Extreme Downhill Mountainbiking: Interlaken, Part II

Anh and Klash left after the rafting the day before and Hyunh and I are left to try out some of the more extreme sports. We came to the conclusion that the rest of our stay Interlocken would be the epitome of extreme and thus I will try to work that word into my recollections of Interlocken was much as possible.. Ultimately we wanted to go canyoning on the 7hrs route which is supposed to be the most extreme route. We decided to save the best for last and thus the next full day we rented mountain bikes to do some exploring around the mountains.



Hyunh’s friend Lewis that he had previously met in Barcelona was randomly at our hostel. So together, the three of us found a bike rental place for 23 Swiss Francs for the entire day. We biked about 45minutes through road, gravel and then dirt trail to the midway point between Interlocken and Murren. A kayak competition was taking place. We had missed it the day before when there was a trick competition. Today is the semi-finalists races. The kayakers race in heats of 6 or say about 200meters above where we are sitting. The first 200meters is a straight away and then a 5meter waterfall followed by numerous rapids. From our viewpoint we can clearly see the peddle race to the waterfall and entries into the first series of rapids.



The extreme races ended and we continued by bike up to Murren. At the city we find an extreme gondola to take us up the town. The gondola goes up to a point where we call get off then board an extreme train that takes us the rest of the way. We queued in line and buy our tickets and then walk our bikes over to the bottom of the gondola where luggage items are stored. When get ready to board the extreme asshole that had originally told us to buy 15 Swiss Franc tickets orders us to come back and buy luggage tickets for our bikes. While queuing in line again, our original gondola takes off with our bikes on the bottom and we are left waiting again for the next gondola.



The views from the gondola are extremely breathtaking. What once was a small peak viewable from the bottom of the town has grown into a massive mountain that continues to grow as we ascend. At the midway point we get off the gondola to board the train and are unable to find our bikes. There is an automatic machine that takes the luggage compartment and moves the entire platform to another platform on the train. So we board the train hoping that our bikes have already been moved. At the very top we see three bikes stacked against the side of the train station and luckily they were ours.



One of the things you notice in Switzerland is the abundance of fresh drinkable water fountains. At Bulmer’s hostel where we are staying there is a sign at the fountain that says “the best drinking water in the world”. I assume that it gets better the farther we go up. At Murren we refill our free Balmer water bottles and explore the town. We can to the base of an extremely steep hill that is so steep that we are unable to climb it via peddling even at the lowest gear. At that area we break for lunch.



Switzerland is extremely expensive. The Swiss Franc is roughly on a one to one conversion as the US dollar however everything costs three to four times more. For example a BigMac value meal costs 14 Swiss Francs. It is because of that and the fact the Swiss aren’t really world renowned for their cuisine that we just buy lunch meat and bread for most of our meals. At our picnics area we keep seeing people walk up with massive bulky backpacks. It soon becomes apparent that they are paragliders carrying up their chute. They launch from the hill next to us taking from a clearing.



The downhill ride is probably the best part of mountain biking and makes the uphill journey well worth it. The trails going down consist of dirt and rocks that form switchbacks all the way down. We pick up extreme speed from the straight-aways and brake hard to negotiate the 180 degree turns. About half way down my hands start to get numb from the vibrations the front suspension takes from the rocks and my legs are getting sore from absorbing the bumps coming from the rear wheel. At that point another 180 degree emerges and I brake hard letting the rear kick out a little bit before releasing the rear brakes. It is then that I hear a bunch of branches snap behind me. I immediately stop completely and see Hyunh’s bike turned over on the side of the trail and Hyunh nowhere to be found.



I throw my bike against a tree and run back up the incline to where the bike is laying sideways with the rear wheel still spinning and I see a Hyunh climbing out from the trees below. We lost traction in the front wheel while trying to move to the outside of the turn and superman-ed off his handle bars. He scraped his palms pretty good and slowly blood was covering the scraped area. At that point Lewis finally catches up. We tear up one of Hyunh’s shirts and to clean the wound and I get to use my newly acquired Swiss Army knife to cut up some bandages.

My good friends Buda and Pest

The only thing I know about Budapest is that it was originally two cities, Buda and Pest. That was as far as I got in my Lonely Planet research that I did back in the states. So when looking at a map of Europe and selecting another location that would bring me closer to my ultimate destination of Croatia, I naturally remembered this city. From the hearsay of fellow travelers no one has complained about a bad time in Budapest, so I assume it to be safe bet for my next destination.

Since the city came into existence because of the merge of two previous cities, I got to thinking: why does Buda get to come first in the new name of Budapest? Why not call it Pestbuda? Isn't that a cooler name? I am not sure, but it sure is mysterious. I was able to formulate my own theories as to why this city's name came to be. Budapest is split down the middle by the Danube river. The town of Buda lies on the west bank and the Pest lies on the east bank. So naturally from a reading left to right perspective Buda comes first. Just think if we all read right to left, I would have visited Pestabuda.

Tired from our train ride and my ponderings of why a city is named a certain way, I decide to take a power nap in the afternoon. It wasn't long before my dreams of pristine beaches of Croatia were rudely interrupted by the loud ramblings of three French girls who pronounce croissant without the t at the end and say deja vu with the vu ever so slightly differently that they claim that I say it wrong.

As it turns out Gab, Marie, and Melissa (the Frenchies) are actually French Canadians. They have just arrived at Budapest as well. We are all tired from our travels so we decide to take it easy for the night and just grab a quick beer. The staff at the 11th hour hostel recommended a pub nearby that was suppose to be really good. I tag along with the girls and Mark decides to stay in for the night. The entrance to the pub looks like a bicycle shop as there are several bikes hanging in a room. In the front room there are red bull girls handing out free red bull vodkas with the typical European patented exactly measured shot dispensers. After grabbing our drinks we head into the bar and realize that this pub is huge. There are several floors a big patio area with a car in the middle. We head to the top floor and attempt to 'chill' there in the muggy hot weather.





The next day we all decided that we would get up and take a bike tour of Prague. When we got to the meeting spot, we discovered we were the only people in the tour. We walk over bike garage and pick out our bicycles. The entire time the sun is beating down on us. I believe it was in the upper 30's C which equates to the upper 90's F, with enough humidity float a boat. Our guide was cool and brought water for all of us during the stops. During the middle of the bike tour I ran into Nang, from Berlin, and we were able to chat real quick and arrange a meet up later.



I brought my DSLR trying to imitate [daily dose of imagery]'s style of shooting while riding a bike. Apparently it takes a lot more practice and skill than what I have.






We cross the Széchenyi Chain Bridge and coincidentally it is Budapest's bridge festival. Basically this weekend there are tons of shops and venders on the bridge. Besides an overcrowded bridge and some performances on either side of the bridge I really don't know what the whole festival is about.






Another highlight of the tour is the castle. We bike up pebble switchbacks all the up to the Buda castle at the top. The view from the top of the castle is amazing and worth definitely worth the uphill peddle. Below is a picture of all us with our guide. The guy that took this was part of a Chinese tour group. He took about 5minutes to get the shot right.



By far the funnest part of the tour was going down hill from the castle at full speed on a winding road. At one point I felt like I should be putting a knee down during the turns. Then I remembered how bald my tires looked when I first got my bike.

Biking Paris

Velib stations are everywhere. They light up bright green in the night with a few red lights here and there. Velib is a public bike rental service. People pay for a membership in periods of a single day, a week, a month, or a year and in return receive rentals of bicycles at these stations. Trips that 30min or less are free after that the costs start at 1€for a 1 hour 3€ for 1.5hrs and so on.



The system is simple. The membership holder types in their account# with their pin# and selects to unlock a bike. Once the the bike is unlocked they are free to ride it anywhere. Each bike is equipped with a 3 gears, a light, basket, locking device and flat metal fob that inserts into the bike station during check in. Once the bike is inserted into the station the light turns green and a single transaction is finished.

These stations require a credit card with a chip in order to purchase memberships so at first I was unable to get one. However my friend Dan was able to get a week membership for me for 5€. With this pass we were able to station hop in 30minute intervals to our destination. In reality it is very rare that one would need more than 30minutes to get from point a to point b in Paris.

There are some precautions to take before selecting a bike to check out. Dan gave me the checklist of things to look for. 1. Make sure the front and rear tires are inflated and not flat. 2. Make sure the chain is on the bike and actually rotates the wheel. 4. Check brakes. Even with these tips, I still got a few lemons, for example a bike that was stuck in one gear or a bike with a seat that didn't lock in place.

I did have a problem with my week pass though. I used the pass without incident the first 3 days or so. I went a day without using it. Then on the 5th day tried to rent a bike to get to the local train station to pick up tickets to Nice and ran into some complications. It said that I had already a bike checked out. My last check out was almost 2 days ago. According to the contract any bike that is lost is subject to a full 150€ charge. The problem with this situation is that I don't speak French, my card is registered under Dan's account meaning that he would be charged that amount. I immediately contacted and him and luckily the next he was able to confirm that there was an error in the system. None the less that was quite a scare to think that I just lost 150€ on a 5€ service.