The last box of chocolates has been sold, and the money has been tallied. I have raised a HUGE $7108 for my Oxfam Challenge, thanks to everyone around me who has helped support my efforts.

I have written up most of the trip, including our visit to the Oxfam office in Vientiane, so click on Kirsty's TRIP TO LAOS to see the photos and read what the cycling and Laos was all about.

Let's not forget the fundraising in the excitement of the cycling! I am hoping to break through the $7000 mark. My target was $5000, and I am happy that I have smashed that. It's not too late to sponsor me and help lift my total past the mark. Click on the Donate to Oxfam and Kirsty's Challenge Total link and you can make a tax deductible donation to Oxfam Australia.

When I signed up I thought that I would struggle to raise $3000, so I am stoked that I have been able to more than double it! The response from friends and family and people in the community who I have met has been fantastic, and completely unexpected. I apreciate everyone who has helped me along the way, with big and small contributions of time, effort, monies, enthusiasm, encouragement and ideas. There were a few points when I flagged but there was always someone there to push me along and make sure that I made my targets.

PS I have added some more words and pictures to my trip diary. I still haven't finished it but I am closer. Click on Kirsty's TRIP TO LAOS to see some more sights from Laos.

Well, I made it home safe and sound! For those of you who are curious about how I got everything back to Perth, here's a photo of me with my luggage before I checked in. I had around 30kg, so I had heaps to spare!!

The trip is starting to fade, as has the pain of the cycling. It feels like it was easy now!

I've written up about half of the trip, to read what we did and see some of the photos click to the right on Kirsty's TRIP TO LAOS.

Brent Fuller, one of my fellow Oxfam Challengers, has taken some amazing photos! Check them out at http://www.brenkiephotography.com/laos2007.html.

I have started writing up the trip. Click on the link to the right that says Kirsty's TRIP TO LAOS to find out what I did. At this stage the page contains an outline of each day, and I have expanded Day One.
The picture is of the Challengers! Notice that we are smiling. This is because this photo was taken before we started riding.

Today I had a slower start than I expected, waking up early, having breakfast, writing some of my web page and then going back to sleep. I made it into Melbourne to meet Deb for lunch, and then cruised around Little Collins Street in search of some interesting clothes. I was looking for some funky pieces for work, and am now happy that I have found things to suit me. Shops that I spent some time in include:
Baku
Ink
Coccolare
Dangerfield
Sidewalk Soul
Melko

Anyhow I think I have sampled enough of the delights of the shops of Melbourne for the moment, and plan to head out to St Kilda tomorrow to soak up the atmosphere and be a bit more of a tourist.

I made it back to Australia today. Woohooo!! It's nice to be back and be able to stop for a little while, even if I am not quite home yet. I have transferred all of my photos to the computer and the next thing in line to do is to unpack and do some washing. Getting through Customs today was a breeze, much different from my last experience of Customs in Melbourne, which was off a flight from Hong Kong at Chinese New Year!!

The photo I have put up is from our guest house in Chiang Khong in Thailand. Chiang Khong is a border town between Laos and Thailand, and we spent our first night here before heading across the border and then up the Mekong on a slow boat to Pak Beng.

I will write up a detailed account of the trip but for now I need to get some domestic things sorted :)

The ride was awesome! It felt great to get off the bikes at the end of it and see what we had achieved. I counted up my training kilometres before I left and realised that in the two months of riding I hadn't done much more than the total we did in six days in Laos... and there were definitely a lot more hills on the roads we just travelled on.

Hello from Laos!

We're in Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage listed town. Today is our rest day, and it feels great to be off the bike and giving my tailbone a break from the seat.

Yesterday we rode up to the Kuang Sii Waterfalls. The ride was the steepest so far. I didn't realise how hilly Laos was when I signed up! Still, the scenery is definitely worth it and the experience so far has been fantastic.

We also had the added bonus of riding through roadworks, so tar, sand, gravel and all sorts. Also here in Laos they don't close off sections of the road while they are working, you just ride over the top of it!!

Another day in Melbourne, this time spent shopping for last minute items to take with me. I had no idea that it would be so hard to find a waterproof, breathable cycling jacket! The cycling stores had a choice of bright yellows or man-sized clothes, and the outdoor shops thought that $400 was a reasonable price to pay for something rather ugly. Hahaha. Ha.

I think that I have managed it, and now I just have to cram everything into my bag! Hopefully I have left enough room for some shopping over in Laos... otherwise I will be devastated.

Here is a picture of Deb and I on the train after a hard day shopping... well, for me. Deb was actually doing some work!!

Flight tonight, and the adventure really starts!!