My Dear Love, Sky, Walker, Friends and Relatives, boys and girls of C&A,

I have compeleted the incredible 250km Gobi March today!!! I'm feeling so good, so happy and I did not feeling any pain of my legs after I have passed the finish line today. It was a wonderful and special day in my life. 

I just can't wait to come home and see my sweet sweet boys and my sweet sweet wife, I miss them so much. Of course I also want to come back and see all my friends, my boys and girls in office too. Not too long, I'm coming back to Hong Kong on 24 June. When I'm back, I'll tell you every detail of my last day of race, it's an amazing journey from the moment I woke up to the moment I cross the finish line. I'll tell you more in detail on dinner table when I'm back, hahaha... good food, good food, I'm waiting for you, I hate my space food and my cereal breakfast!!! 

See you all in Hong Kong soon. 

Ray 

Thanks for all your support!!! Lesley, Anna, Fion, Lilian, Kenny, Ivy, Jimmy, Jason, Jessica, Chris, Hill yee, Joey... and others, I might have missed because my system here only allows me retrieve messages left to me within 2 days.

Today is a bit relaxing, after I sent a really really missing messages to my family, then I went to beg some breakfast, yes, because I was so tire ad sick of my same everyday cereal breakfast, so I went to see if any racers from other countries has unwanted food. Eventually, I got a small piece of dry XianJiang bread and a pack of Japanese soup powder : ) After the bread and soup, I felt so much better, even thought my feet couldn't move as natural as they could be... I did some washing coz I want to wash my quickdry underpants, and my compression pants. The sun here is very good for drying, all your wet cloths could be dry within 2 hours roughly. I have a washing machine here, I'll tell you where I found this washing machine in the middle of this devil desert :  )

Blisters checked, 4 huge bilters on my toes, no wonder my toes were so painful when I was walking last night. I pop them and clean them all by myself with my own blister kit. I guess when I'm back in Hong Kong, next time when we do hiking practice, if anyone has blister, I'm ready to help.  

It's good to hear that my office is doing fine, thanks to you for all taking care of my office when I'm not around. Let me buy you all a good meal when I'm back in office.

This morning after I woke up, I suddenly heard some drum sound at the camp entrance. Everytime when a racer arriving the camp, volunteers will play drum and welcome racer's arrival. The last racer is approaching the camp. How amazing, when he walk closer, we recognise he is a 70 years old Japanese walker, and he has been walking out there in the desert for 23 hours!! Many other racers gather around the camp entrance and welcome him back, big hands and huggings, many volunteers, racers have tears when the old Japanese racer cross the finish line today, me too, lots of emotions at that moment.

I believe this is the moment of the whole race, the old man's never give up attitude won repect from everyone in the Camp. Isn't that the exact spirit that we all should have? Are we giving up too easily in our daily life? Have we really try hard enough or have we really exhause all means before we gave up something? I'm glad that I have the opportunity to witness this moment in my life, if you are here, you'll never forget the moment when he cross the finish line. Congrats from everyone, big hugs, someone brought him a chair for him to sit down immediately, someone helps him to carry his dusty backback, someone brings him bottle water. I guess in everyone's heart, we all believe, he is the HERO, instead of the those super racers who finish the 80km within 9 hours.

For me, there were times in the race which were really tough for me and push me to the point of give up. In Stage 4, we have to cross a very wide fast running river. Some racers prefer not to take off their shoes but I like to take my shoes off and keep my feet and shoes dry. However, I've lost my sandles in Stage 2, actually, when I left my sandles in my camp when I left....so I have to cross the river with bare feet. It took me almost an hour to cross the river. The riverbed was full of big and small stones and rocks. Imagine you have a pair of extreme tire feet and went to foot massages for 1 hour, all on your feet bottom, you will know how I feel. I feel like cutting my feet with knives for an hour. It's gave me a really really hard time, and the idea of give up did cross my mind. But I keep telling myself, never give up, one step a time! So finally I took about an hour to cross that river whereas other use only around 15 minutes with their sandles. But I'm glad I made it eventually.

Boys and girls I care so much, no matter how pain and sore my feets are tomorrow, fast or slow, I'll walk through the finish line tomorrow and took photos with my Chak&Associates flags at the finish line. Your support take me to the finish line and you all are with me thought out the entire race! Please wait for my good news from Kashgar tomorrow!!!

Ray

Dear Dear Dear,

Finally, I'm here, at Camp 6 after 80km!

Thanks so much for you guys feedback leave on my blog, I'm really touched and I can't help but crying when I was reading your messages and suppport! Yesterday was a really really tough walk and I glad I finally made it.

Stage 5, "the Long March" is really long, we have to wake up at 5am in the morning, clean up, pack and breakfast, shuttle bus take us to the start point, we start at 10am. The scenery on the trail was stunning , we walked through a lot of mountains, valleys, dirt tracks. It rains for a while in midday, if it's not raining, it's really hot in day time but at night time, the wind is strong and cold. Glad that I took enough warm cloths with me and I enjoy my special sweet pork snack very much on the part of trail which torture me the most yesterday. At night, it was so cold and I didn't have to drink much water at all. The 80km was divided into 8 checkpoints, approximately 10km each. In HK, when we did the Hong Kong Trailwalker, we usually stop at each checkpoint for at least 30min to 1hr, for rest, for food. But here today, I spent only around 5-15mins at each checkpoints, the longest I stay was at checkpoint 5 when I reached 50km, I had my dinner there, treated my blisters and stay there 1hr. After checkpoint 5, I walk with 2 other racers from HK, Leon and Andes. They are both very nice people and chat a lot and sing a lot of songs on the way to our camp. We all walking at the same pace, all our feets were hurt badly but in different area. I had blisters again on my little toes, my friends had blisters near ankles, no one can escape from blisters.... horrible and super pain.

Its 12 noon here when I'm writing my blog. I arrived Camp 6 at 4am last night. I was so tire, my legs, my feets, my back were all very painful and after some clean up and stretching, yes stretching is essential and I have to do it every day and night. My entire body was covered by sand from head to toes, my hat, my sunglasses, my face, my shirt, my backpack, my socks, my shoes, even my feets underneath my socks and shoes, it's still covered by sand! After clean up and stretching, then I can sleep. I Woke up at 9 this morning by my empty stomach, had a hot soup and then queue for the internet booth.

I have to take this opportunity to give my special thanks to my parents, my mom and my dad, they are all very supportive and allow me to do crazy race like this. The trail generally speaking is very safe except a few parts where you may hurt yourself badly if you slip and fall into some really deep rocky valleys. Apart from that, if you walk carefully, trust your feet, trust your body, it's alright. Special special to my dad who is coming over from Hong Kong and wait me at the finish line, can't wait to see him and share my joy with him at the finish line!

I also need to thanks for the support from all my friends who leave messages to me on my blog. All messages you left here gave me huge energy and help me to carry on with my race the next morning.

My Boys, my sweet sweet wife, I miss you so much so much so much. I really want to come back to see you immeediately after my race is over, and tell you how much I miss you all by myself. Daddy is doing good, I have confidence that I'll finish the race tomorrow morning and bring home the precious Gobi March medal for you both. No Fear & Never Give Up!!!

I'm really really looking for some good food after the race. So sick and tire of my cereal and hot chocolate breakfast, same energybar lunch every day. Dnner however, taste good and I love my space food dinner here. I'm looking forward to have some famous XianJiang roast lamb when I finished my race, and oysters, oysters, frio gras, frio gras, and some "beat cold", I guess I've lost a lot of weight here and I should have plenty of room to eat when I'm back! Good food, I'm coming!!!

Tomorrow is the last stage, 15km to Kashgary old city. I'm sure I can finish it in good shape. But first, I need some surgery by myself, I need to pop all blisters on my feets after I finish blogging here, yooooo, it's really pain, but whatever, it's worth!!!

C U all when I back in Hong Kong.l Lots of love and lots of tears.

Ray

My Love,

How are you? Still crying for me last night? Sorry to keep you waiting for a few days, just want to let you know I miss you so much. I want to have your warm hug once I back home.

I'm here in Camp 4 Lingerville, it's 7pm now and it's really cold here. Today's trail is 35km, the first half is not too difficult but the second half is tough, we have to walk up and down through a number of valleys, some of them are rather steep. Today's trail is a one way up hill, Camp 4 here is 2525m above sea level. I have lots of things I want to share with you about the race, a few guys quit the race already, I was told physical issues. 

I had a long chat with 2 young Korean racers on the way today. Both of them are university students, one has done the Atacama desert earlier this year. The other one has done Sahara last year and Atacama this year. They are awesome. I like to ask every racers I met on the trail, "Why you join this crazy race?" It seems that everyone share same reason, like challenge and want to test his/her limit. This are my reasons too.

My love, I think of you whole day today. I know I have upset you for some time for several reasons, not spending enough time with my boys, not reading story with them, not listen to their needs, not spending enough time with you, not awaring what your needs are... and me, only like to take photos day and night... I'm sorry, I'll quit photography when I'm back, I promise.

No, it's not true, I'll not quit photography, and if you think my wife wants me to quit shooting and stay home all times, you don't know my wife. My wife wants me to have a good balance of work and life, a life with family as well as a life of myself. A very famous Japanese writer said, Running is a cure to your soul. I remind myself the glass theory today when I was alone on the trail. When a glass is full of water, it can't take anymore, and it will spilt when you move the glass even slightly. It's happens my glass is really full recently. Issues and issues happens in my office, my photography hobby occupying me a lot of my time... I'm losing my balance but I'm totally not really aware of. I believe this is exactly what my love wants me to do, to improve my self-awareness, self-reflection, learn better self-control, and regain my long lost flexibility and creativity, and finally to get my work-life balance back.

My dear, thanks for your patience, your support and your love to me. You always guide me back to the right path when I'm walking a bit too far away. I have to confess I'm terrible in self-control, if I'm allowed to play, I can play days and nights non stop until I'm tire of it. But now I realise  I can no longer behave like a child, I'm a daddy of two adorable sons, I need to set up a good role model for them. I should not rely on your reminders and guidance all the times. I really hope I get it right this time, and I'll bear this in my mind when I back home. Sorry baby, I haven't been a good husband and a good daddy in the past but I promise I'll make it up to you when I'm back. I'll make you be my happy princess once again like before. I love you baby and I miss you so much so much.

The race here is actually not dangerous at all, there is a team of doctors following us all the way, 15 jeeps carring crews and volunteers driving along the trail everyday, watching out and cheer up for us. No one knows your body better than yourself, I have to eat well, sleep well, dress enough (in night, its really cold here), and dress appropriate (in day time, it's really really hot), and enjoy the environment and the atmosphere here, the race is not dangerous at all. I'm actaully doing good today. I have no blisters today, my sholder pain also gone, because I throw away many unnecessary items this morning before I left my tent, I really need to get my bag lighter, and it works, I feel no shoulder pain whole day. I finish today checkpoint faster than yesterday and I rank better than yesterday too. Tomorrow is Stage 4, it's one of the most difficult stage, early in the morning, we need climb up to a mountain 3000m above sea level. The top of the mountain named Shipton's Arch / Heaven Gate, it's one of the major attractions in this race. After tomorrow, it will be Stage 5, the long march, we have to walk 80km in one goal. I'll do my best baby. Don't worry, I'm feeling good so far : )

See you soon, lots of love, lots of love. My whole heart is for you only.

Hubby

Dear Sky,

I've got your message leave me on my blog. Thanks for your support and encouragement, you know, it means so much to me in this exceptioal challenge.

Daddy is doing very good today, I'm hiking faster today and I guess I finish earlier than many other racers today. Today trail is 39km long. As usual, we start at 8am when the sky is still dark here. Oh, you may not know that the sky get dark very late at night here, it gets dark around 10:30pm - 11pm everyday.

Today stage is called: Mars in Gobi, because we spent half day walking in a red zone. We walk through some grand canyons, soil and rocks here are all in red, makes me really feels like walking in Mars. The scenery is stunning and daddy enjoys the walk very much. I took some photos with my small digital camera and I'll show it to you when I'm back home.

Daddy miss you so much today. It's your final week in Grade 3 this week and I hope you enjoy your time at school, have fun with your friends and have fun with your learning too. Next year, you will be promoted to Grade 4. Grade 4 is different in Primary school. You no longer a junior in the school like Foundation year or Grade 1 student. You will be regarded as a senior, younglings like Grade 1 and Grade 2 will need your help and guidance from time to time. Growing up, you will have more independance, freedom as well as responsibilities. You can make more decision for yourself, you should learn what is right and what is wrong, in ordre to help you to decide what to do is good or not good for you. If you are not sure about right or wrong, you can always ask your teachers or come to me or Mommy, no matter is question or share of your feelings, happy things at school or upset by someone, Mommy and Daddy are always love to know how you feel and know what you need. You and Walker are the most important persons to Mommy & Daddy's in this World. We love you so much, so much.

Today's trail is really tough because it's hot and we have to walk 10km on rocky trail and 10km on really really hard highway road. the hottest time in the day was 39'c. When I cross the finish line today, the first thing I need to do is to visit the Medical Tent. I went there because little toe on both my feet have blisters and it's really really hurt. We have a lot of doctors here and a doctor name Shaw taught daddy how to deal with the blisters by myself. Because it's a long long hiking everyday, so blisters cannot be avoid and they will come again, so daddy has to learn how to cure it. The blisters is very painful when I was hiking on the trail. But not only blisters, because daddy's bag is very heavy, so my both shoulders are sore too. On the way, I met a racer Giff from South Africa, he told me his knee was hurt and quite painful, he can only walk slowly, cannot run like daddy. But he told me he'll keep walking and will not give up. When I saw him I forgot my little pain on my little toes and on my shoulders. I try to think something else, to distract myself from my pain, I think about you. You are always gentle and nice to others, and you always willing to listen to mommy and daddy, that makes me very happy and I forgot about my pain very soon. Sky, life is a mix of all feelings, sometimes, something may makes you very happy, like you receive some really nice presents on your birthday. Sometimes, you may have bad feeling when you have to do something you don't like, such as go to bed early and cannot play with your good friends or have to go learn something you're not interested. I hope you can learn how to face difficult times like daddy, when daddy is having a bad time on the trail, I'll try to think about something else, the feeling of unhappiness may gone sooner than you expected. It works, I guarantee, when daddy was hiking, it's painful, but when I can cross the finish line, the joy and the sense of satisfaction is hard to explain in writing.

Sky, daddy loves you so much, so much and I want you to be tough like daddy one day, no fear, no pain, no gain, no sacrify, no victory.

Lots of love,

Daddy

Dear Walker,

It’s 3pm here, Daddy just finish Stage 1 and arrived at tonight campsite, Tashpushka. It’s a small village where we can stay in home stay by a village Mosque.

Daddy is doing fine today, I started at 8am this morning and I’ve walked 33km from the camp where I stayed last night, Gazi. Today, I walk through some riverbed, canyon filled with water, dirt road and reservoir. The temperature is not as hot as I expected, the hottest time on trial is around 38’c, most of the time is around 32’c. Gentle breeze alone the trial and helps a lot.

Daddy missing you a lot all the way today. You are always sweet and thoughtful to others, like you always willing to share your favorite food with others.  I met a lot of friends today on the trail, the trail is long so we all have plenty of time to talk about everything. When we stop by a check point and eat something, racers from other countries always willing to share their food with others, it makes me think of you because you are same. Walker, it’s your beauty and please keep doing it.

On the trail, I also thinking about that you always want to do thing perfectly. You always willing to spend extra time in order to things prettier and better. Sometimes, your teacher may be upset because you are not doing the work fast enough, however, as long as you are focusing and paying attention to your work, that’s fine. It doesn’t matter if you takes a bit longer than others to finish your work if you want to it better. Daddy is proud of your attitude to do the best you can. Just like daddy, I’ll never give up until my work is up to my expectation or until I reach destination I want to go.

Last but not least, do you remember you and Sky draw pictures on my water bottles? When other racers saw my bottles, they’re all amazed by your effort and the support you gave me. It means so much to me on this exceptional challenge. I like your drawing very much.

I love you and I miss you much. Take care of yourself and be a good son to mommy.

Daddy

P.S. Please tell Sky wait, I’ll write to him tomorrow.

Dear All,

After 4 hours transportation, we arrived our Camp 1. Its 6pm here, but its still bright like noon midday. Over 160 racers gathering here, tonu ight we`ll camp here and prepare for tomorrow race. Now we are all having a party, we share our snacks, lots of laughs and chat with racers, I met racers from South Africa, Germany, Korea, Japan, Spain... Most of them are first time in the 4 Deserts, but I met a Korean Team they just finished the Sahara and Chilie Desert last year, unbelievable!

The weather is nice now, not too hot, rather windy, not as hot as I imagine. May be in midday, it's another story.

I`m having a good time here, spirit high, I wish I can enjoy the race and finish it in good time. An opening party is about to start now, so see you all in Camp 2.

Sky, Walker, daddy miss you two very much.

My Angel, I love you and I miss you too.

Ray