Together at last!!

The 

Journey has

Begun!

After about twenty-two hours of travel Erin and I were united at last! 

From the building of snowmen to the...... 

   Landing in Bangalore, the most apparent difference was the weather.

hot rays of the sun and abundance of lushes life and beautiful flowers!

Lalbagh Botanical Gardens 

Breakfast Dosa with Subbu, Myself, Erin,  Nandini and Yateesh

 In preparation for the journey on wheels,  we spent a week in Bangalore staying with Subbu (who Erin had posted about in the last blog) of which we are so grateful as he has provided much help and a greater feeling of community while here for the short while.  Throughout the week we have been able to meet some amazing people and gain a more enriched experience through the conversations we have had and the places we have seen! From a morning run at the botanical gardens followed by breakfast dosa to trying many delcious and spicy south indian foods on food steet and tasty beers at a brewery. 

Really neat tree

Along with all this beauty and fun, we spent much of the week putting together our bicycles! Erin was able to get in touch with a bike shop called Cadence90 in Bangalore that could source the parts and type of bike that we were interested in.  Not only did Cadence get all of the parts together for the building of our soon to be way of life, they also blessed us with so much more.  Before getting into what a gift it has been getting to know and work with this bike shop I would love for you all to meet the Cadence90 team (Check them out!)

Satish- wise mechanic!

Chethan Ram- Founder of Cadence90 

For just about a week Erin and I would spend from about 12 to 8 learning and building the Surly Long Haul Trucker cycle that will (hopefully) be strong and sturdy enough to carry the weight and variable terrain that is in our future. After the first day of introductions and getting to know each other a bit more we became more and more goofy and Satish became more and more like a father to us through his worries and concerns and invaluable advice. 

Satish mainly worked with us on the bike with Chethan assisting as well. From day one Satish ensured that we would be leaving this place knowing much more about bicycle mechanics and the workings of the cycle than we had coming in (which I really did not know much). With patience and persistence Satish broke down the workings of the bike, from the ball bearings in the hubs to the height of the seat and everything in between! 

Throughout the week we met many cyclists whom Chethan often bikes with as Cadence also offers many cycle trips and workshops as well as a comfortable and supportive space to be able to learn and enjoy one another. Erin and I could not have imagined the growing support and community that we gratefully fell into when working with Cadence. The evening we had finished our bikes we were blessed with a traditional Hindu puja that rid away negative energies and spirits and would send us on this journey with warm blessings.  

Satish placing flowers around stem

Squishing a lemon under tire 

Along with this blessing we were also shown great support and warmth from the cycling community we had met throughout our week at Cadence, sending us on our way with smiles, hugs and the traditional cutting of the cake! It was pretty amazing to have acquired such support and community while only in Bangalore for the week but Erin and I truly felt the warmth as if we were around family, providing so much more than we could have hoped for!! We cannot show and express the appreciation we have for this new family and community we have been blessed with! 

Here is a neat time lapse of building the second cycle! 

 

Photo credit: Cethan Ram

With many blessings and kindness Erin and I will take a train to Kanniyakumari which brings us to the southern most tip of India where we will begin the cycling journey! 
Click here to check out the estimated route of the journey!

Ladedahdedah!