Photo Trip Report: Riding Across Nepal

[buksida]

Yes, walk it or get on the back of another bike!

[Big Boy]

Ouch, I'd have failed on both counts. Respect to all of you. You're still crazy though

[HHTel]

Fantastic bridge. Something never forgotten.

The Chinese, of course, would have made it out of glass...... hehe!

[caller]

Oh really? Is there an easier alternative?

Shank's pony I would imagine!

Not for me. Amazing pics though!

[lindosfan1]

Superb pictures I think the best and most interesting you have ever posted.

[buksida]

It was easy taking good pics when the landscape was that stunning.

Thanks for all the comments ... it gets better ...

[buksida]

Day 3 – Kushma to Lete

After an early night due to tiredness we were up early for a quick bite to eat before hitting the road. There were planned road closures on our route north and our guide wanted us through them in good time.

We left Kushma and took the last semi-paved road north west and started to climb into the mountainous region. The traffic was horrendous as usual and I wanted to get off road and into the Himalayas. The final gas station in civilization provided us with a fill before things got really rural, we were about to head into the wilderness, quite literally.

Our first obstacle came in the form of a house sized boulder blocking the road. A skilled Caterpillar driver tackled the beast like he was playing Fifa 19 and we were soon on the way again secretly hoping that would be the last ‘big rock’ encounter.

Our first tea break was where the fun was about to begin and huge snowcapped peaks became the norm in terms of epic scenery. We saw a few hikers, the odd four by four taking tourists up the mountain, and an assortment of construction vehicles but there was little other traffic aside from the odd lunatic battling to get a bus up here.

The road surface turned gnarlier with more loose gravel and bigger rocks, higher drop offs, deeper holes, steeper gradients and generally a more butt clenching experience all together. A lot of the riding was done standing up which was easier on the arse but not on the knees!

From here on I wanted to get off and take photos around every turn as the scenery just got better and better which was inversely correlated to the road surface! We stopped for a few photos at a waterfall which marked the beginning of our last final push to tonight’s accommodation in the mountains.

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To follow: Kalopani

[PeteC]

What nationality was the woman, she doing the trip alone? Tough lady. I would bet she wasn't the one who didn't want to drive over the bridge.

[Big Boy]

That's a couple of Caterpillars we've seen now. Are they strategically place waiting for an incident, or was your timing impeccable?

[buksida]

Singaporean, she was with a friend. Yes a tough girl, the bikes were heavy and she was not - there were some really gnarly sections that she had to ride pillion.

There was a lot of road construction going on so the CATs were quite common.

[Big Boy]

'Construction'

[buksida]

For the final rip I had a go on the 250 dirt bike which had so much more torque and chewed up the surface as I skidded into the lodge car park sideways with a stupid grin plastered to my face and a mouth full of dust.

A cold beer was cracked to mark the end of another day’s ride and we marveled at our settings, a 360 degree vista of some of the highest peaks on the planet, it was truly breath taking.
Within a couple of hours the temperature had dropped significantly so I rucked up and went up to the roof to brave the icy wind and get a few shots.

These majestic peaks would shift in hue and tone as the moody climate turned from sunny to windy to cloudy to misty and back to sunny again in a matter of minutes. It was too cold to stay on the roof for too long though so I soon retreated into the fire-warmed lodge for a nip of local Khukri rum to warm my innards.

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To follow: Day 4

[Ginjaninja]

Buksida have you surpassed base-camp yet?

Did you take all your own bike gear? Assuming you at least took your helmet and boots... Must have been a full suitcase including your long johns....

for the continued report.
GN.

[buksida]

No yet, we'd reach the highest point on day four. I took all the riding gear aside from the lid, also had to buy extra clothing for the cold!

[lindosfan1]

Buksida, do you know how high were you in the mountain shots? by the pictures you must have been very high.