Riding a bike in Kathmandu

Despite the seemingly hazardous condition of the roads in Kathmandu, described in an earlier post, I have discovered that, with possesion of the following, cycling's really not so bad:

• a mask for filtering the pollution
• good breaks
• an excellent swerve reflex
• an ability to second guess what everyone else around you is planning on doing next
• a loud bell and no inhibitions about ringing it almost constantly (especially when it's dark)
• an appreciation of the fine line between being aggresive enough to get anywhere (especially at intersections) and not taking stupid risks

Thankfully, I seem to have all of this and am really enjoying the extra mobility and flexibility that a bike gives (given that I don't want to keep paying for taxis). If only the bike wasn't such a piece of rubbish (The gear chain fell of and I got two punctures within the space of about 6 hours!)