Georgina Sanchez writes us a post card at the end of her first ten days on a bike riding to raise money for Vietnamese Children Charities. Check out her previous post where she discusses the trip and the journey from New York to HCM via CELTA to get there.

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Well I just finished riding for ten days and it wasn’t so bad. Maybe that’s because we are still in the north and the roads are pretty good. A part of me still cannot believe that I have been cycling for ten days. To think that only just ten days ago I was in Hanoi completely nervous and full of doubt about doing this. Asking myself questions like: Was I fit enough to do this? Would I make it all the way to the end in HCMC? After leaving the city of Hanoi and hitting the road, being surrounded by the natural beauty of Vietnam, all my fears melted away as I took in scenery.

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Luckily, I’m not having to do the ride alone and the team of riders with me make it so much easier. And then there’s the Vietnamese people we meet along the way. The high-fives, the hellos, the broken but exhilarating conversations… they really make the journey worthwhile and you can’t help but feel appreciated.  They feed us fantastic food, delicious drinks and give real meaning to the kilometers behind us and still to go.

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But a driving force even more important than the team and the people we meet, the best fuel in our respective tanks, is the actual reason we are cycling over 2000km on our bikes. This trip is part of a charity ride to raise funds for Vietnam’s most vulnerable children; the orphans, the abandoned, and the victims of sex trafficking. Whilst in Hanoi we were able to visit the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation, one of the charities our ride supports. Here we met some of the children who benefit from the foundations existence and the help that H2H gives it every year. They served us drinks as part of their hospitality training and even did a spot of rather impressive hip-hop dancing. Watching them work, and play, I started to appreciate the value of giving these children the time and space to grow in a healthy and encouraging environment. Here they have a chance to learn, develop, feel safe and be happy. Considering the alternatives, I can’t imagine a better cause and I promised myself there and then, that no matter what, I would finish the H2H 2016 charity ride. Right, now it’s time to get back on our bikes, we’re not half-way yet!

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