The holiday went well… apart from a bout of food poisoning from a steak tartare at a roadside cafe.

We pedalled through villages and sugar-cane fields, past a teak monastery and golden pagodas, stopping at roadside cafes to refuel on samosas, sugared chapatis and green tea.

Any dizziness and vomiting might not be from the roadside cafes — drivers have died from altitude sickness.

Many locals, most of them retired, gather at its roadside cafes to analyze geopolitical issues and world affairs.

Most of the participants are expedition riders who cover each day at their own pace, stopping in the villages and roadside cafes.