Back on the Bicycle

A while ago, I sold my car because I didn't use it enough to justify keeping it. I have a Honda quad which is my principle means of transport. I got to thinking that I should have a backup and considered getting a bicycle. Bicycles are almost ubiquitous here in the rainforest. It is not uncommon to see whole families somehow clinging to a single bicycle. Nor is it uncommon to see a cyclist having a cell phone conversation while riding the main road.

Living on a floodplain, the bicycle takes well to the almost pancake-flat terrain and is relatively inexpensive to acquire and maintain.

A friend of mine was leaving the country recently and I knew he had a bicycle. So I asked what he planned to do with it when he left (it is common practice for visitors here to purchase a bicycle to use for the duration of their visit and then to sell it prior to departure). Michel advised that he would store it at a friend's farm. In response to his query, I explained that I was in the market for a bicycle and thought perhaps his would be for sale. He told me I was in luck as he had another bike that he had purchased for a friend who came to visit. It had only been used three times and was in mint condition. He invited me to drop by his house to have a look.

So I bought his extra bicycle and he rode it home for me. Then I set about customizing it. I bought a rack for the back and a light for the font and installed them. I had some saddlebags that my sister had brought down for me some years ago. I had converted these to use with my horse when I was riding. So I re-converted them and installed them on the back rack. On a trip to a neighbouring village I purchased a tail light and a lock and installed them. This is our rainy season and unless you are prepared to live with a brown stripe up your back, you had better install a mudguard. I fashioned one out of some leftover rubberized upholstery fabric that I covered my P.A. speakers with some time ago and installed it on the back rack. All set to go....almost.

My gardener was here last Saturday and I showed him the bike which, it turns out, is identical to his. Jesus advised that the shifters (it's an 18-speed) were junk and would need to be replaced with better quality Shimano equipment. He offered to make the appropriate arrangements. I was content to wait until the change was implemented....no rush.

However, I just acquired a new pair of athletic shoes for my morning walks. Well, breaking them in, they ate my little toes to the point that I had to give up walking until they heal. But this morning I remembered that I have a bicycle. So , for the first time in years, I went for a bicycle ride. When I said this floodplain is "almost pancake-flat" the operative word is "almost". There is actually a delta of 16 feet from the top of the community to the ocean and from the centre, the land drops off, albeit gently, both to the north and to the south.

From my house close to the beach, it is uphill all the way. You don't notice when you walk or drive but you sure can feel it on a bicycle. Long story short, my relief was considerable when I headed home and was riding downhill. My twenty-minute ride was a harder workout than my usual hour-long walk. I will probably stick with the bicycle until further notice.....it was wonderful. I grew up on bicycles but I would probably not have revisited this classic form of transportation had I not retired to the rainforest.