Skaters and cyclists spin through Spokane

Dear United States Figure Skating survey team:

Welcome to Spokane! You are scheduled to be here soon to see if we’re the city you’ll recommend to host the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships. You might notice that a river runs through our downtown. Traffic is no problem. And people are so friendly, you’ll wonder if we spike our drinking water with happy drugs. We don’t.

Spokane is an understudy city, waiting for the “star” cities to collapse with exhaustion so we can finally shine on the world’s stage. We’re ready.

You might notice, though, that we look a little Caucasian here. I once lived in Florida where I often swam in the ocean. When I moved back here, I swam in lakes again, and the lake water seemed bland. Our seeming lack of ethnic diversity might make us seem too bland for sophisticated world palettes. But you must look deeper for the salt.

I hope my story today demonstrates some of the interesting diversity we have here.

My phone rang Thursday. Babaji on the line. His full name is Gurjeet Singh Aujla. He’s from India and is the spiritual master for the area’s Sikh community. Babaji reminds me of that TV spiritual master, Mister Rogers, now deceased. Instead of a sweater, however, Babaji wears a turban.

Babaji and other Sikhs built a temple in the Spokane Valley. Some bigger, more sophisticated cities don’t even have a Sikh temple, by the way.

Babaji called to tell me that a man from India, a Hindu, was bicycling around the world. Spokane was one of his stops, along with bigger, more sophisticated cities. Babaji wanted me to interview the man. “Bring a photographer with you,” Babaji said.

So S-R photographer Colin Mulvany and I met up with Babaji at Bombay Palace, a newly opened Indian Restaurant at 128 W. Third Ave. The owners brought out steaming cups of sugary tea and pakora, described as “mixed vegetable fritters.” Heavenly.

Babaji introduced us to Avijit Chakraborty, the 35-year-old bicyclist. He’s been on the road for one year. He’s trying to break a Guinness world bicycling record. He’s also spreading a save-the-environment message.

I have a column rule never to write about people riding bicycles across the country or across the world. As a younger journalist, I was in awe of these adventurers. Not anymore.

In Calcutta, Chakraborty’s wife, 4-year-old daughter – and mother – await his return. By the time he reaches home again, he will have pedaled 40,177 miles through 521 cities in 58 countries.

Impressive, but my theory is that these long-distance bike riders are escaping something in their personal lives.

Survey team people, you know life can be much easier, psychologically, on the road. You’ll be in Spokane soon, getting schmoozed everywhere, starting with this column. Meanwhile, at home, someone else will be looking after the mundane stuff.

Chakraborty had a thick stack of newspaper clippings from throughout the world detailing his adventure. But I was into the deeper story of the hospitality shown to him by the Sikh community.

They paid for his meals at Bombay Palace.

They paid for his room at the Econo Lodge, owned by a Sikh family, and located across the parking lot from the restaurant.

Sikh convenience store owners donated phone cards so Chakraborty could call his wife, daughter – and mother.

Chakraborty told me, in broken English, about the people he’s met on his adventure: “The bad people – microscopical. The good people – large.”

So that’s Spokane hospitality, and some of its diversity, in one “microscopical” story. Hope you enjoyed it. Hope to see you and the skating world back here in 2009. The sweet tea and pakora will be on me – and Babaji.