I once saw a t shirt with a picture of a snail riding on a turtle’s back saying “Weeeeeee!” I was reminded of that cartoon on my bike ride, as I passed a snail in the road about halfway through. Riding my bike felt like I was going faster than walking, but I was definitely a snail compared to the big rigs and busses flying by.
The ride took 8 days. Up until the 7th day we were one day ahead of schedule and my friend Garrett had hopes that we could arrive in KTM one day early. However, we arrived at the base of the biggest hill of the trip around noon on the 6th day and if we were to have started the hill at that time it was not guaranteed that we could find lodging along the way. I advocated for spending the day where we were in Hetauda not only because of the lodging issue but because my left knee was hurting. Luckily, one of the Peace Corps staff who grew up in Hetauda recommended to Garrett over the phone that we stay the night there.
The next day one of the hardest, and most memorable days. We started the day at 6 am and as we cycled out of Hetauda, I noticed many Nepali’s out on morning walks. Never in my 2 years have I seen so many Nepali people out exercising for fun/fitness as part of a daily routine. Nepali’s get up early for many reasons…to milk the cow, to cut grass for the cow, to wash dishes, to cook food, to fetch water, etc. but it was rare to see people out on morning walks in a city where foreigners were a fairly rare site. These people all had jobs in offices, not fields.
It took us 7 hours to reach the top of the hill to a place called Simbhanjyang at 2488m. Towards the top of the hill I noticed my asthma acting up. It usually only acts up when I am exercising in extreme situations and I think the altitude combined with the extreme exertion caused it to happen. Once we reached the top, it was amazing what a temperature change there was at the higher elevation. I was shivering not only because it was misty and cold, but because I was drenched in sweat.
After reaching the top and having two portions of “daal bhaat” (lentils and rice), we started the long decent. The downhill made every moment of the long uphill worthwhile! As I flew downhill, I blew my whistle to alert people and cars in front of us to move out of the way. I felt a lot like a bike police and began to enjoy asserting myself as such.
It was always a little more dangerous around 3-4pm when school got out and the 7th day downhill was no exception. As we came around a corner, I blew my whistle I kept around my neck as usual and noticed a girl in a school uniform hear the whistle, then pick up her food plate and make a bolt for the other side of the road with her head down right in front of us. Garrett was ahead of me and couldn’t stop his bike in time to avoid her. He tried to pass in front of her, and she tried to pass in front of him and they eventually collided. Luckily, she didn’t fall to the ground and the only damage seemed to be a grease mark on her school uniform. Everyone observing could tell that it was her fault, and after hearing her family reprimand her in a language we couldn’t understand, we continued on our way.
We arrived in Naubise on the 7th day just as it was getting dark. Naubise is just 27.5 km from Kathmandu and Garrett had a crazed, greedy look on his face like he wanted to continue riding into Kathmandu that night. I intervened.
“Garrett, do you know the story of Titanic?” I asked. “The captain wanted to arrive in New York ahead of schedule and you know what happened to them, right?” Lets just call it a night and head out at first light tomorrow morning.
So that’s what we did. I couldn’t sleep that last night. I kept having nightmares and flashbacks of big rig trucks rolling down mountains and coming around a corner right in my face. By 5:30 am we were on the road and heading up the last uphill toward Kathmandu. I was actually pleasantly surprised by the respectful speed that the busses and trucks passed us. I put on my bike police hat and pushed forward.
As we started the downhill into the valley, it started to lightly rain. To my delight, the Prithvi Highway was full of mud and we cycled through it, splashing mud all over ourselves. It was such an adrenaline rush that I hadn’t expected! That last day was more of a high than I have ever felt in my life… more than skydiving. It’s probably due to the fact that I had suffered through the past 8 days to earn the reward of riding into Kathmandu.
Garrett and I decided to celebrate our finish by eating something we couldn’t find anywhere but Kathmandu…fancy foreign baked goods! I had a cupcake and Garrett had a slice of cake. After that, we headed to the Peace Corps office, took pictures and pressure washed our bikes down.
I was honestly surprised by the fact that I had completed the trip. Before leaving, it seemed like an interesting challenge, but I gave myself about a 70% chance of actually making it all the way with no bike, or health issues stopping me. I was lucky to have Garrett as my teammate. I could handle the hills ok, but on the long straight aways I hid behind Garrett and drafted as much as possible. Garrett also has a very mellow, chill personality which was a nice balance to my more irregular moods. He even gave me a pep talk or two!
Thanks to all of you who donated to my fundraiser! I was so happy to have your support.
Head to my Facebook page to see pictures! https://www.facebook.com/sarah.anderson.37604?fref=ts
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