One long bike ride

The school is having their quarterly exams this week. (I thought the testing system in the states was bad, but this system is ridiculous. 4 times a year the kids are tested on 8 subjects with a whole day for each subject, the results of which determine the entirety of their grades.) I was not about to go in so that I could watch kids take tests so I have the week off. I got the itch just sitting around in Besisahar and I was distracting Kristen from her work so I decided to take off. I thought of going up the Annapurna circuit trail a few days, to investigate the accuracy of a map that I bought describing biking it. However, I was missing english conversation with random strangers, so I decided to ride my bike on the highway to Pokhara, the tourist hub of western Nepal. I left at about 9:45 AM yesterday, thinking I would arrive in Pokhara around 4 o'clock. The ride turned out to be more of an unterdaking than I anticipated and I did not arrive until 6:45, just as the sun was setting. I considered myself extremely lucky that Pokhara was not another 20kms further because not only would I have run out of time, but by the time I pulled into town my legs were about to give out, my quads were throbbing, and my back was quite sore as well. 

The 105kms in all worked out about like this:

- The first 40kms out of Besisahar was a steady pattern of up and down with no extended climbs or descents. The road runs parallel to a river and dips to each tributary stream then climbs again to go over the next hill. This pattern makes for a nice riding rhythm, but being at the start of the trip, the rhythm was constantly being interrupted by stops to adjust my gear making which made for slow going. 

- After a 45 minute lunch break I started out again. Before I stopped to rest, even for a second, I had gone 30kms that included two climbs of 7 and 9kms gaining roughly 300m of vertical each, an exhilarating and refreshing 8 km descent divided the two climbs. I had a huge smile on my face the whole way down, and as I passed the school kids on their way home I would throw both hands in the air and yell "aaabiiiiii" meaning I'm terrified, eliciting huge giggles. The last part of this section was a deceptively flat 10km slow climb. Already exhausted from the two climbs before, I cannot count on both hands how many times I thought "Just push a bit further and rest at the top, it has got to be just around the next corner." 

-From this break the ride was either flat or downhill for the next 15kms, but I still pedaled hard to make good time, because at this point I was realizing that my timing was going to be tight. 

-After a short stop to eat some keraa (bananas), hydrate, and talk to a 10 year old boy with curiously good english, I set off to tackle the final 20kms. The report from the boy was that the road was "neither up nor down" and that was mostly true. It was flat but never downhill flat, always a slight incline, forcing me to pedal continuously for the entire ride. After a full day of riding it felt brutal. 

 Finally I arrived checked into a hotel, ate dinner there,then waked down to the lake front to have a couple beers. I met a couple of  friendly German fellows, both named max and we watched a Nepali cover band playing rock songs from bands like The Red Hot Chilly Peppers and Nirvana. Music here has to stop at 11PM by law and the bar closes soon after that. At which time I was ready to head to the room and crash. 

Today I am sitting lakeside, eating enchiladas for lunch, drinking iced coffee, and considering renting a kayak to paddle around the lake. After all I worked my legs yesterday but neglected my arms and the cool water seems so inviting.

The view from Mikes Restaurant looking north over Phewa lake. On a clear day you can see the peaks of the Annapurna range of the Himalayas.