Our second day of cycling and we're beginning to get the hang of cycling in Vietnam. These seem to be the rules of the road here:

1. Ride/drive on the right. Most of the time.
2. If it is easier, it's quite permissible to drive on the left.
3. When joining a main road or a roundabout do not give way.
4. When turning left do not wait for a gap in the oncoming traffic.
5. Do not look behind you. This is especially important when starting off.
6. Show no consideration to other road users. This is quite acceptable because they won't show any to you.

In fact, there is really only one rule of the road. This is that any rules that may exist are only indicative of a range of possible behaviours that may occur and should not be relied upon. It is, therefore, not only acceptable, but sensible to just do what seems right to you.

What is surprising to someone used to Britain's very ordered roads is that it works! We have not seen one accident since we've been here, nor any road rage and, once you get the hang of it, cycling feels quite safe. It's a bit like the experiments in Holland where they've found that when they've removed all road markings people take more care, are more aware of others on the road and there are fewer accidents. So next time I'm crossing the Blue House roundabout I shall just cycle on, weave my way through the traffic and expect everyone else to do the same!

Today we've cycled 60 kms. It has been harder than yesterday because it was hotter and more humid. A 10km stretch just before lunch was especially difficult. So it was very pleasant to have lunch in a café where afterwards we could sleep in hammocks for an hour before setting off again. Very civilized and an innovation I'm thinking of suggesting they introduce at the Capheaton Tearooms. The scenery has been similar to yesterdays except that today we spent much of the morning cycling along mud tracks through rice paddies. We now know much more about the cultivation of rice and this will form a significant part of the Vietnam section of our holiday photo presentation when we get back (advance bookings now being taken).

We started the morning though with a visit to a Khmer temple and a holy shower from one of the monks. This consisted of him pouring large amounts of cold water over our heads accompanied by a lot of chanting. It's supposed to bring good luck but clearly didn't work in my case as immediately afterwards I discovered that I hadn't won yesterday's Vietnamese lottery. Alternatively, maybe it's just not retrospective.

At the end of the day we arrived at our accommodation for tonight, the My Khanh Tourist Park. This seems to be the Vietnamese equivalent of somewhere like Centre Parcs. We have our own little log cabin, complete with balcony. There is a swimming pool with slide; what can only be described as a karaoke cave; a children's playground containing a strange menagerie of plastic animals; pony trap rides or, if that isn't exciting enough, you can hire a golf cart. One thing that I'm sure Centre Parcs doesn't offer though is the chance to choose which snake you get to eat for dinner. Maybe we'll pass on that one.