The days bringing me closer to leaving for Bhutan keep passing inexorably by. A bulky envelope from WomanTours appeared in my mailbox three days ago carrying the latest bits of information, as well as more forms to complete and mail back, and a few gifts.
I learned that there will be 16 in our group of women, including the two guides. The rest of us are from homes as far flung as Florida and British Columbia, Minnesota and Pennsylvania, Vermont and Kansas, and, of course, Alaska. Based on the addresses, it appears that at least 10 of the 14 guests are traveling with a friend, but that's okay. In my experience, the women on these trips are so friendly that they don't stick to their traveling companions, but instead everyone becomes one happy circle of friendship for a couple of weeks.
It occurred to me that I might not have told you much about the company I'm traveling with. WomanTours offers fully supported, inn-to-inn bicycle tours for women. The company is owned and run by women, and all of the guides are female. Contrary to what my darling hubby says, it's not a "man-hating lesbian bike club." On the previous two trips I've been on (in southern Utah and Arizona), the women have ranged from their 20s to 80s, lesbian and not (mostly not), and have had a wide range of ability and experience. What they've all had in common is a love of cycling, adventure, and new experiences. My kind of people!
WomanTours makes all the arrangements other than travel to the starting location. On domestic trips, guests have the option of bringing their own bikes or renting one. The rentals are usually wonderful Terry road bikes - I bought a Terry after renting one in Utah. Most meals are included and are often prepared by the guides - delicious. Housing arrangements are always very nice; most welcome after a long day's ride.
This Bhutan trip will be a bit different than the U.S. trips. As is required by the Bhutanese government, we'll be working with local guides from Wangchuk Tours (based on my reading, Wangchuk is a very common name in Bhutan). I don't know whether they'll be all women, too. I doubt it, but I may well be pleasantly surprised. Everyone will be riding rentals, Trek mountain bikes. Most riding is on paved roads, but the pavement can be in very poor repair, thus the mountain bikes. In all other ways, however, I expect the trip to be up to WomanTours' usual level of excellence.
In the bulky envelope I received were also a few gifts emblazoned with the WomanTours logo: a safety triangle for the back of my bike (with instructions to bring it to Bhutan), cycling socks, a luggage tag, and a water bottle. I couldn't resist taking a photo of my WomanTours water bottle collection. I have one from each trip I've taken, and they're all different.
As you can probably tell from its condition, the one in the middle is the oldest; it's from my Utah trip. The blue bottle I received in Arizona, and the one on the left is the newest design. I hope I have the opportunity to collect many more in the future.
