This was a very good cycling trip - rated as moderate and there was nothing to stretch the abilities of anyone. The scenery was very varied and spectacular at times. .
Firstly, I wish to thank EXODUS for allowing an 87 year old to take this trip. It was such a rewarding experience and I was very touched when on the last evening the group praised me and said I was an inspiration to them. I did opt out of only two activities but I was not the only one. Although I was with my daughter, our guide, KHOA DUONG , was wonderfully encouraging too. In fact he was outstanding the way he showed sensitivity to the group as a whole and altered timings and activities according to our energy levels or more to the point, how we were all coping with the heat and humidity! I was impressed with his knowledge of the history of Vietnam as it affected different areas of the population and he always gave both sides of the story. His impartiality was without irony too. At the end of the trip were all felt like an extended family, with myself as the great- grandmother.
The tour was a mixture of cycling and touring and we saw everything that I wanted to see in Vietnam. It was a gastronomic tour of note. The Format was excellent. We personally would have liked more cycling.... as South Africans we clearly have a different view of what the 'moderate' classification meant... we would happily have cycled 100km each morning and then spent the afternoon enjoying the destination. We spent a huge amount of time waiting for slow members of the party at the regular stops along the way.