Interview with Leslie Mussetter

Name: Leslie Mussetter
 
Who stayed home and who came with you?:  (This answer pertains to our recent Vietnam bicycling trip with ExperiencePlus!...) My husband Bob came with me.  He's the only person I know who wants to fly for 30+ hours on an airplane to go ride a bike.  
 
Age (be as vague as you’d like):
Somewhat over 50 but not a lot -- Yet.  
 
What’s your favorite thing about living in Fort Collins, CO where ExperiencePlus! Bicycle Tours is based?
Blue sky and sunshine, no humidity, great restaurants, access to the mountains.   
 
How did you get started bicycling?:
Bob and I got serious about it when I got an ExperiencePlus! brochure at a 5K run on New Year's Eve several years ago and I decided we should do the Greece: Athens to Olympia trip.  Since I was still riding my vintage college "10-speed", I had to buy a new bike so I could re-learn how to ride!
 
You tend to choose bicycle trips that take you further off the beaten path – how do you decide where to go?:
We like to go to places that are a little outside of the norm.  We like to experience the differences in the way people live, and the interesting sights and sounds that we don't have at home.  We try to pick somewhere we haven't been before so we can learn more about a new culture.  
 
Describe your perfect day outdoors:
Hiking or biking on a sunny day with no wind!
 
What does bicycle travel provide you that other trips do not?
A chance to interact with the local people, learn about the customs, traditions, and culture from a knowledgeable guide, getting good exercise while "touring", being able to see the little things like flowers and kids and tiny villages that you would never see from a car or bus.  Riding along and exchanging "hello's" in all languages with people sitting at outdoor cafes in villages, stopping along side the road to taste a farmer's fresh local wine,  or watch a village woman make rice cakes on a rice-hull fired cook stove with a monkey munching on a rice cake nearby.  Watching people go about their daily lives, all the while watching you.   
 
If you won the lottery what’s the first thing you would buy?
A mountain cabin and a year's worth of bike trips.  
 
What’s one outdoor activity that you’d like to take up?:
 I would mostly like to be better at what I already try to do - and have more time to do it!
 
What’s one outdoor activity that doesn’t interest you in the least?:
Golf.
 
Anything else you’d like to share with us?:
I took my first trip out of the country when I was in college - two girlfriends and I set out to explore "Europe on $5 a day" (our first official guide book).  Needless to say we learned in a hurry that $5 didn't buy much in Europe, even before the Euro came along!  Ever since, I have been intrigued by going to new and different places to get a flavor of how other people live and work.  I think it is important to try to look beyond our way of doing things.   I do have two suggestions for improvement however:  WE (the US) need more gelato, and THEY (the rest of the world) need bigger coffee cups...  Even when it's raining or the luggage is missing, I try to remember a line from one of Rick Steve's travel books:  "it's all part of the adventure"!    All of our ExperiencePlus! bicycle trips have been wonderful adventures and we look forward to many more!