As you can guess, by the Bob Dylan song reference in the
title, I hit a rough patch of road. Cindie abandoned the trip and went back
to McLeod Ganj and I, uninvited, continue alone to Nepal. It is a bit of a
long story which I try to explain below from my perspective
So, here I sit in Rishikesh, India, 300 kilometers from
the border with Nepal writing all this down. Rishikesh was made famous in
1968 when the Beatles stayed in an ashram here to study with a yogi. Ever
since then it has been a center of Indians and foreigners doing yoga and
meditating. It is a very spiritual place and many believers tell me magic
happens here every day. What a strange place to type this but here goes.
Before we started cycling in India we stayed several
months in McLeod Ganj to wait out the monsoon season from June to September.
I tend to like anywhere we go but this was the first place Cindie absolutely
loved. She quickly made friends and began to do volunteer work.
Everything went as expected. Together we wrote and edited
the India and neighbors bicycle touring plan, (http://on.fb.me/9l8xzp) the
rain stopped, we packed up our bikes, and said goodbye to our friends at a
little gathering when we rode out of town.
We had several great days of cycling together through the
mountains. The traffic and living conditions were not as bad as we expected
and the scenery was breathtaking. Surprisingly, after a long slump, I was
riding well. I guess all that hiking and some time off the bike did wonders
for me.
When we reached Rewalsar Lake I felt like we were getting
back in the groove but in the morning, after coffee, Cindie asked me to take
a walk around the lake with her. Half way around Cindie became real serious
and told me she wanted to go back for the next series of Dalai Lama
teachings. I offered to download the English translations but she wanted to
go back – TODAY. This was new territory for us; I naturally thought I would
go back with her until I learned I was not invited. She also wanted some
time away from me as well. Cindie and I like to hash things out and have
time to think about things before we make decisions. When she sprung this on
me I was shocked beyond belief.
Anyone who has ever spent time with Cindie and I know we
travel together like a well oiled machine. Instead of deciding everything by
committee we divide all the work and don’t step on each others toes. So, the
next day, when I rode away from Rewalsar Lake solo I felt like I was
returning from a time out with only half my team on the court. I had to pack
differently, learn a lot about internet banking, and bad Indian maps. My
sister reminded me that I had spent years traveling alone before I met
Cindie, and I can do it again. “Tim, you are professional. Go do what you
do.” After some time traveling and camping alone I realized: although half
the team was missing I had finally been promoted to team captain and found
myself moving through the world efficiently by making decisions quickly and
rebuilding a routine. Figuratively speaking, I have been down this road
before.
After my first couple solo weeks I see how this time apart
is good for the both of us. Remember, we had been together 24/7 for the past
several years and a break seems natural and healthy. Maybe we should have
scheduled time apart a long time ago. I hope that when we reconnect we both
have grown from the experience. It should breathe new life into our
relationship.
As the days past Cindie and I slowly began emailing and
sorting out what happened and our future. We came to the agreement that a
few months apart would be good for the both of us. We have a firm plan of
meeting up in mid January in Varanasi, India and cycling together to the
south.
Apparently I have a few months to kill. I can go anywhere
and do anything I want which is exciting to think about but all my instincts
tell me is to just keep on trucking. It is what I do.
