Well I’ve done 11 days on the bike now since Ho Chi Minh City. I think my legs are starting to build some stamina and my system’s getting a bit used to biking in a different climate.

It is hard to tell though -every day is so different. Today October 5, for instance, was about 30km; yesterday 85km and very hilly: three 300m-ish climbs in the Cardamom Mountains which are baby-mountains in New Zealand terms, but left me exhausted.

A late search for a guesthouse capped things off, the road deteriorating until the bike ground to a halt in a deep puddle, dropping me in a foot of muddy water. Ho hum, as the fella says.

Biking in rainy season does have its pros and cons. At 30 degrees in the shade, any direct full sunlight feels like a blowtorch on your skin, and seems to suck your breath away.

So when the clouds roll in it’s a relief, but when the first drops of rain come down it’s actually a lovely feeling- like getting free air-conditioning.

Downsides are having wet clothes and gear which are difficult to dry out in the humid air, the risk of water damage to the all-important smartphone, the huge puddles and mud to avoid on the roads, and all that water and grit getting into the bike’s gears.

And the fact that I brought enough rain gear for a small village, weighing me down unnecessarily. My cape, galoshes, raincoat and leggings are great but, in this heat, you just tend to leave it all in the bag, keep biking and soak up the rain!

[What’s this holiday about? See here]