Rain....

Does not allow you to take the trips you want to take. I was supposed to head toward Abel Tasman for a while today. And that still may happen. But it's raining at the moment, and a beach trip is not ideal for a rainy day.

Rain does allow you to cut the ADD and sit in an internet cafe and do the work you've been meaning to do since you've got here. Except when you're writing in your blog. That's just a perk But seeing that this is an academic study...

Stop laughing. It is.

...at least the rain is ample opportunity to try and focus my thoughts on recreation and cycling in New Zealand, and how it all relates. If it all relates. If 2.4 billion people in this world are connected by the bike. If I had to ballpark it right now? I don't think they are. Which really blows the whole original theory of my project. But hey, someone had to go figure out for sure.

What does a mountain biker in New Zealand and a vendor in China have in common? They both ride bikes. But the New Zealander may want to live on his bike, while the China man would gladly never pedal his again. If they found themselves at the same intersection in Beijing, sure, they might break traffic laws together. But only so they can get from point A to point B. It's a chore, not a game, nor is it particularly fun. And they are just as likely to work together in crossing the street as they are to run over each other should one of them make a sudden move.

But is that the same in New Zealand? First, you have to remember that people ride for different purposes. It's for fun, it's not a chore. Chances are you are choosing to ride your bike up a mountain, seeing as you have a car sitting in your driveway. How does that change the mentality and the attitude to yourself, to your environment, and to others around you? When taking the same two riders and putting them into a recreational mindset, if someone gets stuck with a flat or something, they'll probably find some help. Why? Is it becaues we're all cyclists and we help each other out, or because we're all human and this person has no other way to get home?

And this is the part where I confuse myself and usually forget what the question was in the first place.