"I want to ride my bicycle!"

I had been saying since we arrived in Chiang Mai that I wanted to go bicycling. I could just picture it: the breeze blowing in my hair, the sun shining down on my arms and legs and back, cruising around the city and countryside on a quaint little bicycle, complete with basket and bell. Sigh. Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? Well, that’s not quite what reality looked like one Sunday when my teammates and I decided to go on a bike ride. Yes, there was breeze and sun, but I wouldn’t exactly call what we did “cruising,” and there was definitely no basket and bell… but there were kneepads, elbow pads, gloves, helmets, and gearshifts, if that gives you any idea.

I should have realized what was going to happen when I looked at the brochure, but somehow a “downhill 25 km ride with 4000 m altitude change” registered in my brain as “coasting downward at a peaceful speed on a slightly declined, smooth road.” Negative ghostrider. Big negative.

Things started to click into gear (pun intended) as I was bouncing along in the back of the tuk-tuk that was taking my teammates and I to the top of the mountain where our journey would begin. I was feeling a little carsick from the jostling and winding roads, which led me to think, “When will get out of this thing? We’ve been in here for a long time… sheesh, we’ve been in here for a REALLY long time! How tall is this mountain?” (Thus when the reality of “4000 plus meters” hit me.)

We got out at the top of the mountain, grateful to be standing outside… but our feet were not on solid ground for long. We were then given a bicycle and told to ride it around in a little clearing to get our bearings. That’s when I fully grasped Realization Number 2: this was not going to be a smooth ride at all. There were ruts and rocks and juts, which quickly turn bike riding from a leisurely activity to an extreme sport. Suddenly, I was very thankful for my excessive protective gear.

Then the actual ride began. We were off, sharing the same roads as passing cars for the first ten minutes or so until we got off the beaten path. I was grateful to be done squeezing past cars and a cliff, but then I was promptly reminded why cars would be crazy to drive on the path we were now on. I quickly learned the importance of using both brakes when going down a “hill” (which—Realization Number 3—was no “slight decline”). The farther we went, the more I thought, “Wait… I’M the crazy one! What in the world am I doing??” Needless to say, I was talking to the Father a LOT during that time! It was definitely a sanctifying experience.

After a few bumps in the road (literally) and several emergency dismounts, I started getting the hang of things. During those three hours, I slowly moved from “terrified” to “exhilarated,” thanks to the adrenaline rush, coupled with the absolutely gorgeous view… we passed banana and papaya groves, lush green valleys, and breathtaking views of the city below. Towards the end of the ride, I was so giddy (whether that’s because of adrenaline or because we were almost finished, I’m not entirely sure) that I began to sing Queen’s “Bicycle Race” at the top of my lungs (which, thanks to the bumpy road, sounded something more like “I-I-I wa-a-a-ant to-o ri-i-i-d-de m-my bi-i-i-i-i-cy-l-l-l-e-e-e-e!”)

At the end of the afternoon, my teammates and I counted our cuts and bruises and recounted our favorite moments from the ride. I have to admit, we felt very accomplished (and a little sore in our backsides.) Though it wasn’t the picturesque bike ride that I had envisioned, it was absolutely worth it. Let’s hope the rest of our Thailand adventures will be just as fun… but maybe a little easier on our sore muscles.