, though Ruth insists I came closer than I actually did) roam free. Once you're in the mountains, it's quite common to come round a blind corner only to have to suddenly avoid a herd of cows that have wandered into the middle of the road and stopped.

4) Punctures are reasonably common-place and quickly fixed. We have had one each in 5 days of riding; an old repair to my rear inner tube came undone while we were in the mountains, and Ruth ran over a screw on the Highway later the same day. In both cases a short ride to the nearest village, the universal signals for 'my front/back tyre has a puncture and I would like to pay you to repair it' and about $3 of our money saw us on or way. Also, I nearly ran out of petrol in the mountains and had to crawl along at 30kmh praying that a petrol station would appear. It did, and I was so happy I nearly kissed the guy operating the pump; I think he thought I was a bit wierd.

5) Losing your guidebook and you're only source of helpful Vietnamese phrases is not a good idea, especially when you don't know where you are and no-one speaks english. Ruth will say it is my fault that our guidebook got left behind when we stopped so Ruth could put her contact lens in, I would say that in the swirl of confusion and with everything that was going on at the time, it's really not possible to say 'who forgot what and where'...

6) There isn't much Ice Cream avilable on your typical 'Vietnamese Mountain Road', it's mainly noodles and meats of suspicious origin. Incidently, the worst meal we've had since we've been out here was at a bus station in Laos where the noodle soup contained more types of meat than there are animals we're comfortable eating. We've also been to a restaurant that had 'Tortoise' on the menu, though it wasn't clear whether it was served in it's shell or not.

So that's pretty much it so far. I've posted some of our photos to keep you amused (specifically with reference to how much Ruth looks like an extra from 'Top Gun') and hopefully I'll be adding more to this account once we venture further south.

Peace out, yo.

Adam & Ruth