INTRODUCING SAM...

Truely nothing is chance. The day after I decided to cycle home, I found Sam sitting outside a bike shop down one of Khatmandu's many alleyways, amidst a sea of average quality mountain bikes. Surely this must be one of the shop worker's precious possessions? Surely this can't be for sale? But he is. And he's half his normal price. Some angel of a Dutch man cycled here with him and then donated it to his Nepali friends who, luckily for me, decided to sell him instead! And so I cycle away a lucky lady with the best bike in town sailing smooth underneath.

So just who is this Sam that I'll be sharing the next six months of my life with?

Sam is a Gazelle touring bike all the way from the land of Dutch. Sam is wearing this season's popular Shimano brake and gear systems and he sports the flattering cut of the butterfly handle bars that compliment his shape. Sam's choice of atTIRE(!) is that summer sporty look of the Schwalbe Marathon.

And of course, this season's essential accessory just has to be the flag of one's own country. A sort of 'please return to if lost' signal to the world that, eventually, I'm heading home!