Unable to cross Burma or China with our bike we are forced to take a plane from Bangkok to Kathmandu. Instead of flying with Thai Airways, we’re challenging our luck and hitch a ride with the cheap Royal Nepal Airlines. The plane definitely saw better times already but the service is excellent and, hey, we land in Kathmandu without any incidents!
At first I don’t like the idea of arriving 1 day before the bike but it is actually by far better. This way we’re getting picked up by the staff of the hotel we booked in for the first 2 nights and can have a brief look around the area we’re staying before heading off for the airport again.

at the thorung la 5416m

The procedure to clear the bike from the customs seems easy at the beginning. Without any help we find the correct office, which is handing over the original freight papers and are send to the customs/warehouse 1,5km south. At the gate await us several “fixers”, who want to help us with the paperwork for additional costs.
At this time we’re sure we can fix everything on our own and we’re ignoring their pleads.

Very soon we learn that it is a common practise to use fixers for the procedures at the customs, it is even encouraged by the officers in charge. All the paperwork is in Nepali Sanskrit and the custom officers would rather drink another cup of tea than to tell us what to fill in…
It is difficult to describe the situation in the combined customs/warehouse. The brick walled building is extremely dark inside; it is hard to read something in the offices and even harder to find your way in the gangway… Even the Airport compound is suffering from continues brown outs!
In the toilet there is a lone candle stuck to one of the sinks, upon entry you’d need to get your eyes used to the darkness first before stepping any further.

The fixer and me are running through the offices and collecting signatures and stamps, 3 hours later we must have about 30 of them on the declaration form. In some of the offices the corners are being abused as “spitting corners”. Close to the entry/exit door the wall would be stained red with spit and the remains of betel nut or whatsoever. It seems to be normal practise to cough up your phlegm upon exit and leave it on the wall. This mucus would then follow the gravity and move slowly towards the carpeted floor, leaving a shiny stain…
Only after the declaration form is completely full of stamps, signatures and markings I’m asked for the Carnet de Passage. The officer in charge wants to know where the bike is but so do I!!!! I haven’t seen a hint of it yet.
Together we’re able to find my box, which is now being pushed out onto the street by several workers. The engine and chassis numbers are checked and from now on I’m allowed to work on my bike.
It takes some concentration to be able to assemble the bike being under permanent supervision of at least 30 people.

Eventually the bikebox is beeing pushed out of the customs

What a beauty!!!!

The assembly of the bike is beeing watched over by some bystanders

Leaving the Airport compound my first move is to find a petrol station. Petrol stations in Kathmandu are not very easy to find. They are not colourful or distinct from the surroundings but, at least there is petrol available!!
Nepal hasn’t got any oil itself and is importing all oil products from the neighbouring India. This situation makes it very vulnerable to strikes, which happen quite often in this country. So, most of the time there is no petrol available and you just got to wait…
I’m getting the first feeling for the traffic in Kathmandu riding to our hotel, bikes, people, cars, trucks and cows everywhere, moving in all imaginable directions, completely ignoring the road rules (is there any rules anyway??).

Impressions from the first walk in Kathmandu

A wandering holy man - Sadhu

Kathmandu is a strange place and we are more than eager to explore it. And there is almost too much to see for us.
We start with a walk to Kathmandu’s Durbar Square, where once the city’s kings were crowned and legitimised. If it were no cars or motorbikes in here you’d think you’re transferred into the 15th century. There are small shops with windows hardly rising above the street level, all unlit or lit by candlelight. Meat is simply put out on a table in the baking sun only centimetres away from passing traffic. Further on we spot some Yogis, with their painted faces and coloured clothes a great photo opportunity. Also great are the ceremonies. It seems that wherever we walk, there would be some kind of celebrations.
There are girls sitting together with their parents and performing some kind of Hindu rituals, a skinhead boy with a swastika painted to his head is being a centre of a parade through the city accompanied by an immense noise originating from the following music band.
Then again, a monkey stole a plastic bag with something edible from a young boy and enjoys now its contents, while the boy has to watch in a safe distance.
The first few days in Kathmandu are immense. No matter where I look, there would be something happening. Besides the Durbar Square, we’re visiting some temples.

holy cow at the durbar square

A 6 months old child ready for the rice feeding ceremony

A butchery by day...

... and by night

Jane at the Durbar Squere in Kathmandu

The Pashupatinath temple is the most important site for Hindus in Nepal. As non Hindus we’re not allowed inside any of the actual temples but we are allowed to be witnesses to some cremations… (Not a very pleasant experience though).
From here we walk on and pass an obviously very important vagina temple. It’s a shame we again can’t go inside, I’m more than interested what is accommodated inside!
Walking through some construction places we reach Bodnath, home to one of the world’s largest stupas.

cremations at the pashupatinath temple

sadhu at the pashupatinath temple

buddhas eyes at the bodnath temple

For us, Bodnath isn’t very special, a huge concrete dome with lots of prayer flags and prayer wheels. But the surrounding atmosphere is very spiritual. Wherever we walk, there would be the “om mani padme um” sound following us and Buddha’s eyes would follow us too…

Having all things sorted out in the capital we’re ready for Pokhara and the Annapurna Circuit. We leave our bike and most of our gear at the guesthouse in Pokhara and take off with only the minimum on equipment for the long trek.

ANNAPURNA CIRCUIT

During 14 days we walk from Besishar anti clockwise the Annapurna Circuit, passing stunning scenery every single day of the trek. It’s a great experience for both of us. We walk approximately 150 kilometres through the Himalayas, try some delicacies like yak cheese, yak curry or just dried yak meat and the famous Tibetan butter tea, and cross the hazardous Thorung La Pass with its 5416m in a snow storm. We get lost after the pass in a heavy snowfall and find our way later on, just as we’re thinking of our possibilities to sleep in the open at an altitude of 4000m… Jane’s enthusiasm for the snow is declining rapidly now!
While resting in Muktinath we decide not to complete the circuit and try to fly from Jomsom to Pokhara. The rest of the circuit isn’t just the same like the eastern part. With the road to Muktinath finished there are suddenly so many people and so much traffic on the trek that it is not enjoyable for us any more. Still, we need to make it to Jomsom and fight the strong wind all the way in the Kali Gandaki Valley.
The last part of our Annapurna experience is the beautiful but short flight back to Pokhara. The little Cesna is following the valleys and we’re getting incredible mountain views all the way, almost touching Poonhill and getting very close to Macchapucchare, the “Fishtail-Mountain”.

annapurna 4 in first sun rays

annapurna 4 again

annapurna 3 and gangapurna

chorten at bhraga

faces of the himalaya

view of annapurnas in gunsang

janes first snow

too much snow for jane now

yakyakyakyakyak

ghyaru view

view of jharkot

We don’t really like the idea of back tracing but this time we need to ride back to Kathmandu and apply for the Pakistani visa. The process is more of a job application than applying for a visa. We need to fill in 5 pages with some strange questions in strange English… There would be questions about education, specialties, work experience, and this for the applicant and for his complete family. Besides asking for my address 3 times in the forms, there is another question about my “domicile”. But, still the progress isn’t too bad and after an interview and 2 days of waiting we’re getting our visas handed out for 36$ each.
Now, we finally can leave Kathmandu, its terrible traffic and shocking air pollution.
We’re choosing the Rajpath Highway, the direct and oldest connection Kathmandus with the rest of the World. Endless hairpin bends, mostly one lane of tarmac and not too much traffic – exactly what we want! On the way we quickly find out the reason for the lack of traffic. Another transportation strike is on and literally all tankers are parking beside the road. Nice, although we might have problems to refill our tank again…

since 1992 and still kicking

Spending few days in the Chitwan National Park we’re able to explore the park per pedes.
Although we spot some crocodiles, deer, wild buffalo, different species of birds, the main attraction of the park – the Rhinoceros doesn’t appear until the last half hour of our whole day walk. 200 meters away and then only for 10 seconds we can see the huge mammal.

canoe in chitwan NP

paintings on a elephant

village boy in chitwan NP

who is pulling whom?

supermarket in tansen

Much luckier we are in the Bardia National Park. Here the young male Rhino comes almost too close, hehehe.

going to bardia NP

jane nepali style

rhino encounter in bardia NP

chapati and vegetables

On the day we’re leaving Bardia NP there is another strike on and road blocks being installed. Some tourists are stranded as they can’t get a public transport anywhere…

remains of a recent road block

road scene from nepal

Nepal is a beautiful country but it has many problems, which affect the tourism industry directly. People trying to extort money from passing traffic by blocking the highway deliberately, the permanent lack of gasoline due to strikes and the constant power cuts make travelling difficult if not unpleasant.