The journey back

As soon as I got back on the bike I was reminded of my earlier riding experience by my ass which was in great pain from the seat (I guess I was also therefore reminded of one of the disadvantages of riding bikes). I knew at that moment the ride back wasn't going to turn out much better than my morning ride. I was right. My journey back to the appartment takes me along a busy road. Even if I take the backstreets I will have to use that road. And, although I feel comfortable riding a bike, I don't feel comfortable riding on such a busy road (especially with the Malaysian drivers and motorcyclists, many of them seem to drive with no concept of those around them). It of course was raining, no make that pouring with rain, and, although I like rain, I didn't really feel like cycling in it.

I decided to try the front route (which goes along the main road and then the highway). That was a mistake. I ended up walking on a very thin bit of pavement and, at times, the road when there was no pavement against the flow of the traffic. I could see people staring from their cars, probably because they saw I had a bike and were wondering why I wasn't riding it. I wasn't riding it because I didn't feel comfortable riding on such a packed road with cars driving so fast (and also because I was aching all over due to my not having done much exercise in so long, the fact that the seat had bruised my ass and because I was still exhausted from my morning cycle which I blogged about earlier). To be honest I couldn't care less that they were staring at me. I just wanted to get back to the appartment and eat dinner.

I carried on walking along the side of this busy road for about 15 minutes before I got to the highway. But on the highway there was no pavement at all (understandably) so I just carried on walking along the side of the road. Annoyingly the side of the road I had to walk on was against the flow of traffic so that again prompted people to stare at me as they drove past. I kept on walking till I reached a massive Tesco before deciding I really needed to cross over. There seemed to be less cars racing past so I quickly walked over with the bike to the middle which was a big pile of mud (because of the rain). My work shoes got really muddy and I had to clean them when I got back to the appartment. Once at the centre of the highway there suddenly seemed to be more cars speeding past and I couldn't see an opening to cross. So I stood there, in the mud, for what seemed like ages. Again people stared at the strange drenched boy standing in the mud in the middle of a highway with a bike.

Eventually I crossed over and then, because I was finally on the right side of the highway to ride on, I started cycling. On the way I noticed some smaller, residential roads jetting off of the highway and wondered if I could take them for the rest of the way back. I asked a woman walking along the side of the highway (I guess I started a trend) and she told me I couldn't. But she was going in the same direction as me so I just carried on walking and talking with her.

The last part of the journey was uphill, and its a pretty steep, long hill. There were some pretty cool lightning strikes that I saw in the distance while cycling up it. And then it was just a short cycle through the appartment complex to the appartment itself.

The journey took me much longer than it should have (about an hour and a half when I now know I can do it in 25 minutes taking the back route). You won't find me taking that route again.