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.

This eighth day started out with my indecision. The normal scheduled day was to be 120k. It has been only getting hotter, so Ox suggested a modified version; about 60k before it got too hot. Flavia had already decided to skip the day’s ride entirely, hiring a car to take her to Lumbini saying she wanted no part of cycling in this now 108F heat with a light breze. That sounded like a great idea so I had invited myself along last night with sharing the cost of the car. At the last minute, I changed my mind (those of you that know me well would not be surprised by that) and decided to ride; primary because in all 11 cycling trips, I have never failed to ride EFI (Every F’n Inch!) and today didn’t feel like the proper time for an exception. (Note: the only exception to my EFI standard was when I crashed in Burma; I don’t count that against the record…) So off we went into the hot hazy yonder!!!

60k as promised? No, 80k and certainly every bit of 105F heat by the end. The haze limits visibility to about one mile. Riding as it continued to heat up, finally the Brits threw in the towel and I was more than happy to be done for the day. I did manage to stay in front the entire day, I might add! Saw two large monkeys along the way… Also a motorbike vs bus wreck; not sure if the guy was already hauled off or if ejected into the bus through the windshield and still in there… Kinda not good…

All the bikes up on or in the van, and next was perhaps the best lunch I’ve ever had. Rice, curry veg, chicken bits, cucumber, spinach, potato chip things, and a spicy chili sauce that was amazing! Mix all that stuff together for a great lunch. Photo below. After lunch, then it was in the van for about 80k to Lumbini.

Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha, is a UN World Heritage Site, and has nice roads, and some nice hotels. And ours is one of them!!! The Buddha Maya Gardens Hotel is a nice place! And it has power!!!! Aircon is in this heat is SUCH A LUXURY!!! Very happy about this as its the first aircon we’ve seen since Khatmandu!

We had a while to shower and do laundry; then grouped up again to visit the sacred site if Buddha’s birth. Think of this as the Buddhist equivalent of Bethlehem. Here there were some old ruins of the monastery some 2300 years ago.

What was more interesting was my conversation with the guide; another engaging talk with a Nepali that resulted in email address exchange. Most interesting was his offer that if I sent him the names of my daughters, he would meditate on good things for them so that they grow and prosper, and would even send them a personal meditation they could use to enhance their success in life. A very interesting guy; has lived in Lumbini all of his 70-ish years. His name is Binda.

After, back to hotel for buffet dinner (good, but predictably bland!) After din, laid down briefly… So sleepy… And no 3G or wifi here, so cannot load pictures now…

Clarification of previous post: “How nice it is to be a sleep on that Ashley…” was a typo. Really!!! Just saw that now. Funny!

The official:

Sat 13 th April : Chitwan National Park –Butwal – Lumbini

We leave the park and spend the whole day cycling through the western Terai. Today’s ride offers a real glimpse into local life in this part of Nepal. We pass through picturesque thatched villages where farming methods have changed little in centuries. Cycling is the ideal way to discover this beautiful area and to meet friendly villagers living a traditional and simple life. We finish cycling for the day at Butwal and transfer by vehicle to the sacred town of Lumbini our destination for the day. Lumbini is the birthplace of Lord Buddha (623BC). The town and surrounding area have the remains of many ancient stupas and monasteries which were built up to the 9th century. Buddhism declined in the area after the arrival of Islam and later Hinduism and the garden of Buddha’s birth was lost for 1000 years until it was re-discovered by a German archaeologist in 1895. Lumbini was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. Today it is mainly visited by Buddhist pilgrims from Japan, Thailand and Tibet retracing Buddha’s footsteps through the stations of his life. We overnight at a hotel in this tranquil pilgrimage town.

The day started waking up at 5:30 AM and I must say, this was by far the best nights sleep I’ve had since leaving Alaska! How nice it is to be a sleep on that Ashley had the fan running the entire night, so ridiculously hot and unable to cover myself except maybe my legs with the sheet, sleeping with a mosquito net in relative peace is something to truly be appreciated! Apparently, since this is a National Park, the Nepalese travel bureau tourist canine ambience program is not permitted to operate within the confines of the National Park. Who knew???

The jungle safari jeep ride! Sounds exciting, doesn’t it? Well, I should’ve known from doing these things before, it’s basically driving around on bumpy roads and trying to get really excited about seeing things like peacocks. Okay, it wasn’t that bad, we did see a rhinoceros, wild boar, a couple of huge bison, and numerous interesting birds. I know it sounds jaded, but having done a few of these before, I think I’m prepared to cross “jeep safari ride” off of my bucket list for good. Well, unless I make it to Africa… (Writing about this reminds me of the safari ride in Molokai many years ago where Rory got “attacked” by an ostrich.)

After the safari was over, and we crossed back over the river in a long dugout canoe, I hung out for hours along the river under a palapa. At the river seems to be the only place there is a breeze, going back to the room without electricity for fan or aircon would be senseless.

While I was sitting, a group of young boys stopped by and I was immediately suspicious as one of the other folks had left 60r on the table. I knew these kids would take it…and they did! I asked where did the money go, they all acted dumb; opening their empty pockets to show me; suddenly 60r appears on the ground! Magic!!! I asked them to take a hike after that…

The previous hour, an elephant and handler were here washing in the river. For the last hour, I’ve been watching several Nepali women do their family laundry in the river. Another showed up with about a 2yr old cute little kid, bare naked frolicking and bathing at the river’s edge. We forget about how simply elegant a simple life can be…

At breakfast prior to the Brit couple’s arrival, I had a brief but interesting conversation with Flavia (Swiss doctor NGO cyclist) about an essay she’s reading by a Korean philosopher about transparency. This would be the tendency of the Facebook generation (and many of us) to electronically post everything we’re doing; and ironically, just as I am now. The discussion is about how the constant revealing of often very meaningless and superficial information affects our culture; contrasted with the previous practice of more face-to-face communication; that is now often interrupted by buzzing and dinging of incoming messages from others that often are given priority over the face directly in front of you.

Reminds me that another part of the same conversation with Flavia about another topic by the same Korean guy about what she called the culture of tired busy-ness, or something like that. The idea that all the spaces in time within our lives should be filled with something. Some of us are worse than others, perhaps me thinking I “need” to take bike trips is an example. Many of us think our lives should be ever-spiraling upward to higher heights of adventure and “more” happiness, more interesting-ness. Another very interesting topic. I will get the name of the author, but she doubts he has been translated to English… No doubt other philosophers are plowing the same ground…

So today currently at 105F, with no electricity in town and therefore no mechanical cooling anywhere, I am filling my time space with nothing more than sitting under a shady shanty beside the river, traditional Nepalese music wafting from above, appreciating the light breeze as this day is blistering hot, even here…under a shanty, down by the river…

Aargh!… and I suppose I’m revealing by electronic posting possibly meaningless and superficial information about myself… I’m so confused now!!! Life is such a conundrum…

While walking back from the shanty along the river back to the Safari Lodge, I struck up a conversation with a guy mamed Krishna Nepal that was working on building a little beach bar in front of a hotel that was also being built. We talked for at least 30 minutes, about a wide range of things including families, about how little governments do for people these days due to the economics worldwide, and if governments spent less money on wars and such things there would be so much more money available for the people for education and other good things. In the family conversation, I asked if the government put any restrictions or preferences on the number of children families have; he said not really, except there was a small financial incentive to have not more than two. He went on to explain why Nepalese families want sons; because traditionally a son stays home to care for the parents in old age; daughters tend to move away to husband’s family. He is that son to his parents. I think this is a well-established tradition in Asian culture generally, much less so in the modern American culture.

Having conversations like that are the main reason I like to separate myself from the other bikers on trips, when you’re walking around in a crowd of westerners in any foreign country, you tend not to have those individual conversation opportunities. I find more frequent success by myself.

Back at the room for a brief rest up, then now back out by the riverside much closer to where we’re staying to watch the sunset for about the next hour. And have a nice big cool bottle water and shot of local scotch. The guide Ox asked me to go out with dinner with him and the other guide and driver later, I really like when they do that! I’ll have to find a way to make sure that the other clients don’t notice that. They’re so much more picky and complaining about things all the time it seems.

Tomorrow’s itinerary calls for 120K on the main road which is relatively flat with small hills, but all paved. (More opportunity to draft behind big trucks!) But in this heat, that’s really not a good idea at all. So the modified plan is that we will get on the bikes at 6:30 or 7 AM, and ride 50 or 60 K, probably just up until about 11 AM. Then van into Lumbini, which gives us a great opportunity to actually explore that place a little more than we normally would. Limbini amazingly is the birthplace of Lord Buddha in 632BC!

Just now heading out to dinner by myself, because Ox changed the invite at the last minute, and that’s just fine. He was with his buddies to go drink some whiskey. So I decided to go to a place called KC’s restaurant, which is a very nice outdoor place with a huge menu. Fortuitously, as I’m walking down the street from Safari Lodge, I see my friend Krishna Nepal again and he kindly invites me for a cup of tea and I of course accept! It’s dark by now, so we chat around a dark table at the hotel that he works at that I mentioned before. A very interesting conversation, me telling him a bit more about my life, job, and “pattern of manner”; him telling me about his family and his one (of two) son with leukemia diagnosed at age five. He had to take his son to India for treatment as there is no treatment available in Nepal apparently. This caused an enormous financial burden on the family, because it took about three years for treatment. Originally, he had a piece of land here in Chitwan National Park with plans to open a hotel in this World Heritage Site which would’ve been certainly a lucrative endeavor, but unfortunately he had to sell that land to pay for the treatment in India because there is no insurance or assistance in Nepal for treatments that are not available here. Actually, a very touching story, and as we all know, a single medical event be life-changing in so many ways; for the individual, for the family and loved ones, and impact a lifetime.

Cheers to you, Matt! A heartfelt wish for a speedy recovery!

The official day summary:

Fri 12th April: Chitwan National Park

Today is a welcome break after the exertion of the previous days of cycling. You may choose to rest and recuperate at the hotel or venture into the Chitwan National Park. The best place to start is the Visitor Centre at Sauraha which provides fascinating information on wildlife and conservation programmes. The park is a popular destination for ecotourists and activities (at an extra charge) include:

Canoeing: A journey down the river Rapti in a traditional Dugout Canoe offers the chance to quietly observe the exotic species of birds and animals that come to drink at the water’s edge.

Elephant safari: The opportunity to get a closer view of the endangered one-horned rhinoceros and possibly the elusive Bengal tiger from a safe vantage point.

Guided jungle walk or drive: Walk or drive deep into the jungle, accompanied by an experienced naturalist, to prime locations in search of rare animals.

Bird watching: An early morning walk through the bush and along the Rapti River, with an expert guide to view some of the 450 species of exotic birds including the Giant Hornbill, Lesser Florican and Paradise Flycatcher.

Observation tower: Climb the 22 foot high wooden tower built in a prime location within the park for a unique perspective on wildlife in the wilderness.

Today we left Hetuada at 7am to try to minimize today’s 102°F temperature! And it is only getting hotter! As described in the previous entry, I might’ve dozed off a cumulative a 30-90 minutes the entire night, so a day in the heat on the bike and beating down sun was gonna be just awesome cool!!!

Today’s mileage target was 72 km, mostly flat. The first 40 along somewhat busy highway; the next 32k off-road. Yes, I’m gonna say it again… I would rather ride on the smooth road with traffic than a bumpy one with no traffic. But that’s just me! The two Brits that brought their own bikes have full suspension mountain bikes, so they just cruise along comfortably on all the bumpy crap, I’ve got a Hardtail style mountain bike, and pretty much every bump communicates up through the seatpost to my you know what which is connected to my thingamajig which is connected to everything else.

In the first 40k, I rode at least half of it behind this huge truck that was traveling the absolutely perfect speed for cycling. I was with the full group, but then I heard this truck coming by at perfect speed that I can keep up with, and I got behind this big thing and it just sucked me along for at least 20 km. It was so great to have gotten that much distance covered with very little effort on a big mileage day like today.

At the end of 40 K, we stopped for a quick bite of noodles and cabbage stirfry, which was outstanding! (Brits no likey) After that we turned off the main road, and began riding the final 32k. By now, it’s certainly at least 100°F out, and we’re riding on top of a levee beside a river on a gravel road that is what I would call rough as hell. Uneven gravel, lots of large rocks; bumpy! This is where I part ways with what the Brits like to do, this was on top of the gravel levy for about 22k and most unpleasant to me in completely exposed bumpiness in extreme heat! Yes, but I don’t have a full suspension bike like the Brits do. They seem to just glide over all those bumps and all the gravel on the road! Good for them!

Towards the end of the day just a few kilometers out from our destination hotel, the Safari Lodge, we stopped at a small stand and had something I’ve never had the thought of eating before. Huge slices of cucumber with mashed chili peppers smeared on them. What a refreshing and tasty thing to eat! I would never have thought of doing that!

Anyway, after all the truck chasing and gravel riding and cucumber tasting, and two flats, we finally got to the Safari Lodge in Chitwan national Park. This is similar to one that I visited in Sri Lanka, with lots of elephants around, crocodiles, birds, rhinos, and Bengal tigers in theory. We all agreed to take a half-day jeep ride tomorrow to drive around about half of the complete park. And we are doing the morning version starting at 7 AM, there’s no way we’re going to be out there for the other possibe starting at 1 PM. It is crazy crazy hot here! Ox said that we may need to modify our normal riding plan since the temp at our destination the day after tomorrow is closer to 111°F. It’s really hard to imagine riding in that kind of heat, as riding in the 102°F today was doable, but very unpleasant.

Have I mentioned the heat yet???

So since we set off so early, and a smaller group tends travel quite a bit faster than a big one, we actually arrived at the Safari Lodge about 1 PM. That give us a nice afternoon to find out what the activities are around, get washed up and do laundry, and just take a load off for a while after three consecutive days of cycling.

At the Safari Lodge, there’s a pretty large group of Chinese tourists which is pretty common to see around the world at least according to what I’ve seen in my travels. The Chinese tourist often seems to have a lot of disposable income, and the ever burgeoning middle class is big on traveling. So this large group showed up as we were almost done with dinner, and they open the car door and a live duck falls out and they start running around laughing to catch it. it is to be their dinner, a live duck delivered to the kitchen for slaughter and cooked just after. Brilliant!

My treat today? We got here so early, since this little town at the national Park is certainly a tourist destination, I was able to get a nearly two hour massage today, focusing on legs and shoulders. It was really nice, and the massage started just after the power went on at 4 PM so I actually had the incredibly luxurious option of a room with an Aircon unit!

Finally, laying down to sleep here in my room Safari Lodge, I’m going to take advantage of the mosquito netting over the bed. I got terribly last night at the other hotel in Hetuada because not every window had screen. I have bites all over the place!

Got to get up at 5:30 AM for breakfast and then start our half day safari jeep ride. Yippee ki yaay!

The official summary:
Thurs 11 th April: Hetauda – Chitwan National Park

We enjoy a much flatter ride today after the adrenalin-pumping downhill of yesterday. We are now in central Terai, a region of hot subtropical plains and the surrounding vegetation reflects this. Sal (hard wood) and Kal (silk cotton) trees line the roads to the Royal Chitwan National Park. At Tadi, the route diverts onto a dirt track to the outskirts of the park area at Sauraha. We overnight at a hotel in the Chitwan National Park which was designated as a World Heritage Site in 1984. The park covers a pristine area with a unique ecosystem and is the largest and most famous wilderness in Nepal. It boasts more than 43 species of mammals and is especially renowned for the endangered one-horned rhinoceros and Bengal tigers. It is also home to 450 species of birds and 45 types of amphibians and reptiles. This evening we hear more about the range of activities on offer tomorrow.

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“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” – Mark Twain

Happy Birthday Zeenie from Chitwan, Nepal!

The 5am cacophony from my room includes a thousand birds chirping, a cow mooing, a rooster crowing, a goat bleating, a group of barking dogs (Nepalese Travel Bureau subcontractors, no doubt) seemingly patrolling the street, barking incessantly up and down the length of the street, trucks and motorbikes with no mufflers going by, the morning buses heading over some mountain honking for passengers, men and women enthusiastically hacking up their overnight respiratory burden, and the conversations of Nepalese men awake in the morning sipping their tea and talking emphatically to each other. Aaaaah yes, I must be somewhere in Asia! Have i mentioned sleep has been very elusive on this trip?

So we started out in the morning, with a reasonable 55 km today, which doesn’t necessarily sound like much. But, it was actually a wonderful and spectacular day! 13 K uphill through pine forests and winding paved switchbacks, and then a massive 32K downhill on the other side of the mountains with spectacular views as far as the eye could see through the haze. Truly, a very nice day of biking, the kind of day that you ride downhill for so long that your arms and wrists get so tired because you had to be on the brakes so much because it’s really a continuously steep and very curvy downhill.

Where we stopped for lunch, a small hut new the 7000 foot level, we had what I considered to be a wonderful Nepali lunch. Lentil soup, pickled potatoes, potato pancake thingy, another cabbage thing. Usually on these trips, I’m going to eat just about anything people put in front of me, well except anything fermented food; I’ve learned my lesson on that one. Eating local food is perhaps the best part of the adventure! But I must say I am certainly the most adventurous of this group in that area, the two Brits are kinda germophobes and rarely will eat anything prepared in a typical Nepali kitchen, they will only eat foods that appear to be prepared in a “proper” kitchen. The reality is in a place like this, well, the proper kitchen is the one that’s out in the middle of nowhere and some woman is chopping stuff up and mixing it altogether. Oh well, I’m enjoying the local offerings; I especially love anything that has lentils and really spicy ground fresh peppers and curry added.

Back to the ride; it was our first clue as we came down the other side of exactly how hot the weather is going to be for much of the rest of the trip unless it changes somehow, which is unlikely. As we descended from 7000 feet, that heat became incredible and blistering, even as we’re riding down hill, the hot air in my face still was intense, and by the time we got all the way down to Hetuada, holy crap it was hot, somewhere in the mid- 90s.

Then, checking into this hotel, we were faced again with no power, thus no fan. Aircon not installed. Damn that room was hot!!! I wandered around on my own a bit; had a couple conversations; met a guy who is a teacher for an international school of some sort. We talked for probably 30 minutes; he gave me his number in Kathmandu and on our return there, I may call him for coffee if we have time at the end.

Side note, below you’ll see a picture of a leopard dog or something that looked like that. When I first saw it, I thought what the hell kind of dog is that? I was so surprised! But what it turns out is that is how dogs are commonly marked with black paint if they have a lice infestation so that people know to stay away from them. How interesting is that?

Now back to my “infestation” of barking dogs wherever I try to sleep! As you know, I’ve had a fascination with understanding the Nepalese travel bureaus scheduling for their dogs. Sometimes it seems like they work in groups, sometimes a single emphatic incessant barker, a now another configuration seems to be that they work in pairs. Now I suspect this is because some of the shifts are very long, again probably a seniority-based system for the more cushy tourist annoyance program assignments. Last night, there were two dogs barking, but only briefly would ever bark at the same time. So as I’m laying in bed yet again somewhere between midnight and 4 AM listening to the barking, I’m trying to figure out the arrangement. My suspicion in this case was that they were tag teaming; so that if one was starting to fall asleep, the first one would bark periodocally to check if the other was still awake. Then they would bark together for just a minute or two, and then it would be silent for maybe five minutes again. So originally I was thinking tag team, but perhaps now maybe more likely is that one is the new energetic barker, and the other is essentially retired on the job and only barks when he is really forced to. So that’s why they assigned a junior member to the older guy to keep them awake. Sort of like a reverse mentor program. Who knows, I may have it all wrong…

Near the time we were leaving the hotel to go grab dinner, two buses pull up and about 30 of high school type age kids promptly moved into our hotel. OMG I thought, this can’t be good for sleeping either! As it turns out, those 30 or so kids seem to have an all night party, you could hear the yelling, singing, and stomping all night long!

I think this was officially my worst night sleeping ever! And knowing that we had to get up at about 5:30 AM, and then ride 72K makes it all the more memorable.

Almost forgot to mention we saw the Himalayas barely through the haze for the first time!

Here’s the official itinerary for this day:

Wed 10 th April: Palung – Hetauda

After breakfast, we cycle to Daman. At (2,400 metres) it is reputed to have the most spectacular outlook on the Himalaya – an incredible 400km panorama which extends from Annapurna to Everest. There are also great views over the Terai to India. There is a short 5 km ascent to the pass above Daman at 2,500 metres. From the summit we will look down over the plunging slopes of the Mahabharat Lekh which leads to the Terai, the low plains of Nepal. For the rest of the day we enjoy the ultimate downhill ride through pine and rhododendron forests which eventually give way to semi-tropical vegetation as the air becomes more humid. Initially small clusters of houses cling to lonely hill tops but as we approach the Terai we start to pass through more and more villages. Watch out for stray animals and children as you ride through! All the while the road winds like a big crawling snake, down to the ground, nearly 2,000 metres below. The town of Hetauda (455 metres) lies at the bottom of the downhill and you are bound to dismount on an unforgettable high.

If you read the itinerary below, it says it was a tough but rewarding day. That’s very very true! Finally leaving Kathmandu region, in the mountains all day, it seemed like, and I’m not really kidding at all, that we were climbing about 75% of the misleading 55k today. On rocky road almost the entire day, and as I’ve probably mentioned before, without a full suspension bike I am not at all fan of rocky steep roads. (Whining yes, but it is my blog!😜) Oh well, I guess I should’ve done better research or should’ve known that Nepal was going to be full of hilly rocky unpaved roads!

Early in the day, we stopped at a huge relatively new monastery housing 350 monks. Of all ages, they teach most of their studies; science, math in English language. We were able to get a tour on request of the place, and it was really pretty interesting to see that kind of lifestyle. I’ve seen many monasteries before on my travels, but this was certainly one of the nicest I’ve ever seen! As we were touring inside, there were about 100 monks in one room in morning prayers chanting. I got a recording of them that was really mesmerizing and fantastic to hear. The whole story about who gets to be a monk and how long they get to be a monk is pretty interesting but that’s for another time.

As we continued climbing throughout the day, we eventually made it to our highest elevation of the day which was 6500 feet. For a time, we were riding through a pine forest. There’s something special and peaceful about riding through the pines, the scent of the needles, and the sound of the wind through the pines…despite the hills!

But as I’ve learned in Nepal, that doesn’t mean that once you’re at the top, that the rest of your time will be going downhill because that certainly was not the case whatsoever! There were so many ups and downs today, and then at one point when we were towards the end of the day, the assistant guide pointed us in the wrong direction and we ended up doing an additional 4 km up a f’n big hill that we didn’t need to do. Needless to say, he’s buying us a round the beers tonight.

For the lunch stop, we were at a very small food place overlooking the Kulekhani Reservoir which is a very large lake damn that fills up during monsoon season, and drains out much of the rest of the season and is the primary fresh water source for Kathmandu. There are also some extensive fish farms in there.

It was interesting at the lunch because the only thing they serve there was the kind of stuff sitting around in plates that most Westerners would look at and say “umm I don’t think I want any of that.” And that’s exactly what we were served, on a large round metal plate that I’ve seen in India as well, we were served very small amounts of about six different things. It was a curry type watery soup that was a fantastic flavor, rice, a pickled vegetable, pickle potatoes, boil potatoes, and all vegetarian items of course. Then there was a green paste sauce kind of thing that I tasted that was absolutely spicy wonderful deep green curry flavor that I put in the soup so then I dipped everything in the soup. Personally, I thought this was the best and most authentic meal on the trip so far! What was funny to watch though, is the UK folks and even the Swiss woman really hardly ate any of it, I think they were turned off by the manner in which all of the food seemed to be just sort of sitting out and nothing was refrigerated. But I think that’s part of the whole reason why people put curry on stuff is because it is a spice that reduces decay perhaps. Anyway, I may pay for it later and regret eating the mail, but I sure enjoyed it while I was eating it! There’s a photo below.

We finally made it to the hotel, and let me tell you that of all the hotels that I’ve ever stayed on any these trips, this has got to be down there near the bottom with the least clean; and no electricity. A classic Nepali hotel very much off the beaten path!

So everything on my body pretty much is sore now, after all the miles and miles of bumpy roads, and a really tough steep long day. So, I think I’m going to let my comments end here and just post up some pictures below the itinerary.

Tue 9 th April: Dakshinkali – Palung

This is a tough but rewarding day, we cylce along dramatic trails passing through pine forest and villages on our way to Markhu, where we stop for lunch beside a beautiful lake. This afternoon we ride the 14km stretch of the Tribhuvan Highway between Nauboise and Daman. This has been described as the most spectacular bike ride in Nepal, if not the world. Until the bypass through Mugling opened about two decades ago this was the only road to India. Today there is little traffic along a reasonable quality tarmac road which spirals up and down endless hills and passes through broad valleys and small villages. We climb in two stages towards Daman. First cycling to a pass at 2,000 metres. We then descend a few hundred metres before embarking on a final climb of 500 – 600 metres. Our accommodation is in Palung located 8 km before Daman

I forgot to put it in yesterday’s post.

Mon 8 th April: Kathmandu – Dakshinkali

We set off through the suburbs and witness the modern face of Kathmandu which serves as the political and economic centre of Nepal. Beyond the historic temples and monuments it feels like another developing world city embracing 21st century life. Once we leave Kathmandu we will be riding off road to Dakshinkali. Siuated in a valley where two streams meet is the magnificent Kali Temple, the Shrine of Dakshinkali. Here animal sacrifices are made to Kali who symbolises fertility and the powers of female procreation. Sheis depicted in an image as a six armed goddess trampling over a male figure. Non-Hindus may not enter the area where the image is situated but it is possible to see it from outside.

Today started with cycling out of Kathmandu after a nice quiet breakfast with a freshly made omelette in the courtyard beside the hotel. I slept better last night for a variety of reasons; not a very long sleep, but very peaceful while asleep; well, and also because it seemed that the dog convention somehow had taken a rest for several hours during the night.

However I have already noticed on arrival here at tonight’s hotel that the reach of the Kathmandu travel bureau dog barking sponsorship program has a very extensive reach. While in the city, there are multiple dogs who don’t need to really bark all that emphatically, probably the more senior dogs end up in town because they don’t have to work as hard. But out here, I think it’s the newer less senior dogs who have to really prove themselves by barking incessantly and emphatically for absolutely no reason at all in order to prove themselves so they can eventually bid the more cushy assignments in the city. Not to mention, in the city I’m sure there are more social opportunities for the dogs, if you know what I mean. Anyway, if there was a means to rate the dogs for irritation factor, I would give this guy not far from my room very very high marks!

As I’ve mentioned on my prior trips, Asia in general seems like such an assault on the senses compared to the organized rule following and reasonable quiet of the Western world were normally accustomed to. Here it seems, 24 hours a day, things are happening, cars are honking their horns, dogs are barking, people are talking, it seems to never stop. And when you’re on a bicycle trying to travel out of Kathmandu it just seems amplified, all the noises, sounds, and smells.

Cycling out of Kathmandu for at least an hour through very narrow alley streets, eventually getting out to main thoroughfare, but still completely and absolutely packed with vehicles of all kinds. Further beyond Kathmandu the traffic continued, but seemed there were more buses, motorbikes, trucks, and everything else you can imagine on wheels.

But at some point this morning, it dawned on me again why I love doing these trips. despite the incredibly long flights, the discomfort of long distance travel, the TimeZone exhaustion that overtakes you, I do realize why I truly do have a passion for this kind of cycling. The roareid shared by vehicles of all kinds, bicycles, motorbikes, with chickens, goats, cows, and every other imaginable animal on a bike, you not only see all those things, but you smell and hear all of the pieces and parts associated with them. It just doesn’t happen in a carcar, nor does it happen if you’re reading a book about a place. So to have two wheels on the ground and have all the inputs for so many senses, I really think that is why I find these kinds of trips truly rewarding. There’s a certain peacefulness that comes with traveling on a bike that is hard to describe unless you actually do it. But that feeling for me is real, and I guess it’s the reason I keep coming back and doing these trips; and at times, seeing how so many people seem to find happiness with so little material wealth somehow provides me with a better sense of life balance.

Eventually we got out of the country into farmland, came across some canola fields where the yellow flower is processed or pressed for oil. Near to that, we saw these half circle shaped long huts that we weren’t really sure what they were so we all stopped. Ox talked to the folks there, and amazingly they were mushroom farms. Cow dung is mixed with straw and dirt to make a very rich medium, placed in rows under these straw covered greenhouses which keeps them moist, warm, and dark. We walked into them and saw these white mushrooms growing in there. It was an amazing thing to see, since I had never considered how mushrooms are produced.

Basically today, from Kathmandu, we crossed a huge valley and went up the other side; so the second half of the day involved a lot of elevation. In fact, today was a mixture of some really bumpy up and downhill singletrack kind of stuff that I really don’t like all that much, but towards the end of the day we are back on pavement sharing the road yet again with buses, trucks and motorbikes.

We crossed steel suspension cable bridge today that was extraordinary! We rode down this bridge that was slightly wider than the handlebars of your bike, and I really had to suspend my sense of fear and avoid looking down at the chasm and river below we were crossing. It was really exciting actually!

Towards the end of the day we were at about 5000 feet, and coming up to hills you could definitely feel the elevation in the cardiovascular response and especially how hard you needed to breathe to keep enough oxygen coming in.

We did stop at some point for lunch at a small restaurant was built on a hill overlooking the valley that was really spectacular.

We ended the day biking up a small valley where there are several monasteries and staying at small hotel kind of place with a couple of buildings with rooms. The first room they gave me seemed nice with a safari style bed cover and al, but then when I actually looked before I started doing my laundry chores, there was an infestation of some sort of a termite like bug all over the floor and many on the bed as well. So they were kind enough to relocate me to a different room that while very spartan and no leopard bedspread, certainly nice enough and all that really matters is there’s hot water!

The haze over Nepal seems to have gotten worse, it is apparently common for this haze to overtake most of the region in advance of the monsoon season. So it’s difficult for us to see on more than a few miles into the distance.

The group is reasonably well matched, we all stayed pretty close together today, and nobody’s a complainer at all. Definitely a nice group of people to be cycling with.

Will have some sort of dinner here at the hotel up in hills next to the New Azom monastery, a very large and grand monastery just beside our hotel that is still being built but it’s really giant!

The hotel we’re at actually has a pool, but one of the group went down to consider taking a swim and saw a dead mouse in the pool, so that was enough to eliminate the possibility of anybody swimming down there. At this elevation, it’s not really all that warm, though I’m in short sleeves but by dinnertime it would be much cooler.

That’s it for today. Dinner shortly, then hopefully a solid sleep!

Last night, the incredibly efficient Nepalese Tourist Bureau arranged for the required barking dogs to keep me company and awake most of the night. It must have been end of shift around 2am because there seemed to be an information exchange involving the oncoming shift as there were additional dogs barking for a while.

This morning, after a lovely breakfast in a courtyard surrounded by many chirping birds, we got our bikes; only two of us on rentals; Christian and Mariola brought their own. My bike is medium quality and condition; nothing fancy, well used…

We road out of the main town out to the countryside, so many interesting things, pigs, goats, some minor crops, some relatively nice houses out in the country, and then rode back into town. That took about three hours, probably about 15 to 18 miles.

Random fact: Did you know, there are planned power outages up to 12 hours per day throughout Nepal.

Anita was our city tour guide today for the afternoon. We first visited Boudhan Stupa; the largest Buddhist Stupa in the world. It is a world heritage site, so like many I’ve been to, it is very busy with tourists and many businesses and shops built all around.

Next was Pashupatinah Temple; this was a most fascinating place because as is the custom with Hindus, the bodies of the dead are burned in traditional funeral pyres and then all of the ashes are pushed into the river, on the belief that the ashes will eventually flow to the sea. So while we were there, we saw two pyres being built which is logs stacked square to each other, and then a body wrapped in decorative robes placed on top, and the whole thing lit on fire. It was a fascinating thing to watch, in essentially a public setting, something us Westerners would never do because we seem to manage our dead and death with so much more privacy and tidiness..

There are four of us in the group;
Mariola/ mom of special needs child, originally from Poland, and former co-owner with her ex husband of a profitable condom distribution business some years ago.

Christian, married to Mariola, owns a large orthodontia supplies business with his father.

Flavia from Switzerland is an MD working for NGO developing aids awareness and medical exchange between China and Switzerland.

Very hazy weather here, the sun glow in the sky is very orange to all of the haze, most of which I think is probably dust and smog of some sort. My throat has a raspy dryness that I haven’t experienced before.

Today was a huge city wide strike against the government. People in favor of the Maoist insurgency is against the Prime Minister. No cars, trucks or buses, and most businesses stayed closed for fear that pro Maoist folks will come and damage their business. The point is to make the PM think about the people instead of himself, as it was explained to us. The clear advantage for us was that no matter where we went, there were literally no cars on the road. There was an exemption on the strike for tourist vehicles. Normally, most of the roads are nearly choked to a standstill with cars going every direction and honking horns ceaselessly. We did see many groups of chanting people with red flags with the Communist hammer and sickle symbol throughout the city, along with a very major police presence as well.

After returning from the city tour, it was group dinner where I nearly fell asleep at the table; still time warped from traveling across the globe.

I’m already behind in posting here as I’m writing this on the morning of technically the third day of the cycling trip. We actually on the bikes for full day of cycling today, but I will address that in the next post. FYI, the photos below may not match the order of commentary above. The latest version of WordPress app that I use for this has some major bugs in it, and it’s extremely difficult to get pictures in order or in between text. It’s much easier to just add them to the end.

Here’s the official description for today: Sun 7 th April: Kathmandu

This morning we embark on a fascinating city tour by bicycle. Kathmandu is one of the world’s oldest cities and is rich in cultural heritage. The old part of the city is criss-crossed with narrow medieval streets and centres on Durbar Square, a World Heritage Site. It boasts distinctive pagoda-roofed temples, old monasteries and numerous historic monuments. We will discover other key sites on our cycle tour including the Royal Palace, Swayambhunath Stupa (one of the holiest Buddhist sites in Nepal known as Monkey Temple) Boudhanath Stupa (for an insight into Tibetan culture) and Pashupati Temple (one of the holiest Hindu shrines in the world). After the city tour there will be time to wander through the bustling street markets and lively backstreets. Souvenir options are plentiful and include Nepali clothing, embroidery and ceramics. This evening after dinner we will hear more about the journey ahead from our local team

Nothing is permanent in this wicked world, not even your troubles. Charlie Chaplin (Seen at Dehli airport)

Okay, inevitably as I experience a different culture and climate, I start to notice many things; some subtle, some stark. So an early thing noticed here at the Delhi airport and reinforced when finally boarding the smallish Jet Airways 737, those folks with palpable BO have an easily identifiable flavor about them. Can you guess what it might be? Funny…

Somehow I scored “business class” which is suspiciously identical to Alaskaair first class; considering they are the same planes and all. MVP Gold provides the occasional unexpected perk! And I have a window seat so should have a view of KTM on arrival. Was already offered a very interesting juice; fresh green mango juice spiced with a curry-ish flavor. Pretty good!

Speaking of irregular time zones, I recall Sri Lanka which had a 30 minute offset instead of a full hour. Stranger still is Nepal; when it is 5pm in Alaska, it is 645am in Nepal; a 45 minute offset!

I tried to install a weather widget on my blog page on the right side; can’t tell if it’s working from my iPhone; so let me say that while Kathmandu will be in the mid-80’s, Pokhara now is showing a blistering 106F!!! We will be cycling there in the second week. I’ve never ridden in anything quite that hot… Pokhara is closer to 2000′ elevation compared to Kathmandu closer to 4000′; hence the dif.

So we were delayed over two hours leaving Delhi due to weather ceiling; eventually took off and entered this huge right-hand circling pattern somewhere near Nepal for the next 45 minutes. Weird! But you can clearly see the Himalayan Range; extraordinarily beautiful and stunning; but honestly not unlike what we see in parts of Alaska from the air regularly. There is a thick grayish haze as far as the eye can see in every direction below us; I suspect we’re circling waiting for that to suddenly clear… doesn’t seem likely… If we ever make a turn left, I think that will mean we’re heading into KTM.

Left turn and seriously, we’re gonna land around here??? This pilot is trying to thread a needle in a valley with mountains all around in this haze? Holy shit! I hope he’s got good radar!

Made it, though a pretty sketchy approach and landing! Much larger city than I expected! And bonus! My bag arrived with me! That’s always a bit of a surprise! Ox (the Nepalese guide) and his sidekick Suneel met me at the airport and we drove to the very spartan Hotel Manang! No air con, no wifi, but very nice people! The view from my room…

Just kidding! The actual view from my room…

I’m amazingly coherent for literally 42 hours of travel time! It’s hot to me here though, but absolutely nobody over the age of ten is wearing shorts!!! Being the culturally sensitive guy I usually am, I suppose I will follow suit. First on the agenda, a shower!!! The group meets tonight at 7pm for dinner; only four of us in this group, which should be fantastic! As always, happy to be alive and very fortunate to be able to take this, my 11th cycling trip in Asia!