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Dangers of the road
The main dangers on the roads of Bhutan, apart from dangers due to your own cycling abilities and preparations (material failures, breakdowns, exhaustion and hypothermia) differ from the four S'es of the tropical holiday beaches. These are the four dangerous D's of Bhutan roads for cyclists:
- Dirt: dust, sand, gravel, oil and cattle shit can be encountered about anywhere on the roads, especially in curves on downhill stretches;
- Drivers: these adversaries, especially those in Tata trucks, think that they own the road, and you are advised to get out of their way;
- Diesel fumes: especially when going up steep slopes, a thick black exhaust cloud is breathtaking. I have taken to cycling on the side of the road from which the wind blows, but sometimes a gasmask seems more appropriate;
- Dogs: some will chase you, jump in front of your bike or just scare the hell out of you. Luckily, many are more scared of you. If you happen to cross one of these fearless mutts, screaming to them to get lost does not work, but stopping and stooping as if to pick up a stone seems to get the message across that their company is not appreciated. Some will actually stop the chase if you stop paddling.
And then there are also the four or six P's:
- Puddles: these would only get you dirty
- Potholes: avoid them, since they may ruin your rims
- Puddles in potholes: not much worse than the one above
- Potholes in puddles: dangerous if not expected and may cause a short flight and a hard landing, in which case a helmet, gloves and a first aid kit come in handy.
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