Field Trip

Do you know how you go down a mountain on a motorcycle? You turn off the engine and hope for the best. I know this because I did it twice on Thursday.I went to visit my friend in a neighboring village to watch one of her classes. This is what happened: At 7:30 am I called my moto driver and he came to my house to pick me up. I told him I was going to Meri and he asked when I was coming back. I said later that day. So he said he'd just stay in Meri all day to take me back too. He was going to make a lot more money on this aller-retour then he would if he went back to our village. So we set off. The trip was pleasant with a nice breeze, since we were doing about 60 km, through the countryside with the mountains in the distance. It gets a little disconcerting when the driver weaved around to avoid potholes, but it was ok. About 30 minutes into the trip, he pointed at a mountain and said we were going to go up that mountain and back down it to get to Meri. I thought he was joking. He wasn't. It's not like there are roads on the mountain. They're kind of dirt roads, but with big stones sticking up too. I'm really surprised we didn't get a flat tire. Going up the mountain was slow going because there were two of us on a little moto driving on these stony paths. Going down, yes my driver just turned off the engine and I closed my eyes. The village was very nice with many traditional houses. It was also in the mountains, so there was not too much shade. After being there for a while, I realized I had no cell phone service-they only have the company that I don't have. That became irrelevant when my phone died anyway. Was I at any point worried that I would not be able to find my driver again? No, not at all. In the afternoon, we asked a couple kids to go find my driver. An hour and a half later, he drove up and we went back home. All in all it was a successful little field trip.