Then one day in April, I chanced upon a Facebook event calling for people interested to cycle in Nepal in December.
Organised by tiny local cycling interest group, No Head Wind Please, the 7-day itinerary promised a mix of mountain biking, road cycling and culture immersion. It sounded equal parts spontaneous and mad and something my mother would disapprove — I was sold.
I didn’t quite know what I was in for, but uncertainty is the best part of spontaneity.
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For two nights, we stayed at our guide’s village in Phujel, Gorkha, which hadn’t seen tourists before. Once again, I was left breathless. This time, by the hospitality of the villagers and serenity and grandeur of the mountains, a stark juxtaposition to city life merely a few days ago.
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The thing about challenging yourself is even you aren’t completely aware of your own limits. Yet, thanks to ego, delusion or a mix of both, you push on to discover them.
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After all, the essence of spontaneity is a simple exercise in letting life happen to you, taking each moment for what it is.