One month in Nepal

[davidgibson999]

Once the rain ended and I'd gotten used to riding the Enfield we began to appreciate the stunning scenery surrounding the Siddartha Highway

Generally the road wasn't too busy because most roads were chockablock with trucks, mopeds, horses, cars and buses all jockeying for position. The Highway is mainly used by buses and trucks so it wasn't too bad but they all belch out foul fumes coating me in soot. Nice.

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/14732375" width="400" height="300" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/14732375">nepaltwo 195</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4505431">davidgibson999</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

Sussing out where to stay that night:

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/14732504" width="400" height="300" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/14732504">nepaltwo 203</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4505431">davidgibson999</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/14732563" width="400" height="300" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/14732563">nepaltwo 214</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4505431">davidgibson999</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

Spurred on by the alleged beauty of Tansen, Palpa we chugged on further south and eventually entered the ancient town of Tansen. It's built on a steep slope with a maze of streets getting smaller, narrower and tighter as you ascend.

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/14732651" width="400" height="300" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/14732651">nepaltwo 215</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4505431">davidgibson999</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

Typically the hotel we were aiming for was on a muddy outcrop overlooking the town sprawled out below. Equally typical was the fact that the road to the hotel was being re-tarred that afternoon so I was directed up a mud path after a large pig who was ambling that way too, obviously staying at the same hotel

At this point I feared for the all too fragile clutch and sent Lynda on ahead. This is what greated me:

What a pisser! By this stage I was committed to going forwards and not backwards not least because of the kids gathering to watch and the road workers below who had cleared their tools so I could squeeze past onto the dirt.

Note the comedy stall at the end of this clip:

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/14732731" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/14732731">nepaltwo 218</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4505431">davidgibson999</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

This turned out to be easy compared to the steep rutted trail that awaited us round the next bend. The camera was put away and the serious business of burning out the clutch began. The hotel was expensive and undergoing serious renovation so we headed back... the same way... the clutch had packed in and I was changing into 1st by reaching down with my right hand and pulling the shifter up.
Made it off the dirt trail, past the roadworkers who yet again eased my passing as much they could.
A few minutes later the rear drum brake began to smoke badly so we parked Henry up to let him cool and gather his thoughts:

I waited by the bike while Lynda wandered off to find a hotel. White Mountain Lake seemed the business and we headed back down through the town and got parked up near the lobby.

 

[spikerjack 46]

Like the vids.

Isn't the bike a tad too big for you.

Nope. You're standing in a shuck.

 

[Glenboy]

Fantastic, just fantastic.

 

[ChubbyThumper]

Enjoyed that and well done to the camera person

 

[davidgibson999]

Enjoyed that and well done to the camera person

Thanks Terry. There's more to come but I can only upload so many vids to vimeo each week!
David

 

[Robbo1200ADV]

Great Story and pictures ,its an amazing part of the world isnt it????
I love it out there ,You Bullit looks about 1990 ,but they all look pretty much the same. We use 2005 bikes out in the Himalayas and by the end of the 5 trips they all need a total rebuild.They are hardy machines and can be fixed anywhere ,but yes some of the rtental bikes are on their last legs

 

[Humbug]

David,

Good to see you are both well. I'm enjoying this.

Regards to Lynda.

Andy

 

[davidgibson999]

The Hotel was the best we stayed in during our time in Nepal although by UK standards it wouldn't be up to much. Still, it only cost £13 for one night which was incredibly expensive in Nepal. It had WIFI which was cool and I was able to receive some abuse from Jochen about the superiority of the Bullet over the Varadero

Went for a wander through the town of Tansen. It's a good place to visit because it doesn't yet cater for the tourist market en masse even though it does have a tourist office and a number of hotels. After a few days in Kathmandu it's a treat to be able to walk the streets without being hassled by the marijuana and tiger balm sellers!

Street scene:

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/14732776" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/14732776">nepaltwo 226</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4505431">davidgibson999</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

Hungry, we went in search of some grub. The street vendors' offerings looked good but we'd a lot of miles to cover the next day (actually not so many but it would take all day to get to our destination) and didn't want to risk a dose of the runs

Rice cakes:

If you like temples Nepal is the place for you! There was some sort of community gathering in the forecourt and a lot of tethered roosters!

Because of its status as a major administrative centre for the Kingdom of Nepal, the Maoists launched an assault on the town in 2006. We gathered that a lot of blood was spilled that night.
This next pic should give you an idea of just how steep the streets are and what fun it was to ride an Enfield with no clutch or brakes up and down them

Stray dogs seem to be an integral to the fabric of Nepal. Numerous animal welfare societies exist for the education of the locals and for the treatment of the dogs. We saw some dogs with ghastly wounds and some clearly rabid specimens being chased from the neighbourhoods. In Kathmandu especially the council will lay poisoned meat out for them - of course, children often eat this and die instead! Dogs that do die are simply thrown into the rivers which ain't great news for sanitation! Here are a couple of sleeping beauties first thing in the morning:

 

[davidgibson999]

The rain came with the morning and we rolled out of Tansen first thing.

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/14732852" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/14732852">nepaltwo 248</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4505431">davidgibson999</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

Today's goal was Lumbini, birthplace of Lord Buddha. Hadn't realised that Buddha was Nepalese but he spent most of his adult life in India. Lumbini is sited very close to the border with India and I harboured a hope that we might cross with the bike but without paperwork for it this wasn't possible.
The morning rain disappeared with the mists and the farther south we headed the hotter it got until it the heat became uncomfortable.
Stopped in Butwal for a coke:

This cafe owner was a gem, really friendly and his English was better than our Nepali! One coke and bottled water later and we were happy. When I spotted a large well nourished rat nibbling at the wok our hunger left us.

Spot the rat:

We passed this guy on the road and when we stopped he said that an Irishman from Donegal asked him to test his latest panniers:

Lumbini is a strange place. As the mecca for Buddhists it is bunged with busloads of the faithful. There is a huge designated development zone in which most groups of Buddhists from round the world will build their temple or shrine to Buddha. There are some very luxurious hotels catering for wealthy Japanese visitors and well outside our budget.

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/14732886" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/14732886">nepaltwo 257</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4505431">davidgibson999</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/14761611" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/14761611">nepaltwo 260</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4505431">davidgibson999</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

Couldn't get over the size of this snail:

He could fairly shift too, putting Henry the Enfield to shame:

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/14761676" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/14761676">nepaltwo 262</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4505431">davidgibson999</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

 

[bakerlonglegs]

Quality ride report! Keep it coming.....

 

[Popeye]

Book marked for a Winter read

 

[davidgibson999]

Lumbini

Lumbini itself is not a nice spot to stop. We found a basic place to stay and rolled the Enfield through a corridor and into the courtyard before heading out for something to eat. The 3 Foxes restaurant gets a great billing in Lonely Planet but was decidedly average and one of only two restaurants in the town which is really a few buildings built around a T Junction.

Wanting to see the Development Zone we wandered off in the 40 deg heat to the entrance and paid our 500 rupees each, before hiring a rickshaw (another 500 rs) to ferry us around. Within half an hour we discovered that (a) we could have ridden the bike around it (b) we could have gotten in free had we shown our volunteer cards
As before, the rickshaw was thoroughly unpleasant and uncomfortable.

I look a tad hot and bothered in this vid, don't I :

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/14761756" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/14761756">nepaltwo 290</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4505431">davidgibson999</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

Once inside the zone the first temple we wanted to see was the one marking the birthplace of Buddha. Recent digs exposed the foundations of an ancient temple built to mark the spot. The ugly white building house houses the actual ruins of an even older temple:

Prayer flags in abundance:

Chipmunk playing on a shrine:

The green stone is very old, protected by bullet proof glass and guards. It is believed to mark the spot where Maya Devi, his mother, gave birth to the child on her way to her parent's home in Devadaha while taking rest in Lumbini under a sal tree in the month of May in the year 642 B.C.

Some of the temples are particularly impressive:

When you see the results of millions of dollars pumped into the building of temples and then you leave the Zone and re-enter the town it's quite jarring:

Working in the mustard fields:

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/14761837" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/14761837">nepaltwo 295</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4505431">davidgibson999</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

Returning to base:

But tomorrow the open road would call again

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/14761865" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/14761865">nepaltwo 300</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4505431">davidgibson999</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

To be continued...

 

[davidgibson999]

We woke up to brilliant weather - it would turn out to be the best weather of the trip - I suppose that's what you get if you travel in monsoon season...
Nipped round the corner to the 3 Foxes Restaurant for another poor breakfast. Got the Enfield out of the courtyard and then had to start it. For some reason the battery wasn't in great shape and I could not get him to fire up. I cycled through the starting procedure numerous times and the gathering crowd offered a few unhelpful suggestions. They might have been helpful but given that they were offered in Nepali they were of no use. The hotel owner eventually recommended that I put the bike on centre stand and kick start it with all my weight by standing up on the bike - two or three attempts later and Henry was on the move. Equally strange, he worked really well this day with very little clutch and gear trouble...

Once out of Lumbini there was a fairly straight and busy road back towards Butwal. When we were on on the way to Lumbini there had been heavy rain and there was a thick coating of gloopy mud and puddles of unknown depth all along the road which made for slow progress. Thankfully today with the weather being so hot this had mostly caked down into a more manageable surface:

Early mornings were always a busy time on the roads:

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/14761865" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/14761865">nepaltwo 300</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4505431">davidgibson999</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

Roadside views:

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/14761919" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/14761919">nepaltwo 302</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4505431">davidgibson999</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/14761999" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/14761999">nepaltwo 303</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4505431">davidgibson999</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

As you'll hear in this video, you learn to toot your horn all the time to signal that you're there, that you intend to pass and often a few toots for good measure to let him know you're still passing....

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/14986080" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/14986080">nepaltwo 304</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4505431">davidgibson999</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

Eventually made it back in to Butwal. You can see here that the trucks just overtake each other as though you're not there.

Fuel stop. How stupid do those helmets look...

 

[davidgibson999]

Rickshaws were really popular in this town:

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/14986163" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/14986163">nepaltwo 305</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4505431">davidgibson999</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/14986306" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/14986306">nepaltwo 306</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4505431">davidgibson999</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/14986319" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/14986319">nepaltwo 307</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4505431">davidgibson999</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/14986348" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/14986348">nepaltwo 308</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4505431">davidgibson999</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

 

[davidgibson999]

A Close Call

Seconds after this video was shot, disaster nearly struck:

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/14986541" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/14986541">nepaltwo 310</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4505431">davidgibson999</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

I don't use the phrase "disaster nearly struck" lightly - we were nearly wiped out. Whether or not my observation was at a low as we neared the outskirts of the town or whether there was just so much going in at the roadsides I don't know but in any case I was completely shocked and taken unawares when a massive Tata bus charge out of a side street into our path. Anyone who's heard one of these things accelerating hard will know the bellow it's capable of. Somehow (and I think it was due to adrenaline rather than skill) I managed to whip the bike out and round the front of it (Lynda later said she could have touched the front of the bus with her elbow) and into the path of a rickshaw. This turn of events necessitated a quick steer to full lock left and then with hearts thumping, my throat dry and my pants soiled we slowly exited the town. Neither of us spoke for a good 20 minutes. It was that close...

Soon though we were once again enjoying the scenery and the great road we were travelling:

Stopped at a roadside stall for a few mangoes. The mangoes in Nepal at this time of year are incredibly tasty...

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/14986560" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/14986560">nepaltwo 318</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4505431">davidgibson999</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

Pulled in at the side of the road shortly after to munch them - couple of road workers had downed tools and were quietly snoozing under a tree.

The amount of mango juice running down my arms and legs was unreal. Lynda had a talent for eating a mango cleanly that I clearly lacked:

The two dudes eventually woke up and looked a bit bemused at their new neightbours:

We pushed off again. This video gives you an idea of the scenery and how the road threads its way through it:

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/14986619" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/14986619">nepaltwo 330</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4505431">davidgibson999</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

To be continued....

 

[Aidan1150]

Amazing stuff David. Thanks for posting your report.

 

[davidgibson999]

Amazing stuff David. Thanks for posting your report.

Thanks Aidan - I'll try and get some more of it done this week.
David

 

[davidgibson999]

By now it was really roasting. I had a niggling doubt in the back of my mind that there was something up with the bike. Pulled in for a quick check but everything seemed fine:

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/14986637" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/14986637">nepaltwo 331</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4505431">davidgibson999</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

Well weathered roadsign:

Catching a local :

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/14986845" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/14986845">nepaltwo 334</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4505431">davidgibson999</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

Typical village:

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/14986947" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/14986947">nepaltwo 335</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4505431">davidgibson999</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

Wanted some record of the noise of the bike so we took this one:

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/15048742" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/15048742">nepaltwo 336</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4505431">davidgibson999</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

Anyhow. After exiting this village I went into a right-hander and the bike went straight on towards the bushes. The front tyre blew out completely and in no time at all. Coasted to a halt and Lynda contemplated our fortunes in the shade of a tree:

Bugger. We'd no option but to retrace our steps. I'd no map which showed the small towns and villages. In fact our map showed most of Nepal on one page of our Lonely Planet guide so it wasn't much use in determining how far to the next village. We turned around and wobbled back through two villages and finally found a puncture repair outfit in the third.

This cowboy soon got to work:

There was no nail in the tyre - turned out to be a pinch puncture. They'd no spare tube to fit the Enfield so he attempted to patch it with 2 or 3 patches. I had my doubts about this...

Just as I'd had my doubts earlier about the bike and had them proven correct, my fears about the puncture repair were also founded. After 2 or 3 km the tyre was flat again. We returned, a bit pissed off because we'd been overcharged but in the grand scheme of things it wasn't very much and because after all his faffing about he still buggered up the job.
Here I am sat waiting again:

Everyone turned out to watch:

Miraculously, the tube he said he didn't possess now appeared and within 20 minutes we were on our way again although not before he took another 5 minute test ride up and down the street. I think he actually liked Henry!
Tired, sunburnt and fed up we headed on to Pokhara. Henry's redundant suspension was really jarring our backs by now as this section of the road wasn't in the best state. Rolled into the Grand Holiday hotel, faces covered in soot from the TATA trucks and buses, and collapsed on the bed. We hadn't covered a big mileage but Asim's loud laugh when I'd told him a few weeks earlier that I thought 300 miles a day would be doable rang in my ears. He'd suggested that 200km a day would be an achievement. I think he was right...

To be continued.

 

[BOIRCHE]

interesting/enjoyable reading and pics....cheers for posting Davy..

 

[Mzokk]

Excellent Stuff David. Really good read and camera work