Life on Two Wheels

Today I made it out for my first real bike ride in Nepal. I can't believe it took me so long.

I got up at 6am so I could get a little riding in before it was blazing hot, and headed out of the city and towards the hills. Traffic is a little quieter earlier in the morning (on Saturday at least), and I soon made it to my first village and my first confusing intersection that required asking directions. (Yes, I have a map. No, maps are not very useful here.) Fortunately most people knew what I was getting at when I said the name of the next town I was looking for and made my best lost gringa look, and they pointed me in the right direction.

I was surprised when a group of cyclists zoomed past me (not the zooming past me part, that was no surprise), so when I saw them resting at the top of the hill I joined them for spicy chick peas and chai and learned that they ride every day and that for just $7.00 I can rent a real bike and join them – or I can join them for free but get left in the dust with the piece of junk I’m riding around. We’ll see how often I can get up to meet them at 6am in central Kathmandu.

The real cyclists took off on their real bikes for a ride far beyond the ability of either me or my bike, but they gave me directions for a loop that took me on windy, bumpy dirt roads through small villages where children shouted various English phrases at me and I think I pushed the limit of mountain biking with zero suspension. And I even got a little glimpse of the Himalayas through the clouds. It’s amazing that in just a couple of hours on a bike you can get to villages that are barely accessible by car (I saw a few try) and where tourists are a pretty rare sight. Especially tourists with helmets.