Bicycle Tales

I think I might make the thoughts I have while riding my bicycle a blog post more often (I love how Canadians pronounce the word often).

This morning my thoughts actually revolved around the bicycle and how it relates to people. When I got my bicycle this morning the guard pointed out that my front tire was flat. You may recall my last difficulties with a flat tire and how the experience was not so pleasant. So I prepared for the 2.5km walk to the nearest bicycle stand. On my way I passed through the village I live in and decided just to say hi to people as I passed. I saw one particularly old man and gave him a very respectful "A salam walaykum" which is a Muslim greeting which translates as "I wish you peace." He then asked me what was wrong with my bicycle. I told him the front tire was flat and showed him by pressing it down. He then told me to follow him and lead me to a house. They brought me a pump and I pumped my tire up. I then offered to pay the lady of the house for the use of the pump but she wouldn't take it. So put shortly, one polite greeting saved me a long walk and saved me 2 taka. I thanked both people profusely and then went on my way to work.

Later on my way to work I realized another fascinating thing about my bicycle. How cultures view their personal space changes how you ride a bicycle and how other people on the street treat you. In Bangladesh you constantly ride within a few feet or even inches (if at a slow speed) of people or other traffic. No one flinches or feels violated by this. If I tried doing this in the US I'd have people yelling at me for being crazy and trying to kill them even if it was at slow speeds people would at least flinch. It is recognized here that as long as you don't hit people, there is no harm done and all you are trying to do is get where you are going. Even more compelling for my argument is that often times people will purposely give you no more room than you need to get through here. It forces you to get somewhat comfortable with the system. I kind of like that aspect when I'm on a bicycle in Bangladesh but I must admit that I don't particularly like the fact that it applies for buses as well.