TOP TEN PHRASES FOR WEEK ONE

Here are the Top Ten phrases we've used and heard used along the route during our first week of riding:

10. “CHAI”

India’s irresistible trademark beverage--hot spiced tea with hot milk and tons of sugar in a plastic shot glass. One thing Indians decided to keep when they kicked the English out. Tea, three times a day. Ahh!

9. “LEFT SIDE OF THE ROAD, BOB.”

Yardy keeps thinking like a silly American and we have to remind him to ride on the left side of the road--another residual norm from a century of English rule.

8. “ANOTHER KODAK MOMENT”

Keeping Joe on his bike with all this glorious scenery, interesting people, and intriguing sights is a challenge. “There he goes again.” On the other hand, he’s taken some really sensational photos, some of which are posted on the blog. Joe’s taking still photos while John is videotaping.

7. “MORE NAAN, PLEASE”

This Indian flat bread is addictive.

6. “HAVE YOU TAKEN YOUR PILL TODAY?”

We remind each other each morning to take our malaria prevention pill--Malarone.

5. “GATORADE? WATER? BANANAS? COOKIES?”

At each rest stop, our driver/guide Gope peddles his wares which, of course, we’re craving after 90 minutes of hard pedaling in 80 to 90-degree heat and sun. We are consuming tons of water, it seems. We should have invested in Aquafina.

4. “LOW GEAR! LOW GEAR!”

John yells out to the Indian riders to gear down on hills. They aren’t used to multiple gears and tend to try to grind out the climbs in high gear. They’re catching on, however.

3. “OFF!”

What we yell when a bus or truck is passing another bus or truck on the two-lane highway and hasn’t left us any room at all to ride. We scramble to get off the pavement and onto what little shoulder there is.

2. “ONLY 20 MORE KILOMETERS!”

This means “There’s really 40 kilometers to go.” Gope and Sathi Sam routinely underestimate the distance to our daily destinations. We laugh when they say “only 20 more to go.” We’ve ridden considerably further each day than originally planned. But no one’s complaining. What’s 12 miles more after 62 or 70?

1. “HAPPY NEW YEAR!”

Our greeting, echoed back thousands of times on New Year’s Day and January 2nd as we road thru villages and towns. Apparently many Indians know this phrase in English. English is one of over 20 official languages in India.

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