Prithvi Highway

Trip Start Aug 03, 2007

Trip End Oct 18, 2007

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Flag of Nepal Pokhara, Nepal
Monday, September 24, 2007

After spending a few days in Dehra Dun, which is definitely not a western tourist spot, Kathmandu was a bit of a culture shock. The Themal area, the tourist neighborhood, is full of knock off North Face and Oreo cookies. We found an excellent bicycle repair shop which fixed my bottom bracket and did the final tinkering with Matt's rear wheel truing. To test the new parts we biked up to the Buddhist temple, Swayambhunath, where we got to watch their afternoon prayer. They chanted, banged on drums, blew reed instruments and had tea. We were amused that the younger monks, 10 years old, had Coke instead of tea.

Trying to keep our volunteer date we saved the rest of Katmandu's sightseeing for when we swing back through at the end of our Nepal visit. So back on the bicycles, up and out of the Kathmandu valley and heading west along the Prithvi highway. I though that Nepal would be more like Leh, high and dry, but it's quite a green forest and farmland with crop terracing on every hillside. It's also hot and humid, good thing I grew up in Wisconsin to prepare me for this sort of body abuse. Oofph! They've got bugs over here that would put an August cicada to shame. At first we though it was a motor whining or a buzz saw but now it's one of those thumb size beetles that makes a very loud noise.

After wrestling in Northern India with the mountains, it felt quite nice to be moving relatively quickly again on the rolling hills of central Nepal. We have continued to find tasty curries or noodle soup for breaks and dinner giving Matt a break from hunching over the stove. The food continues to be quite tasty (metoe!) and ridiculey inexpensive. $5 for a typical dinner for two.

Three days on the bicycles brought us into Pokhara with the Annapurna range looming and impressive 23,000ft above our heads. We spent a couple of days seeing the sights; old Pokhara, Lakeside district, World Peace Pagoda and the International mountain museum. Pokhara has the same knock off North Face and Oreo's but it's much more laid back and quiet.

So, from Pokhara we're taking a bus to Beni and someone from Himanchal education Foundation, where we're volunteering for the next two weeks, will meet us and walk the 6 hour trail to Nanagi.