August 2, 2025
Carrying Motaacycle on my shoulder
I packed my bike half-heartedly, weighed down by apprehension.
I've been cycling for the past 10 months and usually find my rhythm quickly. Once I do, I’m very comfortable cycling everyday. But often, I also take breaks to learn the language, the culture, work with locals, or just rest. After every such break, starting again is hard. The apprehension always floods back.
A heavy downpour and a bout of upset stomach came to my rescue, today. I decided, to start tomorrow even-though I was fully packed and in my riding clothes.
My host invited me for some sweetened rice kheer. After the meal, she said, “It won’t rain after 11 a.m. or so.”
Shit. I had no excuse left.
I used the toilet for the third or fourth time that morning, then finally set off toward my next destination: Aarughat.
The paved road ended within the first kilometer, and I started sweating profusely—not because of heat (I was still in cloud-covered mountains)—but because the route was something! Though it was all downhill, I still walked Motaacycle down. The road was basically a cleared path on the mountainside, stripped by rain and water. Any trace of pavement or packed sand was gone. What remained were rocks—too big to be washed away.
It took over an hour to cover just 3–4 kilometers. It felt like eternity. I was grateful for all the emergency gear I was carrying. My only regret: starting at 12:30 p.m. instead of earlier.
| Heart | 1 | Comment | 0 | Link |
The first person I saw was an elderly woman. I asked, “Aarughat ko baato yo?” while pointing at the wider path, trying to confirm I was on the Aarughat road.
She sent me on a detour that turned out to be the wrong direction. I had to carry Motaacycle on my shoulder down a set of steep, slippery concrete stairs. Surprisingly, this setup took less than a few seconds to figure out. I tested if the seat would rest on my right shoulder—it did. With my right hand gripping the down tube, I began my descent.
Those stairs were no joke. Slippery as hell. But I kept my nerves and made it through.
At the bottom, a few villagers stared in disbelief—What’s this weirdo doing, carrying a loaded bike down the stairs?!
Thankfully, they pointed me in the right direction. But the path ahead was just more of the same: wild, unforgiving, completely off-road terrain. I walked the bike more than I rode it—again, all downhill.
This madness lasted until about 4 p.m., when I finally hit some flat sections and could actually ride.
The rest of the way was typical Nepali terrain—mostly unpaved, occasionally paved. I reached Aarughat around 6 or 6:30 p.m.
That day, I had ridden only 27 kilometers with just 1,000 feet of elevation.
Today's ride: 27 km (17 miles)
Total: 3,850 km (2,391 miles)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 3 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |