Cyclists Unite

“Life will just not wait for us to live it: We are in it, now, and now is the time to live.”

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By far the best part about my week long vacation in Pokhara, a very touristy town in central Nepal, was the fact that I met other cyclists like myself. My favorite cyclists, who I quickly befriended and spent every day and evening with, are a Swiss couple in their thirties who have been on the road for a year and a half from Switzerland to here. They are now taking a two month break (in which time their families will come join them), before they set out again to a still unknown destination. Talking with them about different places they have cycled through, including some of their favorites, the Balkans, Turkey, and Iran, has made me change my route as well (though that is a whole other story for a post later on). Another part that I enjoyed, and probably needed, was to meet someone else who understood. They know what it is like to be living out of your tent, camping wherever there is flat ground. They too have done home stays thought their journey. And most importantly, they understood just how difficult India was. After my frustration with India, with the men, but also just with the constant attention, it was great to hear how they too experienced the same thing, and how it drove them insane as well. No matter how well I explain the feeling, no one else will understand these things unless they too have lived through it, which they have.

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Into the Foothills: 5165km

“Live your dream and share your passion.”

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Just before heading into the mountains I did two different home stays. First, I stayed with a family who invited me in after I bought oranges from them. There were five children in the family, plus a cousin or two who seemed to live there as well, making for a busy household. They described themselves as Nepali middle class (everyone is very aware here where they stand in society), and though they don’t have much money to spare, all of the children attend (or attended) a private English medium school in order to ensure a future for them. The three girls did everything, the laundry, cleaning, cooking, and running the small fruit stand they owned. The two boys on the other hand just got to run around and play all day. I definitely think they got the better deal! I then stayed with one of their neighbors, a wealthier family who was very nice and made me feel at home without it being overwhelming.

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A Great Introduction: 4550km

“Life is about the people you meet, and the things you create with them, so go out and start creating.”

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“We have a small house, but very big hearts,” the enthusiastic twelve year boy told me moments after his sister (who I had stopped to buy bananas from) brought me home to my first Nepali family. And he couldn’t have been more right. The family was poor, farmers with little more than a roadside stand and a small country house (the kind I have been eyeing longingly) to their name, but I have yet to meet someone anywhere in the world happier than Lokraj, my new little brother for the next few days. His sister, the one who invited me here, is a beautiful laughing girl herself, and the family quickly became my favorite one I have stayed with so far. The children’s mother and father are old, old enough to be their grandparents (I wonder if maybe that is the case), and absolutely wonderful people as well.

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