Day 6 of the ride, 21 January, began with a few drops of rain but fortunately for most of us not carrying jackets that didn't materialise. What did develop was high humidity so that to survive on our 120-odd k ride to Surat Thani we needed to drink a bottle of water every 20k.

Gideon, from New Zealand's Rising Foundation, was given the captain's white jersey for the day. We rode down the coast for much of the day, or inland through rubber and coconut plantations. Many of the legs were on main roads. At one school we stopped outside for water and fruit, we ended up entering to take part in a tug of war with the delighted children, who won.

Tomorrow we begin a two-day journey to cross the peninsula and arrive at the orphanage at Khao Lak on the west coast beside the Andaman Sea.