Saturday, 17 May 2008

Liam chalks up the miles in Vietnam and Cambodia

Liam Lavery during his visit to Vietnam and Cambodia.

Mourne Observer

LIAM Lavery is back home after another successful charity cycle, this time covering over 500km in the heat of Vietnam and Cambodia for the Alzheimer’s Society.

The manager of the Wood Lodge Nursing and Residential Home in Castlewellan completed the feat in February this year, starting at Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam and finishing at the world famous Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

Liam, who described that six-day cycle as “amazing,” said: “We cycled 310 miles, an average of 51 miles a day, and it was very hot and humid – 32C in Vietnam and 38C in Cambodia.

“We had a great time in a fantastic part of the world and met such friendly people in countries that have had such recent violent times,” he explained.

“The charity raised between £120,000-130,000 for Alzheimer’s, and we want to thank everyone who made a donation; it was very much appreciated.”

During the trip the 23 cyclists cycled through the heart of the rural Mekong, through rice fields and villages, and used bus and boat transfers to help them on their way.

The group enjoyed many new experiences, such as the culinary delights of porcupine and duck embryos among other things.

They also cycled through the ‘killing fields’ in Cambodia, where thousands were massacred during Pol Pot’s brutal regime.

Not one to rest on his laurels, Liam is already planning his next cycle trek for charity, and plans are already in place to cycle the length of Ireland in May 2009.

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