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Day 2: Dhunche to Rimche Riding begins with a few miles on a hi lly dirt road which descends about 200 meters to Bharku. The trail starts above the road behind the school and climbs through a pine and rhododendron forest on a well-worn, smooth and wide path to views of the cluster of mountains known as Ganesh Himal and Tibet's jutting peaks to the north. After an hour I round a bend and get the first view up Langtang Valley-a deep canyon lush with bougainvillea and bamboo. The trail becomes steeper. Switchbacks and stone staircases are thrown into the trail mix. After three hours, stop for lunch at Syabru, one of only three real villages along the trail. to cater to growing tourist traffic. Mountain bikers are instant celebrities. Once a cyclist is spotted riding up the trail, word spreads in rapid fire Nepalese. Faces pop out of doorways and children run toward me yelling "Cycle! Cycle!" (not "Psycho! Psycho," as I thought at first). Their only wish is to escort II Natu re dictates the rhythm of life . You rise with the sun and sleep when your " I���������-�·������������������������������� In between are groups of lodges that have sprung up on my t to ngtang I • passi roug lush bamboo forest. I duck my head to avoid stone outcroppings and keep a straight line to miss the stinging nettles along the trail. Jumbled masses of rock mixed with smoother sections make it a technical rider's dream. Soon I'm walking a skinny path that threads through a landslide. Continuing upriver the bamboo mixes with oak and a waterfall cascades off a canyon. At the same latitude as Miami or Cairo, the November sun warms me. Walking up the other side of the river valley is a drag. but it's the last stretch of foot travel. Once in Rimche I remount for a short cruise to the cluster of lodges. Smiling faces welcome me. Halfway around the world from home, among