Today is Nepalese New Year’s Day! It was apparent in many of the festivities we saw by the roadside along the road yesterday, and again today. Many people would greet us with Happy New Year’s! People are very nice here, easy to strike up conversations with people when you smile and say “Namashte!”…

(Side note: I have said Namashte thousands of times on this trip already; and heard as many greetings back to me. This is the standard and respectful Nepalese greeting, yet it strikes me that the term has been kinda commercialized in the United States, seems like it’s always associated with that kind of new age stuff spiritual stuff somehow. I’m not necessarily saying any of that’s not just fine…)

I had expected to have a perfect night sleep last night in my very nice and quiet hotel, but after dinner got into the room intending to work on my trip notes, laid on the bed, next thing I know it’s about 1 AM. I finally got up to brush my teeth got into bed then. It’s amazing the impact of cycling in this sort of heat, 80K yesterday, has on one’s ability to stay awake past 9 PM!

On departure, we transferred in the van from Lumbini about 50 km through pretty nasty dusty industrial Butwal along flatness and traffic that would not have been pleasant to ride through. We eventually came to another town of the base of the mountains, got on the bikes there. Thankfully it was little cooler today; a whole 11° cooler than yesterday at 97°!

We started our day uphill; climbing a total of 3720 feet in 46 km, only dropping 230 feet in that entire distance. Meaning, it was essentially uphill all day! Along the way we stopped at a couple of roadside food stands, one providing deep-fried balls of shredded onions, and then one called pakra (sp?) which is lentil mixture with garlic and onion inside batter that is deep-fried. The best part about those treats is the sauce that comes with them, very very spicy and and extremely tasty!

By the time we got to the top of Tansen, despite the haze, the view is extraordinary from our hotel. Tansen; is a mountain with narrow streets, shops lining the winding alleys, and a not level spot on any street. You’re either moving up or moving down the entire time. The joke here is that’s called Nepalese flat.

It is much cooler than the valley floor below where we came from, so that’s a pleasant break from the extreme temperatures these past days. We overnight at the White Lake Hotel; no lake in sight, so not sure where the name comes from.

We will have a wonderful Nepalese dinner here based on the snacks that we had on our arrival, some meat and vegetable Momos with sauces that are to die for!

Not much more to say about today; started running out of gas towards the end of the day, but still wasn’t the last guy up the hill, that’s for sure!

Legs good, bum ok, all is well here in hazy Nepal…

The official itinerary is not fully accurate since we’re in Tansen, but here it is anyway:

Sun 14 th April : Lumbini – Butwal – North of Bartung

There is time for some sightseeing this morning before we transfer from from Lumbini towards Butwal (pop.75,600), the largest town before Pokhara. We continue our cycling from here. The terrain is predominantly flat and it is an easy ride. Once through the hustle and bustle of Butwal we leave the plains behind. The scenery becomes more rugged as we cycle up into the mountains. It is an agricultural area where little seems to have changed in centuries. It is a slow uphill push as the road climbs with the river raging the valley below. We pass the turn off to Tansen, an attractive Himalayan hillside town which is the most popular summer resort in western Nepal on account of its stunning views and climate. Around 36 km from Butwal, we reach the village of Bartung. From there we climb further into the mountains on narrow winding roads. Our exertions are rewarded with glorious views across the terraced hillsides far below. We overnight in a small town around 13 km north of Bartung.