Freaky (Monday 28 February 2011)

New Orleans Cafe for birthday breakfast. Not bad but the bacon is a little stingy. Double espresso good however and not bad value for 90rup. Wi Fi also quite good. Pop into the Kathmandu Guest House to check what the movie is tonight as they have per LP a twenty five seat cinema in which they show nightly movies. However when asked the guy at reception is blunt if not downright rude. Pretty average for one of the supposedly better places in Thamel. Slightly put out, retain good Karma by not telling him where he can shove his customer service.

Out past Thamel Chowk onto Tridevi Marg and to the gates of the Narayan Hiti Royal Palace. Until mid 2000 the residence of the royal family but now converted into a museum. Question whether to enter or not as bags have to be left and the ticket price is 500rup pp. Decide not to be tight, and the gate guards place bags directly into individual lockers to which you are given the key. Through the pat down and then into the front grounds, which are large but plain.

The Palace itself is a large rendered, art deco looking setup, different from the historical palaces but also substantially larger. The main stairs leading up past statues of elephants and to massive wooden carved doors which give access to a broad reception area at the back of which is a large black stain glass of a peacock. This sits above the landing from the dual stair case running to either side and rearing stuffed siberian tigers.

The palace is laid out as if still in use for the greeting of dignitaries, the temporary housing of foreign dignitaries in addition to the royal family. The throne room is an unusual combination of royalty, regional symbolism and 60s granduer. The wood used throughout, whether architraves, doors, parquetry floors or balustrade is beautiful.

Back down to the lower floor we pass further stuffed animals including rhinos, another tiger, a local alligator and deer. I guess pre animal parks. It is not however until you see a Siberan tiger on it's back legs that you fully appreciate what big pussy cats these are. Out through the lower galleries and around to the less positive aspect being the footings of the once royal housing. These buildings behind the main palace were burnt to the ground following the royal massacre which occurred on the night of the 1 June 2001. Ten members of the family died, including the King and Queen and it is believed that the Crown Prince Dipendra was the gunman. However alternate conspiracy theories do exist as his uncle survived and was named King following Dipendra's subsequent non recovery from coma. A sad moment for the family but also for the country, whether monarchist or not, already confronting political issues and widespread corruption.

From the palace we walked down Durbar Marg which is a bit of a western shopping district though still undergoing development. We bypassed the Pizza Hut, KFC, Baskin and Robbins heading instead to Magic Beans. Coffee ok and sandwich good. Load shedding period when we continue South toward the Singha Durbar, not sure what adds to the pollution here more cars or all the small generators people in stores run to compensate.

At the massive police guarded Singha Durbar gates we ask whether we are allowed inside to have a look at the building. Once we confirm that we are not diplomatic staff, we are waved away. Walk instead back along the main drag being Prithwi Path leading to the gates prior to turning up past Ratna Park. On the side of the roundabout we spot an old lady smoking a couple of corn cobs into submission as we have seen a bit around town. Following a photo we grab a couple of cobs wrapped in old newspaper for 35rup and walk on. Give one to an old man begging on the side further up, sadly though on handing across I realize he doesn't have many teeth, so probably not very appropriate khana (food). A bit further up having not learnt from the first encounter I give the second corn cob to another beggar but note him to be a leper and missing quite a few fingers. Resolve that maybe small coinage is more appropriate in these circumstances.

Along the angled and pedestrian busy Asan Tole to Durbar square. Not quite shoulder to shoulder, but close down to the bazaar. Poke around some of the side alleys and through hobbit door ways into communal courtyards. Mixture of central shrines whether Hindus or Buddhist. Walk into the Seto Macchendranath drawn by the small bronze Buddha facing the entrance on a stone pillar and two metal lions. Inside the courtyard various small shrines, statues and chaityas. The weird thing though is there is a western female statue facing the temple inside. Definitely out of place almost like the Athena statue in the Garden of dreams. The internal temple is coated in bronzed facing and buddhist figures.

Into the square itself and post short walk around sit on the wall outside the Saraswati temple watching the world go by. Pigeons everywhere. Joined by porters using the brick step to take a load off, literally. One young porter after leaning his load of cardboard onto the step back pulls out a small newspaper bag and takes a deep intake. Looking dazed he picks up his load and shuffles on.

We continue South through Freak street down toward Ganabahal and spend time checking out the markets further down before turning back up Freak street and across to Paknajol. Not before several offers of hash. On the walk back we have a view of snow on the mountains in the distance. Follow two little boys about 6 or so. One bends down and sucks in the exhaust from a running motorbike before laughing to his mate and wandering on.

Head out to the Fire and ice on Tridevi Marg for Pizza. Which turns out to be excellent but the prices have definitely gone up since our trek book was written. The affogato is also quite good, but the ice-cream so so. The place is also seriously in demand with the turn over of tables and a waiting queue for tables. Nice way to finish up your birthday.

Stuptifying in the Sun (Sunday 27 February 2011)

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Rest day (Thursday 24 February 2011)

Interesting stories in The Kathmandu Post from today;

Pedalling (sic) for a cause
"development bank ranked Kathmandu as one of the most polluted cities in Asia, particularly due to automobile emissions", ranked in 2009 and included with Delhi, Hanoi, Beijing and Taipei.

The article also states;
The level of PM10 in Kathmandu's air is 120 micrograms per square meter. As per the World Health Organisation standards, the level of PM10 should be 20 micrograms per square meter.

Therefore the local business houses were supporting cycle to work day on Fridays.

Deforestation: Bohara 'guilty'
Identifies action proceeding against "government officials and representatives from community forests found involved in rampant deforestation in the country".

Further;
According to government statistics, the year 2010 saw the worst deforestation in the last three decades..

Between 1990 and 2010 the article identifies that 24.5% of it's forest cover was lost. Pretty grim given that the high Himalaya makes up quite a portion of the northern border and concerning having cycled through Uttarakhand and it's land slips.

Power crisis crimps business
Load shedding per the article is now the biggest challenge faced by the private sector. If wondering what could have preceded this, labour shortage and insecurity..

Per the article the country's power demand stands at 915MW per day, the power generation is however only supplying 390MW.

One other article in a separate newspaper reviewed, identified a town in fear due to Rabid dog attacks from which one local has already died. We are trying to double check the location....

Light snogging after lunch (Wednesday 23 February 2011)

First thing reassess room market price in Paknajol, first night large room cool touches with painted buddhas etc and even a circular fire place (though not required). Price at 1000rup however above extended stay budget. Within one hundred meters of the Yellow there are seven alternatives and this area versus downtown Thamel is identified as the less hard core touristy.

Post wandering around the alternatives a room comes up at the Yellow, with city view, balcony and tv but shared bathroom. Excellent. View from Balcony would/could be at some point in time of the snow capped mountains sitting behind the Kathmandu valley hills in the foreground, but clouds and pollution haze obscure all bar the odd glimpse. From this height and with the haze Kathmandu could be any one of a number of South East Asian cities. The bamboo scaffolding is a bit of a giveaway. Anyway it is great to not have to do a major relocation as relay required takes time.

Post breakfast at the hotel, which is great with good stovetop local coffee, we make our way out onto the streets around central Thamel. Body working as expected the mind's compass working much more fluidly. Streets in the light are still calmer and more ordered than Delhi but plenty going on and the businesses a little more hungry. The odd "Hello friend, hash?" or "Hello friend, trek" or "Hello friend, where you from? Thanka, good price? coming from different quarters. The Tiger Balm guys are almost like a breath of fresh air for something new.

Rickshaws with squeaky duck horns and brightly painted covered convertible rear seating feels a throw back to our time in India. Wandering musicians but take an interest and you back peddle as you are a potential purveyor of musical instruments generally Sarangi a four stringed small wooden violin.

Find Dusk to Dawn a MTB shop in central Thamel near Kilroy's bar and restaurant. Good option for repair possibilities. Will bring the BMC tomorrow. Heaps of spares ranging from new to second hand and cool hanging pot holders made out of old cycling helmets outside.

Work our way across through the constant flow of traffic to Tridevi Marg then along Kanti path to Asan Tole. Recognizable for it's three way pedestrian overpass which I had coincidentally read in the morning newspaper, the Kathmandu times, about police fines for jaywalking and not using. It it interesting as at the main chowks traffic police actively control traffic flow, versus sitting on the side of the road or in a chiyaa shop. This is great as street crossings are made easier at the road junctions as a result, though it still retains some of the pack mentality of when one goes, all go. The side streets however being so tight that one car heading in one direction with pedestrians on both sides fills the space.

Pass some street beggars but surprisingly few. Two though making up for the lack with one possibly leprosy and another third degree burns. Not pretty and ache your heart. I imagine closer to the main temples numbers will increase and conditions decrease.

Past what we believe to be the American consulate(marked on our map as only the "American Club") located behind massive painted concrete walls just across the road from the most recently used old Royal Palace. (Narayan Hiti) Now a museum though closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays and ticket booth only open to 3pm. The consulate with armed local soldiers outside, huge metal full height retractable sliding vehicle entry gates, wall mounted surveillance cameras and wall top mounted metal bars appears more substantial then any army post we have yet been pass. Inside there appears to even be a baseball field, as seen via a momentary glance through the rapidly closing metal gate. It seems a sad reality for both host nation and consulate that such protectionism is deemed necessary.

Into the Garden of dreams 80rup, due as much to our proximity as for any real need to escape. Located behind walls of a size comparable to the diagonally opposite american retreat, but primarily to block passing traffic noise. The Garden was established in the 1920s by the son of the then prime minister. Field marshal Kaiser Shamser using funds won from his father in a Cowrie shell game (yet to witness an example of a game, but apparently his winnings were 100,000rup) established the gardens based upon Edwardian examples he had seen whilst in England. The gardens and some of the attached palace fell into disrepair for quite some time prior to an Austrian assisted rehab project. Cool place just to hang around in as open till ten at night with a smart restaurant and bar attached. Comfortable younger twenty something locals obviously relishing either the romantic surrounds of the gardens or its high walls, to engage in some serious snogging, very little if any of which we have seen in the whole of Nepal.

Night wandering down towards the Durbar Square and downtown Yengal prior to turning and wandering in the dark back to Paknajol. Different crowd at night with different overtones and things to watch out for. Due to load shedding many business pull the roller doors down leaving only the tourist selling diehards with generators and restaurants / bars open.

Respiratory rhapsody (Tuesday 22 February 2011)

Choose to get out of bed at 7am following a full night of light from the flood lights outside and truck braking. Breakfast of Chiyaa and "Fried bread" which turns out to be a loaf of baked, sliced bread still in it's package and served on a plate. No honey or jam, but who's complaining.

Leave Naubise and it's industrial sized cement factory sitting next to fields of cabbage. Immediately climbing with the trucks and buses, but with less of a road edge even then yesterday, which makes things tricky on a tight two laned yet busy road.

Snow peaks peaking through the haze. Climbing trucks belching out clouds of exhaust as battling their way to the ridge. Trucks and buses just pulling to the side causing recurring traffic challenges. People walking on the edge. Refer horoscope re smog.

Steep climbing, but at least with fresh legs across a road rippled due to it's heavy weighted use. Pass our first evidence of aged road carnage. Road crew working with wheelbarrow.
Peak with billboards prior to descending into the more densely packed valley. A few Brick works sitting in green verdant fields backed by a smoggy

View to where we were to climb - you can see the cars/trucks on the road towards the top.

Dried meats hanging outside shops by the road. Clay ovens can be seen in front.

Downhill dodging road lumped moguls and upward traffic dodging the same.
Traffic starting to condense. Barmy late winter day. Follow an open backed front wheel drive tractor in which rested the butchered carcass of a pig on it's way down the road. Pork is officially off the menu for the next couple of days.

Following the motorbikes as weave through long line of consolidating traffic sometimes on the road, sometimes off, dodging the non indicating buses and vans as they abruptly stop. Live and let die theme music still playing in my head.

Clip a open backed utility and hear a crunch. Pull over as Soph passes going uphill. Identify that have snapped the pannier bolt. Bugger. Pull into a wood working yard to work through options. Unfortunately bolt head lost and sheared end stuck in the frame pannier heads. Not enough exposed thread to get a grip to spin the trapped thread out. Due to frame shape can't rest panniers on frame and than electrical tape to hold through to finding hotel. Get directions to an engineering shed back down the road. Roll down without the rack. Spot a metal drill, but on enquiring told that yes though it might be an electric drill without electricity (Load shedding) it would not work. Bugger. Give in. Negotiate with a van taxi and twenty minutes later unloading our gear at the Yellow house hotel.

Crash out for a while in our super sized room including open fireplace, yellow Ganesh bread spread and Buddha paintings on the walls.

Onto the streets and though pre armed with mud map wandering within ten minutes. Streets winding and packed with stores but with semi controlled hectivity out front.

Late lunch on the roof terrace at the Dolche Vita. Good and fast but expensive, even before the 10% service charge and 13% vat. Funny nowhere else has identified vat before. Feeling quite full (ukus mukus in verbal Nepali) struggle back down stairs.

Pass our first tiger balm salesman and struggle to lose our first tour then thanka tout.

Stop for chiyaa on way back followed by Hot lemon, strangely served with salt and pepper rather than honey. For some reason tasting like egg the lower into the glass you got. Straight across the road was a mountain bike place with bling Merida, Trek and Gary Fishers sitting out front. Enquired re bike repair.

Back to the hotel with slightly more certainty. Flake out early listening to city street noises of traffic and the odd dog.

Three wise men (Monday 21 February)

Downhill Gorkha much more enjoyable then uphill. Descent speed carrying through most of small climbs, and the bends just wide enough to retain speed accumulated. Unlike coming down from Bandipur where the hair bin bends required dropping speed especially with weight.

The great downhill came to a sudden deceleration due to descending below the fog, down from 50 ish km/hr to 35 as peering through (sunnies off) the fog we kept an eye out for oncoming traffic, dogs and school children. Scared the pants off one guy who was standing in the middle of the road and obviously had not heard the whizzing of the rims as we very nearly met in a less than friendly manner.

Down to the crossing of the rocky Darondi Khola only to climb up and around prior to descending more gradually to cross the wider Marsyandi into which the Darondi is a tributary further to our left. This time not stopped at the police checkpoint, just smiled at.

Abu Khaireni breakfast of Jerry Burgers, Chiyaa and Chana. Nepalese working ok. Samosas not yet on offer as being made while children getting ready for school.

Father rolling the pastry, mother cooking the potato and slicing the onion (using a floor foot knife (a curved thin horn with a foot plate attached) which she used to peel the onions as she crouched) the kids removing the peas from the pods.
On the way up we were really impressed with the Asian Paint sponsored bins. Once back on the highway we passed a rickshaw, the local garbage truck, which was tipped up backwards emptying it's load down the drop to the Marsyandi bank below. Aahhh. Nepal is crying out for some waste education and planning assistance. The trail of debris on passing stretched down but not quite into the river 80 mtrs below.

Pass a couple of Flying foxes setup to cross the river where no suspension bridge. One was carrying kids in the shopping trolley sized basket, 60mtrs or so above the river on their way to catch the bus. At another an old man lying in the sun at the concrete receiving station whilst yelling a constant stream of either instructions or complaints. On the far side a man having collected a woven basket full of leaves filled the flying fox prior to disappearing into a banana grove, above which a leaf thatched cottage sat just under a rock face. A rope hung from the face, so whether wild bees not sure. There were white bee hive boxes below. When we left the old man was still shelling out a constant stream of quality verbalising across the river to the now apparently deserted far bank.


Cross a bridge just after cycling past a large well guarded Hydro scheme where the meeting of the East running Marsyandi and the West running Trishuli turn south through the Mahabharat Range combined they are renamed Narayandi (Sapt Gandaki) prior to entering India where known as the Gandak.


Pass three sadhus walking in orange and thongs heading for Kathmandu. We have been told that in early March there is a large festival attracting thousands of pilgrims to Pasupatinath. They look like a Hindi version of the three wise men, one with wooden walking staff, though dreadies add a slightly different feel. A bit like Bob Marley alternatives of the wise men. Stop in at the Boat shed and Big Fig along the way also Himalayan encounters run and just as polished as the Bandipur setups. Nice crew and not too smooth, similar to Bandipur involved in local support such as youth leadership training and biogas etc. Even if small and for the feel good of the briskly passing rafting adventure passengers it is nice to see tourism funds being invested in community projects as well as wages and profit.


Traffic increasing in speed and stupidity. Buses main candidates. Pass several remains of rolled buses, one truck which obviously rolled an embankment on the river side, one which had crashed into the embankment side and a bus still with glass surrounding crashed into a tree just on the edge of a town. Thankfully casualities already relocated. Cycle on with the theme music to Live or Let die a James Bond movie from the eighties playing in my mind, especially the da da daa, da da daa, daa da as we dodge close encounters of the transportation kind. Passed by at least one ambulance (interestingly marked as Indian govt supported) with sirens blaring.

Pass the three wise men again, had to look twice to make sure same crew as they had leap frogged us, last we had seen them they had passed as we were finger chipping at the Boat shed. Either religiously inspired walkers or cheating by catching a free ride every now and again!

Passing through fields of terraced veg, I have never been a purveyor of cabbages, but these had me semi salivating. Pull in at a small village to stock up on pani (mineral water) with the largest stretch of suspension bridge we have yet encountered. Send Soph down for a photo, whilst practicing my limited nepalese with the locals waiting for transport East. Soph takes longer then expected as catches up with a 93 year old grandmother, who she introduces herself to using her limited nepalese.

Meanwhile dark clouds forming and my company has all loaded into the back of a freight truck. Competition for the front bench seats was stiff. Given the dings and side door just hanging on, I feel that the tray is the better option.

Starting to get really tired, meanwhile the dark clouds are starting to spit. No hotels, still 14km to the next lodging, at Naubise. Climb up and around a small rise to be stopped behind a line of traffic. A motorcyclist turning from upfront identifies that a small landslide is in progress. Quick reassessment of the soil only bank to our right. Someone makes an assessment that it has all settled down and so traffic heading east starts moving. Traffic heading west required to remove blocking rocks. Dodge the odd one being thrown down the side of the ravine as we pass.

Getting really tired, not assisted by a kid grabbing one of the panniers, too tired to tell him to bugger off, so just growl instead. Life becomes darker when tired. Further up some friendly teenagers who clarify that it is only a further thirty minutes to Naubise. Pull into a road side restaurant to buy some Pepsi as a last resort for Soph whose face is not reflecting the joy buried deep inside, waiting bus passengers on way to Kathmandu supportive as we cycle on.

Make Naubise just as the remaining dusk light lost all it's strength, legs not having much either.

Petrol station lodging only hotel we could find in the failing light. Negotiator looking every inch like a nepalese Jet Li. Whether due to this or shear exhaustion no negotiation over price. Generator and power which was great but no hot water unfortunately, not even bucket. Good Daal Bhat that even Soph gets into with relish. To bed in our sky blue bedroom exhausted listening to the non soothing sounds of engines revving as trying to make it up the last rise over to the Kathmandu valley and brakes squeaking from those departing it.