Kora around Kathmandu...almost

Last week Save the Children organized a charity bike ride called the Kathmandu Kora Cycling Challenge to raise money for much needed birth centers in Nepal. The coordinators made it sound incredibly intriguing in their invitation: "In Buddhism and Hinduism a ‘Kora’ is a circumbulation, done clockwise, usually around a religious structure. It is said that a single Kora around Mt. Kailash in Tibet for example is enough for one lifetime. Kathmandu, with its myriad religious structures, is a perfect location to do a circumbulation. It boasts two of the most revered Buddhist Stupas of Boudhha & Swoyambhu, and one of the top eight temples for Hindus worldwide, Pashupatinath." In other words, they were going to ride 50 kilometers around the city and see some amazing sights. Sounded like a brutal but memorable adventure and all for a good cause. So I signed up.

I'm not really a mountain biker. Or any other type of biker. Since coming to Kathmandu, however, I've been hitting the valley hills with some extreme cyclists. Because of the lack of green space, infrastructure, and clean air in the city, we all look for ways to get out of the pollution and in to nature. The surrounding green valley, with its hilly terrain and endless trails, fits the bill and is perfect for mountain biking. But, in case you were unaware of this fact, mountain biking is difficult. Especially for a skinny legged rock climber. Turns out mountain biking doesn't require much in the way of forearm or finger strength. In order to enhance what little leg strength I have, I decided to invest in clipless shoes and pedals. For the uninitiated these "clipless" shoes, counterintuitively, connect you to your pedals, which is great for power, speed, and oneness with the bike. It is decidedly not great when you need to put a foot on the ground, which in rocky terrain is a lot. At least for an inexperienced rider like me. Consequently, I fall over frequently. I'm sure this is funny for my fellow riders or the constantly gawking local residents. It's even kind of funny for me if I'm just coming to a stop for a chat, rest, or water. Though it's decidedly not funny when I'm flying down hill, or trying to power through a rough patch. With that foreshadowing...back to the Kora ride.

An estimated 300 riders participated in the event. We gathered in Patan Durbar Square, the ancient seat of power for one of the valley's three former kingdoms and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After some uncoordinated coordination, we were off like a glacier. Apparently 300+ bikes don't move quickly through narrow back alleys and single track mountain trails. For a novice like me, this was actually fine, at least for a bit. The ride in the southern valley was beautiful. The slow pace allowed for sightseeing and conversation. The group occasionally stopped to get the massive pack back together again. But then, about 1 hour in, a deep mud puddle caused by the on-going monsoon buried my front tire. Unable to quickly extricate my foot thanks to my very clipped-in clipless shoes, I fell hard, right onto a degraded and rusty barbed wire fence beside the trail. Fortunately, I like scars, because this should be a good one.

After a thorough iodine irrigation and some slap dash bandaging, which one friend accurately described as looking like a used diaper, we were off again. The rest of the ride was decent, but not quite as fun as I'd hoped. There was a lot of stopping for bottle necks due to sheer numbers. And, unsurprisingly, with no course markers, large groups inevitably got separated and lost. We did manage to find Swayambunath, aka The Monkey Temple. Not every bike ride passes by a giant golden Buddha. So I've got that going for me, which is nice. Another few hours later, I was done. And by done, I don't mean 'completed the ride.' I mean, wiped out. Fried. Kaput. After more than four hours of riding, and the realization that we were only half way around the city, it was time for this injured, cramping, pinkening redhead to make for home. Still, all in all I managed to ride exactly half way around the Kathmandu valley, about 25 kilometers. I'm pretty proud that I had made it that far. And I'm happy to report that once I decided to call it a day, on the short 10 minute road-ride home, I made it without a single spill.

A buddy in front of Buddha at "the Monkey Temple"

One of several stops to reunite the long line of bikers

4 Month Momo

You're 4 months old and so much fun! One of the biggest milestones of the last couple of weeks is that you've started rolling over.  You've only done it twice on your own, in your sleep, but that totally counts.  When you're awake I help you out, but you just need a tiny nudge and voila, you're on your tummy.  That's still not your favorite place to be, but you're getting used to it.  I think you'll be crawling in no time. 

The other fun thing that you've started doing is drinking from your camelbak bottle.  Dad made fun of me for buying one for you, but you totally dig it! I gave it to you one day to chew on, since you're teething, and before I knew it you figured out how to drink through the straw! You can hold the bottle, which is just about as big as you are, too! It's pretty amazing! When you get fussy, this is an easy way to distract you and lighten your mood. 

You were born with a ton of hair, which doesn't appear to be going anywhere, it's just getting longer.  Most of the time you have an awesome faux-hawk going on with an occasional power flip in the front.  Everyone is always commenting on how much hair you have and how cute it is.  I have to  agree.  Those cheeks aren't bad either!

Last, but not least, you've been testing your lung power.  You still don't cry too much (thank the lawd!) but you do like to scream, mostly at the cats.  They don't scream back, they just look at you funny.  It's mostly cute when you do this, but when we're at the embassy in the wide-open cafeteria, you can be quite loud, which is a little embarrassing.  With that voice and your hair, maybe you'll be a rock star when you grow up?!

Next Post

No sense in burying the lead, so... I've decided to take my talents to South...America. (Ode to Lebron...although I don't like him.) Our next post with the Foreign Service will be a "Pol/Econ" tour in Montevideo, Uruguay. We are extremely excited and satisfied with this assignment. In fact it was our #3 (out of 30) post.  It actually is kind of our #2 choice as the first two were both in Lisbon, just with different arrival dates. (Since Portuguese helped me land the job in the first place, I would really like to use it some day!.) Montevideo looks great for so many reasons. It is a "Pol/Econ" job, meaning it is in my "cone", or career track. I'm a political officer doing a consular job this tour, so I am anxious to do the work I was primarily hired to do. Plus, I think I'll learn a lot in an interesting region.  Also, after studying the lovely yet challenging Nepali language, I really look forward to (re?)learning Spanish, which will hopefully open up more great jobs in the future. Since it is such an international language, I foresee more tours in Latin America...perhaps. Elyse will get to study it with me as well. And the Momo may even use it as a second language from an early age. How cool is that?  It will be nice to have another applicable skill, for all of us. As for the city and country itself, what can I say?  It just looks fantastic. We are loving our time in Kathmandu. Yet for all it possesses, it lacks certain things. One is fresh, clean air. Another is infrastructure. A final one is green space. All of which Montevideo appears have in spades. Or at least it has sandy-beach space, with a long walking/biking trail alongside. There are ocean and city beaches mere blocks from housing and the Embassy itself. Even I, as a pigmentally challenged American and avowed shade-seeker, can appreciate that. And the weather seems just about perfect. It sits at 35 degrees south longitude, same as N. Carolina in the northern hemisphere. Summers average in the low 80s, winters in the high 50s. Even my Floridian family can handle that. But no place is perfect. What Uruguay definitely lacks is mountains, so there will be no climbing or extreme trekking as we've been able to do in Nepal (kind of). Yet that is the beauty of this career. If you don't have it now, you may have it next time, whether that is in reference to the job itself at the Embassy/Consulate, or the city/country in which you live. So do some research on Montevideo and start making travel plans now. We arrive around mid-2014! I promise we will have room for many visitors. Not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven. (Nope, still don't like Lebron.)