day 27: extreme cycling

Hearing our hostel mates boast about their paragliding and canyoning experience, Jerrain and I decided a little adventure could do us some good. Most would not consider this extreme sport, but this seven-hour bicycle ride left us exhausted with two very sore buttocks.

Lake Brienzersee, a 14 kilometre lake stretching between the village of Brienz and Bönigen, was about 20 minutes away by bicycle. Gustevo (our roommate from Argentina), Jerrain and I rented bicycles and set off at 10ish in the morning.

After a few lucky turns, we were face to face with the magnificent lake. The wind was strong, stirring up currents across the lake. We had a quiet short stretch to ourselves, took photos and dipped our feet into the cold water till they got numb.

The journey to Iseltwald, a small village by the lake, took much longer than we expected. The never-ending up slopes meant we had to push our bicycles for quite a distance. But it was all worth it. The views of peaceful cottages lining Lake Brienz and the 2137 metres tall Augstmatthorn in the background were amazing! We rewarded ourselves with carbs-heavy lunch at a small restaurant in Iseltwald.

All that adrenaline-pumping action in the day left us yearning for more. Fortunately, Balmers hostel housed one of the most popular clubs in Interlaken. Thursday night was quieter than Wednesday 'Beach Party' themed night. But we had a blast playing Kings with our three roommates from Washington DC - Dan, Zac and Adam.

• Location: Interlaken, Switzerland
• Highlight: Feeling the cold water of Lake Brienz in the morning. I am deeply in love with the mountains and lakes. I definitely want to come back!
• Cost: 25chf 4-hour bicycle rental, 20chf sausage and rosti for lunch, 32chf drinks at Metro bar
• Injury: I can hardly feel the pain when I walk. It hurts a little when I apply gel to the injured area. 8/10
• People: Big Mike who is always friendly and never fails to say hello; Gustevo, my neighbour from Argentina who took the bed right next to me; Dan, Zach and Adam from Washington who taught us the best drinking game ever!