I like to ride my bicycle... :)

Update on the quest for a bike: Despite four months of asking around and plans to travel far away to find one, we finally persuade our tuk-tuk driver to ask again and this time we made the discovery of a bike shop in Wattala (which seems to be one of its best kept secrets for some unknown reason). And so we now have a second bike which we picked up for rps 3000 (£15) and were told later that this was a rip-off for what it is. Ok, so it’s old and rusty, the seat is not the most comfortable, it’s too big for either of us and the back brake fell of the second time we took it out, but it has a bell…which kind of works! And for now, Miriam gets to ride it – lucky her – while I get used to the roads ;p

In England the saying goes to drive as if every other driver on the road is an idiot. Here, as you launch yourself into the road and into the face of oncoming traffic, you just have to trust that they have brakes and they know how to use them and that despite driving in an somewhat idiotic/erratic fashion, there really is a sane, fully alert person behind the wheel.

Test rides have been a success – I have managed to navigate all cars, tuk-tuks and potholes and have not made people honk their horns anymore than usual (people beep all the time here anyway, just generally to make their presence on the road known.). So now there are two crazy English girls riding around on bicycles – much to the amusement and curiosity of everybody!

Having said what a success our first rides have been – which is a big deal if you see the roads here! - this week is also Vesak so the roads have been virtually deserted in the daytime. Vesak falls at the same time as Poia (full moon celebrations) when most of the shops are closed and people are on holiday anyway. So for the first time since my arrival I witness perfect driving conditions on the streets of Wattala!

Not only does Vesak mean perfect driving conditions but also perfect lie-in conditions! No motorbikes or tuk-tuks roaring down the lane at 6 in the morning, no one riding down the road selling fish at sunrise, no thundering clatter of the shutters from the shop below, just some amplified ghostly chanting from the Catholic church at some unearthly hour of the morning BEFORE sunrise!!! But that’s it! I thought I had blocked all of these noises out of my sub-conscious, but considering how well I slept during Vesak it seems that is not the case!