Ever wonder why so many people (usually men) in their 50’s and 60’s suddenly get the desire to drive motorbikes? I used to think that they were trying to recapture their lost youth, and that certainly may be the case for some. But I never drove a motorbike in my youth, never thought that I would drive a motorbike. I’ve heard too many stories of too many horrific accidents. And I’m a sensible person, right?
I was until I was introduced to my lovely Scooty Pep (Indian brand) with the big, pink Ganesha sticker on her front. Okay, so she’s not technically a motorbike. You don’t straddle her like some male conquest. You rider her in a civilised manner with your legs together, making wearing a skirt infinitely more doable. She can’t get up to the high speeds the big boys can attain, but I’m more than satisfied, thrilled really, with dizzying 55KPH (34MPH) I’ve rocketed her up to.
I must have spent a previous incarnation in India or some other equally whacky traffic haven riding one of these because it turns out that I’m infinitely comfortable dodging traffic, vying for a clear path on the local roundabouts, or blazing a trail down a country road rife with potholes. And big trucks and busses don’t scare me no matter how loud their horns are. They can just wait for me to go where I need to go. I have as much right to the road as they do.
Now anyone who knows me well knows that I’m not the most coordinated person in the world and not the best driver. But somehow that works to my advantage here.
Yoga teaches you to go with the flow and I’ve seen no better example of that then driving here. Traffic driving down the wrong side of the road; no problem. People doing crazy crisscrosses around traffic circles; nothing to worry about. It’s all in your non verbal communication; a nod of the head, meeting someone’s eyes, even your posture. Anything that says, “I’ve got this one” or “You go, I’ll wait”.
It’s just so much damn fun! It’s almost as good as being given a new posture at the shala.
So, why is riding a motorbike a pre-requisite to a mid-life crisis? For me it’s the exhilaration of the wind on my face and having nothing between me and the view. It’s also the shear challenge of it!
So what have I done with Scooty?
On Saturday last week Stuart led Christian and I through some really pretty scenery in back country “old India”. Our ultimate destination was the Cauvery River. Several others had been the weekend before and I wanted to see it. Not getting the best directions before they left we relied on Stuart and he took us the way he knew...to a really good restaurant with the best Gobi Manchurian I’ve had yet. On the way back we stopped at a local village and had some chai with the locals.The boys alloted me exactly three picture taking opportunities on the ride back: two rice paddies, one cane field and a goat. I never saw the goat but got a pic of a woman carrying an enormous bale of hay on her head. While I was taking pictures of one of the rice paddies I saw a family eating a picnic. I asked if I could take their picture and they invited us to eat with them. Here are all of the results.
Then on Sunday several of us carravanned out about 30 kilometres to a big Shiva temple. The temple was nice, but the ride was great. Not as pretty as the day before but fun to drive that long way. See pics here.
One of the girls ran out of petrol so I volunteered to drive to get some more. We asked where the nearest petrol station was and several hands waved us in one direction and said, “two kilometers, madam.” I drove those two kilometers and asked a rickshaw driver, “petrol station?” he pointed down the road in the direction I was going already and said, “two kilometers madam.” When I got two kilometers further I came to a dead end at a major highway, but no petrol station in sight. Guess what? The guys at the bus stop assured me it was a further 2 kilometers. Much to my surprise I ran into one in about 750 meters. Of course I didn’t have a gas can so I carried a litre of petrol back to the bikes in an empty water bottle, praying the entire way I didn’t blow up!
This week I also graduated to taking passengers as well. I’ve been driving someone back and forth to philosophy class downtown and even went through KR Circle, the busiest area in Mysore. I’ve now taken several passengers several different places and am feeling quite confident.
If the weather is nice tomorrow I may head back out to the river. To feel the wind on my face I’ll happily play the part of the stereotype. My new motto is: if the mid-life crisis fits, wear it.
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