Christine the red nosed human, had a very shiny nose

And if you ever saw it, you could even say it glows.

I have problems.
As you can guess by the title, one of the problems is the sun. I'm beginning to resemble my grandmother's patchwork quilt, I keep burning and peeling. I even got blisters on my thighs. Plus the heat, it is so bad. I met another cyclist on the road, he was a young guy from the Netherlands, and I didn't feel so bad when he mentioned the heat the first thing. ( he was trying to do 110 km a day, was really decked out, even had the front wheel bags and gloves, the whole nine yards)
I'm hoping that in Na Trang (a beach town) I can get some stronger sunscreen. I'm really starting to worry a bit.
Which leads me to my second problem. Every other day I want to just quit. (thanks Joe, for the pick me up) Don't get me wrong, Vietnam is beautiful, China was beautiful. I want to see Laos, I like seeing the world roll by, farmers stopping in the field to wave hello, school girls in their white uniform laughing and shouting and flying a red kite, rice drying gold on the side of the road, a french colonial house set back and painted an impossible pink, drinking sugar cane juice from a stand on the side of the road, under a broad leafed shade tree. Not things for the tourist books or postcards, but still, they make the trip worthwhile. (although I have been known to take a break and 'forget' to lock the bike in the hopes it might get stolen, giving me a face saving way out)
And for me it is the journey, not the destination that is important. Which leads me to my third problem. Hue really did a number on my budget. I have a few options, I can get money sent again, I can change my route and go from Na Trang to Laos, from Laos to Thailand, Thailand to Cambodia, Cambodia back to Thailand, Thailand to Malaysia, Malaysia to Singapore. There are a couple of problems with this plan. One is that I won't get to see most of southern Vietnam. Two is that I will have to back track and go over the same route in Cambodia. I could also just go through Cambodia and skip Laos, but since Laos is one of my favorite countries here I really don't want to do that.
I stare at the map as if it had answers. I don't know why, it isn't that good a map anyway.
I'll probably stick to the original "plan" if you can call it that, and get money sent. I want to splurge on the mineral mud bath massage in Na Treng, and I want to take a detour into Dalat.
This trip although not exactly meticulously planned, is going to take a wee bit longer and cost a wee bit more than originally anticipated.
I'll figure it out. Meanwhile, there is a beautiful coffee shop right on the ocean, calling my name.
So, till I post again, be good, be happy, and have fun.