Keep Calm and Bike On!!
Attention………… Preeti cycling in to Nepal
Total Distance Covered: 163 kilometers
Total Cycling time: 11 hours (with rest stops)
Route: Damak, Belbari, Itahari, Birpur
At 6:30 in the morning Preeti started towards Kathmandu from hotel sunrise. By noon the heat had really gone up and Preeti was struggling to cope with it. Till 1 o’clock Preeti had taken 4-5 breaks of around 10 minutes each. At 1 o’clock she decided to take a longer break of one and a half hour from 1 to 2:30 in the afternoon till the heat subsided a bit.
As Preeti is doing this solo unsupported cycling expedition, she had decided not to have a carrier attached to her cycle as it may add to the weight. Instead of this being a boon… it turned into a bane. The saddle bag in which she was carry her clothes, equipment etc was hanging on the seats support. As the terrain changed the bad started to rub against the cycle’s tyre. This made riding cumbersome and time and againfor multiple times Preeti had to get off the cycle, attach the bag properly and get back to riding. A lot of time was being wasted due to this.
Preeti reached Mahuli at 6 in the evening. Everyday she is supposed to take the signatures and seal at every important place on a letter that mentions that Preeti has cycled through here. As there is no support Preeti has to do this all on her own this time.
In Spite of going to 4-5 local police stations she wasn’t able to get the required signatures and seals. Finally in one of the police stations she spoke about her previous expeditions and made them look up for information about her on google. After checking the information and confirming that she is cycling for the case of spreading awareness about organ donation, she finally got the seal and signature. The police officer also sent a constable along with Preeti to ensure she gets a good place to stay.
As usual where ever Preeti goes she makes waves. In Nepal Facebook and YouTube are free to use as these apps are really popular. People looked up for Preeti on Face Book and You Tube and gave her tons of wishes to Preeti and also pledged organ donation on the ReBirth website. A lady doing an unsupported expedition for the cause of spreading awareness about organ donation is what prompted them to pledge to organ donation.
The part of Nepal which Preeti is riding through these days isn’t a part where vegetarian food is easily available. Preeti has carried packets of dried and powdered coconut water. She just adds them to water and keeps herself hydrated. She eats where ever she finds fruits or vegetarian food. She replenishes the water bottles every now and then.
At the hotel she stayed for the night stop, the cook lady did not know how to make vegetable noodles. Preeti had to practically teach her to make vegetable noodles. The lady cook added all boiled vegetables in instant noodles and served them to Preeti. Preeti of course does not complain about any inconvenience caused.
Preeti’s day starts at 3 am in the morning and ends at sundown from where she starts her hunt for a local police station for the signatures and seals, a good and safe place to eat and stay. While we take updates from Preeti in the night around 9, she’s already yawning. But she’s so enthusiastic about telling about her next days plan…….
All great things are simple and so is our PREETI
Original Blog By : Kavita Pipada
English Translation By : Girija Shirurkar