I’m writing this from the beautiful note cafe, next to Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi and feeling very lucky.

I have come full circle and instead of being frustrated, angry and upset about my extended stay in Hanoi, I now see it as a very well disguised blessing.

Over the last two and a bit weeks I have received only kindness from all I have met. Many of my existing friends have been in constant, daily contact making sure I am doing ok. (Special mentions go to Paul, Gareth, Emma, Helen and Ellie). After his weeks holiday in industral Vietnam, Guy made sure I went to the hospital and continued to speak to me, even after his beloved NZ lost to England in the rugby! I was thrilled that Jules was able to change her flight and spend a chilled weekend with me in Hanoi. Emily suggested the idea of ‘daily gratitude’ and has now begun her own. Chris and Fiona from The Fitness Village have been keeping me strong by feeding me healthy food. My mum has been checking in daily and has been my cyst guru! The list goes on…

It has been an an absolute pleasure and honour to spend the week volunteering at Blue Dragon. Everyone at the centre has been so friendly and welcoming. I now have a much clearer insight into the invaluable work that the foundation are doing and am in awe of their commitment to the cause. Not only have I been spending my days editing documents at Blue, I’ve also moved into a house share with some of the women who work at the foundation. It’s been great to come home to chats and netflix and feel a sense of belonging. Thank you!

Whilst here, I was invited to spend an evening at Blossom House, another of my chosen charities based in Hanoi. Blossom House offers a safe home for vunerable girls, ensuring they get the paperwork they need to access education. The house was full of love and fun and the girls asked lots of great questions about my challenge. Some of them took a little bit of convincing that I wasn’t secretly riding a motorbike!

My time spent at these two charities has made me even more focussed and determined to complete the 2200+km run and raise as much money as I possibly can. It really will change so many lives!

On the injury front, I’m definately on the road to recovery. After two weeks of daily hospital visits, pain and antibiotics I have been told that I can clean the wound and change the dressing myself. I did it for the first time this morning and managed not to freak out too much! The doctors have prescribed me 3 more days of antibiotics and say I can begin to exercise within the next 10 days. This is perfect timing as I fly to Australia tomorrow, for 10 days, for a pre planned trip to see one of my oldest friends get married. I will also get to see my mum and dad!

I will be back running from where I ended, just north of Vinh on the 22nd or 23rd November and I cannot wait!!!

Thank you so much for reading and please donate as little or as much as you can.

Love Naomi (aka Nam)

XXX