pho-phos

hey ghost-followers:

big ol steaming update to the picasa album happened today so go check it out! we're having some workflow issues with our mobiles, so we're going to drop photos there until we can incorperate them into the actual blog later. surf on over to THIS site and check out the 50+ new pictures.


UPDATE: as of 3/7/10 @ 16:44 i have uploaded all the pictures from picasa over to the site. unfortunately local computers will not let me edit the photos. sincere apologies for the lack of rotation on portrait-oriented photos and i promise to clean them up a bit more. enjoy what you can, sorry about you having to crane your neck on the others. keep peddling!

Drew & Eliot beyond Ratnigiri-dome

after chai with the Alsacian contigent, we bid farewell with plans to meet in Goa in three days.  that means some heavy biking for me and eliot, so we stock up on quinoa, lentils and masala sauce from the local market. we purchase a bar of tide to wash clothing with that night. seriously: we stink.

we walked over to a restuarant for more tea and chai. there, a cow arrives on the doorstep and moos. a man from the kitchen feeds it some bread and pats it's "third eye", before the cow proceeds to urinate all over the entrance to the restuarant not 15 feet from us. we exchange glances. wether this is a blessing or a curse depends entirely on which side of the pacific you come from.  recall that cows are revered and furthermore, hinduism generally believes that the fienst souls get reincarnated as cows, to spend their lives wandering the country and eating what is given to them. we see a cow pissing in a resturaunt. this guy sees a holy man or a wise woman who has chosen to grace this place with his presence. perspective, folks. gotta have it.

back in the room, i try to true my awfully untrued bike wheel only to mess it up even more. a few minutes of cursing loudly subsides when we journey to the local bike walla to have the thing professionall fixed. he trues the wheel with much bemoaning and dirisive laughter. i don't speak hindi, but i'm pretty sure when we walked up and handed him the wheel he muttured something like "blankety-blank gringos." (a note: walla here means "guy or person" as in chai walla, bike walla, plumbing walla, computer walla, etc. it has also become a term me and eliot use for any thing jury-rigged into working like, say, our poorly strapped bags on our bikes. eg: "wow, using duct tape to seal a wound? way to walla that, dude.") running late on our departure, we head to the cyber cafe and send some e-mail out to friends and family.

ratnigiri is not a pretty town.  it's big, smells awful and has nothing to offer in tourism, even the guide book says so. what it doesn't mention though that you should know, is that it is the best place on the Kohkin coast to resupply. food, soap, clothing, shoes - there are shops of all kinds here and the rates are very reasonable. internet is plentiful and hotels and services are very cheap. there are fruit markets (for the brave) and beer.  find a cheap room, refuel and then get back on the road. the aluminum siding walls hastily erected around blown-up concrete buildings, trashfires and rats brazingly feasting in the road makes this place seem more like a set piece from Mad Max that a sleepy Indian village. I spent a week in Ratnigiri one night, if you know what i mean.

when we finally did get on the road, we discovered that we had to take the inland highway (#17) and couldn't stay on the coast without battling the headache of negotiating ferries and days spent going to and from the national highway anyway. we were a little bummed, and not looking forward to what we thought we be at least three days of climbing the Ghats. but when we started the ride, we found that the day of rest and good eating had paid off. plus, the roads were exceptionally maintained, traffic was not too badand there were many watering holes along the way.

we practically flew up and down hills all day on our way south.  we would be climbing for some ten or fiften minutes straing, only to crest a hill and coast for five minutes or so at 30+ mph. brilliant riding through gorgeous mountains (if severly technical - we moved up and down the gears all day).  we even stopped for water at the office of a land developer who gave us tea and showed us around his property.  he gave us advice on the best time to buy alphonse mangoes (see our food week article for more on that) and invited us to coem back and see him anytime - particularly in may when the mangoes would be best.

we rode another hour and made camp on soe unused land in a village. as ever, the locals were very interested in who we were, what we were doing, etc. after a while, the dispersed and we settled into sleep.

sidi

i've decided to name my bike. i noticed alot of guys who do these long trips give their bikes names, from girl's names to physical descriptions to stand-bys like "old reliable." after some thought, i'm naming my bike Sidi.

Sidi Mubarak Bombay was an African dude who was captured by Swahili tribesmen and sold for a few bolts of cloth. He shipped off to Zanzibar to serve an Arab merchant and traveled to India. When his master died, he was freed and decided to go back to Zanzibar where he served in the Sultan's army.  He ended up back in the African mainland, where he met up with a bunch of honkeys from england, namely John Harring Speke who was trying to find the source of the Nile (spoiler alert: it's Lake Victoria [kind of] or Lake Tana, depending on if you're following the White or Blue Nile). He agreed to go with him and the two set off speaking nothing but Hindi to each other since it was the only language they shared. Later, when Henry M. Stanley (the guy who fought on BOTH sides of the civil war - i kid you not) went looking for Dr. Livingstone (of "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" fame), Sibi was chosen to be in charge of the whole caravan - including some 200+ porters. 

it's tough to find much information about him other than he was apparently incredible nice (if occasionally temperamental), super helpful and one tough hombre - he was constantly fighting off banditos, tribesmen, and slavers during his various expeditions. he fought in armies, he worked as a slave, he travelled the world and he helped out dumb white dudes. i would ask the same of my bike. 

Specialized Crosstrail Sport -  I christen thee "Sidi."  Long may we ride together, wild and free. Arise a knight. 

ps - my back-up choice was "Varthema" which, in addition to sounding like a kingdom full of tolkien-esque dwarves, is the name of the first european non-muslim to ever make Hajj to Mecca. An explorer in his own write and an entertaining writer, he just didn't seem to have just the right spirit. Something about pretending to be something you're not bugged me. Hence, Sidi. 

shameless promotion

a few more last minute adjustments to the bikes before we take off in (deep breath) nine days. eliot and i took apart his bike to mock-pack it up.  we didn't get his handlebars adjusted quite right so we took them back to the shop to let them adjust everything. what's that i smell? could it be ... another shameless plug for the good folks at Ride Away Bikes? it is! GIVE THEM YOUR MONEY!! we learned about handlebars and stuff. 

a couple days later i dropped off my bike to have them try and adjust the aero bars for me. i was having trouble getting them to stick.  I thought they'd have to put a straight bar on but they got them working just fine without somehow. they also did a full adjustment and tune-up at no charge. did i already tell you to give them your money? well, here it is again: ride away bikes. huebner oaks. those guys are champs. 

poor little guy, he had a big day

what a day.

as you may know, we have like 30 cats that live with us.  well, to be honest 4 inside and (counting ...) 4 or 5 that live outside. 89% of those cats have been spayed or neutered (thanks, bob barker. love 'ya buddy). but 11% of those cats (read: one) has not. and whether or not it's actually him, we blame any spraying on him.  and yesterday, he apparently sprayed all over my panniers.  you remember my discount panniers, right? the ones my mom sowed into a sweet backpack?  micky the cat went number one all over them.

so i stuck them in the wash last night and someone (thanks eliot) put them in the dryer for me last night. this morning i pulled them out. now, granted i don't think that those bags were supposed to be washed but i sort of expect all-terrain bike bags full of camping gear that - in many ways - i'm staking my life on for three months. i say this because this is what my discount bags looked like this morning when i woke up:

basically every piece of stitching holding the zippers to the bags came apart. to be honest, the zippers sucked anyway. seriously the top bag would either not zip, or, once zipped, would just come apart. let me highly HIGHLY recommend you not buy discount panniers. seriously, just spend the money on something decent. i ran up to bike world and picked up some smaller (BUT RELIABLE!) trek bags. sadly, i cannot afford the amazing Bontager recycled tire-material bags (drooooool) or Ortlieb waterproof bags. but someday ... next trip maybe. 

after that i came home and spent a long time repacking and reworking the bags. i actually took a lot of stuff out of my bags. me and eliot set up the tent and lay our sleeping rolls out. i got inside, turned on the realistic ® radio and put on the jazz station. i lay there for quite a while just letting it all sink in. 

we headed out to Whole Earth Provision and picked up some small nalgene bottles for iodine and stuff, we each bought some pepper spray (read: cobra repellent), permethrin and some expensive technical socks. i bought a clif bar, too. purchased a small journal at borders and headed back home. i sprayed all my clothing down with the repellent, then i was pretty beat so i crawled into bed. 

i woke up in kind of a panic about india. i follow this sine-wave of terror and elation. this manic day-to-day ride is taking its toll on the mind and the body. i spend alot of time thinking about why i'm leaving behind a job, a good income, friends, a comfortable bed and my cat. i'm starting to get run-down. i even began to get a cole-sore today on my upper lip, which i used to only get around finals time or before i went to london for five months. eliot is slightly more flatulent than usually so i think he's got it, too. 

i got up and re-packed, tossed out even more stuff (there's so much dead weight we're carrying) and loaded up the bike again. it's heavy. i haven't been biking as much as i should, haven't trained enough.  i don't speak the language. i still haven't figured out what to do with all my stuff when i leave. i don't know what i'm going to do when i get back, even what city i'm going to be in.  the guard on my gears broke. the little screws fell all over the floor with little bits of plastic. 

i don't even know how to change a spoke on my bike.

my life, on my back

here's that gear list i promised:

1. leather medical bag (first aid kit), contains #2-15 below
2. toothbrush
3. eye glasses & case
4. multi-vitamins (90 ct.)
5. bandage wraps
6. back-up contact case
7. liquid tears
8. lighter, 2 boxes of matches
9. neosporin packs
10. 2 clif bars (emergency rations)
11. alcohol prep pads
12. carmex lip balm
13. hand sanitizer spray bottle
14. band-aids
15. debridement kit (contains a razor blade, tweezers, scissors, prep pads, etc.)
16. 1 ft. bungies (3)
17. 3 ft. bungie
18. cotton t-shirt
19. pearl-izumi bike shorts (with secret wallet!)
20. light-weight wool long-sleeve shirt
21. 100 wt. wool fleece
22. pack sacks (medium sized, sea-to-summit)
23. north face conversion pants
24. hat
25. rain jacket
26. tent
27. rain-fly for bags
28. bed roll
29. waterproof bag containing video and still camera
30. additional bag for bike handlebars (overflow bag)
31. compass (thanks, mom)
32. playing cards
33. weather-proof travel journal (thanks, eliot's mom)
34. 2 trusty ball-point pens
35. big journal
36. map of india (thanks, dad)
37. hindi picture / language book
38. packing strap
39. exofficio travel underwear (sooooo cool)
40. luggage tag (thanks, passport travel clinic)
41. travel towel (also soooo cool)
42. katadyn filter bottle
43. 16oz. nalgene bottles
44. the one and only Realistic Radio
45. bike multi-tool
46. rope
47. ear plugs
48. super glue
the other 48 (whoops). sealable baggie
49. 30% DEET bugspray
50. permethrin bandana (thanks again, eliot's mom)
51. water absorbing, cool-keeping bandana (triple thanks, eliot's mom)
52. lucky red bandana
53. tom's slip on shoes
54. new balance trail running shoes w/ dr. schol's


this is the list of gear i'm carrying as it stands. there will be a few more things added (some clothing adjustments, sunscreen, a cellphone) but for the most part this is life for the next 100 days.

back-pack conversion

as eliot mentioned, we put our bags through conversions so that we could take them off the bike and carry them on us.  when we're moving through crowded (and pick-pocket laden) bus and train stations, or moving through a market, it's going to be handy to be able to pick up our bikes and not worry about the stuff on the back getting ripped off. 

the conversion was done by my dear-old mom, becky hicks, on her singer sowing machine that she won in a contest sometime in the way-back-when. the basic premise was to take the main bag and attached straps for a backpack, then add a loop at the top of that bag with a carbiner.  then take the two side bags and clip them into that carabiner, and put a bungy around the whole thing. for added security i may be putting the rain-fly over this so would-be muggers and fiends can't even see the bags. who knows. i'm very happy with the way this turned out and while it's not the most comfortable thing in the world, it is a very effective way to move quickly on foot with all my gear in tow. 

Inventory, or "Wow, this is gonna be my life for 3 months"

So, now that I (Eliot) have returned to San Antone, Drew and I decided to do a big visual inventory of all of our gear. I will compile a comprehensive list later once everything is put together, but this is all my gear, at about 75% capacity.

Also, we customed out our pannier bags so that we can detach them and carry them at will through train stations and airports and the like, or if we want to remove our junk from the bikes for whatever reason, we can do it with relative ease. Check this shot of my fully functional pannier-backpack-messenger bag. Good idea, Drew - much praise to Drew's Mom Becky for utilizing her supreme sewing skills for Drew's custom pannier-pack (images to come).

Now, to buy some super-duper undies that will survive the intense heat of India, and will hopefully keep me less-stinky than I would be otherwise. Technology!

quicklinks

without getting too much into it (because there is a TON of useful info) here are some links to some amazingly useful sites:

check out the forums at http://www.indiamike.com/

the real skinny. seriously cannot say enough about http://www.travelindependent.info/

another no-nonsense resource: http://artoftravel.com/

short, but helpful: http://www.bootsnall.com/articles/09-10/india-tips-to-survive-your-first-trip.html

it's really easy to get spooked while reading these articles. petty theft, begging, sanitation, a 100% guarantee of getting diarrhea ... but you gotta be proactive right? getting scared and running is not the way to solve a problem. be prepared, adapt and get moving. on a psychological level, that whole fight-or-flight thing is kicking in: it's not too late to back out.

then again, that's dumb. more than any other lesson so far, planning for this trip has taught me that the best way to solve a problem is head on.  look at a challenge as a way to get stronger. scared of getting mugged? learn some self-defense. scarred of getting sick? learn to be healthy. gotta be a commando about this.

NEVER GIVE UP. 

on a much lighter (and heartening) note, regarding food in india, one sight reads:

Food: Fantastic and loads of variety, but getting ill or fear of, makes you a little wary.

Vegetarians: Heaven on earth

mmmmmmm, saag paneer ...

advice

some good advice from Neema Avashia, who has made 8 (or more?) trips to India:

Stay Healthy

Equip yourself with preventive medicines and basic first aid equipment before you leave home. Having these supplies will save you the trouble of going in search of a doctor or drugstore if you get sick. Always carry a water bottle with you. Either boil your own water, or make sure to buy bottled water from a reliable distributor (Bisleri, Yes!, etc.). Indian drinking water contains many forms of bacteria that cannot be filtered out by using a simple filter. If you have to drink soda, avoid bottled sodas since they may be watered down with the same contaminated water that you are trying to avoid. If you eat on the street, consume only fresh fruit or food that is boiled or fried.Food that hasn’t been cooked at high temperatures could make you sick. The one time that I decided to eat out and didn’t take care to make sure that my food was fresh and properly prepared, I ended up in bed for four days with a bad case of diarrhea—you don’t want this.

Be Safe

Always keep your passport and any other important papers close to you. Don’t leave important documents in your luggage. Also, keep two photographs and your passport information in a safe, separate place in case your passport is lost or stolen. Contact the state ITDC (Indian Tourism Development Corporation) or the state tourism office (usually located in the capital city) for travel information. Travel brochures and advice can be acquired at these centers. The ITDC location information can be found in a local phone book. Use STS (Station-to-Station) phone booths to make intra-country and foreign calls. The cost of calling from these booths is less expensive than calling from a house or hotel, and they can be found virtually anywhere. Look for movie theatres to stop at when you’re on the road and need a bathroom break. Theatre bathrooms are usually the cleanest you will find while on the road. You may also want to carry toilet paper with you. Don’t give money to beggars; offer to buy them a meal instead. Pulling out money leaves you open to being robbed or mobbed by beggars. Also, be prepared to see many, many people begging for money—especially in train stations and outside temples.

Find Transportation

Realize that personal space doesn’t exist in India. On any Indian city bus people sit three to a seat, and there are usually three orderly rows of people standing in the aisle. With this many people in one bus, you’re bound to get pushed around, which, although unintentional, is disconcerting for people who aren’t used to so much body contact. However, women should be very careful—for them, sometimes the jostling and pushing by men is intentional. Nevertheless, a city bus ride is definitely an experience worth having at least once—just so you know what I’m talking about.

Avoid putting your luggage on the top of the bus when travelling. If you do so, it may not be there when you get to your destination. Even if it is a little uncomfortable, try to keep your luggage with you on the bus.

Only carry as much luggage as you can handle without looking weak or helpless. As a girl travelling alone in India, I was often accosted by eager porters wanting to carry my luggage. Carrying only one small bag helped me to demonstrate that I didn’t need help. Also, on the one occasion when I was followed by a strange man who seemed to have bad intentions, being able to handle my luggage alone helped me to move quickly and stave off any problems that might have arisen.

If using a taxi or rikshaw, make sure the meter is at the lowest rate when you begin the trip. Drivers may rip you off if they think you don’t know any better. Negotiating prices beforehand can also help you avoid being cheated.

Confirm your return flight at least two days in advance in order to avoid getting bumped. Indian airport computers aren’t always reliable; confirming your flight ahead of time could save you grief at the airport.

solo ride

i took a solo ride last night since eliot is still out of town.  i've got my bags more-or-less 80% packed, with everything where it will be while we're in india. the bike was very heavy and the weight was poorly distributed so there's some work to do.  as it stands, i'm carrying the cameras, first aid kit, tent and books so i may have to distribute some of that over to eliot's bike.  on the other hand, he's got to carry the cooking gear, food and his own stuff to boot so maybe i just power through it. the big thing to do is weigh the gear and distribute it evenly.

i also took the opportunity to test out my helmet, pants, shirt and shoes like i'll be wearing them in india. it actually worked well - i'd prefer not to be wearing a cotton shirt but as eliot says, we're going to look enough like aliens as it is without wearing shiny bike shirts. and as i say, bike gear is expensive. time to t-shirt it up, india!

overall, i'm really happy with the gear. the bags seem to be working well - the pants, while silly, are totally comfortable and airy.  also, after yesterday's crash-course on mosquito-related death, i'll be happy to have legs on my pants and not, you know, hot pants. the EXstream water bottle works well although the amount of water you get at a go leaves alot to be desired. still, it is filtering on the go and when i need the water so i suppose it's a worthwhile trade.  given enough time, i could fill my other bottles with the EXstream.  it'll be a good time-killing camp-activity to filter water, i guess.

after a little sewing, i'll be able to disassemble my bags from the racks and reassemble them into a backpack which will be HUGE when we're trying to move through train stations, on and off busses and in cities. i'll take some pictures when i get them up and going.

well, that's just great

man, i'm so glad catnip oil is ten times more effective at repelling mosquitoes than DEET.  i also love the fact that kitties are attracted to you when you where it, it smells great and it's totally inexpensive.

wait, one of those statements was a bold-faced lie. LITERALLY.  meanwhile, for the same price, you can get whole catnip ... 5 pounds of it.

so, who wants to have a catnip oil-pressing party?

heavy

headed over to Good Sports again today to pick up a Katadyn Exstream XR water bottle (to add to our iodine tablets, fire and purchased bottled water for H20 purification options) and the most cool pants i have ever purchase because they are, in fact, 3 KINDS of PANTS. 


1. Slacks
2. Button-up legs for Goucho-Style 
3. Zip-off legs for Shorts. 


I know, I know. I have crossed a threshold. The rubicon has been forded. There is no going back. I am officially an old man, and an easy target for attractive young ladies to giggle derisively at as he passes. I now own zip-off pants. sigh ...

On the other hand, they are super comfortable, way breathable, and I was never a very cool guy anyway. Meanwhile, Eliot went up to Houston / Austin this weekend for some family stuff and stopped over REI to pick up his own Katadyn bottle and some other stuff. Widdling down the purchase list (and my checking account ...). Got a few more big purchases (inoculations for me, insurance for both of us) and then we're off. 


The enormity of the trip is really starting to hit me. Having some tough talks with family and friends about what this means, how much it costs and the risks. This is going to be the hardest thing i've ever put my body and mind through: dealing with culture shock, a semi-permeable language barrier, inclement weather conditions and more physical activity than some people do in a lifetime is going to rough to say the least. I'm scared to death. 


But i'm also excited. This is exactly the kind of thing i've spent my whole life wanting to do.  From my first steps into this big ol' world i wanted to push my limits and see what's over that next hill, around that next bend. So, to my family and friends: Wave goodbye as I go, keep me in your thoughts and i'll see you when the road comes back this way. 


In the meantime, we'll be keeping you updated on these final 30 days-or-so. They'll be a big crunch at the end as we scramble to get everything lined up in time to shove off, but for now, keep checking in to hear about our wacky training-regime, ridiculous pants and personal dilemmas. 


A special Ghost-Runners howdy-do to our newest follower Vinod Karimatt! Welcome aboard! If you guys get a chance, go check out one of his many sites,  He's fond of the saying "Photography is the only language that can be understood anywhere in the world." Hey, from two film majors - we couldn't agree more. The picture above is from the website linked above. Go check out his photos! 

Shot In The Arm

Just got my (eliot) inoculations for India - Hepatitis A and Swine Flu, plus a prescription for Doxycycline. Still current on Typhoid, Tetanus and Polio (probably....maybe......I hope so......I think so).

Hep A - for turbid and untrustworthy water and food sources that'll give ya' the nasties. Bad wrong nastyness. Serious nastyness.

Swine Flu - I don't really know, but the nice former-Rhodesian travel clinic doctor told me infections are up in my age group, and being exposed to so many people in planes, trains and rickshaws are going to up my chances of infection. So into my arm it went.

Doxycycline - For Malaria - among other things - like reduced acne (not a problem, I, uhm, assure you) and a golden brown hue on the old epidermis. Apparently, Doxy is good for not just blocking Malaria from F-ing with your system, but it's also prescribed to pizza-faced dorks like Eliot circa 1997! Also, it makes you "photo-sensitive", which means I can leave my cocoa butter at home and simply expect to get toasted by the sun on a regular basis. Nice! One pill per day.

Declined Japanese Encephalitis, Hep B and Rabies. Crossing the fingers I don't get bitten by a Japanese-mosquito-junkie out there on the trail. We're camping in a sweet tent (thanks Alexis) that is essentially like a giant mosquito net, and we'll be treating it with Pemrethin to keep the little dudes from penetrating our defenses, and subsequently, our precious skin.

Many thanks to Passport Health San Antonio for injections and advice - oh, one more thing: I asked what to do in case of snake bite. My doc mulled it over for a few moments and deduced that I should see a doctor. No EpiPen or emergency steroid injection, I asked? Not really good to do out in the bush, she said...hmm. SO, one of the goals will to NOT get chomped on by any asps or pythons. Just in case, I will be picking up a poison pump, that apparently is better than having your buddy suck the poison out or slicing off a big chunk of your leg. Also, we're going to carry another preventative measure: a big stick.

Amen to that.

bags and blizzards

finally got around to buying rear racks for the panniers last night - at a paltry $35 a piece i think we made out okay. could have been worse.

oh course, when we bought them, they didn't fit our frames at all. we were having serious doubts about getting them to fit. thankfully, the nice folks at Bike World  were good enough to let us hang around (and even lent us some tools and a couple racks) so we could work on getting the racks adjusted. eliot ended up rigging his reflector holder and screwing the rack mounts into that so it comes off the saddle stem. i got some longer mounts and bent the heck out of them with a set of pliers, mounting them straight into the bike frame. whose will be mightiet? LET THE BATTLE OF JURY-RIGGED PANNIER MOUNTS BEGIN.

afterwards we went for a ride ... in 45 degree weather ... in the rain ... in bike shorts. people, "cold" doesn't begin to describe the kind of pain i was in. but it was good. or, at least, character building (which, growing up, my dad apparently thought was synonymous with "discomfort.") still, we live to bike another day and now we can take stuff with us. exciting. pictures forthcoming.

three big purchases left, folks - the insurance, the visas and the tickets.

Drive in Totals:$: 1713.71

panniers

just picked up a set of these:

with shipping, it came out to 57.99. we'll see if these discounted bags live up to their lofty claims. DOING IT ON THE CHEAP.

Drive in Totals: 

$: 1624.71

$e: 755.79

$d: 868.92

Logged: 7.98m / 12.84km

BIKES

dudes and ladies - we have bikes. repeat: we have bikes.

so a HUGE step yesterday in our plans to take this re-don-dic-u-lous trip of ours: eliot and i travelled over to ride-a-way bikes here in beautiful san antonio, tx and purchase two (2) Specialized Crosstrail Sport bikes. the cost was 549.99+44.69[tax] for a total of 594.68 each.

the guys at ride-away are super helpful and i would recommend going there if you are planning an equally hair-brained trip into the heart of darkness. seriously, even if it's just for information, these guys know their stuff, are totally amiable and don't work on commission - no salespeople here, just enthusiastic bikes guys. hell, they even threw in free toe clips (not a huge deal for you maybe, but some of us operate on a budget). plus they fully indulged our idiotic ramblings, nonsensical questions and complete lack of common sense regarding bicycle repair and personal safety. i give them a 5/5.  i'll stop here, but i would compare it favorably to the experience we had at the outfitters. except there wasn't beer. if there was beer, 6/5.

speaking of that outfitters, i neglected to mention them by name - Good Sports. If you're in south texas looking for gear, skip the big pro shops and go here. again, free beer.

more to the point: we went for a sweet ride through our most hilly of homes and came out feeling amazing (the jameson's at the end of the ride helped). we're using the runkeeper™ app on my iPhone to track our rides.  last night was a short ride:

Ride #1 = 7.98 miles (12.84km), averaging 12.59mph (20.26km/h) over 38.01 minutes. 

not bad considering how friggin' hilly things are around here. we'll keep pushing it, but last night was a good warm-up. it's going to be a totally different game w/ bags and gear. speaking of which, we'll add a drive-in total for current bike weight as soon as i can find a scale to weigh myself / the bike on.  oh, and for the drive-in's below, $=total, $e= just eliot, $d= drew.

in the meantime, rock hard, ride free. make good choices. be well, do good things, stay in touch, etc. etc.

Drive in Totals: 

$: 1566.72

$e: 755.79

$d: 810.93

Logged: 7.98m / 12.84km

bicycle love triangle

last night eliot and i hit up four bikes stores in something like an hour-and-a-half. everything was going fine, with all eyes still on the specialized crosstrail from the previous night. that is until this sweet GT Total Comfort rode into my life. 


cool matte green-grey coating, righteously sized and an internal gear-hub.  me and eliot rode it around the parking lot and both really loved it. like ... really loved it. the internal gear hub was so smooth and the bike was fun and well balanced. it was a real drag that they didn't have it in eliot's size. anyway, this led to a massive internal struggle as to which bike i should get. 


ultimately i decided to go with the specialized. i mean, i really enjoyed the internal gear thingy and it would probably never break and i took the bike off this one sweet jump and uuughghghhhAAAAARRHRHHH!


yeah. have to go with the regular style gear hub.  if it breaks, at least someone somewhere will know how to fix it. the extra gears it provides could come in handy but are probably unnecessary.  one way or the other, we'll definitely let you know how the specialized works out. could be somewhere down the road, i'll wish i had the rock solid, lifetime garunteed of a fully sealed and lubricated 8-speed internal gear hub by shimano, one of the world's leading manufacturers of NO NO NO NO CAN'T SECOND GUESS MYSELF. 

junk. and "junk."

above you'll see the specialized crosstrail 2010 which eliot and i fell in love with tonight. definitely the way to go, even though it is expensive ($550) (actually that's not so much). and anyway, the benefits it offers - sweeeeet shifters and nice derailer, not to mention double walled rims makes the price more than worth it. we're going to look around a bit since the (helpful) dude at ride-away bikes was unable to offer us anything less than list plus 10% off accessories. still, might be worth it.

we then traveled over to this mom-and-pop outfitters store where my buddy Adon works. he agreed to help us out with getting the right gear. he was busy so this other clerk helped and and she was amazingly helpful - totally knowledgeable, agreeable AND she gave us beer while we tried stuff on. aaaaaaaaamazing. eliot walked out with a north face rain jacket and some bikes shorts while i picked up a merino wool shirt, north face 100 wt. wool pull over and some sweet bike shorts.

seriously bike shorts are amazing - they kind of hold your junk this tight, but comforting way. it makes you feel sort of funny, but you like it. maybe you know the feeling. anyway, they look just like this:

eliot spent 161.11 and i spent 216.25, for a total of 377.36. because this is the first time we've spent money i'd like to introduce the drive-in totals for our trip. ocassionally we'll keep you updated with how things are progressing by mathifying things (cost, mileage, etc.) the first official drive in total is thus:

Drive in Totals:

$: 377.36

friends & family

just got back from Sports Authority where this dude (james perhaps?) gave us a hand testing out some bikes in the parking lot. after some chit-chat and a hand shake we scored a sweet "friends & family" 35%-off coupon if we buy stuff on thanksgiving. with that in mind, and the fact that we can't decide if we should go mountain bike or touring bike, we decided to look around some more before purchasing. but possible-james' business acumen might have just scored him a customer tonight.

we both really liked the touring bikes but were afraid the slimmer tire profile and relatively thin rim-wall might be an issue on india roads. the actual conditions of said roads warrants more investigation.

in other news, with thanksgiving coming up, i have started thinking about the family and how they'll deal with me being abroad and out of touch for X-number of months. it will definitely be weird to see everyone again upon returning.

talked alot tonight about:

• crazy long indian names

• funny indian accents

• our deep desire to speak hindi

• inventing a set of panniers and bags that convert into a big framed backpack.

reminder to: breakdown equipment into things we need one of and things we need more than one of, then divide stuff up accordingly. for example - one multi-tool, one pump, lots of extra tubes, sets of clothing, food, cooking supplies, etc. etc.

btw, the bike i really liked was the diamondback edgewood. specifications can be found here and it looks just like this: