A Boy, A Bike and A butt: Why did I cycle from Seattle to Portland?

I find I talk myself into doing things without actually thinking them through. I’m fairly certain this is how I ended up riding the Seattle-to-Portland Bike Ride with my sister last weekend. Two hundred and four miles is a lot further than it sounds. I definitely expected it to take a while, but I guess I never actually did the math for how long it would possibly take (15 hours total in the end). Sometimes, this can be my mental health system – in a race, if I don’t have any idea where I’m at or how long it will take, I am not constantly thinking about the future, i.e. self-induced pain.

For this specific ride, actual preparation would have been a better mental health choice. I figured the #1 source of pain would be my legs. They obviously do all the work carrying you over the entire 204 miles. Instead, the pain struck in many, many other places some expected and some unexpected.

Never having ridden further than probably 70 miles, I had no idea what to expect physically and mentally heading to 100 miles. I guess I did expect my taint to hurt…what’s a taint? Check out Urban Dictionary. This expectation was definitely met, but I was surprised about everything else: fingers, palms (like, a lot), elbows, shoulders, back, neck, knees, and ankles. The only thing that really didn’t hurt was my left pinky.

The reason I keep entering these types of events is the challenge – the challenge of doing something I didn’t know I could. There’s definitely the physical challenge, but I also enjoy the mental challenge. My sister was not so happy after discovering our 10^th hill of Day 2 – there was definitely some mental motivation needed to keep her moving forward at Mile 194. I like challenging myself like that. It speaks to your character, and I like seeing how much I can push myself.

So, would I recommend the STP? Sure!! The worst part was really the assholes you see in the small towns that think it’s okay to yell at people on bicycles and peel out right next to them. I’m sure if you have to love in Roy, Washington, you probably hate anything that looks fun. I always feel real manly when I yell at people in spandex.

I think my most favorite part of the ride was my little sister finishing the ride. She rode the entire STP on a mountain bike! I’m not sure I would even be willing to do that. She rode further than I’ve ever ridden before last weekend on a freaking mountain bike. Like I said before, she’s a freaking honey badger!

Last question: what’s next?

KM

Best Things about My 5 Days in Singapore

I can’t sleep, so it seems like a decent enough time to write about my favorite parts of my recent trip to Singapore.  This was my first trip to any part of Asia and, although short, definitely has me excited about my upcoming longer trip this winter.

Singapore (SG) was definitely a different world than I had ever seen. Kim mentioned that some people call it “Asia Light” due to its rather western feel, but I still felt it a pretty large deviation from my past travels. Here are some of my trip highlights (in no specific order).

Chinatown

I explored this area on my own my first day in SG and loved the sense of isolation. I was literally the only non-Asian person in my vicinity for a few hours. I’m still not exactly sure what I ate for lunch. Good times!

The Malls

Bunny Ear Phone Cover!!!

Singaporeans love them some shopping. The malls are seemingly the hubs of all city activities – entertainment, eating, socialization, public transportation connections, clogging walkways, etc. I avoid malls at all costs in the US but enjoyed the sights of the Singaporean malls. I’m still a bit upset I didn’t buy the iPhone cover with the bunny ears.

Merlion

They have a statue/water fountain of a Merlion. What’s a Merlion? Well, it’s a rare creature with the head of a lion and the body of a mermaid. Duh! Why a Merlion? I have no idea. I guess I could look it up, but I prefer selective naiveté.

MRT

MRT, or Mass Rapid Transit, is the greatest public transit system I’ve ever seen – easy payment, clean stations, on-time & frequent trains, interactive route maps. Love it!

I'm a Merlion, bitch!!

Paterson Residence

I was pretty happy to get a chance to see where Kim will be living the next 13 months (although upset that it’s half way around the world…). Her condo is really nice – modern design, tennis court, pool. She even has a bomb shelter which, seriously, can double as a maid’s living space; I think that would be a seriously miserable living experience…Kim mentioned that is my room when I visit.

AnJappar

This is an Indian restaurant located in the (surprise, surprise) Little India area of SG. My apologies to Vikram, but this was the best Indian food I’ve ever had! Tandoori chicken, butter chicken, and some “IndoChina” cauliflower dish were all excellent. Additionally, I learned that Indians acknowledge a variety of statements by lightly shaking their heads back and forth. I feel like I knew this already, but I enjoyed seeing it in person.  

Picnic in Changi Beach

Fourth of July in a Park with a bunch of ex-pats. Eating meat off the grill. Drinking Vodka out of a watermelon. Chowing down an American Flag Cake. Celebrating a locally unknown holiday in a foreign country is fun!

Singlish

Oh, boy...

Singaporeans have an interesting interpretation of the English language. I have no idea what any of it means, but it’s fun to listen to. Kim downloaded an app that describes a bunch of common colloquialisms. I fear that’s how she’ll speak when she returns…

All in all, Singapore’s a great country. Anyone want to take a trip for Turkey Day?

KM