Aberdeen to Kathmandu

Tried to put your pics up. Looks like Fotki.com acts very wierd. They show most of the pics on separate window, but not in the thread. Dunno the reason, maybe the fotki.com server understands their bandwith is wasted.

TIP: i put those pics that doesn't show in the thread with link. Clicking on them says error, but if click to the address of that page and push ENTER, it shows the pic.

Works for me this way.

Cheers, Margus :thumb
 
Yeah - dunno about pics. Some people see em, some don't. Using photo bucket now.

Trouble is, in S-L-O-W Nepali net cafes it's a major pain trying to upload pics.

Anyway, people are responding now. Thankyou one and all.
 
OUCH!!

We’ve been up in Manali in the Indian Himalayas where it’s lovely. Unfortunately we (I) decided to do a 5 day paragliding course coz it's well cheap here. Well, it went well for 5 days. We were both flying and landing really well. On the last day we had to make 10 flights each. As we'd got better, we'd moved up this ridge to give us a better, higher lift-off. This also gave a smaller margin for error. On Tasha's 7th flight she was hit by a sudden crosswind on take-off which threw her to the right. She landed heavily in a gully.

When I got up to her she was already on her feet. We walked down the hill with our instructor and she was still in pain - in her lower back. The paragliders have a small ambulance on site so we took her to hospital in Manali about 15k away.

After x-ray they discovered her L1 vertebra was fractured. They had no orthopaedic specialist there so we had to organise a taxi to Chandaghar - some 9hrs drive south. We loaded her on to a board and made the journey overnight. Met with a spinal specialist 1st thing then she had MRI and CT scans. We're checked into this private hospital and the surgeon (who is well renowned) operated at 6am the next morning to insert 4 titanium screws into the vertebra. He reckons 4-5 days to recover and move fully. There is no loss of movement and he expects total recovery. Tasha is in a bit of pain but in quite good spirits although she's been a bit drowsy from pain medication. Whole lot’s cost about US$3500 so far which is a bit of a hole in our budget but obviously still cheap by western standards. After a week in the hospital we checked out and flew to Delhi where I put Tasha on a flight home. It could have been much worse though - the fracture was unstable so paralysis could have happened...

On the positive side, there was a huge TV in our hospital room with cable so I got to see all the football!

Still planning to ride up to Ladakh - just without a pillion now - so had to catch a bus back up to Manali. 12hr overnight sleeper bus sounded good. After one major breakdown, one puncture, 3 bus changes and one huge traffic jam - arrive in Manali 31 hrs later!



Well it had to happen some time.

Riding up from Manali to Solang Nullah to meet our paragliding instructor and tell him about Tasah's recovery.

I'm passing a bus coming the other way when this guy who is crossing the road behind the bus runs out directly into my path. Only doing about 50-55kmh but I only see him as I'm about to hit him. Hit the brakes as I try to move to the right and miss him but there's no chance. I hit him hard and the front end tucks and down I go - equally hard. Luckily I'm wearing most of my protective gear so not too badly scuffed. The guy is ok too. Bike doesn't fare so well - tank dented and rocker cover broken - oil is pissing out over the road.

Much swearing ensues but Lars, German buddy on R100GS, goes and fetches some oil and we tape up the cover and refill the oil and limp 4km back to the local workshop we know.

Now need to fix or replace the cover. Anyone know about BMW spares in India?

Notice that my left arm is now agony - can't move it at all. Some seriously strong painkillers and several beers later it's recovering.

I'll get to Ladakh yet.........

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Never a dull day

Riots, buses, taxis, hanggliding! Glad to hear you are both relatively ok. More scrapes on my old H&Bs!


many more (safe) adventures. Tony.
 
Just ridden up to Ladakh, camped out at 4700m then rode 200km to Tso Moriri - a lake at 4885m - and camped out there. 100km of that was offroad. Proper offroad and all over 4000m. We were knackered - esp picking up 300kg BMWs out of deep sand several times.

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Well finally made it up into the Nubra valley over the pass at Khardung La - the world's highest motorable road at 5608m or 18,380ft in old money. This is a restricted area and you need special permits to enter.

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Set out with Lars on his 100GS from Leh with the pass 40km away. The ride up was pretty easy with mostly good road surfaces. The army have road building camps up here and the poor buggers are stuck here for 2 years at a time. It gets down to -40C in winter.Bit of snow towards the top but nothing serious. It was almost an anti climax to arrive as we had coffee in the cafe. A good ride down into the beautiful valley followed. We stayed in Hunder which is as far as you can go towards the Chinese(Tibetan) border.

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After 2 days waiting for sunny weather (which didn't come) we headed back. The ride was very different this time. For starters I had a lovely Belgian girl (Brenda) on the back. She was feeling a bit ill and didn't fancy the return trip on the back of a crappy rented Enfield. The weather was a lot colder and as we climbed up to the pass the snow came. We slipped and slithered up to the top as more and more snow fell. Luckily heated grips and footwarmers (boxer engine) kept the extremities from freezing and we made it to the top for chocolate, coffee and biscuits. Brenda's feet were frozen so the army guys let ther warm them over their gas stove and even massaged some life back into them for her. Lars and I didn't get offered the same treatment.

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The way down was difficult - thick fog along with the snow. A truck in front of us hit a donkey and left it for dead - but it wasn't. Out with the leatherman and the poor animal was despatched. The guys who came later on Enfields found this slain beast in a huge pool of blood and wondered what crazy f***er was out and about slitting the throats of poor little donkeys!

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Eventually made it into Leh for tea and cakes. A job well done.
 
Had a good ride to Pangong Tso - a 130km lake which straddles the India/Tibet border. Crossed over the world's 3rd highest road on the way.

Camped out and took some nice pics.

Met a couple of Brits on XT Yamahas but they didn't stop. 1st UK bikes I've seen since Dover.

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Notice how BOTH bikes in this picture are horizontal!!

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I'm passing a bus coming the other way when this guy who is crossing the road behind the bus runs out directly into my path. Only doing about 50-55kmh but I only see him as I'm about to hit him. Hit the brakes as I try to move to the right and miss him but there's no chance. I hit him hard and the front end tucks and down I go - equally hard. Luckily I'm wearing most of my protective gear so not too badly scuffed. The guy is ok too. Bike doesn't fare so well - tank dented and rocker cover broken - oil is pissing out over the road.
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Sounds just like Union Street on a Monday Morning..... :cool:

Glad you are okay.

AndyT
 
Got your last set pics and very nice too. ... keep um coming
Looks like your on road tyres there.... must've been slipping and sliding about a bit on those roads out there?
Enjoy and keep on posting.. enjoyable to read and share :beerjug:
 
Yeah the Michelin TCK 66s are no offroad tyre - that's for sure. It's fun trying though - but less fun picking the bike up.

Broke the gearshift a while back while offroading (well the footrest hanger broke where the shifter mounts on the back of it). Fixed it with araldite and it held for weeks but broke this morning - had to ride 200km to Srinagar in 3rd gear - D'oh!
 
Hey there Buzz,

it's the lovely belgian girl here :)

Safely back in Belgium, feet defrosted and happy to be on our own BMW again after the crappy Enfield. Also nice to have something else than rice or Pumpernickel.
Great to read your stories, especially while we're starring in it. It's amazing how many nice people you meet on the road! We've still to check our pics but we'll forward you the good ones (starring the Donkeyslayer)

Thanks for the good times, return home safely, and see you in Scotland.

Brenda and Jan
 
Rode from Ladakh round to Kashmir. Incredible difference between rainless Ladakh and beautiful green Kashmir.

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A last look at Ladakh............................. Well actually it wasn't but it looks like it was so it's a better caption.

My rear tyre finally gave out. Rob at Sillet's Tyres in Aberdeen had told me that the Michelin T66 would "****ing get you tae to Nepal and ****ing well back again tae". Well it didn't so I want my money back. After patching it several times it finally gave up the ghost. Luckily Lars had a new 130 Tourance which he loaned me to get me round the last leg. The 130 fits on the 150 rim surprisingly well. Lars has a significant amount of useful spares and tools in his vast aluminium boxes. As Brenda observed in Leh, " I can see why you travel with Lars, but why does he travel with YOU?"

Next, my footrest hanger had been damaged at Tso Moriri. It had broken exactly where the gearshift mounts on the backside. Being 100k from anywhere we'd mended it with araldite. This had held fine for weeks but suddenly decided to break 80k before Kargil on a mountain pass. Solution - stick the bike in 2nd gear and ride on.

We fixed it overnight but after 10k it went again. Rode the 200k to Srinagar in 3rd.

Last day of riding to Jammu. What a disaster............

Left late and made about 5k. Got stopped by a riot on the road. 1000s of guys waving sticks and building barricades, lighting fires etc. Some wanted to let us through but others screamed abuse and seemed quite threatening. We decided to wait and watch. After a while the police turned up, then the army. We retreated a safe distance behind the huge traffic jam and a guy at an army surplus store took us in and gave us tea. Then the shots started, followed by explosions. More army and tanks turned up. Then the ambulances appeared. After about 3 hours it was over.

Then the rain started - a real deluge. The road flooded. Waited 2 more hours.

Eventually we set off for Jammu. We passed the endless checkpoints and endured the Indian style 3 abreast oncoming traffic game for 100km. Finally we reached this long tunnel which takes you out of Kashmir.

I entered first and the lighting was really poor and the road surface uneven. As I got about halfway along the road became REALLY slippery. The back end came around and overtook the front. Then the front overtook the back. Then the back overtook the front ..... again! By this time I'm sitting there thinking "This can't go on for ever - I'm gonna come off at some point." Eventually I do. As I'm sliding down the road I hear the comforting sound of Lars doing exactly the same behind me. He's seen me come off "in spectacular style" and has slowed a bit but still taken a tumble.

When we try to get up it's almost too slippery to stand. The road is caked with a mixture of slimy mud mixed with a lake of diesel. A truck is approaching and the prospect of both our bikes being crushed is imminent. I'm standing waving my arms as Lars gets behind the guardrail shouting "NEVER MIND THE BIKES". He's right and I join him. Luckily the truck stops and the guys help us right the stricken Beemers.

Luckily we're both OK and the bikes only lightly scuffed - I've lost my beak! One more part to scavenge off eBay.

Eventually we find a crappy hotel which has the one requirement that we seek - it sells BEER!

Make it to Jammu the next day where the plan is to get the train to Delhi with the bikes. I've promised Lars we'll get 1st class AC sleeper with bow-tied waiters serving us sumptuous meals in Raj era luxury. I come out of the terminal clutching two 3rd class tickets explaining that's all that's left.

After several hours of red tape and explaining to the train guys that our bikes are drained of all fluids but that our sophisticated western anti-siphon devices would prevent them checking the (half full) tanks we get the bikes loaded and take our places in the triple decker non AC sleeper carriage with about 500 Indians. 15hrs later we're in Delhi. After 2 hours of arguing with station officials we're out of the station.

And that’s it. Hang around in Delhi for 5 days finding a shipper and toying with the idea of buying an Enfield. Sort out a shipper and we ride the bikes to his house. Mine is going home but Lars has another two years on the road at least. I ‘ve told him that he can empty the rest of the fuel out of my tank to top up his. As we get to within 500m of our destination my bike conks out. He has to give ME some of HIS fuel instead.

I say goodbye to my bike and then it’s off to find a flight home. Two days later it’s BA back to Heathrow and it’s all over………………………………………… :(




At least my first 2 articles in Motorcycle Sport & Leisure look pretty good
 


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