Happy New Year!
Lars
Omkareshwar
Sent from Samsung Mobile
Sent from Samsung Mobile
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
Omkareshwar
Omkareshwar, Dec 29, 2011.
81 km
My old guidebook talks about the road between Indore and Omkareshwar as "atrocious". Fortunately it is no longer so. It is in fact a terrific road, parts of it winding downhill serpentine style. It passes through several villages and at least one good size town. I stop for lunch at a roadside restaurant were I get fine Dal Fry and superb Roti. Again several guys on motorbikes slow down alongside me to hear where I am from etc. I really like Madhya Pradesh.
Coming closer to Omkareshwar I stop to check again what the guidebook says about accomodation. It says that there is only one real hotel and otherwise a few squalid guest houses. When I am overtaken by several automobiles packed with Indians I start to worry a bit about not finding a decent place to stay. From what I have heard many Indians these days have two weeks holiday around X-mas and New Years. With more money and more people having their own wheels there is in many places a shortage of accomodation.
But not to worry. I cycle into town and down to the main bazaar. There I am accosted by two different guys offering me room. I go with one of them and get a good room for 600 Rs. He had a card with the guest house name in Roman script that I immediately forgot. And the sign outside is in Hindi only. So I can not give you any name. But it is in a narrow alley leading up to Krishna (something) Resort. There is a balcony where I can have my bike and sit reading. Very soon I feel that Omkareshwar has a good vibe and decide that I will stay here for a few days.
It is right by The Narmada River, and there is an island where the main temples are. There are also bathing ghats and it is reminiscent of Varanasi, albeit much smaller. Some Indians I talk to say they are here on a pilgrimage. And there are many Babas and Sadhus around.
Omkareshwar
Possible Muslim goat?
81 km
My old guidebook talks about the road between Indore and Omkareshwar as "atrocious". Fortunately it is no longer so. It is in fact a terrific road, parts of it winding downhill serpentine style. It passes through several villages and at least one good size town. I stop for lunch at a roadside restaurant were I get fine Dal Fry and superb Roti. Again several guys on motorbikes slow down alongside me to hear where I am from etc. I really like Madhya Pradesh.
Coming closer to Omkareshwar I stop to check again what the guidebook says about accomodation. It says that there is only one real hotel and otherwise a few squalid guest houses. When I am overtaken by several automobiles packed with Indians I start to worry a bit about not finding a decent place to stay. From what I have heard many Indians these days have two weeks holiday around X-mas and New Years. With more money and more people having their own wheels there is in many places a shortage of accomodation.
But not to worry. I cycle into town and down to the main bazaar. There I am accosted by two different guys offering me room. I go with one of them and get a good room for 600 Rs. He had a card with the guest house name in Roman script that I immediately forgot. And the sign outside is in Hindi only. So I can not give you any name. But it is in a narrow alley leading up to Krishna (something) Resort. There is a balcony where I can have my bike and sit reading. Very soon I feel that Omkareshwar has a good vibe and decide that I will stay here for a few days.
It is right by The Narmada River, and there is an island where the main temples are. There are also bathing ghats and it is reminiscent of Varanasi, albeit much smaller. Some Indians I talk to say they are here on a pilgrimage. And there are many Babas and Sadhus around.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Indore
Indore, Dec 28, 2011.
40 km
It is a very good road from Dewas. Only the last few kms, after I have left the highway, does it turn worse. There is road construction going on so it will soon be better there too. Cycling is easy and I think I have a slight tail wind as well.
I stop only once for chai, and then have lunch when I am riding through the city proper. Indore is Indias Motown. Several big companies have plants here building automobiles and trucks. Once I enter the central city I am surprised to see how modern it is.
I have with me a smart phone, a Samsung Galaxy SII. Since I got an Indian data card for it it has been extremely useful. I can set it up as a Wifi Hotspot and thus have wifi connection for my laptop in any room I stay.
It is also very good to be able to use Google Maps with driving directions, and sometimes Google Earth to check out upcoming terrain. I also have since long a Garmin GPS with India maps. But they are not nearly as good as Google Maps.
40 km
It is a very good road from Dewas. Only the last few kms, after I have left the highway, does it turn worse. There is road construction going on so it will soon be better there too. Cycling is easy and I think I have a slight tail wind as well.
I stop only once for chai, and then have lunch when I am riding through the city proper. Indore is Indias Motown. Several big companies have plants here building automobiles and trucks. Once I enter the central city I am surprised to see how modern it is.
I have with me a smart phone, a Samsung Galaxy SII. Since I got an Indian data card for it it has been extremely useful. I can set it up as a Wifi Hotspot and thus have wifi connection for my laptop in any room I stay.
It is also very good to be able to use Google Maps with driving directions, and sometimes Google Earth to check out upcoming terrain. I also have since long a Garmin GPS with India maps. But they are not nearly as good as Google Maps.
A celebrity now, but where are the groupies?
Dewas, Dec 27, 2011.
121 km
So I stayed at this fancy Crescent Resort which set me back $80, making it the most expensive hotel I have ever paid for out of my own pocket. It was way fancier and larger than I needed. And I slept better there than in a long while, because it was quiet and the bed was great. But I could never get any hot water out of the shower. And I never even bothered trying out the Jacuzzi.
Before leaving the Crescent Resort I stuffed myself silly at the "free breakfast". Since I overslept more than an hour I did not leave until ten o'clock. Being in for a long day that was obviously not ideal. But it did have the advantage of me not needing to break for lunch.
Soon three young guys on a motorbike rode up next to me asking if I was the Swedish cyclist they had read about in the newspaper. They wanted me to stop so they could have pictures with me for their Facebook. I did not want to stop early in the day with so much left to go. Told them they could take pictures while I was cycling.
Later during the day others had similar comments. They had seen me in the paper. It seems now I am a bit of a celebrity in the Sehore region. Even one guy working in a road toll booth ran across lanes of traffic so that he could take a picture with his cell phone.
At Dewas I did my usual trick of cycling to the bus station, and then quite easily found a decent hotel room. I have made up my mind not to always go for the absolute cheapest places any more. 1000 Rs I think is good to pay for a room. It is after all less than $20. In Khajuraho I stayed at a very good place for only 200 Rs, but I have also stayed in some rather grimy places for 300, when I may have gotten much better for only a few dollars more.
121 km
So I stayed at this fancy Crescent Resort which set me back $80, making it the most expensive hotel I have ever paid for out of my own pocket. It was way fancier and larger than I needed. And I slept better there than in a long while, because it was quiet and the bed was great. But I could never get any hot water out of the shower. And I never even bothered trying out the Jacuzzi.
Before leaving the Crescent Resort I stuffed myself silly at the "free breakfast". Since I overslept more than an hour I did not leave until ten o'clock. Being in for a long day that was obviously not ideal. But it did have the advantage of me not needing to break for lunch.
Soon three young guys on a motorbike rode up next to me asking if I was the Swedish cyclist they had read about in the newspaper. They wanted me to stop so they could have pictures with me for their Facebook. I did not want to stop early in the day with so much left to go. Told them they could take pictures while I was cycling.
Later during the day others had similar comments. They had seen me in the paper. It seems now I am a bit of a celebrity in the Sehore region. Even one guy working in a road toll booth ran across lanes of traffic so that he could take a picture with his cell phone.
At Dewas I did my usual trick of cycling to the bus station, and then quite easily found a decent hotel room. I have made up my mind not to always go for the absolute cheapest places any more. 1000 Rs I think is good to pay for a room. It is after all less than $20. In Khajuraho I stayed at a very good place for only 200 Rs, but I have also stayed in some rather grimy places for 300, when I may have gotten much better for only a few dollars more.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Crime of the century, and then a luxury suite
Sehore, Dec 26, 2011.
46 km
The owner of Sonali in Bhopal is a very nice older gentleman. He was really interested in my bike and told me that his main business is actually selling bikes. He also speaks very good English. He told me I could find a good hotel in Sehore, only some 45 kms from Bhopal. I do think he also talked about a road bypassing Sehore but I did not pay much attention to that.
It felt great be on the road again after so many rest days in Orchha and Bhopal. Within not too long I came to a split where one headed to Sehore and the other towards Dewas, bypassing Sehore. I took the one leading to town.
Every so often Indians ride up next to me on a motorbike asking the ususal questions. It traffic is not too busy I talk to them. Today there were several such. One bike had two guys on it. One with a tatoo on the side of his neck. Where I come from the only guys with neck tatoos are criminals, probably so in India as well. I was not too talkative but said Sehore when he asked where I was going. I think those guys gathered that I did not really want their company. Eventually they started laughing as if they thought I was real fool, and then sped off.
A bit later two policemen on a motorbike rode up next to me and asked where I was going. I told them too I was going to Sehore, and they waived me on as if they meant I should go faster. I needed lunch and did not want to go fast, keeping an eye out for retaurants, and hotels. The cops followed just after me for a long while. Eventually they rode up next to me again and told me to stop. We were just outside a police station. They said they needed me to come in so that they could run a check on me.
There were lots of policemen there, and two journalists from a local paper. The police checked my passport and visa. They asked where I had stayed in Bhopal etc. More and more police arrived. The journalists took pictures of me and asked many questions. I was there for about an hour and a half. The police told me that some guy in a black jacket had tipped them off about me. I think it was the dude with the neck tatoo. Eventually though they seemed to realise that maybe I was not a terrorist after all. I was served a cup of tea and asked if I wanted water. Over all I must say they treated me fine and I was not in a big hurry. But I was getting more and more hungry. And I thought the whole excersice was quite useless. Eventually I told them so. I said I am a tourist, from The European Union, I have my passport with visa etc. And I asked them if they really did not have more important things to do. They said I could go.
The two journalists seemed a bit embarrased about the whole thing, and offered to guide me to a good hotel. They took me back onto the main road, the highway that bypasses Sehore. After 3-4 kms we came to The Crescent Resort. I could see already from the outside that this would not come cheap. But it did not feel prudent to ride back to town and maybe again attract the coppers attention.
'Tis the holiday season now and this place was quite full, big as it is. The only thing available was a luxury suite for 4200 Rs and another even more luxurious suite for 12000. I went for the cheaper one and now have a fabulous suite that is a good bit larger than my apartment at home. Actually wish I had a place like this. I would decorate it differently of course but would love to have a bathroom the size of an ordinary living room.
Living room
Bedroom
Bathroom w Jacuzzi
46 km
The owner of Sonali in Bhopal is a very nice older gentleman. He was really interested in my bike and told me that his main business is actually selling bikes. He also speaks very good English. He told me I could find a good hotel in Sehore, only some 45 kms from Bhopal. I do think he also talked about a road bypassing Sehore but I did not pay much attention to that.
It felt great be on the road again after so many rest days in Orchha and Bhopal. Within not too long I came to a split where one headed to Sehore and the other towards Dewas, bypassing Sehore. I took the one leading to town.
Every so often Indians ride up next to me on a motorbike asking the ususal questions. It traffic is not too busy I talk to them. Today there were several such. One bike had two guys on it. One with a tatoo on the side of his neck. Where I come from the only guys with neck tatoos are criminals, probably so in India as well. I was not too talkative but said Sehore when he asked where I was going. I think those guys gathered that I did not really want their company. Eventually they started laughing as if they thought I was real fool, and then sped off.
A bit later two policemen on a motorbike rode up next to me and asked where I was going. I told them too I was going to Sehore, and they waived me on as if they meant I should go faster. I needed lunch and did not want to go fast, keeping an eye out for retaurants, and hotels. The cops followed just after me for a long while. Eventually they rode up next to me again and told me to stop. We were just outside a police station. They said they needed me to come in so that they could run a check on me.
There were lots of policemen there, and two journalists from a local paper. The police checked my passport and visa. They asked where I had stayed in Bhopal etc. More and more police arrived. The journalists took pictures of me and asked many questions. I was there for about an hour and a half. The police told me that some guy in a black jacket had tipped them off about me. I think it was the dude with the neck tatoo. Eventually though they seemed to realise that maybe I was not a terrorist after all. I was served a cup of tea and asked if I wanted water. Over all I must say they treated me fine and I was not in a big hurry. But I was getting more and more hungry. And I thought the whole excersice was quite useless. Eventually I told them so. I said I am a tourist, from The European Union, I have my passport with visa etc. And I asked them if they really did not have more important things to do. They said I could go.
The two journalists seemed a bit embarrased about the whole thing, and offered to guide me to a good hotel. They took me back onto the main road, the highway that bypasses Sehore. After 3-4 kms we came to The Crescent Resort. I could see already from the outside that this would not come cheap. But it did not feel prudent to ride back to town and maybe again attract the coppers attention.
'Tis the holiday season now and this place was quite full, big as it is. The only thing available was a luxury suite for 4200 Rs and another even more luxurious suite for 12000. I went for the cheaper one and now have a fabulous suite that is a good bit larger than my apartment at home. Actually wish I had a place like this. I would decorate it differently of course but would love to have a bathroom the size of an ordinary living room.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Christmas
Merry X-mas everybody.
Sent from Samsung Mobile
I am in Bhopal and quite hope not to hear any jingle bells.
Sent from Samsung Mobile
Friday, December 23, 2011
Bhopal
Bhopal, Dec 23, 2011.
21 km
It got rather cold in Orchha at nights. One day it was foggy and cold up to almost noon. And I was not sure at all if and where I could find accomodation on the way to Bhopal. So started thinking about taking a train to skip a bit South. I logged in to Cleartrip and made a train reservation from Jhansi. Trains were fully booked though and even when choosing a more expensive A/C car I was waitlisted as #8.
Frankly I did not have much hope of getting a reservation, particularly since people on Thorntree said that there are rarely any cancellations in A/C class. So I asked around in Orchha about hotels along the way. Eventually a man in a restaurant told me that there would indeed be some hotel etc. So I decided to cycle. Then on the morning of my leaving, when I checked the mail, I had a positive reply from Cleartrip. I was on.
So I just cycled in to Jhansi, found the train station and went for the Parcel Office, which is where you must go to send luggage. I knew from before that I would have to be there at least one hour before the train left. No problem. I was there by 11 and the train should leave at 1:20 PM.
The actual cost of sending the bike was only 51 Rs. But it must be "packed". In this case that was done by one guy covering my saddle with a piece of jute stitched all around the saddle. And it must have a name tag. The dude found an old name tag made from a tin can. He cleaned away the old name and I got to write mine with a magic marker. That procedure cost me 50 Rs. Then I was told by the man in charge to "Don't Vorry!", as the Indians say. I actually did not worry, having sent my bike twice, another one, on a previous trip, and it had arrived at the other end safe and sound. I did take off the pedals and open the screws to the handle bar. You are supposed to do that when taking a bike on a bus. Maybe less necessary on a train. But it does have the advantage that the bike becomes unridable.
Then the train was delayed three hours on arrival, I think from Delhi. And then at the last minute they changed the platform so I nearly missed getting onboard at all. But eventually I did arrive Bhopal, at 9:30 in the evening. It was of course dark, and I had never been to Bhopal. I had no wish to cycle there in the dark. And I was also concerned about finding a room at such a late hour. So I grabbed a scooter rickshaw and went to Hotel Sonali, a place listed as a step up in the guide book. They gave me a fairly decent room for 500 Rs and were in general very nice to deal with.
Next day I went to collect my bike. It was there, in fine condition. And there was a charge for storing it. The man wanted 240 Rs, saying it was 10 Rs an hour. I objected and said the train had actually arrived only 12 hours before. After some debate behind the counter the fee was amended to 100 Rs. I paid and rode home.
21 km
It got rather cold in Orchha at nights. One day it was foggy and cold up to almost noon. And I was not sure at all if and where I could find accomodation on the way to Bhopal. So started thinking about taking a train to skip a bit South. I logged in to Cleartrip and made a train reservation from Jhansi. Trains were fully booked though and even when choosing a more expensive A/C car I was waitlisted as #8.
Frankly I did not have much hope of getting a reservation, particularly since people on Thorntree said that there are rarely any cancellations in A/C class. So I asked around in Orchha about hotels along the way. Eventually a man in a restaurant told me that there would indeed be some hotel etc. So I decided to cycle. Then on the morning of my leaving, when I checked the mail, I had a positive reply from Cleartrip. I was on.
So I just cycled in to Jhansi, found the train station and went for the Parcel Office, which is where you must go to send luggage. I knew from before that I would have to be there at least one hour before the train left. No problem. I was there by 11 and the train should leave at 1:20 PM.
The actual cost of sending the bike was only 51 Rs. But it must be "packed". In this case that was done by one guy covering my saddle with a piece of jute stitched all around the saddle. And it must have a name tag. The dude found an old name tag made from a tin can. He cleaned away the old name and I got to write mine with a magic marker. That procedure cost me 50 Rs. Then I was told by the man in charge to "Don't Vorry!", as the Indians say. I actually did not worry, having sent my bike twice, another one, on a previous trip, and it had arrived at the other end safe and sound. I did take off the pedals and open the screws to the handle bar. You are supposed to do that when taking a bike on a bus. Maybe less necessary on a train. But it does have the advantage that the bike becomes unridable.
Then the train was delayed three hours on arrival, I think from Delhi. And then at the last minute they changed the platform so I nearly missed getting onboard at all. But eventually I did arrive Bhopal, at 9:30 in the evening. It was of course dark, and I had never been to Bhopal. I had no wish to cycle there in the dark. And I was also concerned about finding a room at such a late hour. So I grabbed a scooter rickshaw and went to Hotel Sonali, a place listed as a step up in the guide book. They gave me a fairly decent room for 500 Rs and were in general very nice to deal with.
Next day I went to collect my bike. It was there, in fine condition. And there was a charge for storing it. The man wanted 240 Rs, saying it was 10 Rs an hour. I objected and said the train had actually arrived only 12 hours before. After some debate behind the counter the fee was amended to 100 Rs. I paid and rode home.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Orchha
Orchha, Dec 18, 2011.
95 km
The Palace Hotel at Alipura was definitely a beautiful place, and very comfortable. This morning the manager told me that the palace is about 300 years old. It opened as a Heritage Hotel in 2004, with only two rooms ready. By now it has ten rooms and plans are to make ready an additional ten, plus building a swimming pool.
I am sorry to say though that the restaurant food may be a bit iffy. I was in great shape when I arrived there around lunch time yesterday. I had my regular Dal Fry with two chapatis for lunch, which tasted fine. Then for dinner I had Paneer Butter Masala w rice. Unusually for me I did not finish my dinner. It did have some foul taste. Then I woke up at 0430 this morning with a pretty bad diarrhea. Spent the next three hours running to the toilet. Then I ate a couple of bananas and took an Imodium pill. I did have breakfast there, a fine cheese omelet, chai and toast butter jam. Breakfast was after all included in the price. I hung around for a bit longer than I really wanted and did not leave until 0930, when I felt I had emptied myself out well, and that the Imodium had kicked in.
I knew I was in for a rather long cycling day, and would have wanted to be on the road much earlier. Todays cycling was fine. Good road and nice weather. But I did not arrive Orchha until 0430 PM. Here I stay at the guest house recommended in Lonely Planet as the Best Budget Option. It is not bad for 300 rupees but the bed is hard. Now I have had a hot bucket shower and been out for dinner. Tomorrow I will check out the town.
There are quite a lot of tourists in town. Mostly Indians but I have also seen well over a dozen foreigners.
It is quite cold outside. Not surprisingly since I am still quite far North, and winter is coming. I have started thinking of catching a train to get a bit further South.
Orchha Palace
Same Orchha Palace
95 km
The Palace Hotel at Alipura was definitely a beautiful place, and very comfortable. This morning the manager told me that the palace is about 300 years old. It opened as a Heritage Hotel in 2004, with only two rooms ready. By now it has ten rooms and plans are to make ready an additional ten, plus building a swimming pool.
I am sorry to say though that the restaurant food may be a bit iffy. I was in great shape when I arrived there around lunch time yesterday. I had my regular Dal Fry with two chapatis for lunch, which tasted fine. Then for dinner I had Paneer Butter Masala w rice. Unusually for me I did not finish my dinner. It did have some foul taste. Then I woke up at 0430 this morning with a pretty bad diarrhea. Spent the next three hours running to the toilet. Then I ate a couple of bananas and took an Imodium pill. I did have breakfast there, a fine cheese omelet, chai and toast butter jam. Breakfast was after all included in the price. I hung around for a bit longer than I really wanted and did not leave until 0930, when I felt I had emptied myself out well, and that the Imodium had kicked in.
I knew I was in for a rather long cycling day, and would have wanted to be on the road much earlier. Todays cycling was fine. Good road and nice weather. But I did not arrive Orchha until 0430 PM. Here I stay at the guest house recommended in Lonely Planet as the Best Budget Option. It is not bad for 300 rupees but the bed is hard. Now I have had a hot bucket shower and been out for dinner. Tomorrow I will check out the town.
There are quite a lot of tourists in town. Mostly Indians but I have also seen well over a dozen foreigners.
It is quite cold outside. Not surprisingly since I am still quite far North, and winter is coming. I have started thinking of catching a train to get a bit further South.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Alipura
Alipura, Dec 17, 2011.
45 km
It is some 148 kms from Chattarpur to Orchha, my next actual destination. That is more than I really want to do in one day, particularly since the road in places is rather bad. So when I heard that there is a Palace Hotel in Alipura I decided to break the long ride in two.
Somehow I missed the sign where to turn off for the Palace and had to turn back a couple of kms. But boy was it worth it!
Half of the suite
At 2200 Rs this is the most expensive hotel I have ever stayed at in India. But it is worth every paise. I have a huge suite with all the trimmings one can expect from a palace hotel. It is spotlessly clean, has comfy beds, real art on the walls and there is a massive balcony. Since it a bit off the main road it is very quiet, apart from birds singing. Anyone cycling between Chattarpur and Orchha is very much recommended to stay here.
When I saw how fancy it is I was not at all sure they would accept me here, arriving on a mountainbike with dusty feet and a well worn daypack. But they did and here I am, as happy as the cream coloured Labrador puppy I just met up on the rooftop.
The other half
45 km
It is some 148 kms from Chattarpur to Orchha, my next actual destination. That is more than I really want to do in one day, particularly since the road in places is rather bad. So when I heard that there is a Palace Hotel in Alipura I decided to break the long ride in two.
Somehow I missed the sign where to turn off for the Palace and had to turn back a couple of kms. But boy was it worth it!
At 2200 Rs this is the most expensive hotel I have ever stayed at in India. But it is worth every paise. I have a huge suite with all the trimmings one can expect from a palace hotel. It is spotlessly clean, has comfy beds, real art on the walls and there is a massive balcony. Since it a bit off the main road it is very quiet, apart from birds singing. Anyone cycling between Chattarpur and Orchha is very much recommended to stay here.
When I saw how fancy it is I was not at all sure they would accept me here, arriving on a mountainbike with dusty feet and a well worn daypack. But they did and here I am, as happy as the cream coloured Labrador puppy I just met up on the rooftop.
Chattarpur again
Chattarpur, Dec 16, 2011.
50 km
I took the same road back to Chattarpur. Stayed in a different hotel this time. 600 Rs vs 1000 at the Princess. I actually regretted saving that money since this place was a lot dirtier than the Princess, and noisier too.
50 km
I took the same road back to Chattarpur. Stayed in a different hotel this time. 600 Rs vs 1000 at the Princess. I actually regretted saving that money since this place was a lot dirtier than the Princess, and noisier too.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Khajuraho
Khajuraho, Dec 14, 2011.
49 km
It is only 3 hours cycling between Chattarpur and Khajuraho, mostly on a good flat road. I arrive here already at noon sharp. It is a relief to have my own transport. There are many stories of the bad rickshaw wallahs here, how they try to take you to a hotel of their own choosing rather than were you would want to go, all for a commision from the hotelier of course. I have practically none of that and go to Yogi Lodge. Now in the evening of my arrival day I must say this is a good place to stay. At 200 Rs for a room it is of course nothing fancy but absolutely worth it. The shower has very hot water, the management is pleasant and so is the rooftop café. I am allowed to take my bike inside in the evening with the words "Of course, this is your home!"
I had a walk around town this afternoon and tomorrow I will se the temples with its World Heritage classed erotic sandstone sculptures.
Erotic sculpture at Khajuraho
Another one at Khajuraho
49 km
It is only 3 hours cycling between Chattarpur and Khajuraho, mostly on a good flat road. I arrive here already at noon sharp. It is a relief to have my own transport. There are many stories of the bad rickshaw wallahs here, how they try to take you to a hotel of their own choosing rather than were you would want to go, all for a commision from the hotelier of course. I have practically none of that and go to Yogi Lodge. Now in the evening of my arrival day I must say this is a good place to stay. At 200 Rs for a room it is of course nothing fancy but absolutely worth it. The shower has very hot water, the management is pleasant and so is the rooftop café. I am allowed to take my bike inside in the evening with the words "Of course, this is your home!"
I had a walk around town this afternoon and tomorrow I will se the temples with its World Heritage classed erotic sandstone sculptures.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Amazing India
Chattarpur, Dec 13, 2011.
59 km
It is quite straight from Mahoba to Chattarpur. Mostly good road, and quite flat.
Once again I crossed the state border into Madhya Pradesh, and when I did the road became narrower and not quite as good. This state does indeed appear poorer and less populated than UP.
Chattarpur does not seem to have that many hotels. I consciously passed the noisy bus station hoping to find a hotel in a quieter area. But when I asked aorund for a hotel people suggested I should go back to the bus station. Eventually two young boys offered to guide me to a good hotel on their bicycle. First place we asked was full, even though it was only just after one o'clock. But then right nearby there was this Hotel Princess that had vacancies. Here I pay a thousand rupees for a finer room than I actually need. It has television and AC, none of which I want.
By chance I have seen that Khajuraho is quite near from here. I had not planned to go there but will now that it is only 50 kms from where I am and I do indeed have the time. I am actually looking forward to spending several days in Orchha. I need to do some larger laundry and generally packing up all my things and settle in for a while.
Until here have had mostly good phone and Internet connection with my Airtel Sim card. But for some reason Airtel has no coverage in Chattarpur. So I went out and bought me an "!DEA" card, and am now online again. As with so many other things in India this was not entirely straightforward, but eventually worked out, as it always seems to do in this land of wonders.
I found a sales shop for cellphones and tried to explain to the guy that it seemed there was no coverage here and asked if any other provider would be better. His only suggestion was that I must go back to where I have bought the Sim card etc. That was 400 kms away and of course out of the question. Plus it was not the kind of solution I had in mind anyway. I had had no connection in Chitrakoot as well and was thinking that maybe Airtel just is not that good in Madhya Pradesh at all.
So I walked on and found an appliance shop and asked there. They did not sell cellphones or anything related. Nevertheless a sales guy there, who spoke good english, said 'come this way'. And he took me to one cell phone shop after another until we came to a place selling this !DEA stuff. There a whole bunch of customers got involved in my problem, including one extremely helpful young man. After spending another 150 Rs, about two dollars, I was equipped with a new Sim and have 1 fresh GB of data access on it.
This is how I solve most problems in India. It is rare, to say the least, to find the right solution immediately. But then I just start by asking someone who takes me to the next and the next, and eventually things work out. That is the real "Amazing India". The Indian government has a tourist campaign with "Amazing India" as its slogan. But they fail to capture the true meaning of that phrase.
59 km
It is quite straight from Mahoba to Chattarpur. Mostly good road, and quite flat.
Once again I crossed the state border into Madhya Pradesh, and when I did the road became narrower and not quite as good. This state does indeed appear poorer and less populated than UP.
Chattarpur does not seem to have that many hotels. I consciously passed the noisy bus station hoping to find a hotel in a quieter area. But when I asked aorund for a hotel people suggested I should go back to the bus station. Eventually two young boys offered to guide me to a good hotel on their bicycle. First place we asked was full, even though it was only just after one o'clock. But then right nearby there was this Hotel Princess that had vacancies. Here I pay a thousand rupees for a finer room than I actually need. It has television and AC, none of which I want.
By chance I have seen that Khajuraho is quite near from here. I had not planned to go there but will now that it is only 50 kms from where I am and I do indeed have the time. I am actually looking forward to spending several days in Orchha. I need to do some larger laundry and generally packing up all my things and settle in for a while.
Until here have had mostly good phone and Internet connection with my Airtel Sim card. But for some reason Airtel has no coverage in Chattarpur. So I went out and bought me an "!DEA" card, and am now online again. As with so many other things in India this was not entirely straightforward, but eventually worked out, as it always seems to do in this land of wonders.
I found a sales shop for cellphones and tried to explain to the guy that it seemed there was no coverage here and asked if any other provider would be better. His only suggestion was that I must go back to where I have bought the Sim card etc. That was 400 kms away and of course out of the question. Plus it was not the kind of solution I had in mind anyway. I had had no connection in Chitrakoot as well and was thinking that maybe Airtel just is not that good in Madhya Pradesh at all.
So I walked on and found an appliance shop and asked there. They did not sell cellphones or anything related. Nevertheless a sales guy there, who spoke good english, said 'come this way'. And he took me to one cell phone shop after another until we came to a place selling this !DEA stuff. There a whole bunch of customers got involved in my problem, including one extremely helpful young man. After spending another 150 Rs, about two dollars, I was equipped with a new Sim and have 1 fresh GB of data access on it.
This is how I solve most problems in India. It is rare, to say the least, to find the right solution immediately. But then I just start by asking someone who takes me to the next and the next, and eventually things work out. That is the real "Amazing India". The Indian government has a tourist campaign with "Amazing India" as its slogan. But they fail to capture the true meaning of that phrase.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Mahoba
Mahoba, Dec 12, 2011.
52 km
My stomach was a bit upset this morning. So I hung about at the hotel in Banda till around 1030. According to my map it should only be some 54 kms to Mahoba and I felt no hurry.
It was easy getting out from town and the road was fine for the first 25-30 kms. But then became absolutely awful. For 10-15 kms it was the worst I have had so far. Still traffic was quite intense adding a lot of dust to the constant bumping and jolting. Eventually though I was through the rubble and arrived at Mahoba around 3 PM.
I had decided to move in to the first somewhat decent place I could find since I was again feeling my stomach grumbling. The very first place with a guest house sign was a "marriage hotel" only and would not take me. Soon after though there was a Tourist Bungalow, a rather grotty one. But I moved in nevertheless and was given an almost decent room for 300 Rs.
Now I have been to town for a good dinner at the Shiva Hotel garden restaurant.
Today I passed 1000 km on this cycle trip!
Bike instrumentation
Only looking
I stopped at a small bus station along the way for chai and Samosas. These guys were very curious about my bike. But also a bit shy and did not really go near it.
When I was about to leave I asked them closer and gave them an explanation of all different gadgets and gears etc. Don't know much they understood, but it made me feel like a nice guy. I know how curious the Indians are of all foreign things. And I really don't think there is anything wrong with that. I also know how respectful they are and how they won't touch anything unless I signal that it is OK.
52 km
My stomach was a bit upset this morning. So I hung about at the hotel in Banda till around 1030. According to my map it should only be some 54 kms to Mahoba and I felt no hurry.
It was easy getting out from town and the road was fine for the first 25-30 kms. But then became absolutely awful. For 10-15 kms it was the worst I have had so far. Still traffic was quite intense adding a lot of dust to the constant bumping and jolting. Eventually though I was through the rubble and arrived at Mahoba around 3 PM.
I had decided to move in to the first somewhat decent place I could find since I was again feeling my stomach grumbling. The very first place with a guest house sign was a "marriage hotel" only and would not take me. Soon after though there was a Tourist Bungalow, a rather grotty one. But I moved in nevertheless and was given an almost decent room for 300 Rs.
Now I have been to town for a good dinner at the Shiva Hotel garden restaurant.
Today I passed 1000 km on this cycle trip!
I stopped at a small bus station along the way for chai and Samosas. These guys were very curious about my bike. But also a bit shy and did not really go near it.
When I was about to leave I asked them closer and gave them an explanation of all different gadgets and gears etc. Don't know much they understood, but it made me feel like a nice guy. I know how curious the Indians are of all foreign things. And I really don't think there is anything wrong with that. I also know how respectful they are and how they won't touch anything unless I signal that it is OK.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Banda
Banda, Dec 11, 2011.
76 km
Chitrakoot proves to be a very nice town. It is a bit of Varanasi light, with a river through town and bathing ghats, but I see no sign of cremations.
There are three other foreigners staying at this MP Tourist Bungalow. One American woman who has an impressive camera and shoots a lot of pictures, and a charming young couple from Portugal. I get an opportunity to drop some words of my very limited knowledge of Portuguese, which surprises them. And as always with native Portuguese speakers they are polite enough to say that I seem practically fluent. I know all too well that this is an exaggeration but enjoy the praise nevertheless.
While cycling I mostly enjoy being the only foreigner in towns where I stop, but realise now that I have also missed the company of people from my own cultural sphere. I decide to have yet one more rest day here. Next day we walk to the ghats and rent a boat for a tour up and down the river. Later I take a very pleasant walk in the poorer parts of Chitrakoot. There are simple and beautiful houses and the poor people as always are very nice. Many kids and teenagers take the chance to practise their English. Even girls come running up behind me to ask what is my name and where I come from.
Next day again I continue my trip. Except for some ten kms in the middle, the road is fine, even though again not particularly wide. It is somewhat rolling landscape but no major hills at all. I stop for excellent dhal and chapatis around lunch. Quite a group of Indians gather around me to ask the usual questions. I am quite overwhelmed with how kind and polite people are. Several times during the day I am asked how I like India. It is so obvious that Indians want to be part of the western world, want to be accepted, and counted.
When I ride in to Banda I just cycle along to see what I will come across, to get some grip of town before I decide on where to stay. Eventually though I have to stop and take out my smartphone with its Google maps. Before I can even get it out people come and ask what I am looking for. When I say 'hotel' a young woman who speaks good English suggest I go to the Sarang Intercontinental. She explains how to get there and then adds that she and her friend are just about to go in that direction on a scooter and that I can just follow them. They take me all the way to a fine looking hotel, where I get a room and a very friendly reception. I can lock up my bike on the hotel grounds which is fenced in and has a uniformed guard. Several Indian guests come to have a look at my bike and ask about it and my trip.
Once again I feel this strong wish to one day have a chance to stand up and take a bullet for these lovely Indians.
76 km
Chitrakoot proves to be a very nice town. It is a bit of Varanasi light, with a river through town and bathing ghats, but I see no sign of cremations.
There are three other foreigners staying at this MP Tourist Bungalow. One American woman who has an impressive camera and shoots a lot of pictures, and a charming young couple from Portugal. I get an opportunity to drop some words of my very limited knowledge of Portuguese, which surprises them. And as always with native Portuguese speakers they are polite enough to say that I seem practically fluent. I know all too well that this is an exaggeration but enjoy the praise nevertheless.
While cycling I mostly enjoy being the only foreigner in towns where I stop, but realise now that I have also missed the company of people from my own cultural sphere. I decide to have yet one more rest day here. Next day we walk to the ghats and rent a boat for a tour up and down the river. Later I take a very pleasant walk in the poorer parts of Chitrakoot. There are simple and beautiful houses and the poor people as always are very nice. Many kids and teenagers take the chance to practise their English. Even girls come running up behind me to ask what is my name and where I come from.
Next day again I continue my trip. Except for some ten kms in the middle, the road is fine, even though again not particularly wide. It is somewhat rolling landscape but no major hills at all. I stop for excellent dhal and chapatis around lunch. Quite a group of Indians gather around me to ask the usual questions. I am quite overwhelmed with how kind and polite people are. Several times during the day I am asked how I like India. It is so obvious that Indians want to be part of the western world, want to be accepted, and counted.
When I ride in to Banda I just cycle along to see what I will come across, to get some grip of town before I decide on where to stay. Eventually though I have to stop and take out my smartphone with its Google maps. Before I can even get it out people come and ask what I am looking for. When I say 'hotel' a young woman who speaks good English suggest I go to the Sarang Intercontinental. She explains how to get there and then adds that she and her friend are just about to go in that direction on a scooter and that I can just follow them. They take me all the way to a fine looking hotel, where I get a room and a very friendly reception. I can lock up my bike on the hotel grounds which is fenced in and has a uniformed guard. Several Indian guests come to have a look at my bike and ask about it and my trip.
Once again I feel this strong wish to one day have a chance to stand up and take a bullet for these lovely Indians.
Chitrakoot
Chitrakoot, Dec 8, 2011.
142 km.
Should I have taken the train?
It was awfully foggy when I left Allahabad this morning. Dense fog is very common in North India in the winter. I have had several flights cancelled or delayed out of Delhi between December and February due to fog. This morning it did not lift until the sun managed to burn a hole through around 11 o'clock.
The road was fine until the National Highways split some 25 kms South of Allahabad. There I left #27 and shifted over to #76 heading due West. Very soon the road surface became much worse. For more than an hour I questioned whether it may have been a huge mistake taking this road in the first place. But then it became better and better. This road seems to have been an ordinary State Highway that has simply been renamed a National one. It is not particularly wide or anything, and passes straight through tiny villages, of which there were not many. Traffic soon petered out to rather light.
I am now in the far South of Uttar Pradesh, still a bit East of the Indian centre line. It is very rural here, mostly farming landscape, slightly rolling, and very beautiful. Once the fog is gone the temperature is pleasant for cycling, about 25 Centrigrades, like Scandinavian summer.
When I stop by the roadside to rest my butt for a few minutes, a couple of policemen on a motorcycle stop and ask where I am going and if I need any help. They tell me that Karwi is still about 100 km away. I can see on my map that there are no towns this side of Karwi and I know I am in for a long day. In the small villages I can often get tea and Samosas but there are certainly no hotels or guest houses.
Some 20 km before Karwi a young couple on a motorcycle ride up next to me to ask the ususal questions. They speak very good English, a rarity out here. They tell me that Karwi, were they live, has several hotels, and that Chitrakoot has many more.
Only a few km before Karwi I am held up for almost half an hour at a railway crossing. When I finally ride in to Karwi it is already after 5 PM and the sun sets. I ask for a room at several different hotels, but they are all full. People tell me that I should ride on to Chitrakoot. I don't like it since it is really getting dark, but have no choice.
As soon as I enter Chitrakoot I spot a sign for the UP Tourist Bungalow, and pull in. Since many years now I rarely bother with the Tourist Bungalows anymore in India. They are generally overpriced for what you get, and have that socialist atmosphere of lifetime employees who do not try very hard. It seems to be the same here. There is no one at the reception and it takes quite a while, involving other guests, to find the man who should have been at the reception. He tells me that they are fully booked. He suggests I should go on and will find other hotels within a km.
There are a few, but they too are all full. Several suggest I must go to the MP Tourist Bungalow further on. Chitrakoot sits right on the border between Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, the town being half in each state. Along the way I spot other hotels that are also full. It is really dark now, and that menacing fog is again descending over the area. My ass is very sore and it is far from comfortable still being out here on a bicycle.
Eventually though I find the MP Tourist Bungalow. And they have rooms! The reception is a model of efficiency and friendliness. I can have my bike inside the reception, and get a large and very nice room for a decent price. The entire place is the cleanest I have seen so far on this trip. If this is any indication of Madhya Pradesh overall then my plan to cycle through this state is off to a good start. I'll have another rest day here.
It is in Chitrakoot that the Hindu Gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are believed to have been "born" and taken on their incarnations, which makes this town a very popular Hindu pilgrimage place. There are loads of Sadhus and Babas in town.
Bathing ghats in Chitrakoot
Portuguese Rute showing camera to local kids
Perfectly lookalike statues
View from a lunch place
142 km.
Should I have taken the train?
It was awfully foggy when I left Allahabad this morning. Dense fog is very common in North India in the winter. I have had several flights cancelled or delayed out of Delhi between December and February due to fog. This morning it did not lift until the sun managed to burn a hole through around 11 o'clock.
The road was fine until the National Highways split some 25 kms South of Allahabad. There I left #27 and shifted over to #76 heading due West. Very soon the road surface became much worse. For more than an hour I questioned whether it may have been a huge mistake taking this road in the first place. But then it became better and better. This road seems to have been an ordinary State Highway that has simply been renamed a National one. It is not particularly wide or anything, and passes straight through tiny villages, of which there were not many. Traffic soon petered out to rather light.
I am now in the far South of Uttar Pradesh, still a bit East of the Indian centre line. It is very rural here, mostly farming landscape, slightly rolling, and very beautiful. Once the fog is gone the temperature is pleasant for cycling, about 25 Centrigrades, like Scandinavian summer.
When I stop by the roadside to rest my butt for a few minutes, a couple of policemen on a motorcycle stop and ask where I am going and if I need any help. They tell me that Karwi is still about 100 km away. I can see on my map that there are no towns this side of Karwi and I know I am in for a long day. In the small villages I can often get tea and Samosas but there are certainly no hotels or guest houses.
Some 20 km before Karwi a young couple on a motorcycle ride up next to me to ask the ususal questions. They speak very good English, a rarity out here. They tell me that Karwi, were they live, has several hotels, and that Chitrakoot has many more.
Only a few km before Karwi I am held up for almost half an hour at a railway crossing. When I finally ride in to Karwi it is already after 5 PM and the sun sets. I ask for a room at several different hotels, but they are all full. People tell me that I should ride on to Chitrakoot. I don't like it since it is really getting dark, but have no choice.
As soon as I enter Chitrakoot I spot a sign for the UP Tourist Bungalow, and pull in. Since many years now I rarely bother with the Tourist Bungalows anymore in India. They are generally overpriced for what you get, and have that socialist atmosphere of lifetime employees who do not try very hard. It seems to be the same here. There is no one at the reception and it takes quite a while, involving other guests, to find the man who should have been at the reception. He tells me that they are fully booked. He suggests I should go on and will find other hotels within a km.
There are a few, but they too are all full. Several suggest I must go to the MP Tourist Bungalow further on. Chitrakoot sits right on the border between Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, the town being half in each state. Along the way I spot other hotels that are also full. It is really dark now, and that menacing fog is again descending over the area. My ass is very sore and it is far from comfortable still being out here on a bicycle.
Eventually though I find the MP Tourist Bungalow. And they have rooms! The reception is a model of efficiency and friendliness. I can have my bike inside the reception, and get a large and very nice room for a decent price. The entire place is the cleanest I have seen so far on this trip. If this is any indication of Madhya Pradesh overall then my plan to cycle through this state is off to a good start. I'll have another rest day here.
It is in Chitrakoot that the Hindu Gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are believed to have been "born" and taken on their incarnations, which makes this town a very popular Hindu pilgrimage place. There are loads of Sadhus and Babas in town.
Wednesday, December 07, 2011
Allahabad, Dec 6 and 7
Allahabad, Dec 6, 2011.
113 km.
It seems I actually have quite a lot of time for my ride to Bombay, and I don't really want to ride long distances every day. But out in rural Uttar Pradesh accomodation is not so easy to find. The vast majoriity of shops and restaurants etc have signs only in Hindi.
It is mostly my bum that suffers from long days in the saddle, and I have to stand up more and more the later in the afternoon it gets. After 80-90 kms cycling is more pain than pleasure. To make up for that I took another rest day in Allahabad.
Yesterday there was some klicking noise in my bike, that seemed to come from the crankshaft. I posted a Q on Bikezone, an Indian cycling forum, for possible repair shops in this area. One fellow suggested a place only a few blocks from where I stay. I rode over and seems to have been helped by just some oil on the chain. No charge.
This bike has 27 gears and to squeeze all those in the chain is very narrow. Maybe a tiny pebble had lodget itself in there somewhere. Anyway, the clicking is gone now, and I hope it stays away.
Tomorrow I will probably be in for another long day. I have realised from studying the map that I need to head more over to the west to hit a string of towns that looks to be large enough to have guest houses.
113 km.
It seems I actually have quite a lot of time for my ride to Bombay, and I don't really want to ride long distances every day. But out in rural Uttar Pradesh accomodation is not so easy to find. The vast majoriity of shops and restaurants etc have signs only in Hindi.
It is mostly my bum that suffers from long days in the saddle, and I have to stand up more and more the later in the afternoon it gets. After 80-90 kms cycling is more pain than pleasure. To make up for that I took another rest day in Allahabad.
Yesterday there was some klicking noise in my bike, that seemed to come from the crankshaft. I posted a Q on Bikezone, an Indian cycling forum, for possible repair shops in this area. One fellow suggested a place only a few blocks from where I stay. I rode over and seems to have been helped by just some oil on the chain. No charge.
This bike has 27 gears and to squeeze all those in the chain is very narrow. Maybe a tiny pebble had lodget itself in there somewhere. Anyway, the clicking is gone now, and I hope it stays away.
Tomorrow I will probably be in for another long day. I have realised from studying the map that I need to head more over to the west to hit a string of towns that looks to be large enough to have guest houses.
Monday, December 05, 2011
Sultanpur, Dec 4
Sultanpur, Dec 4, 2011.
67 km.
A day of frustrations.
As I was going to bed last night I thought maybe I should take a rest day in Faizabad. So this morning I checked with the rception. No can do, hotel is fully booked. So I had to hit the road. Sore ass and tired legs already from the start.
I asked in the reception about Sultanpur and was told that there are several hotels to stay at.
The road was generally good today. It is classified as a National Highway, but has only one lane in each direction. Traffic was at times quite intense.
After half an hour I realised my watch had stopped. Probably the battery is finished.
Dal Fry and Chapati
A few hours later the damn bike computer froze again.
When I rode in to Sultanpur I tried to keep an eye out for the railway station. Often there are hotels and guest houses nearby. But I also checked both sides of the streets I cycled along since I seemed to come straight through the centre of town. As in Faizabad by far the most shop signs etc are only in Hindi though, and I can't make head or tail of them. When I finally came to a railway line there was a que waiting for a long train to pass. A man approached me to ask what I was looking for. When I said hotel he advised me to turn back and go to a small guest house not far away. There were however no vacant rooms. Then the man scribbled the names of two other hotels and gave some vague directions. The first one had a wedding booked and all rooms were occupied. Same story at the second. The manager there gave me a name to a third one. That also had a wedding, and was fully booked. He told me that this particular Sunday is a very auspicious day to get married.
I decided to return to my original plan to search out the area around the train station. Took me a while to come even close to it. Then I started asking from there. The first place I was sent to was the very same guest house where I had checked first. By then they had already started setting up a wedding reception. Then a policeman took some pity on me and gave me directions to another place nearby. Full.
A man there gave me two more names, and the name of an area where they would be. About two kilometers away he said. When I had cycled about one km I asked again, to make sure I was going in the right direction, I was told to go back about 500 mtrs etc. I was on the verge of giving up and was thinking of how much a taxi to Allahabad would cost. Probably too much since it is over 100 kms away. Too far to cycle since it was already getting late in the afternoon. And the train station had looked pretty crowded too so I had little hope of getting on a train.
Eventually I came to Ksheer Sagar hotel. Fortunately this place does not have a restaurant, or reception hall, and thus no wedding is booked. Here I got a room. Bliss just to get off the bike, and have a shower etc. He could have charged me double or triple and I still would have accepted.
67 km.
A day of frustrations.
As I was going to bed last night I thought maybe I should take a rest day in Faizabad. So this morning I checked with the rception. No can do, hotel is fully booked. So I had to hit the road. Sore ass and tired legs already from the start.
I asked in the reception about Sultanpur and was told that there are several hotels to stay at.
The road was generally good today. It is classified as a National Highway, but has only one lane in each direction. Traffic was at times quite intense.
After half an hour I realised my watch had stopped. Probably the battery is finished.
A few hours later the damn bike computer froze again.
When I rode in to Sultanpur I tried to keep an eye out for the railway station. Often there are hotels and guest houses nearby. But I also checked both sides of the streets I cycled along since I seemed to come straight through the centre of town. As in Faizabad by far the most shop signs etc are only in Hindi though, and I can't make head or tail of them. When I finally came to a railway line there was a que waiting for a long train to pass. A man approached me to ask what I was looking for. When I said hotel he advised me to turn back and go to a small guest house not far away. There were however no vacant rooms. Then the man scribbled the names of two other hotels and gave some vague directions. The first one had a wedding booked and all rooms were occupied. Same story at the second. The manager there gave me a name to a third one. That also had a wedding, and was fully booked. He told me that this particular Sunday is a very auspicious day to get married.
I decided to return to my original plan to search out the area around the train station. Took me a while to come even close to it. Then I started asking from there. The first place I was sent to was the very same guest house where I had checked first. By then they had already started setting up a wedding reception. Then a policeman took some pity on me and gave me directions to another place nearby. Full.
A man there gave me two more names, and the name of an area where they would be. About two kilometers away he said. When I had cycled about one km I asked again, to make sure I was going in the right direction, I was told to go back about 500 mtrs etc. I was on the verge of giving up and was thinking of how much a taxi to Allahabad would cost. Probably too much since it is over 100 kms away. Too far to cycle since it was already getting late in the afternoon. And the train station had looked pretty crowded too so I had little hope of getting on a train.
Eventually I came to Ksheer Sagar hotel. Fortunately this place does not have a restaurant, or reception hall, and thus no wedding is booked. Here I got a room. Bliss just to get off the bike, and have a shower etc. He could have charged me double or triple and I still would have accepted.
Saturday, December 03, 2011
Dec 3, Faizabad
Faizabad, Dec 3, 2011.
83 km.
I got no breakfast at Shivay and had to go out on town for it. Eventually I settled for a couple of tasty Samosas and chai by the bus station. While chasing around for it I met again the young boy who helped me find Chandrika soap last night. He is one of those charming teenage boys who greet me with "Welcome to my India!", very helpful guy. I asked if he knew where I could find a place to top up my Airtel sim card. He said it would not open until ten, and asked if I wanted to come visit his home in the meantime. I did not and said I had to go. Probably he was in the area looking for me after he had talked to his parents and got clearance to invite me.
It is of course very nice of people to invite me home, but I never accept. I feel much better being in a place where I pay for my room and what else I have. Then I can come and go as I like, sleep when I want, not finish the food if I should happen not to want it all. I feel if I accept an invitation to someones house I will have to entertain them, and answer all their questions, which are often too personal. Not only what is my name and where do I come from, but also where is my wife, what do I work with, how much do I earn and why am I on this trip.
Very soon after I left Basti I came back on the National Highway and realised that it would have been much easier coming in to Basti that way.
Today I cycled practically all the time on the National Highway. It took me a good while to find a place to stay in Faizabad. It is India for real here, no tourists at all. Actually I have not seen a white face since I left Bhairawa.
Many people here in Faizabad are very small. Just after I had checked in one Indian youth asked me if I was here for a basket ball game. Back home I am not particularly tall, but here they seem to think I am a basket ball player!
83 km.
I got no breakfast at Shivay and had to go out on town for it. Eventually I settled for a couple of tasty Samosas and chai by the bus station. While chasing around for it I met again the young boy who helped me find Chandrika soap last night. He is one of those charming teenage boys who greet me with "Welcome to my India!", very helpful guy. I asked if he knew where I could find a place to top up my Airtel sim card. He said it would not open until ten, and asked if I wanted to come visit his home in the meantime. I did not and said I had to go. Probably he was in the area looking for me after he had talked to his parents and got clearance to invite me.
It is of course very nice of people to invite me home, but I never accept. I feel much better being in a place where I pay for my room and what else I have. Then I can come and go as I like, sleep when I want, not finish the food if I should happen not to want it all. I feel if I accept an invitation to someones house I will have to entertain them, and answer all their questions, which are often too personal. Not only what is my name and where do I come from, but also where is my wife, what do I work with, how much do I earn and why am I on this trip.
Very soon after I left Basti I came back on the National Highway and realised that it would have been much easier coming in to Basti that way.
Today I cycled practically all the time on the National Highway. It took me a good while to find a place to stay in Faizabad. It is India for real here, no tourists at all. Actually I have not seen a white face since I left Bhairawa.
Many people here in Faizabad are very small. Just after I had checked in one Indian youth asked me if I was here for a basket ball game. Back home I am not particularly tall, but here they seem to think I am a basket ball player!
Friday, December 02, 2011
Basti
Basti, Dec 2, 2011.
76 km.
It was rather difficult to get out of Gorakhpur, on the correct road that is. My aim for today was Basti, some 65-70 km in the direction towards Lucknow, where I need to go to get a good entry point for Madhya Pradesh. I asked the manager at my hotel and in true Indian fashion he pointed me back in the direction of which I had come and said "that way only". And, well pretty soon I realised that that was not enough of an explanation. I had to turn around and go back for a bit and then cycle southward before again heading west on the National Highway # 28. Once I got on that highway the road itself was of excellent quality, but, as I had experienced in South India two years ago, there was no shade at all. It got quite hot in the middle of the day.
Some 20 kms before Basti there was a sign saying I should turn left. I did and right away the road turned to horrible quality, and remained that way practically until I entered Basti itself. I was really tired in the whole body when I got here.
A man approached me on the street and asked what I was looking for. When I said I needed a room he offered to take me to a good place. I am now at Shivay Hotel. It is a good bit better than the Elora but also much more expensive, 1000 Rupees compared to Eloras modest 300. I have a definite feeling of being overcharged, some of which probably ended up with man who took me here. I would have found this place anyway since it was quite near. But when he asked me I was so tired and very aware that I had not seen anything like a guest house since I left Gorakhpur. I was ripe for an overcharge.
There are ants in my room, and there was a rat running around freely in the restaurant dining room. India is full of animals. Some nice and cute while others I could have done without.
Again today my bike computer froze and I had to take out the battery to get it going again.
Make sure you never buy an Asaklitt! Regular p o s it is.
76 km.
It was rather difficult to get out of Gorakhpur, on the correct road that is. My aim for today was Basti, some 65-70 km in the direction towards Lucknow, where I need to go to get a good entry point for Madhya Pradesh. I asked the manager at my hotel and in true Indian fashion he pointed me back in the direction of which I had come and said "that way only". And, well pretty soon I realised that that was not enough of an explanation. I had to turn around and go back for a bit and then cycle southward before again heading west on the National Highway # 28. Once I got on that highway the road itself was of excellent quality, but, as I had experienced in South India two years ago, there was no shade at all. It got quite hot in the middle of the day.
Some 20 kms before Basti there was a sign saying I should turn left. I did and right away the road turned to horrible quality, and remained that way practically until I entered Basti itself. I was really tired in the whole body when I got here.
A man approached me on the street and asked what I was looking for. When I said I needed a room he offered to take me to a good place. I am now at Shivay Hotel. It is a good bit better than the Elora but also much more expensive, 1000 Rupees compared to Eloras modest 300. I have a definite feeling of being overcharged, some of which probably ended up with man who took me here. I would have found this place anyway since it was quite near. But when he asked me I was so tired and very aware that I had not seen anything like a guest house since I left Gorakhpur. I was ripe for an overcharge.
There are ants in my room, and there was a rat running around freely in the restaurant dining room. India is full of animals. Some nice and cute while others I could have done without.
Again today my bike computer froze and I had to take out the battery to get it going again.
Make sure you never buy an Asaklitt! Regular p o s it is.
Pharenda
Pharenda, Nov 30, 2011.
66 km.
I took a rest day in Bhairawa to go see Lumbini. I have been in the area before but never felt it nessecary to spend and extra day for Lumbini. Now on a bike I need rest days anyway and took the opporunity. Went there by bus.
Lumbini town is not much, but there are several guest houses.
The temple built on the spot where Buddha is supposed to have been born did, like many similar places, not really live up to my expectations. I had seen glorified paintings of the temple elsewhere in Nepal. But the actual temple is far more modest, and there is a fair bit of rubbish lying around.
Buddhas birthplace at Lumbini
Today I crossed the border into India. It was a 5 km ride from Bhairawa. The border crossing itself was hassle free since I had my visas OK.
Coming from Nepal to India I had a feeling of having come to a land of plenty. Immediately the road was much wider and in much better condition. As I had suspected I made a good bit better speed with the same effort. There are more restaurants, more chai shops, and everything tastes much better. I have really had it with weak Nepali tea and tasteless food for a long time.
Of course there is also a lot more people, towns and villages here. I guess there is more traffic too but it only bothered me when congestions occured in towns. Indians share with Nepalis the inability to see a larger picture in traffic. Each and everyone on the road always tries to squeeze in to the very last inch of space available. Even though exactly that makes it impossible for anyone to move at all.
After 66 kms I happened on a quite new looking hotel in a small town called Pharenda. First I rode past it, thinking it was not really my style of place. But when I had cycled through the town without seeing any other options I turned back and moved in. The manager was very nice and helpful. He locked my bike into an underground garage that felt very safe. Some of his staff were the ordinary lazy buggers though, and the place could well have been much cleaner had they not sat around doing nothing quite so much.
The Haveli hotel had an attached restaurant where the food was really good.
66 km.
I took a rest day in Bhairawa to go see Lumbini. I have been in the area before but never felt it nessecary to spend and extra day for Lumbini. Now on a bike I need rest days anyway and took the opporunity. Went there by bus.
Lumbini town is not much, but there are several guest houses.
The temple built on the spot where Buddha is supposed to have been born did, like many similar places, not really live up to my expectations. I had seen glorified paintings of the temple elsewhere in Nepal. But the actual temple is far more modest, and there is a fair bit of rubbish lying around.
Today I crossed the border into India. It was a 5 km ride from Bhairawa. The border crossing itself was hassle free since I had my visas OK.
Coming from Nepal to India I had a feeling of having come to a land of plenty. Immediately the road was much wider and in much better condition. As I had suspected I made a good bit better speed with the same effort. There are more restaurants, more chai shops, and everything tastes much better. I have really had it with weak Nepali tea and tasteless food for a long time.
Of course there is also a lot more people, towns and villages here. I guess there is more traffic too but it only bothered me when congestions occured in towns. Indians share with Nepalis the inability to see a larger picture in traffic. Each and everyone on the road always tries to squeeze in to the very last inch of space available. Even though exactly that makes it impossible for anyone to move at all.
After 66 kms I happened on a quite new looking hotel in a small town called Pharenda. First I rode past it, thinking it was not really my style of place. But when I had cycled through the town without seeing any other options I turned back and moved in. The manager was very nice and helpful. He locked my bike into an underground garage that felt very safe. Some of his staff were the ordinary lazy buggers though, and the place could well have been much cleaner had they not sat around doing nothing quite so much.
The Haveli hotel had an attached restaurant where the food was really good.
Gorakhpur
Gorakhpur, Dec 1, 2011.
47 km.
The road continues to be much better than in Nepal and cycling felt easy. Still I stopped in Gorakhpur already around noon, after a modest 47 km. I needed to buy an India map and rode to the railway station. No one bothered me when I took my bike all the way in to the station and out on the platform. There I found a very helpful newspaper man who took the trouble to go find me a very good map. It is a motorists map, a real book actually.
Since it was lunch time I stopped for some Dal Fry and a couple of rotis just opposite the station. Terrific food, so glad to be India!
After having checked out my new map I decided I had better stay here and start out fresh in the morning. It may well be a good distance to the next place where I can find a guest house.
I have been to Gorakhpur several times before on my way to or from Nepal. Never really liked the place and don't think much of it now either. I am staying at the Elora Hotel near the train and bus stations. There is an awful lot of noise, particularly from the buses whose drivers honk their horns incessantly.
47 km.
The road continues to be much better than in Nepal and cycling felt easy. Still I stopped in Gorakhpur already around noon, after a modest 47 km. I needed to buy an India map and rode to the railway station. No one bothered me when I took my bike all the way in to the station and out on the platform. There I found a very helpful newspaper man who took the trouble to go find me a very good map. It is a motorists map, a real book actually.
Since it was lunch time I stopped for some Dal Fry and a couple of rotis just opposite the station. Terrific food, so glad to be India!
After having checked out my new map I decided I had better stay here and start out fresh in the morning. It may well be a good distance to the next place where I can find a guest house.
I have been to Gorakhpur several times before on my way to or from Nepal. Never really liked the place and don't think much of it now either. I am staying at the Elora Hotel near the train and bus stations. There is an awful lot of noise, particularly from the buses whose drivers honk their horns incessantly.
Bhairawa
Bhairiwa, Nov 28, 2011.
I think I have had my last hills for a while, and small they were. Now out of the mountain roads cycling is easier and the road wider. After some 40 kms I found a turnoff from the main road where I followed a sign indicating Lumbini. At first I was not entirely sure that it would be a foolprof choice, but it was. Wonder why most of the traffic continued on straight ahead for the detour via Butwal? Never mind, I quite enjoyed being almost alone on the road.
When I rode in to Bhairawa it took me a good while to get my bearings, and find a place to stay. Eventually I moved in to the rather grotty Sayapatri GH. By then I had checked out the fancy Nirvana Hotel. At $43 a night I could have afforded it but as with other upscale places I thought I would have little in common with other guests, and gave it a pass.
I think I have had my last hills for a while, and small they were. Now out of the mountain roads cycling is easier and the road wider. After some 40 kms I found a turnoff from the main road where I followed a sign indicating Lumbini. At first I was not entirely sure that it would be a foolprof choice, but it was. Wonder why most of the traffic continued on straight ahead for the detour via Butwal? Never mind, I quite enjoyed being almost alone on the road.
When I rode in to Bhairawa it took me a good while to get my bearings, and find a place to stay. Eventually I moved in to the rather grotty Sayapatri GH. By then I had checked out the fancy Nirvana Hotel. At $43 a night I could have afforded it but as with other upscale places I thought I would have little in common with other guests, and gave it a pass.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Dunkibas
Dunkibas, Nov 27, 2011.
69 km.
The weather has been holding up fine. It continues to be warm and sunny during the day, but still gets quite chilly at nights. I stopped along the roadside for chai around ten, and then also took a sizable plate of chaat that was excellent. Having had that I skipped lunch, except for a pack of biscuits along with more chai around one. As I was finishing the biscuits I saw another tour cyclist pass by. I shouted after him, whistled and honked my horn, all to no avail. He wasn't going fast at the time and I thought I would catch up with him rather soon, but I never did.
Around two thirty I happened to spot a Tandoori restaurant by the roadside and stopped. When I asked the man said he also runs a guest house with a few rooms. So I moved in. Now I have had the best dinner so far on this trip. The man has worked as a cook for several years in India, and then for some more years in Israel. Fortunately he has now returned home to set up this Tandoori place.
The road has today been wide and generally good. It does however have a very rough tarmac. I am sure it is fine for trucks and buses, but not ideal for cycling. Had the surface been smoother I think I could have done 20-25 % better speed with the same effort.
69 km.
The weather has been holding up fine. It continues to be warm and sunny during the day, but still gets quite chilly at nights. I stopped along the roadside for chai around ten, and then also took a sizable plate of chaat that was excellent. Having had that I skipped lunch, except for a pack of biscuits along with more chai around one. As I was finishing the biscuits I saw another tour cyclist pass by. I shouted after him, whistled and honked my horn, all to no avail. He wasn't going fast at the time and I thought I would catch up with him rather soon, but I never did.
Around two thirty I happened to spot a Tandoori restaurant by the roadside and stopped. When I asked the man said he also runs a guest house with a few rooms. So I moved in. Now I have had the best dinner so far on this trip. The man has worked as a cook for several years in India, and then for some more years in Israel. Fortunately he has now returned home to set up this Tandoori place.
The road has today been wide and generally good. It does however have a very rough tarmac. I am sure it is fine for trucks and buses, but not ideal for cycling. Had the surface been smoother I think I could have done 20-25 % better speed with the same effort.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Barathpur
Barathpur, Nov 26, 2011.
49 km.
I was sure to find lodging in Barathpur but had been unable to verify lodging further on, if I were to ride another couple of hours. Right after Mugling the road turned worse. Mostly because it was cut out of the rocky hillside the road was narrower and had no shoulder to get off on. I kept a good lookout in the rearview mirror and again stopped many times to let traffic pass.
Beautiful but narrow
I had lunch at Narayanagar, and stopped already at Barathpur. Need to do some laundry.
49 km.
I was sure to find lodging in Barathpur but had been unable to verify lodging further on, if I were to ride another couple of hours. Right after Mugling the road turned worse. Mostly because it was cut out of the rocky hillside the road was narrower and had no shoulder to get off on. I kept a good lookout in the rearview mirror and again stopped many times to let traffic pass.
I had lunch at Narayanagar, and stopped already at Barathpur. Need to do some laundry.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Mugling
Mugling, Nov 25, 2011.
57 Km.
It was a bit up and down as one can expect in The Himalayas, but no major hills really. Not after the seven pass trek I did in The Khumbu just before this bike trip. I had read somewhere that Mugling can be a bad experience and it was right up my sleeve when I spotted a Thakali lodge and restaurant only 2- 3 km short of Mugling and just as my legs started to feel leaden. I got a fine room with hot shower for 500 Rs.
The lady, when I asked her, said that Thakali is a cast, and that they prided themselves in keeping clean about them. Her house and restaurant bore fine evidence to that. And the food was good too.
She asked if I had been to Mustang, from where they come. I said no. Then she asked if I had been to Muktinath. Sure I have, twice actually, Nov 1983 and again Nov 2007. So she says then I have been to Mustang, since Muktinath is Mustang. Lower Mustang actually, but nevertheless. Kagbeni, Marpha, Tukche and Lete are also in Mustang.
Later she tells me they are Buddhists. This surprises me as when she said cast I assumed they were Hindus. Buddhists have no cast system. But I have heard others on the subcontinent use the word cast as a sort, or maybe even race. One fisherman in India said "also fish have many cast". In this case I suppose it means ethnicity.
They took my bike in to the restarant in the evening.
PS The cycling was fine and beautiful. Weather was good. The traffic came in bursts of 5-6 cars at a time, many of them were buses and trucks. Several times I stopped by the curb and let them pass.
57 Km.
It was a bit up and down as one can expect in The Himalayas, but no major hills really. Not after the seven pass trek I did in The Khumbu just before this bike trip. I had read somewhere that Mugling can be a bad experience and it was right up my sleeve when I spotted a Thakali lodge and restaurant only 2- 3 km short of Mugling and just as my legs started to feel leaden. I got a fine room with hot shower for 500 Rs.
The lady, when I asked her, said that Thakali is a cast, and that they prided themselves in keeping clean about them. Her house and restaurant bore fine evidence to that. And the food was good too.
She asked if I had been to Mustang, from where they come. I said no. Then she asked if I had been to Muktinath. Sure I have, twice actually, Nov 1983 and again Nov 2007. So she says then I have been to Mustang, since Muktinath is Mustang. Lower Mustang actually, but nevertheless. Kagbeni, Marpha, Tukche and Lete are also in Mustang.
Later she tells me they are Buddhists. This surprises me as when she said cast I assumed they were Hindus. Buddhists have no cast system. But I have heard others on the subcontinent use the word cast as a sort, or maybe even race. One fisherman in India said "also fish have many cast". In this case I suppose it means ethnicity.
They took my bike in to the restarant in the evening.
PS The cycling was fine and beautiful. Weather was good. The traffic came in bursts of 5-6 cars at a time, many of them were buses and trucks. Several times I stopped by the curb and let them pass.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Kathmandu to Bombay, Calchhi
(I hope this works. I am now using my smartphone as a wifi hotspot.
Don't have much speed and will abide with any pictures.)
Calchhi, Nov 24, 2011. 40 kms.
Kathmandu to Bombay
Oh how nice it is to be on the road again!
I flew out to Kathmandu some 6 - 7 weeks ago. Then I went on a 36-day trek from Jiri to EBC, Gokyo, Renjo-la and eventually out through The Arun Valley. I took a flight from Tumlingtar back to Kathmandu. Was there for a week, resting my tired body, buying a mountainbike, and generally hanging out.
Once again I bought a brand new Trek 4300. This time it is a 2012 model, 19,5" frame. I had with me my Schwalbe Supremes that had rolled 4000 kms last winter in Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. I got the bike from "Dusk to Dawn" a cycling setup in Kathmandu that in addition to selling bikes and accessories also organizes guided cycle trips in Nepal and Tibet.
I went there as soon as I had settled in in Kathmandu. But the owner Chimmi had no recollection of our recent email conversations, in which he had told me a Trek 4300 would sell for 40 000 Nepalese Rupees. Instead he wanted 47 000.
But after my Everest trek he had come down to 43 000, and the rupee had shrunk in value once more, so I accepted. I think it comes to about 400 Euros, pretty much what I have paid previously for Trek 4300.
I don't make very detailed plans for my trips. I start in Kathmandu and fly home from Bombay almost four months later. But I have not checked at all how far it is, and I am not beyond taking a train or bus if I find some area too cold, or annoying in some other way. I do however wish to cycle through Madhya Pradesh, the middle Indian state, where I have never been. For a while I planned to take a mountain road between Kathmandu and the Indian border at Raxhaul. But when I realised that Raxhaul is in Bihar, an Indian state of which not much nice has been said, I changed my plans to go via Bhairawa instead. That will take me straight to Uttar Pradesh, heavily populated but with a better reputation.
So this morning I set off at about 0830. It is late November and winter is coming here as well, nights have been cold since I came back to town. It was still chilly in Kathmandu when I left, but I soon warmed up riding mostly uphill for about an hour in heavy traffic.
Quite soon however I was over the ridge and enjoyed some 30 kms of winding downhill. K is at some 1300 mtrs above sea level. Already now I am at 400 mtrs asl, and it is definitely warmer here.
Once I was out of K the traffic became much less intense, and I found myself enjoying the ride thoroughly. Nepal is a very beautiful place, and the countryside people very nice. When I had just stopped by the roadside to rest my butt and check the map I had several people stop to ask if I needed any help. And many waved at me and greeted me with Namaste!
Cycling in Nepal
Suddenly my brand new bike computer froze. It is an "Asaklitt", a Swedish brand, most certainly made in China. Cheap and obviously not that good. I had to do a hard reset by taking out the battery. It was of course a nuisance to lose the accumulated distance. But it had the good side effect of me discovering that I had stopped just outside a "resort". I like to start out easy and so took a room here. The room itself is pretty grotty, but there is a nice garden. Tomorrow I plan to ride to Muglai, about 60 kms from here.
So nice to be cycling again!
Don't have much speed and will abide with any pictures.)
Calchhi, Nov 24, 2011. 40 kms.
Kathmandu to Bombay
Oh how nice it is to be on the road again!
I flew out to Kathmandu some 6 - 7 weeks ago. Then I went on a 36-day trek from Jiri to EBC, Gokyo, Renjo-la and eventually out through The Arun Valley. I took a flight from Tumlingtar back to Kathmandu. Was there for a week, resting my tired body, buying a mountainbike, and generally hanging out.
Once again I bought a brand new Trek 4300. This time it is a 2012 model, 19,5" frame. I had with me my Schwalbe Supremes that had rolled 4000 kms last winter in Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. I got the bike from "Dusk to Dawn" a cycling setup in Kathmandu that in addition to selling bikes and accessories also organizes guided cycle trips in Nepal and Tibet.
I went there as soon as I had settled in in Kathmandu. But the owner Chimmi had no recollection of our recent email conversations, in which he had told me a Trek 4300 would sell for 40 000 Nepalese Rupees. Instead he wanted 47 000.
But after my Everest trek he had come down to 43 000, and the rupee had shrunk in value once more, so I accepted. I think it comes to about 400 Euros, pretty much what I have paid previously for Trek 4300.
I don't make very detailed plans for my trips. I start in Kathmandu and fly home from Bombay almost four months later. But I have not checked at all how far it is, and I am not beyond taking a train or bus if I find some area too cold, or annoying in some other way. I do however wish to cycle through Madhya Pradesh, the middle Indian state, where I have never been. For a while I planned to take a mountain road between Kathmandu and the Indian border at Raxhaul. But when I realised that Raxhaul is in Bihar, an Indian state of which not much nice has been said, I changed my plans to go via Bhairawa instead. That will take me straight to Uttar Pradesh, heavily populated but with a better reputation.
So this morning I set off at about 0830. It is late November and winter is coming here as well, nights have been cold since I came back to town. It was still chilly in Kathmandu when I left, but I soon warmed up riding mostly uphill for about an hour in heavy traffic.
Quite soon however I was over the ridge and enjoyed some 30 kms of winding downhill. K is at some 1300 mtrs above sea level. Already now I am at 400 mtrs asl, and it is definitely warmer here.
Once I was out of K the traffic became much less intense, and I found myself enjoying the ride thoroughly. Nepal is a very beautiful place, and the countryside people very nice. When I had just stopped by the roadside to rest my butt and check the map I had several people stop to ask if I needed any help. And many waved at me and greeted me with Namaste!
Suddenly my brand new bike computer froze. It is an "Asaklitt", a Swedish brand, most certainly made in China. Cheap and obviously not that good. I had to do a hard reset by taking out the battery. It was of course a nuisance to lose the accumulated distance. But it had the good side effect of me discovering that I had stopped just outside a "resort". I like to start out easy and so took a room here. The room itself is pretty grotty, but there is a nice garden. Tomorrow I plan to ride to Muglai, about 60 kms from here.
So nice to be cycling again!
Saturday, November 19, 2011
In Kathmandu again
It was surprisingly easy getting a flight from Tumlingtar to Kathmandu. The last day of my trek I met several people, Nepalis mostly, who said that there had been no flights for a few days and that there would be a waiting list. But not so. I walked in to Tumlingtar a quarter to five in the afternoon, and flew out on a half empty Yeti flight around noon the following day.
Being back in big K offers much better food than on the trek, and daily hot showers. But other than that I rather wish I was still out in the hills.
Being back in big K offers much better food than on the trek, and daily hot showers. But other than that I rather wish I was still out in the hills.
Friday, November 18, 2011
The Everest trek 2011
When my plan of trekking The Manaslu circuit had gone pearshaped and I was in the mood for a month long trek there was only really one option that I could go for without too much planning and preparations, Everest, again. Some time I would like to do The Dolpo Trek, or Kanchenjunga, or upper Mustang. But all those require as much planning as Manaslu. And I would need to go through a trekking agency, to get a guide, and probably porters as well. Which means involving other trekkers too to get such costs to a reasonable level. Everest on the other hand I have done several times already and can just hop on the bus and go, alone.
Oct 11, Jiri.
Apart from some Nepalis it was just me and an old French couple on the 6 o'clock bus to Jiri. The bus was only half full at departure. But later on it filled up, and some had to ride up on the roof.
Had I been a novice trekker I think I could have become intimidated by the situation in Jiri. Nothing much happens in town. And the Frenchies, who stay at the same lodge as me, hardly speaks any English. A guide and a couple of porters will pick them up next morning. I am quite aware of being alone, but not particularly bothered about it. I expect there will be more trekkers at Shivalaya tomorrow.
Oct 12, Shivalaya.
I want to start in the morning from Shivalaya, and thus have most of the long uphill to Deurali in the morning hours, when it is quite cool, and shady on that western side of the slope. So rather than walk over the hill from Jiri to Shivalaya I walked around it, via Those. It takes a bit longer but was a very nice walk when I did this in 2003. Anyway it does not matter what time I am in Shivalaya as long as I am there well before dinner time.
First Day
But since 2003 things has changed. There is now a road of sorts and it goes via Those. The road is only half ready, a mud road with deep wheel tracks. There is only one or two buses passing but still it spoils the pleasant walk as it was before.
In Shivalaya I take a room at the Shivalaya Hilton. Other than in name it is a regular Nepali guest house with very basic rooms. For dinner I have my first Dal Bhat in a long while, but certainly not the last. There are about ten trekkers in the village, several of which I will share village and guest house with quite a few times further on.
Oct 13, Bhandar.
My pack feels heavy and does not sit very well on my back. It is a bit small for all my gear and I have to have my fairly heavy sleeping bag strapped on the top. I have rented the pack along with sleeping bag and down jacket from Shona's in Kathmandu. Both sleeping bag and down jacket proves later on to be very warm and comfy, but they are quite heavy. Maybe I am starting to feel my age?
Two young French guys, Jean and Romain, and two Americans, Lee and Cooper, are here as well, all of them very charming.
Oct 14, Kenja.
I am trekking in my Tewa sandals. They are mostly fine but a couple of times I step in mud and get some earth between the straps and the top of my feet. It shafes and after a few hours there is some blood on the top of my toes.
Girls carrying hay
The last couple of hours before Kenja I walk on the side of a South facing slope and it is really hot. So I make up my mind to stop already at Kenja. When I walk in to Kenja all the others are there, they have only just ordered lunch, but I stick to my decision to call it a day here anyway. I simply don't enjoy going further that day. Later Susy and Bernie from Germany/Austria arrive and stop for the night. They never made it to Bhandar the previos day but had stayed overnight at Deurali.
Oct 15, Dakchu.
I trek together with Susy and Bernie now. The lodge at Seti where I have stayed before was all closed. We had lunch at another lodge but did not feel like staying there. So we continued on to Dakchu, just another hour uphill. The first several lodges we check at Dakchu are really grimy and their owners stink of moonshine alcohol. Eventually though we come to a lodge were the Didi looks like an angel and the rooms are clean. We move in and are later very happen with that decision.
Dakchu family in kitchen
Oct 16, Junbesi.
Dakchu 0800
Lamjura 1110-12
Junbesi 1500
Everest Viewpoint just above Junbesi
Lamjura is a regular bitch pass. At 3500 mtrs we can feel the altitude and breathe heavily. At the same time I do start to feel my trekking form shaping up. It is good to arrive at Junbesi, particularly since we plan a rest day here. Need to do some laundry and let my feet heal up. I am glad to see that Ang Chokpas lodge is open again, now out of the Maoists hands. Their owners are abroad though and the lodge is rented out long term to a local woman.
Oct 18, Nuntala.
Junbesi 0730
Phurteng 0930-10
Ringmo bridge 1145
Ringmo 1215-13
Trakshindo 1415
Nuntala 1700
Trakshindo pass is a good bit easier than Lamjura, but it is still quite a long day. I only arrive at 5 o'clock, very pleased to get a room at the best lodge in town. In the evening the dining room is so warm from the good stove that we all have to strip down to T-shirts.
Oct 19, Bupsa.
Nuntala 0730
Jubing 1030-11
Kharikola 1330-1430
Bupsa 1545
Jubing
I enjoy walking through Jubing, the first Rai village on this trek. The Rai people are the oldest settlers in this area that are still around. They mostly live at altitudes around 1000 - 2000 mtrs where the climate is warm and the land is fertile. They are neither Hindus nor Buddhists but have a religion of their own, worshipping spirits of the land and water, and in plants and animals. Their villages are beautiful, full of flowers and many animals, and their fields are ripe with corn and barley. They do however eat pigs, something that make the Hindus look down on them.
Oct 20, Chaurikharka.
Bupsa 0730
Puyan 1145-1230
Surkhe 1530-16
Chaurikharka 1745
Susy and Bernie decide to stop at Surkhe. I continue on to the beautiful village of Chaurikharka, but only arrive there as it is getting dark just before 6 o'clock. I get a room at Buddha lodge where I have stayed before and been very pleased with. Unfortunately many things have changed since then. They have destroyed the beautiful dining room, that became a dormitory at night, by chopping it up into very small windowless rooms.
I have dinner in the family's dining room. It is not bad per se, but there is now a TV, where the Nepali news is on while I eat. I don't understand what they say but the whole half hour news is about Khadaffi. I get the feeling that he is dead. Good riddance!
Stairs
Oct 21, still at Chaurikharka.
It rained in the morning so I just checked out from Buddha lodge and walked back ten minutes to a better lodge, quite a new one. The Didi is very sweet but I don't much like the name, Tourist Lodge.
To me it looked as if it would rain all day so I planned for yet another rest day and put my dirty laundry to soak in a bucket. Then of course the rain stopped. After a couple of hours Susy and Bernie came up from Surkhe as I was having a second breakfast. They had some too but then continued on. I had to stay and do my laundry.
Later Eric and Audra, from Idaho, moved in.
Oct 22, Jorsale.
Chaurikharka 0800
Phakding 1015-11
Jorsale 1345
Only ten minutes after Chaurikharka is the Lukla junction, where all those who fly in to Lukla join the trail and everything changes into a Disneyfied version of Nepal.
I had an early lunch at Phakding and then stopped at the last village before the walk to Namche.
The lodge I stay at does not look like much but the family is very nice, my room is good, and here I have the best Dal Bhat on the entire trek. Eric and Audra is at the same lodge.
Oct 23 Namche Bazaar.
Jorsale 0800
Namche 1100
Namche Bazaar
It's like a city sometimes in Namche
Thawa Lodge is closed because Mr Thawa has died and Thirdpole is full. I stay the first night at Sherpa Village, which may have the most beautiful dining room I have seen in Nepal. But it is totally off the main street and the rooms are mediocre at best. There is a nasty looking bug on the wall by my bed.
Creepy creep
I run in to Jean and Romain. Jean has knee problems and has been three days here. Susy and Bernie are also in town. They stay at Thirdpole and I go there to hang with them in the evening. There are several other charming guests. Among them is an American man and his Thai wife. They carry heavy packs and trek very slowly. They took three weeks to get from Jiri to Namche. They have a tent and a kerosene stove. Sometimes they camp and cook their own food. Yai had bought a live chicken, killed, plucked and cooked it. Matt had just bought a whole tray of eggs. They plan to make waffles by the trail side further up.
Next day I have my mandatory rest day in Namche. I move to Thirdpole.
Oct 25, Pangboche.
Namche 0745
Bridge cafe 1000-1030
Thyangboche 1300-1345
Pangboche 1530
There are several trekking groups at Thyangboche, and more on the way in, so I only have lunch there and then go on to Pangboche. I am now above 4000 mtrs altitude. It is really cold in the evening and next morning.
Upwards from Namche
Oct 26, Pheriche.
Pangboche 0800
Dingboche 1030-1045
Pheriche 1130
I had talked Susy and Bernie into staying at Dingboche and doing the day hike back and forth up the Chukung valley before moving on to Pheriche. To catch up with them I decided to go straight to Pheriche. Somehow I missed the turnoff and when I saw a sizable village I was surprised to see the river on its right. From a distance it looked a bit like Pheriche, but then the river should have been on the other side. It was only when I came closer I realised I was actually in Dingboche. I just had a tea there and then took the shortcut over the hill to Pheriche.
There I stayed at my favourite; Himalayan Hotel. It is a very good place and all new. They had torn down the old lodge and built this newer one on an adjacent plot just a couple of years ago. In the afternoon and evening I kept a good lookout waiting for S & B to walk in, but they never did.
Oct 27, Dukla.
Pheriche 0915
Dukla 1130
It is only a couple of hours from Pheriche to Dukla. Talked a bit to an English guy during lunch. Jean and Romain was here for lunch as well and then continued on up. I decided to stick to the recommended maximum altitude gains per day and stayed the night. I have a lot of time and don't want to get in trouble with AMS.
View of Ama Dablam behind my lodge in Dukla
Oct 28, Lobuche. 4900 mtrs.
Dukla 0830
Dukla pass 0930
Lobuche 1030
Just as I walked in to Lobuche there was a helicopter picking up a trekker who had to be supported on both sides to even make it to the copter. Looked like a typical case of AMS. If that flight is to take him to Kathmandu it will cost him 10 000 dollars. Worth it if ones life is at stake, but very expensive if he got himself into that trouble only by skipping the prescribed limits of altitude gains per day.
Lobuche
The first lodge I check is full. The next one says I can stay if I will share a room with another guy. That proves to be Neil, the English guy I talked to at lunch yesterday. Charming guy who works with animal rescue. At least sometimes with elephants in Thailand.
Oct 29, Gorakshep. 5100 mtrs.
Lobuche 0800
Gorakshep 1015
Yak in fog at Gorakshep
On my way to Gorakshep I meet Romain going down. He feels funny and has first symptoms of AMS, so must go down. His plan is to go to Dukla, but I convince him to continue on to Pheriche. There is a clinic there with western doctors who specialise in AMS. An hour later I meet Jean as well, his knee is bothering him again.
I team up with Neil. He arrives at Gorakshep before me and get us a room at the same lodge I stayed at with another Neil 8 years ago.
Kalapattar in the afternoon.
Oct 30, still staying at Gorakshep.
Neil and I do a day hike back and forth to Everest Base camp proper, 5500 mtrs.
Neil eating Wasa bread by Everest Base Camp
Me by The Ice Fall
On our way back to Gorakshep we run in to Susy and Bernie. They had been sick for three days at Dingboche and only today came up from Lobuche. In the afternoon the wind is really strong in our faces, and cold. S & B decide to turn around and go back to Gorakshep since they still feel a bit weak from their flu. They will climb Kalapattar tomorrow when I start going down to take the longer route to Gokyo. Neil has already been to Gokyo and there is no one else I know who wants to go via Cho La.
Lodge dining room at Gorakshep
Oct 31, Pangboche.
Gorakshep 0830
Lobuche 1015-11
Dukla 12-1230
Pangboche 1530
Yaktrain
I just had a cup of tea at Lobuche, then lunch at Dukla. Sped right past Pheriche and was then almost lost in a cold fog for a couple of hours. Glad to arrive at the same lodge as a week ago.
Nov 1, Phortse.
Pangboche 0845
Phortse 1215
Heavy fog this morning as I left Pangboche. Realised after a few hours that I had dropped my watch. It is a cheap watch with a crappy leather strap. I don't mind so much losing the watch, but I do miss the handy little compass I had fitted on the strap. It is very useful at times when cycling.
Foggy days
I only meant to stop for lunch at Phortse. But before I was done eating a dense fog had swept in over the village. I did not want to miss out on the views while trekking. And I also don't much like to trek in the cold fog anyway. So I got a room and had a hot bucket shower. My first shower since I left Namche.
Nov 2, Thare.
Phortse 1130
Thore 1500
Thare 1530
A few centimeters of snow had fallen during the night. It was foggy again until around 1130 when it cleared up quite a bit, so I hit the trail. Somehow I did not have at all the power I had expected in the uphills. Thare is a one house village and I am the only person staying there.
It was quite clear for half an hour early morning
The beautiful female Thar
The last two hours to Thare I walked in ever denser fog again. Suddenly I heard hoofs running on my right. And then a big Thar jumped across the trail, right over my head! I did get a picture of that male Thar after he had stopped, but it is not very good. The pic here is from his female companion. They are really impressive animals, and quite big.
Nov 3, Gokyo. 5000 mtrs.
Thare 0815
Dragnag 1115-12
Gokyo 1430
Crossing the glacier between Dragnag and Gokyo
Gokyo, from above
I had agreed with Susy and Bernie to check at Cho Oyo View lodge every afternoon at 4 o'clock until we meet. I expected them to be two or three days behind me. But already the same day I had arrived they were there. They had recovered better than expected and come across Cho La.
As we had dinner I mentioned to S & B that I had lost my watch. Eric and Audra who were at the next table happened to hear this. Eric took out a watch from his pocket and asked if that was the one. Unbeknownst to me they had been only an hour behind me on the way to Phortse, and Eric had found my watch on the trail. Had they not happened to stay at the same lodge, or happened to overhear our conversation, he would never have known that it was my watch. Luck!
Nov 4, Gokyo.
I hike up and back to 4th and 5th lake. At the 5th I climb a minor hill and have what is probably the best view I have ever had of Mount Everest.
Everest from Fifth Lake
Nov 5, Lungden.
Gokyo 0730
Renjo-la 1130-12
Lungden 1530
I trek across Renjo-la with Susy and Bernie. My GPS says Renjo-la is 5417 mtrs, one meter higher than Thorong-la. It is really steep on both sides of the pass. On the Eastern side it is tough because it is uphill and the air so thin. At 5000 mtrs it is only half of the density at sea level, where I have spent most of my life. On the western side it is tough because of quite a lot of snow and ice. I slip and fall a couple of times. It feels good to come out of the snow after a couple of hours.
Upwards towards Renjo-La
It is quite steep up
Last view of Everest, from near Renjo-La pass
The last bit is tough going
At Renjo-La pass with Susy and Bernie
On the way to Lungden, the first village on this side, we meet a western woman who is supported by two Sherpas, one on each side steadying her. It is absolutely insane to continue on up in such a condition. And Gokyo is far too high a place to recover if it is AMS that is affecting her balance.
At Lungden we have difficulties finding a place to stay. The first 4 or 5 we ask at are full, mostly with trekkers going up. Several of them have come by helicopter to Surkhe because Lukla is closed since several days due to fog. We hear that there are some 3000 trekkers stuck at Lukla wanting to fly back to Kathmandu. And more keep arriving every day from Namche.
We meet several yak trains on their way back to Tibet
Nice to be going down
We had more or less accepted that we would have to go on to the next village, even though we were really tired already. But then at the very last lodge the Didi offered us to have the dormitory to ourselves. It was only a four bed dorm anyway, and with us in there she got three more guests for dinner.
There were several very nice trekkers at this guest house. Among them a Swiss couple who have flown with a tandem bicycle to Kathmandu and plan to cycle from K to India. Maybe I will meet them along the roads later.
Nov 6, Namche Bazaar.
Lungden 0800
Thame 1045-1115
Thamo 13-14
Namche 1530
It was eerie arriving at Namche. The town is almost empty, while everyone is at Lukla. There is not a soul at Thirdpole, and we are of course very welcome. Unfortunately I had forgotten the details of how well I had hidden my expensive cell phone in the bag with things I had left in deposit there. I had stuffed it in a sock and put together with some cashew nuts in a quite stiff plastic bag. When I went through my stuff I just quickly put that bag aside, remembering that it contained nuts. I did not look into it until I had already alerted the family that my phone was missing, and told them that I would have to go to the police to have a report of it missing. Once I found it being exactly where it should be I was of course both relieved and embarassed that I had not checked better before. Fortunately I had behaved well and never even suggested that the Didi had anything to do with it missing. But I had asked if it could be possible that their young son may have been curious and looked into my unlocked bag, etc.
When I did eventually find the 700 dollar phone the husband was very glad and patted my shoulder saying it was good I had found it. But I think the Didi never really forgave me for not looking closer before I even said that it was missing.
Nov 7, Namche Bazaar.
Slept in late, showered, done laundry, pigged out on Mars bars at the nearest shop, and had Apfel Strudel with fresh brewed coffee at The German Bakery.
Before noon both Eric and Audra as well as Matt and Yai arrived at Thirdpole. All of a sudden the lodge is practically full.
Nov 8, Chaurikharka.
Namche 0745
Jorsale 0915-0930
Phakding 1130-1230
Chaurikharka 1500
Traffic jam below Namche
The fog had cleared from Lukla a couple of days before we left Namche. Now there were hundreds of trekkers heading up towards Namche and above. At times there were real traffic jams when I had to wait for the trail to clear. I was really glad to be going in the other direction. Lodges will be full and food service slow.
Had another lunch of Macaroni with veggies and cheese sauce at Namaste Lodge in Phakding. Then continued on to Chaurikharka. At Tourist Lodge the sweet Didi, her daughter and granddaughter had picnic on a blanket in the garden when I arrived. It felt almost like coming home. S & B also arrived.
Nov 9, Puyan.
Chaurikharka 0840
Surkhe 0940-10
Hilltop 12-1230
Puyan 1400
When I arrived at The Beehive Lodge Susy and Bernie had left just five minutes before. Eric and Audra were there and had taken a room for the night. Rooms at Beehive are actually cottages built very nicely on a slope. In the middle of my lunch a whole big trekking group arrived, English. They had wanted to fly to Lukla but had given up on that and walked in from Jiri. When they first arrived they stood about outside for a good long while debating whether to stop or going on. Suddenly I realised that the cottages would all be full, and I jumped on the Didi asking to have a room myself.
The place became all full before evening. Some even had to camp outside. And three young guys from Stockholm had been given the room where potatoes are normally stored. The dining room was packed in the evening. The Didi must have netted handsomely that day. I spent a thousand rupees and I am sure so did all the other 25 there as well. That Lukla fog must have been very welcome to many lodges along the Jiri to Lukla junction route. Many of those lodges were built 20 years ago when it was far more common for people to walk in rather than flying. Lately they have often not had any guests at all.
Nov 10, Pangum.
Puyan 0840
Left main trail 0920
Pangum 1530
About an hour or so from Puyan I left the Everest trail and climbed up a steep hill Eastwards heading towards The Arun Valley, about a weeks walk away. Eric and Audra are also going out this way.
It was a lot more down than I remembered before the trail eventually started climbing towards Pangum. No lunch today. Only tea and biscuits.
Eric is all American, born in Chicago. But he is of Swedish descent, and I guess looks a bit Swedish. Audra says she is a typical American mutt. Of Italian/Austrian/German descent. She is anyway one of the sweetest persons I have ever met.
It seems we share the same taste of lodges. Again in Pangum we happen to stay in the same place even though they had arrived an hour or more before me, and I was not looking for them. I seeked out the same lodge where I had stayed before, and there they were.
Two of the three sisters have married and now live somewhere in the West. Only one girl is left. I could not help feeling a bit sorry for her. She will stay there living very much the same kind of life her ancestors have since many generations.
Nov 11, Najidingma.
Pangum 0815
Pangum-la 0900
Siburje 10-11
Najidingma 1530
Pangum-la is a bit higher than I remembered, about the same altitude as Surkie-la and Salpa-la. Somehow I had the idea that going over these three passes eastwards would mean each time going up higher. And also after each pass going quite far down again to cross a river. The rivers are there alright. But the passes alas about the same altitude, about 3000 mtrs.
We stopped for an early lunch at Siburje since there is nowhere to have food between there and Najidingma itself.
One of the two establishments catering to foreign viitors in Najidingma. We stayed at the other one.
Eric and Audra at their favourite nightspot in Najidingma
Najidingma is almost freakishly simple and basic. Time has not stood still here since I came this way first time in 1989. It has gone backwards.
Now where is Fred Flintstone himself?
Nov 12, Bung.
Najidingma 0815
Surkie-la 1030
Bung 1530
About two hours climb up to Surkhie-la, and then five down to Bung. Right at the pass we met two young German guys who seemed almost shocked at what they had had to go through to come this far. This is a tough route out, but nothing compared to how tough it is going in.
I had planned to have lunch at the lodge up by the monastery hours before one comes even near upper Bung. But I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere and only saw that lodge, and the monastery from high up. By then I had not seen Eric and Audra since a good while. So I took out my little Meta stove and the bag of dried soup I had bought in Namche. Had meant to eat it yesterday but never did. I cooked some soup and enjoyed it with my Wasa bread and cheddar cheese. Really good. Then I cooked up the rest of the soup waiting for Audra, who I know needs to eat lunch, or she will become a bit grumpy. Eric seems to be able to go all day without eating anything.
Eventually they arrived. Eric had some Wasa bread and Audra the soup.
I gave these kids baloons
Other Bung kids
Again we stayed at the same lodge, in lower Bung. My bill the next morning, for tea, dinner, room and breakfast, was the lowest on this trek. 215 Rupees, or less that 2 Euros, compared with over 2000 Rs in Gokyo, Lobuche and Gorakshep.
The lodge kitchen in Bung
Nov 13, Sanam.
Bung 0730
Guidel 0930-1015
Gompa 1230
Sanam 1400
I left early, wise from previous treks when I have not even made it to Sanam, and have had to stay at a bad lodge by a gompa a couple of hours before Sanam. But then I have also spent a long while at the top of Guidel just enjoying the view of Bung on the other side of the valley. I had an omelette and some tea at Guidel but soon went on my way.
It was really good I had not dallied, because it started raining seriously about an hour before I reached Sanam. I was in Sanam already by 2 PM, asked for two rooms at the Gumba lodge, and then went out searching for E & A, who were just about to walk past this place. Gumba lodge is not much but still the best there is in this strange village.
Actually both the food and tea was better than I had remembered.
In Sanam there are always clouds coming up the valley in the afternoon
Sanam lodge
Nov 14, Salpa Phedi.
Sanam 0800
Salpa-la 1100
Teahouse 14-1430
Phedi 1600
The long downhill was very long and at times slippery when it rained heavily for half an hour. Otherwise a light drizzle. Once you are in Sanam there is not much of an option regardless of the weather. I could hardly imagine taking a rest day in Sanam no matter how much it rains. And the Mera Hotel at Gurase, an hour down from Salpa-la, seems past its prime.
Mera Hotel
Actually on my way up to Salpa I met a couple of German men about an hour before the pass. From the time I think they may actually have stayed at the Mera. Maybe that is why they were not so talkative.
Nov 15, Gothe Bazaar
Phedi 0800
Ghote Bazaar 1530
On the way between Salpa Phedi and Gothe Bazaar there are many opportunities to make mistakes. One has to cross the river back and forth several times when it is too steep on one side or the other for the trail. Some of these bridges are proper wire bridges, while others are small and rickety bamboo bridges. I think I have taken wrong turns here before.
Bamboo bridge
Another one
I must also admit to not trekking well when I have someone right up my back. I walk faster than I otherwise would. And I don't stop to check the map or to ask around as often as I do when trekking all on my own. This is of course only my own problem and I certainly don't blame anyone else for it. Anyway I started from Phedi when Eric and Audra were still having breakfast. Then I stopped by a sidestream to wash myself and to shave. Soon after E & A caught up with me.
At some point I must have missed crossing the bridge across Irkhua Kola to its Northern side. Instead I followed the trail on the Southern side of the river even as that trail started climbing up the hillside. Somehow I thought I recognised it and imagined that soon I would come to the Hindu family where I have stayed a couple of times before. The family that seems just very generous and helpful at first, but then next morning asks for a lot of money.
I kept going upwards even when it became much steeper than I remembered, having Eric right in my back. He has also gone out this way once before, even though it was twelve years ago. Anyway, eventually I stopped and let them pass me. Then I continued on up. Finally I started to doubt I was on the right trail and stopped to ask a Nepali man working in a field. His English was much better than I had expected and was ever so helpful. A Rai sure enough. He told me I should not be on this side of the river at all, and that I had to go back down and cross to the other side and then go another hour or more to get to Gothe Bazaar. He even took the time to walk with me for some fifteen minutes to show me the best trail to get back down. When I checked my map I soon saw that the trail up to the Hindu family is only after Gothe Bazaar, tomorrow.
Millet
Once I was on the other side I also started recognising some of the trail. Just as I walked in to Gothe Bazaar it started raining quite seriously.
Soon I came to the same shabby old lodge at Gothe B. It is not much of a place but I was glad to at least be under a roof. I was wondering where E & A had gone, and I kept looking for them even after it became dark. But they never showed up. When I met them later they told me that they had kept climbing that hillside for quite a while. Eventually they had asked a Nepali man and just as it started raining he invited them to his house for the night. They had been taken very well care of and saw it as a special experience.
Lodge at Gothe Bazaar
Dal Bhat at Gothe Bazaar
Nov 16, Tumlingtar.
Gothe B 0730
Tumlingtar 1645
The "Main Road" from Gothe B towards Tumlingtar
Nice house
This is a nine hour day no doubt. I came over the ridge near the Hindu family, but never recognised their house or saw anyone inviting me in, as they have before. Eventually I came over the top of the ridge and had my first view of The River Arun, a very welcome sight.
Arun River
An hour down the trail is a simple lodge where I stopped for a tea just as it started raining again. The young family there is very nice, but there was a drunk older man when I arrived, maybe a father. Had it not rained I would have kept walking. Nepalis, and Indians for that matter, can not handle alcohol and should stay away from it.
The Didi said that her brother lives in Sweden and she knew a few things about my country.
When the rain ceased I walked on. Right soon I realised that there is now a road being built here too. It is still at early stages but anyway ruins half of the pleasure of trekking here.
The last bridge
I stopped at Chewabesi for a large glass of tea, when I also ate the last of my Wasa bread and cheese.
It was with mixed feelings I walked in to Tumlingtar. Nice to have arrived safe and sound after a 37 day trek. But also sad that now it is over.
As soon as I had gotten a room and a cup of coffee I walked down to the air strip to enquire. The last two days I had heard rumors that also Tumlingtar had been closed, or possibly was it Kathmandu that was closed due to fog. Anyway that there was now a que waiting for flights back to Kathmandu. But that was entirely wrong. There was no que, and flights had been running on schedule. I could easily get a ticket on next days Yeti flight schduled to leave at 1030. Reporting time at airport 0930.
Nov 17, Kathmandu
When I walked over to the airport in Tumlingtar I was very surprised to see Eric and Audra in town. Soon they had gotten tickets too and zipped back to their lodge to pack up. They had heard the que rumours as well and had their minds set on a jeep and bus ride back to Kathmandu. Now very happy to be on a flight instead.
When we arrived at Kathmandu airport I suggested we split a cab to town. Amazingly enough they had also stayed at Norling Guest House, and had stuff stored there.
Oct 11, Jiri.
Apart from some Nepalis it was just me and an old French couple on the 6 o'clock bus to Jiri. The bus was only half full at departure. But later on it filled up, and some had to ride up on the roof.
Had I been a novice trekker I think I could have become intimidated by the situation in Jiri. Nothing much happens in town. And the Frenchies, who stay at the same lodge as me, hardly speaks any English. A guide and a couple of porters will pick them up next morning. I am quite aware of being alone, but not particularly bothered about it. I expect there will be more trekkers at Shivalaya tomorrow.
Oct 12, Shivalaya.
I want to start in the morning from Shivalaya, and thus have most of the long uphill to Deurali in the morning hours, when it is quite cool, and shady on that western side of the slope. So rather than walk over the hill from Jiri to Shivalaya I walked around it, via Those. It takes a bit longer but was a very nice walk when I did this in 2003. Anyway it does not matter what time I am in Shivalaya as long as I am there well before dinner time.
But since 2003 things has changed. There is now a road of sorts and it goes via Those. The road is only half ready, a mud road with deep wheel tracks. There is only one or two buses passing but still it spoils the pleasant walk as it was before.
In Shivalaya I take a room at the Shivalaya Hilton. Other than in name it is a regular Nepali guest house with very basic rooms. For dinner I have my first Dal Bhat in a long while, but certainly not the last. There are about ten trekkers in the village, several of which I will share village and guest house with quite a few times further on.
Oct 13, Bhandar.
My pack feels heavy and does not sit very well on my back. It is a bit small for all my gear and I have to have my fairly heavy sleeping bag strapped on the top. I have rented the pack along with sleeping bag and down jacket from Shona's in Kathmandu. Both sleeping bag and down jacket proves later on to be very warm and comfy, but they are quite heavy. Maybe I am starting to feel my age?
Two young French guys, Jean and Romain, and two Americans, Lee and Cooper, are here as well, all of them very charming.
Oct 14, Kenja.
I am trekking in my Tewa sandals. They are mostly fine but a couple of times I step in mud and get some earth between the straps and the top of my feet. It shafes and after a few hours there is some blood on the top of my toes.
The last couple of hours before Kenja I walk on the side of a South facing slope and it is really hot. So I make up my mind to stop already at Kenja. When I walk in to Kenja all the others are there, they have only just ordered lunch, but I stick to my decision to call it a day here anyway. I simply don't enjoy going further that day. Later Susy and Bernie from Germany/Austria arrive and stop for the night. They never made it to Bhandar the previos day but had stayed overnight at Deurali.
Oct 15, Dakchu.
I trek together with Susy and Bernie now. The lodge at Seti where I have stayed before was all closed. We had lunch at another lodge but did not feel like staying there. So we continued on to Dakchu, just another hour uphill. The first several lodges we check at Dakchu are really grimy and their owners stink of moonshine alcohol. Eventually though we come to a lodge were the Didi looks like an angel and the rooms are clean. We move in and are later very happen with that decision.
Oct 16, Junbesi.
Dakchu 0800
Lamjura 1110-12
Junbesi 1500
Lamjura is a regular bitch pass. At 3500 mtrs we can feel the altitude and breathe heavily. At the same time I do start to feel my trekking form shaping up. It is good to arrive at Junbesi, particularly since we plan a rest day here. Need to do some laundry and let my feet heal up. I am glad to see that Ang Chokpas lodge is open again, now out of the Maoists hands. Their owners are abroad though and the lodge is rented out long term to a local woman.
Oct 18, Nuntala.
Junbesi 0730
Phurteng 0930-10
Ringmo bridge 1145
Ringmo 1215-13
Trakshindo 1415
Nuntala 1700
Trakshindo pass is a good bit easier than Lamjura, but it is still quite a long day. I only arrive at 5 o'clock, very pleased to get a room at the best lodge in town. In the evening the dining room is so warm from the good stove that we all have to strip down to T-shirts.
Oct 19, Bupsa.
Nuntala 0730
Jubing 1030-11
Kharikola 1330-1430
Bupsa 1545
I enjoy walking through Jubing, the first Rai village on this trek. The Rai people are the oldest settlers in this area that are still around. They mostly live at altitudes around 1000 - 2000 mtrs where the climate is warm and the land is fertile. They are neither Hindus nor Buddhists but have a religion of their own, worshipping spirits of the land and water, and in plants and animals. Their villages are beautiful, full of flowers and many animals, and their fields are ripe with corn and barley. They do however eat pigs, something that make the Hindus look down on them.
Oct 20, Chaurikharka.
Bupsa 0730
Puyan 1145-1230
Surkhe 1530-16
Chaurikharka 1745
Susy and Bernie decide to stop at Surkhe. I continue on to the beautiful village of Chaurikharka, but only arrive there as it is getting dark just before 6 o'clock. I get a room at Buddha lodge where I have stayed before and been very pleased with. Unfortunately many things have changed since then. They have destroyed the beautiful dining room, that became a dormitory at night, by chopping it up into very small windowless rooms.
I have dinner in the family's dining room. It is not bad per se, but there is now a TV, where the Nepali news is on while I eat. I don't understand what they say but the whole half hour news is about Khadaffi. I get the feeling that he is dead. Good riddance!
Oct 21, still at Chaurikharka.
It rained in the morning so I just checked out from Buddha lodge and walked back ten minutes to a better lodge, quite a new one. The Didi is very sweet but I don't much like the name, Tourist Lodge.
To me it looked as if it would rain all day so I planned for yet another rest day and put my dirty laundry to soak in a bucket. Then of course the rain stopped. After a couple of hours Susy and Bernie came up from Surkhe as I was having a second breakfast. They had some too but then continued on. I had to stay and do my laundry.
Later Eric and Audra, from Idaho, moved in.
Oct 22, Jorsale.
Chaurikharka 0800
Phakding 1015-11
Jorsale 1345
Only ten minutes after Chaurikharka is the Lukla junction, where all those who fly in to Lukla join the trail and everything changes into a Disneyfied version of Nepal.
I had an early lunch at Phakding and then stopped at the last village before the walk to Namche.
The lodge I stay at does not look like much but the family is very nice, my room is good, and here I have the best Dal Bhat on the entire trek. Eric and Audra is at the same lodge.
Oct 23 Namche Bazaar.
Jorsale 0800
Namche 1100
Thawa Lodge is closed because Mr Thawa has died and Thirdpole is full. I stay the first night at Sherpa Village, which may have the most beautiful dining room I have seen in Nepal. But it is totally off the main street and the rooms are mediocre at best. There is a nasty looking bug on the wall by my bed.
I run in to Jean and Romain. Jean has knee problems and has been three days here. Susy and Bernie are also in town. They stay at Thirdpole and I go there to hang with them in the evening. There are several other charming guests. Among them is an American man and his Thai wife. They carry heavy packs and trek very slowly. They took three weeks to get from Jiri to Namche. They have a tent and a kerosene stove. Sometimes they camp and cook their own food. Yai had bought a live chicken, killed, plucked and cooked it. Matt had just bought a whole tray of eggs. They plan to make waffles by the trail side further up.
Next day I have my mandatory rest day in Namche. I move to Thirdpole.
Oct 25, Pangboche.
Namche 0745
Bridge cafe 1000-1030
Thyangboche 1300-1345
Pangboche 1530
There are several trekking groups at Thyangboche, and more on the way in, so I only have lunch there and then go on to Pangboche. I am now above 4000 mtrs altitude. It is really cold in the evening and next morning.
Oct 26, Pheriche.
Pangboche 0800
Dingboche 1030-1045
Pheriche 1130
I had talked Susy and Bernie into staying at Dingboche and doing the day hike back and forth up the Chukung valley before moving on to Pheriche. To catch up with them I decided to go straight to Pheriche. Somehow I missed the turnoff and when I saw a sizable village I was surprised to see the river on its right. From a distance it looked a bit like Pheriche, but then the river should have been on the other side. It was only when I came closer I realised I was actually in Dingboche. I just had a tea there and then took the shortcut over the hill to Pheriche.
There I stayed at my favourite; Himalayan Hotel. It is a very good place and all new. They had torn down the old lodge and built this newer one on an adjacent plot just a couple of years ago. In the afternoon and evening I kept a good lookout waiting for S & B to walk in, but they never did.
Oct 27, Dukla.
Pheriche 0915
Dukla 1130
It is only a couple of hours from Pheriche to Dukla. Talked a bit to an English guy during lunch. Jean and Romain was here for lunch as well and then continued on up. I decided to stick to the recommended maximum altitude gains per day and stayed the night. I have a lot of time and don't want to get in trouble with AMS.
Oct 28, Lobuche. 4900 mtrs.
Dukla 0830
Dukla pass 0930
Lobuche 1030
Just as I walked in to Lobuche there was a helicopter picking up a trekker who had to be supported on both sides to even make it to the copter. Looked like a typical case of AMS. If that flight is to take him to Kathmandu it will cost him 10 000 dollars. Worth it if ones life is at stake, but very expensive if he got himself into that trouble only by skipping the prescribed limits of altitude gains per day.
The first lodge I check is full. The next one says I can stay if I will share a room with another guy. That proves to be Neil, the English guy I talked to at lunch yesterday. Charming guy who works with animal rescue. At least sometimes with elephants in Thailand.
Oct 29, Gorakshep. 5100 mtrs.
Lobuche 0800
Gorakshep 1015
On my way to Gorakshep I meet Romain going down. He feels funny and has first symptoms of AMS, so must go down. His plan is to go to Dukla, but I convince him to continue on to Pheriche. There is a clinic there with western doctors who specialise in AMS. An hour later I meet Jean as well, his knee is bothering him again.
I team up with Neil. He arrives at Gorakshep before me and get us a room at the same lodge I stayed at with another Neil 8 years ago.
Kalapattar in the afternoon.
Oct 30, still staying at Gorakshep.
Neil and I do a day hike back and forth to Everest Base camp proper, 5500 mtrs.
On our way back to Gorakshep we run in to Susy and Bernie. They had been sick for three days at Dingboche and only today came up from Lobuche. In the afternoon the wind is really strong in our faces, and cold. S & B decide to turn around and go back to Gorakshep since they still feel a bit weak from their flu. They will climb Kalapattar tomorrow when I start going down to take the longer route to Gokyo. Neil has already been to Gokyo and there is no one else I know who wants to go via Cho La.
Oct 31, Pangboche.
Gorakshep 0830
Lobuche 1015-11
Dukla 12-1230
Pangboche 1530
I just had a cup of tea at Lobuche, then lunch at Dukla. Sped right past Pheriche and was then almost lost in a cold fog for a couple of hours. Glad to arrive at the same lodge as a week ago.
Nov 1, Phortse.
Pangboche 0845
Phortse 1215
Heavy fog this morning as I left Pangboche. Realised after a few hours that I had dropped my watch. It is a cheap watch with a crappy leather strap. I don't mind so much losing the watch, but I do miss the handy little compass I had fitted on the strap. It is very useful at times when cycling.
I only meant to stop for lunch at Phortse. But before I was done eating a dense fog had swept in over the village. I did not want to miss out on the views while trekking. And I also don't much like to trek in the cold fog anyway. So I got a room and had a hot bucket shower. My first shower since I left Namche.
Nov 2, Thare.
Phortse 1130
Thore 1500
Thare 1530
A few centimeters of snow had fallen during the night. It was foggy again until around 1130 when it cleared up quite a bit, so I hit the trail. Somehow I did not have at all the power I had expected in the uphills. Thare is a one house village and I am the only person staying there.
The last two hours to Thare I walked in ever denser fog again. Suddenly I heard hoofs running on my right. And then a big Thar jumped across the trail, right over my head! I did get a picture of that male Thar after he had stopped, but it is not very good. The pic here is from his female companion. They are really impressive animals, and quite big.
Nov 3, Gokyo. 5000 mtrs.
Thare 0815
Dragnag 1115-12
Gokyo 1430
I had agreed with Susy and Bernie to check at Cho Oyo View lodge every afternoon at 4 o'clock until we meet. I expected them to be two or three days behind me. But already the same day I had arrived they were there. They had recovered better than expected and come across Cho La.
As we had dinner I mentioned to S & B that I had lost my watch. Eric and Audra who were at the next table happened to hear this. Eric took out a watch from his pocket and asked if that was the one. Unbeknownst to me they had been only an hour behind me on the way to Phortse, and Eric had found my watch on the trail. Had they not happened to stay at the same lodge, or happened to overhear our conversation, he would never have known that it was my watch. Luck!
Nov 4, Gokyo.
I hike up and back to 4th and 5th lake. At the 5th I climb a minor hill and have what is probably the best view I have ever had of Mount Everest.
Nov 5, Lungden.
Gokyo 0730
Renjo-la 1130-12
Lungden 1530
I trek across Renjo-la with Susy and Bernie. My GPS says Renjo-la is 5417 mtrs, one meter higher than Thorong-la. It is really steep on both sides of the pass. On the Eastern side it is tough because it is uphill and the air so thin. At 5000 mtrs it is only half of the density at sea level, where I have spent most of my life. On the western side it is tough because of quite a lot of snow and ice. I slip and fall a couple of times. It feels good to come out of the snow after a couple of hours.
On the way to Lungden, the first village on this side, we meet a western woman who is supported by two Sherpas, one on each side steadying her. It is absolutely insane to continue on up in such a condition. And Gokyo is far too high a place to recover if it is AMS that is affecting her balance.
At Lungden we have difficulties finding a place to stay. The first 4 or 5 we ask at are full, mostly with trekkers going up. Several of them have come by helicopter to Surkhe because Lukla is closed since several days due to fog. We hear that there are some 3000 trekkers stuck at Lukla wanting to fly back to Kathmandu. And more keep arriving every day from Namche.
We had more or less accepted that we would have to go on to the next village, even though we were really tired already. But then at the very last lodge the Didi offered us to have the dormitory to ourselves. It was only a four bed dorm anyway, and with us in there she got three more guests for dinner.
There were several very nice trekkers at this guest house. Among them a Swiss couple who have flown with a tandem bicycle to Kathmandu and plan to cycle from K to India. Maybe I will meet them along the roads later.
Nov 6, Namche Bazaar.
Lungden 0800
Thame 1045-1115
Thamo 13-14
Namche 1530
It was eerie arriving at Namche. The town is almost empty, while everyone is at Lukla. There is not a soul at Thirdpole, and we are of course very welcome. Unfortunately I had forgotten the details of how well I had hidden my expensive cell phone in the bag with things I had left in deposit there. I had stuffed it in a sock and put together with some cashew nuts in a quite stiff plastic bag. When I went through my stuff I just quickly put that bag aside, remembering that it contained nuts. I did not look into it until I had already alerted the family that my phone was missing, and told them that I would have to go to the police to have a report of it missing. Once I found it being exactly where it should be I was of course both relieved and embarassed that I had not checked better before. Fortunately I had behaved well and never even suggested that the Didi had anything to do with it missing. But I had asked if it could be possible that their young son may have been curious and looked into my unlocked bag, etc.
When I did eventually find the 700 dollar phone the husband was very glad and patted my shoulder saying it was good I had found it. But I think the Didi never really forgave me for not looking closer before I even said that it was missing.
Nov 7, Namche Bazaar.
Slept in late, showered, done laundry, pigged out on Mars bars at the nearest shop, and had Apfel Strudel with fresh brewed coffee at The German Bakery.
Before noon both Eric and Audra as well as Matt and Yai arrived at Thirdpole. All of a sudden the lodge is practically full.
Nov 8, Chaurikharka.
Namche 0745
Jorsale 0915-0930
Phakding 1130-1230
Chaurikharka 1500
The fog had cleared from Lukla a couple of days before we left Namche. Now there were hundreds of trekkers heading up towards Namche and above. At times there were real traffic jams when I had to wait for the trail to clear. I was really glad to be going in the other direction. Lodges will be full and food service slow.
Had another lunch of Macaroni with veggies and cheese sauce at Namaste Lodge in Phakding. Then continued on to Chaurikharka. At Tourist Lodge the sweet Didi, her daughter and granddaughter had picnic on a blanket in the garden when I arrived. It felt almost like coming home. S & B also arrived.
Nov 9, Puyan.
Chaurikharka 0840
Surkhe 0940-10
Hilltop 12-1230
Puyan 1400
When I arrived at The Beehive Lodge Susy and Bernie had left just five minutes before. Eric and Audra were there and had taken a room for the night. Rooms at Beehive are actually cottages built very nicely on a slope. In the middle of my lunch a whole big trekking group arrived, English. They had wanted to fly to Lukla but had given up on that and walked in from Jiri. When they first arrived they stood about outside for a good long while debating whether to stop or going on. Suddenly I realised that the cottages would all be full, and I jumped on the Didi asking to have a room myself.
The place became all full before evening. Some even had to camp outside. And three young guys from Stockholm had been given the room where potatoes are normally stored. The dining room was packed in the evening. The Didi must have netted handsomely that day. I spent a thousand rupees and I am sure so did all the other 25 there as well. That Lukla fog must have been very welcome to many lodges along the Jiri to Lukla junction route. Many of those lodges were built 20 years ago when it was far more common for people to walk in rather than flying. Lately they have often not had any guests at all.
Nov 10, Pangum.
Puyan 0840
Left main trail 0920
Pangum 1530
About an hour or so from Puyan I left the Everest trail and climbed up a steep hill Eastwards heading towards The Arun Valley, about a weeks walk away. Eric and Audra are also going out this way.
It was a lot more down than I remembered before the trail eventually started climbing towards Pangum. No lunch today. Only tea and biscuits.
Eric is all American, born in Chicago. But he is of Swedish descent, and I guess looks a bit Swedish. Audra says she is a typical American mutt. Of Italian/Austrian/German descent. She is anyway one of the sweetest persons I have ever met.
It seems we share the same taste of lodges. Again in Pangum we happen to stay in the same place even though they had arrived an hour or more before me, and I was not looking for them. I seeked out the same lodge where I had stayed before, and there they were.
Two of the three sisters have married and now live somewhere in the West. Only one girl is left. I could not help feeling a bit sorry for her. She will stay there living very much the same kind of life her ancestors have since many generations.
Nov 11, Najidingma.
Pangum 0815
Pangum-la 0900
Siburje 10-11
Najidingma 1530
Pangum-la is a bit higher than I remembered, about the same altitude as Surkie-la and Salpa-la. Somehow I had the idea that going over these three passes eastwards would mean each time going up higher. And also after each pass going quite far down again to cross a river. The rivers are there alright. But the passes alas about the same altitude, about 3000 mtrs.
We stopped for an early lunch at Siburje since there is nowhere to have food between there and Najidingma itself.
Najidingma is almost freakishly simple and basic. Time has not stood still here since I came this way first time in 1989. It has gone backwards.
Nov 12, Bung.
Najidingma 0815
Surkie-la 1030
Bung 1530
About two hours climb up to Surkhie-la, and then five down to Bung. Right at the pass we met two young German guys who seemed almost shocked at what they had had to go through to come this far. This is a tough route out, but nothing compared to how tough it is going in.
I had planned to have lunch at the lodge up by the monastery hours before one comes even near upper Bung. But I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere and only saw that lodge, and the monastery from high up. By then I had not seen Eric and Audra since a good while. So I took out my little Meta stove and the bag of dried soup I had bought in Namche. Had meant to eat it yesterday but never did. I cooked some soup and enjoyed it with my Wasa bread and cheddar cheese. Really good. Then I cooked up the rest of the soup waiting for Audra, who I know needs to eat lunch, or she will become a bit grumpy. Eric seems to be able to go all day without eating anything.
Eventually they arrived. Eric had some Wasa bread and Audra the soup.
Again we stayed at the same lodge, in lower Bung. My bill the next morning, for tea, dinner, room and breakfast, was the lowest on this trek. 215 Rupees, or less that 2 Euros, compared with over 2000 Rs in Gokyo, Lobuche and Gorakshep.
Nov 13, Sanam.
Bung 0730
Guidel 0930-1015
Gompa 1230
Sanam 1400
I left early, wise from previous treks when I have not even made it to Sanam, and have had to stay at a bad lodge by a gompa a couple of hours before Sanam. But then I have also spent a long while at the top of Guidel just enjoying the view of Bung on the other side of the valley. I had an omelette and some tea at Guidel but soon went on my way.
It was really good I had not dallied, because it started raining seriously about an hour before I reached Sanam. I was in Sanam already by 2 PM, asked for two rooms at the Gumba lodge, and then went out searching for E & A, who were just about to walk past this place. Gumba lodge is not much but still the best there is in this strange village.
Actually both the food and tea was better than I had remembered.
Nov 14, Salpa Phedi.
Sanam 0800
Salpa-la 1100
Teahouse 14-1430
Phedi 1600
The long downhill was very long and at times slippery when it rained heavily for half an hour. Otherwise a light drizzle. Once you are in Sanam there is not much of an option regardless of the weather. I could hardly imagine taking a rest day in Sanam no matter how much it rains. And the Mera Hotel at Gurase, an hour down from Salpa-la, seems past its prime.
Actually on my way up to Salpa I met a couple of German men about an hour before the pass. From the time I think they may actually have stayed at the Mera. Maybe that is why they were not so talkative.
Nov 15, Gothe Bazaar
Phedi 0800
Ghote Bazaar 1530
On the way between Salpa Phedi and Gothe Bazaar there are many opportunities to make mistakes. One has to cross the river back and forth several times when it is too steep on one side or the other for the trail. Some of these bridges are proper wire bridges, while others are small and rickety bamboo bridges. I think I have taken wrong turns here before.
I must also admit to not trekking well when I have someone right up my back. I walk faster than I otherwise would. And I don't stop to check the map or to ask around as often as I do when trekking all on my own. This is of course only my own problem and I certainly don't blame anyone else for it. Anyway I started from Phedi when Eric and Audra were still having breakfast. Then I stopped by a sidestream to wash myself and to shave. Soon after E & A caught up with me.
At some point I must have missed crossing the bridge across Irkhua Kola to its Northern side. Instead I followed the trail on the Southern side of the river even as that trail started climbing up the hillside. Somehow I thought I recognised it and imagined that soon I would come to the Hindu family where I have stayed a couple of times before. The family that seems just very generous and helpful at first, but then next morning asks for a lot of money.
I kept going upwards even when it became much steeper than I remembered, having Eric right in my back. He has also gone out this way once before, even though it was twelve years ago. Anyway, eventually I stopped and let them pass me. Then I continued on up. Finally I started to doubt I was on the right trail and stopped to ask a Nepali man working in a field. His English was much better than I had expected and was ever so helpful. A Rai sure enough. He told me I should not be on this side of the river at all, and that I had to go back down and cross to the other side and then go another hour or more to get to Gothe Bazaar. He even took the time to walk with me for some fifteen minutes to show me the best trail to get back down. When I checked my map I soon saw that the trail up to the Hindu family is only after Gothe Bazaar, tomorrow.
Once I was on the other side I also started recognising some of the trail. Just as I walked in to Gothe Bazaar it started raining quite seriously.
Soon I came to the same shabby old lodge at Gothe B. It is not much of a place but I was glad to at least be under a roof. I was wondering where E & A had gone, and I kept looking for them even after it became dark. But they never showed up. When I met them later they told me that they had kept climbing that hillside for quite a while. Eventually they had asked a Nepali man and just as it started raining he invited them to his house for the night. They had been taken very well care of and saw it as a special experience.
Nov 16, Tumlingtar.
Gothe B 0730
Tumlingtar 1645
This is a nine hour day no doubt. I came over the ridge near the Hindu family, but never recognised their house or saw anyone inviting me in, as they have before. Eventually I came over the top of the ridge and had my first view of The River Arun, a very welcome sight.
An hour down the trail is a simple lodge where I stopped for a tea just as it started raining again. The young family there is very nice, but there was a drunk older man when I arrived, maybe a father. Had it not rained I would have kept walking. Nepalis, and Indians for that matter, can not handle alcohol and should stay away from it.
The Didi said that her brother lives in Sweden and she knew a few things about my country.
When the rain ceased I walked on. Right soon I realised that there is now a road being built here too. It is still at early stages but anyway ruins half of the pleasure of trekking here.
I stopped at Chewabesi for a large glass of tea, when I also ate the last of my Wasa bread and cheese.
It was with mixed feelings I walked in to Tumlingtar. Nice to have arrived safe and sound after a 37 day trek. But also sad that now it is over.
As soon as I had gotten a room and a cup of coffee I walked down to the air strip to enquire. The last two days I had heard rumors that also Tumlingtar had been closed, or possibly was it Kathmandu that was closed due to fog. Anyway that there was now a que waiting for flights back to Kathmandu. But that was entirely wrong. There was no que, and flights had been running on schedule. I could easily get a ticket on next days Yeti flight schduled to leave at 1030. Reporting time at airport 0930.
Nov 17, Kathmandu
When I walked over to the airport in Tumlingtar I was very surprised to see Eric and Audra in town. Soon they had gotten tickets too and zipped back to their lodge to pack up. They had heard the que rumours as well and had their minds set on a jeep and bus ride back to Kathmandu. Now very happy to be on a flight instead.
When we arrived at Kathmandu airport I suggested we split a cab to town. Amazingly enough they had also stayed at Norling Guest House, and had stuff stored there.
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