Part 22: Paradise. In the aftermath of the Merrell Adventure trail, I planned as little as possible for a few days, not that I had much choice, I could barely even walk. I've never felt a pain like it in my legs before, and could not even bend them. And then when I did manage to get out of bed, I spent the following days with the severest of limps, hobbling around everywhere. My friends, bless them, booked me combination massages in the village to ease the pa...

Part 21:No pain no gain!.... There was not one single cloud in the sky this morning; and when I looked up to the heavens, gritting my teeth, It was as clear a sky as I'd seen in my life. But the magnificent scenery was in no way acting as a distraction from the pain I was feeling, with the intense humidity and heat scorching the trail. There was a thin layer of dust all over my body, mixed with sweat, insect repellent and sun lotion, forming a really itchy, un...

Part 20: the Merrell adventure trail.... I reached Singapore airport once more with the Hong Kong fiasco still freshly etched into my mind. Its impossible for these experiences to not have an effect on you in future, no matter how well you prepare, but I learned my lesson and booked forwarding flights to Bangkok days ago, checking and re-checking all my documentation just to make sure. A 3.5hr pleasant, and completely stress free flight later, I landed back to...

Part 19: Relaxing, and eating...again.. I had a day to kill until my brother arrived with supplies and decided on heading to Marina Bay sands. This was one of Singapore's most recognisable and famous landmarks. The Plateau like flat roof and 'infinity' pool stacked on top of three huge towers was an amazing piece of modern architecture, which stood proudly overlooking the bay. Only when you are standing directly underneath it, do you get the sheer scale of t...

Part 18: Singapore the sequel..... The time passed quickly over the next week. It was mostly spent keeping fit for my Merrell adventure mountain trail. with a series of keep fit sessions and boxing drill classes. My trek buddies took me on a 10k practice run through some wonderful nature trails, about 2 hours South of Manila, my fitness was really coming on now and also I was pretty much acclimatised to the heat. In the background of the trail there was a ve...