Greggies on Tour: Thailand

We've just finished the first leg of our Exodus cycle tour having ridden through parts of eastern Thailand in blistering heat and crossed the border today into Cambodia. We had an easy journey from Delhi to Bankok where we met up with Clare and Stuart and the rest of the Exodus group as well as Sue and Lucy Rocke who were in Bangkok at the same time. The Exodus support team of Chay Nut and Not have been great as well as hilarious at times, always ready to give a surreptitious shove up the occasional hills we've come across. The first day was memorable for losing Pauline - a super fit Dynamo from New Zealand who had missed a turning and gone 10k in the wrong direction. Fortunately she had the contact number of Chay so he could send the support lorry on a rescue mission to retrieve her.

The second day was memorable for the heat - we rode 90km in up to 43 degrees in the afternoon which was exhausting and would have been impossible without copious supplies of water, electrolytes and ice. Fluid replacement and keeping body temperature down was a constant challenge - we regularly got through 40 litres of water between 10 of us, and that doesn't include generous supplies of Coke and Sprite. In the afternoons when it really hot they prepare ice water buckets for us to dunk our arms in, pour over our heads etc. Neck scarfs and bras doubled up as ideal receptacles for ice cubes! One of the group Naomi got heat stroke so we had to play doctor and nurse - she narrowly avoided hospital and is fortunately much better now.

The first day we came across a Buddhist celebration of Songkran - a water festival. We joined in the dancing procession and got soaked by a water cannon which was great