I grew tired of walking around town and taking auto-rickshaws everywhere. The temperature is a bit too hot to walk briskly, and auto-rickshaws don't give you the flexibility that is necessary for really exploring the town and surrounding areas. So I got up my nerve and rented a bike. I say "got up my nerve" because I'm talking about riding this bike on the LEFT side of the road, interweaving with traffic and basic choas the likes of which us Westerners have never seen before. The driving here in India deserves a post of its own, but I probably won't get to that any time soon. Suffice it to say that it takes a while to get up the nerve to even attempt to operate a bike here. I had to choose between a bike that all the old Indian men ride, one that looks like it is for a girl, and this sporty model. Naturally, I chose the sporty model! I was proud of myself for negotiating what seems to be a good price - 9 rupees per day (about 22 cents). This may not work so well on your computer, but if you click here you can enjoy the sound of the bell. It is absolutely necessary to have a good sounding bell on your bike. This way you can ring it when you are passing people, other bikes, motorcycles, cars, dogs, etc., and essentially tell them, "I'm coming through so get out of the way!" After some practice I have gotten used to this, and now it's quite intuitive.
I had ridden my new bike all around the town and was feeling quite comfortable with it. Then I went out to do some errands and noticed my tires were a little low on air. The seat had been bothering me a bit because it was about an inch and a half too low. So I took the kind man's advice and stopped by the bike shop for some maintenance. Unfortunately, when the guy went to put air in the tire something went wrong with the nozzle and I lost all the air in the rear tire. He couldn't get it fixed, so I had to take a loaner for a day. The loaner was simply awful. It had rust so bad that it looked like dirt was flaking off the frame of it. When I turned the steering wheel all manner of pieces rattled against one another. Only the front brakes worked, and the bell was also basically defunct. But it was, after all, only a loaner, and the bike shop fixed my beauty by 10:00 the next morning.
After picking up my bike, I was feeling great. Ahhh, this bike ROCKS, I thought to myself, as I went on my way to the fish market. Now 10:30 AM is the optimal time to arrive at the fish market. This day was the ultimate because there was virtually no wind, which means the fishing boats have been able to go far out into the ocean and catch lots of great fish. Standing 
there in the crowded fish market, I spotted a really great find - a nice big WAHOO! While I was asking how much that fish costs, another one was delivered, fresh out of the sea. It was still cold. Oh, I couldn't pass it up! But they wouldn't sell half the fish so I got carried away and bought the whole thing. I was dreading the moment when the fish guy realized I had ridden here on a bicycle to buy this huge fish. But he wasn't fazed a bit - he just grabbed some rope and tied it to my bike.
there in the crowded fish market, I spotted a really great find - a nice big WAHOO! While I was asking how much that fish costs, another one was delivered, fresh out of the sea. It was still cold. Oh, I couldn't pass it up! But they wouldn't sell half the fish so I got carried away and bought the whole thing. I was dreading the moment when the fish guy realized I had ridden here on a bicycle to buy this huge fish. But he wasn't fazed a bit - he just grabbed some rope and tied it to my bike.Our kitchen quickly became "Al's Butcher Shop" but after an hour this was all done. I cooked up Panang Wahoo (a Thai preparation) and we all ate as much as we wanted. I now have enough Wahoo in our freezer to feed about 30 people. This is not a problem because Wahoo is considered to be just about the best quality fish there is. I believe the only thing better is Chilean Sea Bass, but they don't have that here in India so this Wahoo will have to do!
