Saturday, May 31, 2003

Something i've been meaning to go on about for a while since being in nepal is agriclture. By far the most common weed in nepal is..... Weed. It's a terrible problem. The farmers grow their crops of rice in their fields, then they harvest them. Then, in the space of time between harvesting one crop and planting the next, millions of marijuana plants pop out of the ground and start growing like crazy. So then before the farmers can plant their next crop, they have to rip out all these millions of weeds, which by now have flowered and are literally packed with sticky smelly flowers, and throw them in the ditch by the side of the road where they dry out, get covered in dust, and then rot. It seems to me that a rather huge business opportnity is being overlooked here! I mean surely these plants could be rotted down and sold as compost! Such a waste! ;)

I rode the bike again today to the top of a hill with a temple on it. It was quite fun really, but stalling on the hill on a steep bit with a truck in front and a van behind was not a high point.... I've discovered that stalling on a slope poses quite a problem, especialy if you have passenger. The problem is, you need to kick start the bike, so you cant use the back brake which is under your right foot, but at the same time, using the front brake means it's tricky to control the accelerator. Then you've got to ride the clutch in first gear (very sensitive) while the passenger gets on. It's all rather stressful, especially if people are waiting behind you.... :( But anyway, I survived, and I now consider myself a bit of an expert at riding bikes in asian cities... :)

I'm not sure I want to ride a bike around India tho. It's just too tiring. My hands are aching again like mad! Hah, i'm such a pussy, I know, but what can I say, I have sensitive hands....

Selene is leaving on Monday! :( That means there's only one full day left! Then it's back to being a lone wanderer again.... I wonder how many hours it'll take to meet new friends this time..... :)

right, I've really got nothing to say today, so I'm gonna go and read other peoples blogs for a change... My favourite is my friend Joseph Tame's. It's at www.tamegoeswild.com look for the "daily mumble"....

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