A look behind the scenes

Our cycling tours in Inle are full day adventures: We ride off the beaten path, through forest, between rice paddies, across narrow bamboo bridges and up and down the picturesque Shan Hills.

The scenery is amazing and our guides are great storytellers, but how could you have those experiences without well-maintained bikes? Most of the time we talk about our amazing tours and our great guides, but this time I want to show you who is working behind the scenes and has an important role in our success: our bike mechanics!

Let me introduce you to Phyo - our mechanic from Inle Lake.

Before joining Grasshopper Adventure shop in 2016, Phyo worked as a painter. Although this job gave Phyo the opportunity to provide for his mother and sister, he was also eager to learn something new.

Even though he’d never known anything about bikes and never been in contact with tourists before, through his hard work and dedication, Phyo became the go-to mechanic in town. Now, not only does he take great care of our bikes, but even members of the local cycling community frequently pass by the shop to ask for advice or help with their bikes.

When you come to our shop in Nyaung Shwe, you will very likely see Phyo somewhere around: in the back repairing or maintaining bikes or in the front lovingly cleaning the bikes, freeing them from the heavy mud that sticks to the frame and tires like glue. He gives all our visitors a shy but very warm smile, preferring to stay in the background while the guide or the shop team takes over the show.

Since the beginning of this year, Phyo started with English conversation classes. Before, he never really had the opportunity to practice his English and was too shy to try. Since this class, Phyo has gained the courage to speak with our customers and even got named in reviews along with our guides which is a rare occurrence!

There are many people just like Phyo in all our shops, so whenever you join a Grasshopper Adventures tour, do not forget to have a look into the mechanic room and give all these incredible people who make sure your bikes are running smoothly a big smile.