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Published: September 3rd 2007
Leaving Kathmandu to Pokhara we knew we were racing westwards hoping to stay in front of the rain. The mountains however had been covered in clouds for our entire visit so far and we did not really anticipate Pokhara's famous skyline to be visible.
The ride from Kathmandu however was great but hard work, we did not actually make great progress cycling; it was hot, we were unused to the exercise after weeks in the city and were distracted a lot by huge Himalayan rivers slipping by inviting us to jump in and swim. Also on the way from Kathmandu Robin's bike had a serious breakdown (despite or rather because of all the fiddling we had done to it in Kathmandu!). We ended up staying a day camping and lazing on a river beach only 50 miles from Katmandu as this was the place that Robin's front hub seized on him.
We arrived in Pokhara during a bandah, this had made for a very pleasant ride as 2 tourist coaches were the only vehicles on the road. It also seemed to be a good reason for all the guys to sit around in the shade at the roadside all day.
Robin was curious when he saw a guy with a wheelbarrow full of really knackered lorry tyres. He can't possibly reuse those he thought, they are well past it. Later however his queries were answered when we cycled past a pile of burning tyres blockading the road into Pokhara. In Nepal they have quite a need for all those old tyres it seems. No-one we asked in Pokhara really knew why there was another bandah, it seems these have just become part of everyone's daily norm.
We stayed in a quiet part of the very touristy Lakeside in Pokhara, there was no view of the mountains but we soon relaxed on a balconied hotel room watching the changing light over the lake and eating in a nearby tourist restaurant that did acceptable if a little weird versions of western food. Robin's front wheel was messing up again and luckily after a phone call to the mechanic Sonam in Kathmandu he put us in touch with a good mechanic in Pokhara. Unfortunately we had to get new balls for the hub and we had to wait three days for these to come from Kathmandu. Pokhara was really hot and humid
and the atmosphere was heavy waiting for any breeze to lift the wet curtain of air. The stifling air was usually only lifted by evening storms and the first of heavy rain but these showers were really just the start of the monsoon that was practically upon us. Not relishing cycling in downpours we wanted to get going but we both caught colds and had to rest up. Still there were a few other interesting travellers around for us to chat to.
We did eventually leave Pokhara on bikes and the two day ride on the Siddartha Highway to Butwal back on the Terai plains was practically perfect. The road snaked wonderfully around the jungle clad hills, although we had quite big climbs the beauty of the place was enough to distract us from the effort and our bikes finally worked properly again. We stayed in a very small village that night and the locals really wanted to talk to us. We got the distinct impression that with a bit more time spent in the smaller villages in Nepal we would have a very different experience than the weeks we had spent in the touristy cities. We definitely feel
that we have not done justice to Nepal. We really hope to come back one day and do some trekking in the Himalayas and walk through some remoter valleys.
Another Bandah greeted us in Butwal but luckily it was lifted the next day and we caught a bus west to the Indian border. Public transport is never that easy in Nepal and we were lucky to only be delayed by 2 hours when the bus and many other trucks all got stuck in heavy mud during a diversion to bypass a damaged bridge. The bridge over the river was dodgy, so instead we drove down a steep muddy gorge, into and up the river, and then attempt to drive up the other side of the very steep, very muddy gorge. Much fun ensued, and then it started raining some more…. Still after pulling half the rest of the hillside under the wheels of the bus it did finally struggle out and back onto the road.
The day we left Nepal the monsoon broke properly, we had lost this race against the rain and by the time we cycled to the border post we were soaked to the skin.
Good Parking
Driving Napali styleWe managed to miss Nepali immigration and the Indian officials sent us back out into the no-man's land to the Nepali border post. However this area now resembled a river and we had to laugh as we pedalled through a torrential downpour and ankle-deep water. Eventually we made it into India after not getting our passports too soggy which was quite an effort considering how much water was streaming off us in all directions.
Still it was not cold and we squelched into Banbasa to try to find a bus towards Himachal Pradesh (HP), further west where hopefully it would not yet be raining. India did not disappoint in her reputation for craziness and the way it is infuriatingly difficult to achieve any tasks here. It was the end of the day before we finally borded a bus to Haridwar, after attempting to buy tickets on numerous buses all day and even cycling 15 km to a different bus station only to be turned back again, realising we had been passed by the bus going the other direction. We settled down soggy and hot to a night bus but at least our bikes were safely tied on the roof
with us (after paying to lift them up ourselves and tie them down with our own rope). God I hate India - sometimes.
We had about 14 hours stopover in Hardiwar before our bus to Mandi. I quite liked this pilgrimage town, even though it was difficult to find a reasonably priced room that would accept us and our bikes. Once we had slept for a few hours it was fun to stroll around watching all the pilgrims bathing in The River Ganges and we enjoyed again looking at the crazy numbers of people and hectic street life that is India. Regretful that we did not have more time to explore Uttaranchal and further upstream on the Ganges, we boarded another night bus to take us to Mandi and hopefully a respite from the rains.
We were back now on the path of our original cycle from Scotland. We had cycled through Mandi in December 2006 when we were travelling east. Back then the road to Ladakh had been closed by the winter snows but now the holiday resort of Manali and high altitudes beyond were calling us. We had a great time cycling up the valley towards
Manali, through an amazing gorge on the Kullu river that got narrower and narrower as the mountains grew higher on either side. Wondering where the road would go next it suddenly turns into a dark tunnel that goes on and on. After 3km of confusion and choking on fumes we emerge back into the sun and a wider valley. We had no idea there would be this huge tunnel there.
The traffic got heavier and crazier as we got towards Kullu, the road full of Punjabi’s and Delhi-ites on their way up to the hills for their summer holidays and not wanting to waste a second on the drive there. After a lunch stop in Kullu and dodging our way through a total traffic jam and back into the countryside Robin is sent sprawling over the road by some Punjabi idiot smashing into him. Luckily no damage was done and we managed to get onto the less busy road on the other side of the river and stayed a night in the pictueresque Naggar. It was now plum season and they were so tasty we bought fresh from the farmers at the roadside. Naggar had amzing of the views
of the Upper Kullu valley, which reminded us a lot f Hunza in northern Pakistan. The local Hindu temples were made of a mix of wood and stone in a smilar style to that used in Hunza too.
Unfortunately Erika got a chesty cold in Manali and a 2 day stop turned in to 5 as we were trapped by illness in the Israeli tourist ghetto that is Old Manali. I can not really recommend Manali. The scenery around is lovely but the town is either full of noisy Indian tourists or even noisier young Israeli backpackers who were all out to party. After the delays in Nepal we were really frustrated at another forced stop when wewere so close to climbing by bike into the remoter valleys and passes that would take us up to the high plateau of Ladakh and give us a wilderness and free experience on what India claims is the World's second highest road. Magnificanet mountain scenery and challenging cycling lay ahead of us but for a few days we had to be patient untill I got better so we sampled quite a lot of overpriced Israeli food instead.
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Kate
non-member comment
Good to hear from you
Joe and I were only today wondering how you two are, and here you are with a blog entry. Glad you are OK, and we're still thinking of you!