Thursday, Dec. 26, 7:35AM
Mahendra Nagaf (West border of Nepal)
1028km
Song: Territorial Pissings, Nirvana
We did remarkably well on our push to the border by Christmas, pedaling to our limits (70-90km) every day for 9 of 10 consecutive days, leaving the last 40km for an easy Christmas Eve. The plan was to spend a couple days here in Mahendra Negaf, a decent size border town on the Nepali side, where we hoped to have some internet and a chance to rest up and relax for the holiday and before India. We are here now, relaxing somewhat, but the events leading to now were not at all as we could have anticipated.
I didn't write for the last 3 days on the road due to exhaustion. We all have been pretty sick with digestive issues (ahem), except for Cara who suffered through it earlier on the month, hence had a bit more fortitude to overcome whatever we ate, ironically, in Rihar, Village of the Year. We've had a pleasant enough journey, but the days all had a similar tune: wake up at daybreak, bike till lunch time, eat Dal Bhat, bike till dusk, check-into a tiny guest house, wash up, eat Dal Bhat, repeat.
I'm sad to report that I'm sick of Dal Bhat. This shift occurred at the onset of my illness, I guess by bad association. We were actually loving it moer and more each time, as I think my three cohorts still do, but I've just had enough. 45 days, 90 meals of Dal Bhat. Bring on the Indian cuisine!
In Rihar I stocked-up on sweets, a half kg of the yummy powdered sugar-covered ones I mentioned before, but sadly (and also due to my ill association), I couldn't eat them. As Christmas was approaching I imagined myself Saint Nick on wheels, and gave them out to the kids across the countryside whenever I stopped and they came to say Hi. I honestly can't imagine a response of any more unfettered joy, intrigue and anticipation from the kids if I was a bearded fat man with reindeer over the tall cycling American curiosity that I am. My having a small token to give made this role ever more rewarding.
Closing near the border city we called our Indian friends Cab and Jaspal to coordinate meeting up for our Northern India road trip, and got invited to accompany them to a wedding in Punjab. The only catch: we'd have to book-it, as the wedding was in 2 days (today, actually), and we would have had to cross the border on Christmas Eve and take a 12 hour night bus (which is against our rule of thumb), to meet in Delhi to head North on an 8-hour car ride with them to get there in time. It wold have been a crunch, but we decided to forgo our laid-back holiday on the border for Adventure.
Things did NOT go as expected. We arrived at the Nepali border crossing and they checked us out of the country. As we walked back to our bikes with stamped passports in hand, they shut the gates behind us. The sun set and was gone. We then had to ride 1-2km on a road that can only described as Nowhere. It was pitch black, but swarming with evening traffic. The dirt road was terrible, dangerous, uneven, rocky -- my chain fell off 3 times. This road was indeed Nowhere, as it belonged neither to Nepal or India, and we weren't yet at the Indian border, if we made it there at all. In parts, there was a worn-in dirt bike path along side of the road, but it too was harrowing, as it was only wide enough for a single bike but traffic went in both directions. Also, it was elevated, so if you fell off (which was easy for us as our handlebars have so much sway with all the baggage) you would either topple down a cascade of rocks into the river to our right, or fall 3 feet down into the craggy dirt road on the left. I was to too tired and unsteady to brave the path for long. We finally made it to the Indian border. And it was Closed.
We were stuck with no Country. The officer who needed to sign our paperwork had left for the night and lived 5km away, in India. We asked if there was any way we could get him to come back, expecting to pay a bribe (which they had to do coming-in from Indian last time), as we could not go back to Nepal. The Nepali border guy should Not have stamped us out if he knew India would be closed. But I think this is all part of the games that Immigration officers like to play, like the penalty he also charged me for not having a Departure slip (which I never got). After our pleading and explaining that this was our Christmas Eve, we had to meet our friends in Delhi the next morning to go to a wedding, and that it wasn't our fault that Nepal let us exit if we couldn't get into India, he handed us the immigration paperwork to fill out. A Christmas miracle?!
Cara cannot find her Passport. The zipper of its containing compartment was half-open, surely large enough for it to jump out, especially on that horrid road. For 2 hours we scoured the entire stretch of road by flashlight, us, the Indian police, the Nepali police. On bike, by motorcycle and Jeep. It was gone.
Since then we've spent countless hours with police, at border offices, crossing into India and then back, getting Visa extensions, putting ads on the radio, calling Embassies. Cara has to go all the way back to Kathmandu to get a new passport, and Nepali visa, and Indian Visa, and the US Embassy is closed for the next 5 days due to the Christmas holidays so we're here for a week. Jamey and I will stay here on the border with the girls' bikes and luggage, at the Hotel Sweet Dreams, which, to us, is the Ritz. (Funny, as I write this, a mouse scampers across the Carpet - yeah, we have the carpeted room baby!) Seriously, we're in the nicest suite here, I'm eating Eggs for breakfast (whoo hoo!), we have always-on power due to generators, and a private bathroom with western toilet. Funny thing is, we miss the squat toilet! I won't get into too much detail, but we've agreed that it's easier when you're squatting than sitting, and the TP is just a bother. How's that for a total 180? We got our Christmas Eve and Christmas dinners here at the hotel -- room service. And I'm getting into the habit of pressing our buzzer and ordering beers. Kick butt!
Jamey and I will spend the week catching-up on internet (it's been almost 2 weeks!), troubleshooting our problematic bike chains (which have been coming off too regularly), eating Dosas, and hopefully gong on safari in the nearby Wildlife Preserve. Bonnie will accompany Cara on the 12-hour bus journey to Kathmandu as she too needs consular services (no more passport pages), and we'll hopefully meet-up and ship out in under a week.
Can you believe, on my day off, that I was up at 7:30am? Now it's finally internet time! See you online! Hot coffee and cold showers, Anthony
Showing posts with label biking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label biking. Show all posts
Friday, December 26, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Slow and Steady (Biking Blog)
Sunday, Dec. 21, 10:37PM
812km
Rode our booties off today, 90km. It was our sixth consecutive day on the road. Good news is that I'm finding the point when I'm exercising where I'm pushing ahead steady but not too hard, so I don't get prematurely tapped out of energy. We divided the day up into 4 parts, so we took a short (10min) break every hour and a half (or 22km). That way the large distance didn't seem too endless. I'd say half the day the roads had a long steady slightly uphill grade, which combined with all our weight made it difficult to move fast, and it seemed like we should be going faster but it took a lot of work to keep going. But like I said, I found my threshold and I kept it moving, even though I could only move at 15km/hr for half the day. The other hindrance is that the road's was so textured (paved with small rocks, not asphalt) so even on downhills I was only able to achieve 35-40km/hr instead of the 50 I can do otherwise. Every day has it's ups and downs, literally and figuratively.
In other happy news I found a workaround to finally make Senuti (the iPod 'backup' software) see my iPod (and Cara's, and Jamey's). This means I can clear more room on my iPod to backup photos, and I can also borrow some tunes from my cohorts. Listening to music on the road has been awesome... I'm for once I can really listen to all the lyrics of my favorite music (since I have plenty of time to concentrate, unlike back home when I'm always doing 3 other things while playing tunes.)
Basically I'm becoming a find-tuned cycling machine. That's about it. So it's cycling, cycling, cycling until Christmas, when we'll hopefully be crossing into India, and then we'll cycle a little more until we get picked-up by friends and we'll be on holiday, cruising around in a big Jeep for maybe 2 weeks, visiting some of the sights (like the Taj Mahal in Agra) among others. I'm looking forward to some good old-fashioned tourism! I'll also probably be eating way too much Indian food and sweets... to make up for all this healthy eating! Actually, it's amazing that we all love the national food here so much, even though it's pretty much the same meal over and over and over. I love it because its real home cooking every time, with fresh veggies cut down in the back yard or nearby every time, made fresh with love. Try to find that in the USA! India's gonna be very different, so we're living it up, even though it is very simple (and we have no choice in the matter.)
I've also borrowed Bonnie's Nepali phrase book in an attempt to Wow the locals with my smooth Nepali phrases. So far, so good. They understand our Nepanglish well enough most of the time anyway, but it's fun and I think they appreciate that we're trying.
Ok, up at 6:30 to do another 90km tomorrow. Only 3 days till Christmas Eve! Hope your Holiday parties were awesome and merry. Enjoy the family and Holiday cheer! xoXo, A
812km
Jungle monkey
Rode our booties off today, 90km. It was our sixth consecutive day on the road. Good news is that I'm finding the point when I'm exercising where I'm pushing ahead steady but not too hard, so I don't get prematurely tapped out of energy. We divided the day up into 4 parts, so we took a short (10min) break every hour and a half (or 22km). That way the large distance didn't seem too endless. I'd say half the day the roads had a long steady slightly uphill grade, which combined with all our weight made it difficult to move fast, and it seemed like we should be going faster but it took a lot of work to keep going. But like I said, I found my threshold and I kept it moving, even though I could only move at 15km/hr for half the day. The other hindrance is that the road's was so textured (paved with small rocks, not asphalt) so even on downhills I was only able to achieve 35-40km/hr instead of the 50 I can do otherwise. Every day has it's ups and downs, literally and figuratively.
In other happy news I found a workaround to finally make Senuti (the iPod 'backup' software) see my iPod (and Cara's, and Jamey's). This means I can clear more room on my iPod to backup photos, and I can also borrow some tunes from my cohorts. Listening to music on the road has been awesome... I'm for once I can really listen to all the lyrics of my favorite music (since I have plenty of time to concentrate, unlike back home when I'm always doing 3 other things while playing tunes.)
Basically I'm becoming a find-tuned cycling machine. That's about it. So it's cycling, cycling, cycling until Christmas, when we'll hopefully be crossing into India, and then we'll cycle a little more until we get picked-up by friends and we'll be on holiday, cruising around in a big Jeep for maybe 2 weeks, visiting some of the sights (like the Taj Mahal in Agra) among others. I'm looking forward to some good old-fashioned tourism! I'll also probably be eating way too much Indian food and sweets... to make up for all this healthy eating! Actually, it's amazing that we all love the national food here so much, even though it's pretty much the same meal over and over and over. I love it because its real home cooking every time, with fresh veggies cut down in the back yard or nearby every time, made fresh with love. Try to find that in the USA! India's gonna be very different, so we're living it up, even though it is very simple (and we have no choice in the matter.)
I've also borrowed Bonnie's Nepali phrase book in an attempt to Wow the locals with my smooth Nepali phrases. So far, so good. They understand our Nepanglish well enough most of the time anyway, but it's fun and I think they appreciate that we're trying.
Ok, up at 6:30 to do another 90km tomorrow. Only 3 days till Christmas Eve! Hope your Holiday parties were awesome and merry. Enjoy the family and Holiday cheer! xoXo, A
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Rihar, Village of the Year
Saturday, Dec. 20, 8:22PM
Song: P.S. I Love You by the Beatles
723km
Today began like Groundhog Day, only I was the groundhog. I didn't want to leave my tent, as there was a 'school' of children waiting outside already by the time I took off my sleeping mask, watching to see if I'd have a shadow or not. After taking my time packing up everything inside, I emerged, with a glorious long shadow coming from our east-facing river view, the sunniest morning I can remember here. (All of our recent lowland mornings have been foggy, with the heavy cool winter mist finally burning off by around 11AM.)
Somehow our 8AM wake-up became an 11AM departure. Before we hit the roadside, Cara had a flat tire, our collective first of the journey. I, being the only coffee fiend of the group, pedaled 5km ahead the the village of last night's food run, (more accurately named Bhalu Bang), for a coffee and a boiled egg -- a great find. Just as soon as I had my mug of coffee in hand, the group had caught up, but Cara's tire was flat again. As per my paragraph on crowds gathering wherever we go, no less than 30 people gathered around to watch Jamey at work, and I turned the camera on Cara and Bonnie and they had at least 50 crowded arond just observing them be Cara and Bonnie. I told them what I was documenting, and they said if this was India the crowd would be at least as big, only they'd be touching them. For some reason we all lingered and procrastinated, as if we didn't feel like biking, but we were finally on the road again, at the beginning of our day's expedition, at noon.
It was an average day, I was a bit slower than yesterday (with a bad case of weary wobbly legs), and at 4:30 we were looking for a spot to camp. This part of Nepal is much more a forest, and the vilage we stopped-in had a really cute looking inn, all clay with super cute thatched roof, and a misspelled cloth sign advertising their Guest House and Restaurant. As we stopped and debated staying (and maybe showering) vs. camping somewhere down the road, a friendly drunk man was trying to lure us to the restaurant for food, and a group of older teen boys were asking us if we needed help finding a place to stay or if we wanted to camp. They led us to the school across the street and told us we could camp there!
I think half of this friendly village escorted us to the school yard, and as soon as we asked if we could sleep inside they were hoisting a small child up into a gap above and between the wall and the roof of the first building, who opened the door from inside a minute later. This classroom is NICE! So spacious, with a clean floor, and men, women an children were all standing around smiling and helping us inside, moving the desks to the side of the room to clear room for us. This hospitality is Amazing! One guy asked if we had candles, and showed me where he lives in case we need anything. Unlike the other school we stayed in, the kids weren't annoying at all, and as soon as one of the older boys told them to give us privacy, we were left alone in our room. We washed at the nearby water pump with 40 people watching, and I'm so used to it by now that I barely noticed. I actually felt important. as I think we are of more value to the community as entertainment then for the inn-keeper to make 200 rupees, but I also believe the Nepalis have an earnest desire to do good will, and the potential commerce wasn't even an issue. I was wondering if the inn-keeper would be sore that we opted to stay for free in the school instead of his family's Inn, but after we were settled we were brought over there to eat by our unofficial 18 year old host for the evening, and the inn-keeper was the most gracious host! We were sat at the wood-burning fire/clay stove and we watched him cook our meal from scratch for an hour while we warmed-up, actually fulfilling my wish from last night to be snuggled-up by my Dad's fireplace. The food was *amazing*, the chutney out of this world, Jamey declared it his favorite Dal in his two months here, and all for 50 rupees. Even better, at 7am tomorrow he's hooking us up with our energy food, alu paratha, for breakfast. We have 90km to do, to make-up for today's lackluster mileage accrual.
I've been on a sweets kick, and after dinner our friend brought us over to a sweet shop next to his family's house, and a second Christmas wish from last night was fulfilled: a sweet so incredibly similar to Dineen's sugar dipped cookies manifested. Mmmmmmm! Merry Christmas to me!
Other noteworthy features of Rihar, Village of the Year include: it's clean, quiet, our privacy in the school persists, the sky seems especially huge here -- tonight's heavens are the brightest and clearest since the Adikari farm in the mountains, and Internet is only 140km away! Lol, I guess no place is perfect.
Song: P.S. I Love You by the Beatles
723km
Groundhog onlookers as we made breakfast.
Today began like Groundhog Day, only I was the groundhog. I didn't want to leave my tent, as there was a 'school' of children waiting outside already by the time I took off my sleeping mask, watching to see if I'd have a shadow or not. After taking my time packing up everything inside, I emerged, with a glorious long shadow coming from our east-facing river view, the sunniest morning I can remember here. (All of our recent lowland mornings have been foggy, with the heavy cool winter mist finally burning off by around 11AM.)
Tire-changing onlookers.
Somehow our 8AM wake-up became an 11AM departure. Before we hit the roadside, Cara had a flat tire, our collective first of the journey. I, being the only coffee fiend of the group, pedaled 5km ahead the the village of last night's food run, (more accurately named Bhalu Bang), for a coffee and a boiled egg -- a great find. Just as soon as I had my mug of coffee in hand, the group had caught up, but Cara's tire was flat again. As per my paragraph on crowds gathering wherever we go, no less than 30 people gathered around to watch Jamey at work, and I turned the camera on Cara and Bonnie and they had at least 50 crowded arond just observing them be Cara and Bonnie. I told them what I was documenting, and they said if this was India the crowd would be at least as big, only they'd be touching them. For some reason we all lingered and procrastinated, as if we didn't feel like biking, but we were finally on the road again, at the beginning of our day's expedition, at noon.
It was an average day, I was a bit slower than yesterday (with a bad case of weary wobbly legs), and at 4:30 we were looking for a spot to camp. This part of Nepal is much more a forest, and the vilage we stopped-in had a really cute looking inn, all clay with super cute thatched roof, and a misspelled cloth sign advertising their Guest House and Restaurant. As we stopped and debated staying (and maybe showering) vs. camping somewhere down the road, a friendly drunk man was trying to lure us to the restaurant for food, and a group of older teen boys were asking us if we needed help finding a place to stay or if we wanted to camp. They led us to the school across the street and told us we could camp there!
I think half of this friendly village escorted us to the school yard, and as soon as we asked if we could sleep inside they were hoisting a small child up into a gap above and between the wall and the roof of the first building, who opened the door from inside a minute later. This classroom is NICE! So spacious, with a clean floor, and men, women an children were all standing around smiling and helping us inside, moving the desks to the side of the room to clear room for us. This hospitality is Amazing! One guy asked if we had candles, and showed me where he lives in case we need anything. Unlike the other school we stayed in, the kids weren't annoying at all, and as soon as one of the older boys told them to give us privacy, we were left alone in our room. We washed at the nearby water pump with 40 people watching, and I'm so used to it by now that I barely noticed. I actually felt important. as I think we are of more value to the community as entertainment then for the inn-keeper to make 200 rupees, but I also believe the Nepalis have an earnest desire to do good will, and the potential commerce wasn't even an issue. I was wondering if the inn-keeper would be sore that we opted to stay for free in the school instead of his family's Inn, but after we were settled we were brought over there to eat by our unofficial 18 year old host for the evening, and the inn-keeper was the most gracious host! We were sat at the wood-burning fire/clay stove and we watched him cook our meal from scratch for an hour while we warmed-up, actually fulfilling my wish from last night to be snuggled-up by my Dad's fireplace. The food was *amazing*, the chutney out of this world, Jamey declared it his favorite Dal in his two months here, and all for 50 rupees. Even better, at 7am tomorrow he's hooking us up with our energy food, alu paratha, for breakfast. We have 90km to do, to make-up for today's lackluster mileage accrual.
Schoolhouse sleeper onlookers.
I've been on a sweets kick, and after dinner our friend brought us over to a sweet shop next to his family's house, and a second Christmas wish from last night was fulfilled: a sweet so incredibly similar to Dineen's sugar dipped cookies manifested. Mmmmmmm! Merry Christmas to me!
Sweets shop!
Other noteworthy features of Rihar, Village of the Year include: it's clean, quiet, our privacy in the school persists, the sky seems especially huge here -- tonight's heavens are the brightest and clearest since the Adikari farm in the mountains, and Internet is only 140km away! Lol, I guess no place is perfect.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Camping Out
Friday, Dec. 19, 11:13PM
Song: Crickets, the river's gentle murmur, a dog barking
671km
Today was such a great day! We woke up in Shithole, Nepal, and it was actually raining slightly and overcast. The feeling was unanimous that we wished to lay in bed, watch a movie, read our books, maybe go spend some time on the internet (when the power came on), and even maybe have a hot shower or go see a movie. Unfortunately we were speaking of luxuries only available in dreams, as none of this was possible, nor did we want to linger unnecessarily in our unsavory guest room. We walked around searching for our power-food, alu paratha (big spicy potato pancake and curry), and we actually found it! Hot damn they were good! (I've probably written about 'em more than we've actually eaten them, today being only my second time in Nepal), so how could it not be a spectacular day!?
I had a surprising amount energy today. I lead the pack, cruising up our mountains with sheer conquest pumping through my legs, and it was the most beautiful scenery we've had in 2 weeks. Sun dissolved the clouds, and I was actually Happy to have big hills, because that means big beautiful mountain scenery. Unlike the mountains I know back home, which are big, gradually rising grey giants, the Himilayas are the product of post-Pangea India crashing into the Asian continent, causing countless rippling hills, closely packed together as far as the eye can see. Anyway as long as they're not too steep, it's a pleasure to see and worth the upward effort (and downward reward.) At one pass Jamey and I got ambushed by about 20 students and we spent 30 minutes taking pictures and hanging out. Everyone wanted pics with us, wearing our helmets and posing on our bikes. I wanted one of their email addresses so I could send them the pics, but unbelievably None of them had one! I especially like the little baby sitting on my back rack for a shot.
Not far out of the mountains we saw a neat-looking clearing (that didn't look like anyone's farm land) which we thought might be campable, but I insisted we bike along the footpath leading into the woods to see if we could get nearer to the river, and we found the sweetest place to camp right on a cliff overlooking the valley. This place is incredibly sweet! So tonight we pitched our tents, washed up in the river, boiled water to drink and for tea, and now we're sleeping in a peaceful quiet spot under the stars.
When we're not staying on a farm, in a guesthouse, or at hotel, (ie. in a school or in the woods), two of us will bike to the nearest town to pick up some food for dinner and some fresh fruit for breakfast. It was Bonnie's & my turn, so we biked 5km in a spectacular sunset to a town that sounds like BallBang. We did well, scoring chowmein, samosas, and veg. fritters for dinner, and tomatoes, cabbage, garlic, green beans, cilantro, oranges, bananas (and salt) for a fresh fruit & veg breakfast salad tomorrow. We made this once before, trying to re-create a tiny salad we were served at the best little hole-in-the-wall in Demauli, plus one important lemon -- I had a little English-speaking guardian angel taking me all around town asking for one! -- but no lemons in town. What fun it was! The town was dark except for a dozen fires here and there... it was so surreal, all the fires in the street. We went down a dark side street to find take-away soda (most soda is in glass bottles which you drink there at the store or restaurant), and the boy took me to 8 different stores and hotels. I never in a million years thought I'd feel so perfectly at home walking down a street lit by firelight in a foreign country, holding a 4th grader's hand, shopping for dinner, and here I am. We always create a stir wherever we go, but now I'm totally used to it, and it's pretty fun. When I came back from my hunt with the boy to find Bonnie waiting for our hot food, she had no less than 20 kids crowded around her. Each of them took turns shaking her hand and practicing their English on her. Soon we were on our way with a massive amount of food for $4 (incl. 4 kilos of fruits & veg!) and we enjoyed our nighttime ride home lit by our bike lights. We stand out so much from the other on the road as we're the only ones with lights! (One girl on the road the other day said 'Goodbye tourists!") Save for some rough pavement, it's pretty safe!
It's SO nice to be camping out. I love the farms and the country, and love a little time in the cities (to get my fixes), but I really can do without the in-between towns that are basically crappy urban centers, devoid of the riches of agro-Nepali country goodness. You're paying to stay in dirty dingy guest houses, and despite the people's consistent friendliness it's like purgatory, and you can't wait to get out. A few kilometers out you let out a sigh of relief at the green fields, goats jumping (well there are goats everywhere but city goats are all shabby), clay homes with thatch roofs, clean streams... Anyway camping is the best, and this spot is glorious. Plus, there's nobody peering in our window (like in the school house). Actually, there's nobody, except for some apparently beautiful girl passing through that Jamey and Cara went down to the river with to fetch some water, whom they shared a long silent moment just sitting and enjoying the peace.
At first I used to think it was weird, but Nepalis just come and chill with you, whatever you're doing, often times without saying a word. It's not like they're just staring and being weird, either. And it happens everywhere: on the side of the road a whole family or two will just come and stay with you while you do your thing; at a store; in the hotel... today the 18yr (newlywed) girl just came into our guest room (for the 5th time, unannounced) and just hung out while we were carrying on, goofing and cracking jokes. It's funniest in the restaurants -- the server will sit at the table; or the whole family, with friends and neighbors, will just sit and watch you eat. This may all sound rude or invasive, but really it's not, because the vibe is so much less formal and impersonal like in most businesses we know -- it's we who are the guests, and we have stepped into the lives of these families. A server isn't really a server, but the inn-keeper's son or cousin. The cook isn't a cook, he's the owner of the guesthouse or kitchen you happened upon. On the street when we ask someone for help, everyone around is interested, because they all want to know (innocently enough) what's happening in their town, eager to help with no motives or $trings attached.
I went down to the river after dinner to wash up, and walked around with my headlamp off (ie. in total darkness save for the moon and it's reflection on the water) and I realized, as I've done repeatedly, that I'm in Nepal! Orion is looking down at me from above, just like at home, but instead of being surrounded by millions in an orange cloud I'm in dark, in the quiet, alone. Ahhhhhhhhh. I see a headlamp across the way and hear a Nepali voice. I'm in Nepal!!!! It's my extreme privilege to spend time in this alternate universe on Earth. I can't believe it's true, that I can just hop on a plane and be in a place like this. This is the miracle of our day, of our good fortune, of our good planet that we can do this. It is everything I've wished for. And I'm going to do it, again and again and again. The only thing that would make it more perfect here is You.
We came up with a Christmas plan tonight. Just before the border there is another National Park. Hopefully, we can camp in it and enjoy the peace of Nepal for one last night.
I can't believe we're going to step into another world yet again, so soon. But for now it's time for me to sneak behind my eyelids. I imagine being curled up on the comfy couch, my belly full on eggnog and the white glazed Christmas cookies, glowing embers in the fireplace, the Christmas tree and manger still yet alive in frozen timeless time. It's time for bed! Goodnight, my beloveds!
Song: Crickets, the river's gentle murmur, a dog barking
671km
Today was such a great day! We woke up in Shithole, Nepal, and it was actually raining slightly and overcast. The feeling was unanimous that we wished to lay in bed, watch a movie, read our books, maybe go spend some time on the internet (when the power came on), and even maybe have a hot shower or go see a movie. Unfortunately we were speaking of luxuries only available in dreams, as none of this was possible, nor did we want to linger unnecessarily in our unsavory guest room. We walked around searching for our power-food, alu paratha (big spicy potato pancake and curry), and we actually found it! Hot damn they were good! (I've probably written about 'em more than we've actually eaten them, today being only my second time in Nepal), so how could it not be a spectacular day!?
Hills to brighten my day
I had a surprising amount energy today. I lead the pack, cruising up our mountains with sheer conquest pumping through my legs, and it was the most beautiful scenery we've had in 2 weeks. Sun dissolved the clouds, and I was actually Happy to have big hills, because that means big beautiful mountain scenery. Unlike the mountains I know back home, which are big, gradually rising grey giants, the Himilayas are the product of post-Pangea India crashing into the Asian continent, causing countless rippling hills, closely packed together as far as the eye can see. Anyway as long as they're not too steep, it's a pleasure to see and worth the upward effort (and downward reward.) At one pass Jamey and I got ambushed by about 20 students and we spent 30 minutes taking pictures and hanging out. Everyone wanted pics with us, wearing our helmets and posing on our bikes. I wanted one of their email addresses so I could send them the pics, but unbelievably None of them had one! I especially like the little baby sitting on my back rack for a shot.
Nepali teens, no emails.
Not far out of the mountains we saw a neat-looking clearing (that didn't look like anyone's farm land) which we thought might be campable, but I insisted we bike along the footpath leading into the woods to see if we could get nearer to the river, and we found the sweetest place to camp right on a cliff overlooking the valley. This place is incredibly sweet! So tonight we pitched our tents, washed up in the river, boiled water to drink and for tea, and now we're sleeping in a peaceful quiet spot under the stars.
Sunset food run
When we're not staying on a farm, in a guesthouse, or at hotel, (ie. in a school or in the woods), two of us will bike to the nearest town to pick up some food for dinner and some fresh fruit for breakfast. It was Bonnie's & my turn, so we biked 5km in a spectacular sunset to a town that sounds like BallBang. We did well, scoring chowmein, samosas, and veg. fritters for dinner, and tomatoes, cabbage, garlic, green beans, cilantro, oranges, bananas (and salt) for a fresh fruit & veg breakfast salad tomorrow. We made this once before, trying to re-create a tiny salad we were served at the best little hole-in-the-wall in Demauli, plus one important lemon -- I had a little English-speaking guardian angel taking me all around town asking for one! -- but no lemons in town. What fun it was! The town was dark except for a dozen fires here and there... it was so surreal, all the fires in the street. We went down a dark side street to find take-away soda (most soda is in glass bottles which you drink there at the store or restaurant), and the boy took me to 8 different stores and hotels. I never in a million years thought I'd feel so perfectly at home walking down a street lit by firelight in a foreign country, holding a 4th grader's hand, shopping for dinner, and here I am. We always create a stir wherever we go, but now I'm totally used to it, and it's pretty fun. When I came back from my hunt with the boy to find Bonnie waiting for our hot food, she had no less than 20 kids crowded around her. Each of them took turns shaking her hand and practicing their English on her. Soon we were on our way with a massive amount of food for $4 (incl. 4 kilos of fruits & veg!) and we enjoyed our nighttime ride home lit by our bike lights. We stand out so much from the other on the road as we're the only ones with lights! (One girl on the road the other day said 'Goodbye tourists!") Save for some rough pavement, it's pretty safe!
Camping spot by the river
It's SO nice to be camping out. I love the farms and the country, and love a little time in the cities (to get my fixes), but I really can do without the in-between towns that are basically crappy urban centers, devoid of the riches of agro-Nepali country goodness. You're paying to stay in dirty dingy guest houses, and despite the people's consistent friendliness it's like purgatory, and you can't wait to get out. A few kilometers out you let out a sigh of relief at the green fields, goats jumping (well there are goats everywhere but city goats are all shabby), clay homes with thatch roofs, clean streams... Anyway camping is the best, and this spot is glorious. Plus, there's nobody peering in our window (like in the school house). Actually, there's nobody, except for some apparently beautiful girl passing through that Jamey and Cara went down to the river with to fetch some water, whom they shared a long silent moment just sitting and enjoying the peace.
At first I used to think it was weird, but Nepalis just come and chill with you, whatever you're doing, often times without saying a word. It's not like they're just staring and being weird, either. And it happens everywhere: on the side of the road a whole family or two will just come and stay with you while you do your thing; at a store; in the hotel... today the 18yr (newlywed) girl just came into our guest room (for the 5th time, unannounced) and just hung out while we were carrying on, goofing and cracking jokes. It's funniest in the restaurants -- the server will sit at the table; or the whole family, with friends and neighbors, will just sit and watch you eat. This may all sound rude or invasive, but really it's not, because the vibe is so much less formal and impersonal like in most businesses we know -- it's we who are the guests, and we have stepped into the lives of these families. A server isn't really a server, but the inn-keeper's son or cousin. The cook isn't a cook, he's the owner of the guesthouse or kitchen you happened upon. On the street when we ask someone for help, everyone around is interested, because they all want to know (innocently enough) what's happening in their town, eager to help with no motives or $trings attached.
I went down to the river after dinner to wash up, and walked around with my headlamp off (ie. in total darkness save for the moon and it's reflection on the water) and I realized, as I've done repeatedly, that I'm in Nepal! Orion is looking down at me from above, just like at home, but instead of being surrounded by millions in an orange cloud I'm in dark, in the quiet, alone. Ahhhhhhhhh. I see a headlamp across the way and hear a Nepali voice. I'm in Nepal!!!! It's my extreme privilege to spend time in this alternate universe on Earth. I can't believe it's true, that I can just hop on a plane and be in a place like this. This is the miracle of our day, of our good fortune, of our good planet that we can do this. It is everything I've wished for. And I'm going to do it, again and again and again. The only thing that would make it more perfect here is You.
We came up with a Christmas plan tonight. Just before the border there is another National Park. Hopefully, we can camp in it and enjoy the peace of Nepal for one last night.
I can't believe we're going to step into another world yet again, so soon. But for now it's time for me to sneak behind my eyelids. I imagine being curled up on the comfy couch, my belly full on eggnog and the white glazed Christmas cookies, glowing embers in the fireplace, the Christmas tree and manger still yet alive in frozen timeless time. It's time for bed! Goodnight, my beloveds!
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Holidays (and the Border) fast approaching, Santa M.I.A.
Thursday, Dec. 18, 10:18PM
A Shithole, Nepal
636km
How do four Americans in Nepal celebrate the holiday season, you ask? This morning over breakfast we listened to Christmas carols on Jamey's mini iPod speakers. And we've watched Babe's la la la, la la la, la la la, la laaaah scene like 10 times this month. ("Chrismas means carnage!!!") I saw a Charlie Brown Christmas tree today, well actually it was just a branch sticking up on top of a freight truck, but it was close enough to make me happy. Besides that, our Navidad is not so Feliz.
We're trucking along well, and it looks like we'll be crossing the border around Christmas Eve, give or take a day or two. NOT exactly our ideal way to spend Christmas, but what can you do in a place where your holiday doesn't exist? The extent of international cuisine outside the major tourist cities is Chow Mein and Indian food. Jamey told us over Dal Bhat tonight that his Christmas Meal so far consists of a bag of Classic Lays potato chips (all the salty snacks here are flavored with masala), Root beer, Soy jerky (from his personal US stash), and orange slice Gummy candy. As completely ridiculous as that sounds, it's no joke!
Life on the road is swell, and we're racking up the kilometers. Today was a great day of cruising on flat road, and it really flew by for me, for the first time. We were Drafting again today (riding tight like a flock) and I really like it... It's nice to work as a team, and it's less physically and mentally taxing as you're not racing yourself or trying to catch-up (if you're trailing your friends), rather you're just keeping up with the pack, and you get to coast. A great development! Today I realized that, in addition to Traveling(TM), which has been obvious from the outset, I am also Exercising regularly. I never looked at it that way before, but this is the stuff that people do to achieve goals, like losing weight or maintaining good health. And I was thinking of it all along as mere transportation!
Today we passed a caravan of buffalo walking down the street, and at one point (when we had just overtaken the herd) I noticed about 30 of them in front stampeding after us! It was a hot minute or two of screaming, laughing, and heavy peddling! Those beasts were BIG and running full force on our tails... it was awesome. Cara, listening to music on her headphones, was the last to notice. Awww, (poor girl!)
In other exciting news, our luxury digs tonight include private WC and a mirror! In all fairness we've been renting the 200 rupee ($2) rooms, but honestly I can't imagine what the more expensive rooms would do differently, based on what I've seen. I snuck into one of the fancy rooms in our hotel in Damauli to use the western shower, (as the shared one for the floor had no running water), and the difference was basically a blue carpet, a private toilet, a tv and arm chair, but it too lacked running water, there was an empty rum bottle on the bed, and the toilet had two condoms floating in it. I'm not trying to bust on Nepal, but I guess the condom box we just found in our room (with explicit sex scene pictured -- why do they have to portray sex so nasty?!) made me think of it. At another hotel in that town we were offered a room for a whopping 1500 rupees, and we just laughed and then they put us in a room for 200. But now I want to at least see what they would have offered us for $20, so my opinions can be more informed.
That's all I've got for tonight. Actually, speaking of tonight we are sharing a room with two beds pushed together, and we're all sleeping head-to-toe, Charlie and the Choc. Factory style. As usual I'm the last one awake, and it might take a while to sleep (we've got a snorer!) So I'm out. As always, New York, (and yes, NJ too!), and you All are in my thoughts. I'm really getting excited for India... more adventure awaits! And you can bet your correspondent will be reporting. Namascar. A
A Shithole, Nepal
636km
How do four Americans in Nepal celebrate the holiday season, you ask? This morning over breakfast we listened to Christmas carols on Jamey's mini iPod speakers. And we've watched Babe's la la la, la la la, la la la, la laaaah scene like 10 times this month. ("Chrismas means carnage!!!") I saw a Charlie Brown Christmas tree today, well actually it was just a branch sticking up on top of a freight truck, but it was close enough to make me happy. Besides that, our Navidad is not so Feliz.
Babe
We're trucking along well, and it looks like we'll be crossing the border around Christmas Eve, give or take a day or two. NOT exactly our ideal way to spend Christmas, but what can you do in a place where your holiday doesn't exist? The extent of international cuisine outside the major tourist cities is Chow Mein and Indian food. Jamey told us over Dal Bhat tonight that his Christmas Meal so far consists of a bag of Classic Lays potato chips (all the salty snacks here are flavored with masala), Root beer, Soy jerky (from his personal US stash), and orange slice Gummy candy. As completely ridiculous as that sounds, it's no joke!
Life on the road is swell, and we're racking up the kilometers. Today was a great day of cruising on flat road, and it really flew by for me, for the first time. We were Drafting again today (riding tight like a flock) and I really like it... It's nice to work as a team, and it's less physically and mentally taxing as you're not racing yourself or trying to catch-up (if you're trailing your friends), rather you're just keeping up with the pack, and you get to coast. A great development! Today I realized that, in addition to Traveling(TM), which has been obvious from the outset, I am also Exercising regularly. I never looked at it that way before, but this is the stuff that people do to achieve goals, like losing weight or maintaining good health. And I was thinking of it all along as mere transportation!
Posters like these Indian beauties decorate many roadside lunch-spots.
Today we passed a caravan of buffalo walking down the street, and at one point (when we had just overtaken the herd) I noticed about 30 of them in front stampeding after us! It was a hot minute or two of screaming, laughing, and heavy peddling! Those beasts were BIG and running full force on our tails... it was awesome. Cara, listening to music on her headphones, was the last to notice. Awww, (poor girl!)
Nepali wiring job on our ceiling fan.
In other exciting news, our luxury digs tonight include private WC and a mirror! In all fairness we've been renting the 200 rupee ($2) rooms, but honestly I can't imagine what the more expensive rooms would do differently, based on what I've seen. I snuck into one of the fancy rooms in our hotel in Damauli to use the western shower, (as the shared one for the floor had no running water), and the difference was basically a blue carpet, a private toilet, a tv and arm chair, but it too lacked running water, there was an empty rum bottle on the bed, and the toilet had two condoms floating in it. I'm not trying to bust on Nepal, but I guess the condom box we just found in our room (with explicit sex scene pictured -- why do they have to portray sex so nasty?!) made me think of it. At another hotel in that town we were offered a room for a whopping 1500 rupees, and we just laughed and then they put us in a room for 200. But now I want to at least see what they would have offered us for $20, so my opinions can be more informed.
That's all I've got for tonight. Actually, speaking of tonight we are sharing a room with two beds pushed together, and we're all sleeping head-to-toe, Charlie and the Choc. Factory style. As usual I'm the last one awake, and it might take a while to sleep (we've got a snorer!) So I'm out. As always, New York, (and yes, NJ too!), and you All are in my thoughts. I'm really getting excited for India... more adventure awaits! And you can bet your correspondent will be reporting. Namascar. A
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
I Miss You, Hello Pain
Tuesday, Dec. 16, 9:26PM
Butwal, Nepal
Song: Deep in Velvet (Turnips Mix) by Aphex Twin
565km
We were on the road by 8:30am, and biked until sunset, 90km! For me, though, arriving in Butwal, out far far away goal, was against all odds, as I started this leg of the bike trip in supremely sore shape from our last day's hard work on the farm, we crossed the steepest mountain pass yet (5km/hr all the way up for 90min - I wanted to die), and then after 30km on flat road my quads felt like they were gonna explode, and sitting in a gazebo playing with baby goats I tried to convince peeps to quit, still having 28km to go! After stretching, eating Advil, and massaging the crunchy bits out of my legs (which I didn't even know could get that way) we pushed on, practicing for our 1st time on this trip a group riding style called Drafting in which you ride on each other's tails, the leader up front setting the pace and taking all the wind resistance, making it probably 25% easier for the riders behind.
Yesterday's ride was pretty damn ugly, basically because we were traveling through the surrounding 'burbs of that dump Narayanaghad, and even the guest house we stayed at, though charming in some aspects, like the dining room we which felt like a tiny local pub in Prague -- the one in Vinorhady that serves Kozel (goat) beer -- the town was so dingy and so was the stinky green petri-dish mutant cesspool behind the outhouse... I was worried that it'd be 500+km of dumpy lowlands. I'm speaking mainly of aesthetic appeal, as Nepalis are Nepalis wherever you go (good), but today the sights got kickass again, with sprawling farmland, tall forests, cute villages decorated for weddings, goats when you need 'em (for smiles and their cute voices), and increasing numbers of Buddhist temples and, for me, more interesting Hindu temples (which I haven't seen so many of) with crazy big colorful 3D statues of gods and goddesses.
Butwal, where we are tonight, is a big crazy city, much bigger than Pokhara, and more like Kathmandu. There are stores with everything, from tech and fashion goods (which I haven't seen in a month ago in Kat - seems so long ago!), internet, hips kids, hustlers, rickshaws, the works. The scene at night was mayhem -- Kathmandu never got this crazy! This town is also close to the birthplace of the Buddha, so it draws many visitors, hence the booming industry. I ate SO much food and a startling variety for dinner and didn't even feel overstuffed (cuz it's all more or less fresh and healthy). It's nice to alternate between city and rural life! Our hotel room (and potty) is so clean and modern compared to any we've been in, same cheap price, although we had a conversation about how even this 'nice' Nepali room would Never pass back home... our standards have just adjusted so much, and I couldn't be more happy about it. We have TWO outlets, and TWO light bulbs, and a clean enough floor to stretch on, and a ceiling fan! [[Family: skip the rest of this paragraph]] >>> Cara and I went up to the roof after we brushed teeth to check out the view. I noticed a temple atop of the neighboring building and we were gonna try and sneak up there to see, and walking back the way we came through the darkness I tripped on a brick and my reflex was to grab the nearby wall. Ow! It was covered with the Rustiest nails all along the top, and my middle finger had a nice hole poked in it. Add that to my two head bangings today and it was just another day on the road. (My body's never sustained so many cuts, bruises, bites, band-aids, scabs, and bumps before. I'm using this vessel!) Thank gods for preemptive tetanus shots.
We're sleeping-in tomorrow - 8am, yay!, then getting some yummy city alu paratha (fav. (Indian) breakfast food), hitting a book shop (burning to finish that Dalai Lama book I started on the farm), and getting our weekly internet fix! We'll be on the road by noon for a short 50km day... it's already 12:45 (yikes!) so I need to regulate. Aww, and I was going to write about all the things I've been missing... ok, quick:
(New song: Late In the Day by Supergrass)
I MISS: * Christmas! Wish I had some Yule-tide cheer in my stocking. * my girl, Amy. got the sweetest email from her last week and I've been running it over in my mind every day... * By day I daydream Burning Man, and at night I dream in Black Rock City. I look forward to it more every day. Only 250 more days and I'll be on my way back! So happy I'll get to start preparing as soon as I'm home! If you want to come this year (Helen Jen, Jasandra, GC) the BM family always has room for You! Let me know so we can start to conspire by email :) * My dear family! Mom, Dad, Dineen, Cristina, Robbie, Dave, Grandma, Tommy, Devon and Dylan... it's burned into my soul to be spending this time of year with you, and instead of having outings and feasting I'm taking you along in my head on this adventure. * My cozy and comforting Brooklyn home. Axl Rose - my red-hot son, and the best neighbors and roommates... * My NY family... Mis Amigos! Where art thou now? (Drop me a line yo!) * Obama! Wish I could see the news more often so I know what's up with my Prez-elect. * Okay, enough schmaltz for tonight.
Sweet siamese daydreams, A
Butwal, Nepal
Song: Deep in Velvet (Turnips Mix) by Aphex Twin
565km
We were on the road by 8:30am, and biked until sunset, 90km! For me, though, arriving in Butwal, out far far away goal, was against all odds, as I started this leg of the bike trip in supremely sore shape from our last day's hard work on the farm, we crossed the steepest mountain pass yet (5km/hr all the way up for 90min - I wanted to die), and then after 30km on flat road my quads felt like they were gonna explode, and sitting in a gazebo playing with baby goats I tried to convince peeps to quit, still having 28km to go! After stretching, eating Advil, and massaging the crunchy bits out of my legs (which I didn't even know could get that way) we pushed on, practicing for our 1st time on this trip a group riding style called Drafting in which you ride on each other's tails, the leader up front setting the pace and taking all the wind resistance, making it probably 25% easier for the riders behind.
Yesterday's ride was pretty damn ugly, basically because we were traveling through the surrounding 'burbs of that dump Narayanaghad, and even the guest house we stayed at, though charming in some aspects, like the dining room we which felt like a tiny local pub in Prague -- the one in Vinorhady that serves Kozel (goat) beer -- the town was so dingy and so was the stinky green petri-dish mutant cesspool behind the outhouse... I was worried that it'd be 500+km of dumpy lowlands. I'm speaking mainly of aesthetic appeal, as Nepalis are Nepalis wherever you go (good), but today the sights got kickass again, with sprawling farmland, tall forests, cute villages decorated for weddings, goats when you need 'em (for smiles and their cute voices), and increasing numbers of Buddhist temples and, for me, more interesting Hindu temples (which I haven't seen so many of) with crazy big colorful 3D statues of gods and goddesses.
Butwal, Nepal
Butwal, where we are tonight, is a big crazy city, much bigger than Pokhara, and more like Kathmandu. There are stores with everything, from tech and fashion goods (which I haven't seen in a month ago in Kat - seems so long ago!), internet, hips kids, hustlers, rickshaws, the works. The scene at night was mayhem -- Kathmandu never got this crazy! This town is also close to the birthplace of the Buddha, so it draws many visitors, hence the booming industry. I ate SO much food and a startling variety for dinner and didn't even feel overstuffed (cuz it's all more or less fresh and healthy). It's nice to alternate between city and rural life! Our hotel room (and potty) is so clean and modern compared to any we've been in, same cheap price, although we had a conversation about how even this 'nice' Nepali room would Never pass back home... our standards have just adjusted so much, and I couldn't be more happy about it. We have TWO outlets, and TWO light bulbs, and a clean enough floor to stretch on, and a ceiling fan! [[Family: skip the rest of this paragraph]] >>> Cara and I went up to the roof after we brushed teeth to check out the view. I noticed a temple atop of the neighboring building and we were gonna try and sneak up there to see, and walking back the way we came through the darkness I tripped on a brick and my reflex was to grab the nearby wall. Ow! It was covered with the Rustiest nails all along the top, and my middle finger had a nice hole poked in it. Add that to my two head bangings today and it was just another day on the road. (My body's never sustained so many cuts, bruises, bites, band-aids, scabs, and bumps before. I'm using this vessel!) Thank gods for preemptive tetanus shots.
Next day, I ended up using the rusty nails for the forces of Good -- to dry my laundry -- as does the hotel.
We're sleeping-in tomorrow - 8am, yay!, then getting some yummy city alu paratha (fav. (Indian) breakfast food), hitting a book shop (burning to finish that Dalai Lama book I started on the farm), and getting our weekly internet fix! We'll be on the road by noon for a short 50km day... it's already 12:45 (yikes!) so I need to regulate. Aww, and I was going to write about all the things I've been missing... ok, quick:
(New song: Late In the Day by Supergrass)
I MISS: * Christmas! Wish I had some Yule-tide cheer in my stocking. * my girl, Amy. got the sweetest email from her last week and I've been running it over in my mind every day... * By day I daydream Burning Man, and at night I dream in Black Rock City. I look forward to it more every day. Only 250 more days and I'll be on my way back! So happy I'll get to start preparing as soon as I'm home! If you want to come this year (Helen Jen, Jasandra, GC) the BM family always has room for You! Let me know so we can start to conspire by email :) * My dear family! Mom, Dad, Dineen, Cristina, Robbie, Dave, Grandma, Tommy, Devon and Dylan... it's burned into my soul to be spending this time of year with you, and instead of having outings and feasting I'm taking you along in my head on this adventure. * My cozy and comforting Brooklyn home. Axl Rose - my red-hot son, and the best neighbors and roommates... * My NY family... Mis Amigos! Where art thou now? (Drop me a line yo!) * Obama! Wish I could see the news more often so I know what's up with my Prez-elect. * Okay, enough schmaltz for tonight.
Sweet siamese daydreams, A
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Chitwan, Shitwan... (updated Video links)
Chitwan, Nepal
448km
Song: The L Train is a Swell Train and I Don't Want to Hear You Indies Complain by Out Hud
...I muttered at least a few times during the last 2 days off-roading in pursuit of the wonders of Chitwan National Park. Disregard any previous references to Royal Chitwan, as the royal family no longer has much pull or influence over things in Nepal, nor are they in the public's favor. 25km-in today, (25 too far on these roads, in my opinion), I wanted to give-up and go home. I imagined skipping out on the Elephant Safari we were booking it to, late for our 3pm appointment, going home and laying in the hay pile and reading the Dalai Lama book I started yesterday, sipping on lots of warm tea, and blogging about how I hate biking these Nepali back roads. It was too late, we were too close, I had to push-on. I lucked-out actually, because the safari was much better than I expected, and I had a minor epiphany about these crap roads. I'm more tired than ever, and typing (and my English) is difficult tonight, but Let's take it from the top:
Yesterday, Balarm the farmer graciously led us on bike to Chitwan National Park to hopefully go on safari, but it was a wickedly ass-kicking ride (in a bad way) 10km down some main thoroughfares, which for some reason around here are all covered with baseball to football-sized rocks. (The same roads we've suffered through before between here and Narayanaghad on bike and gypsy bus.) Unfortunately for us there was no safari yesterday, because unfortunately for some other humans and cattle in another area of the park, a dastardly tiger has been out terrorizing, and the elephants were called to duty to scare it away. (Tigers are scared of elephants.) We went out for a nice leisurely lunch at the nearby Rhino Resort, and had a much more pleasant ride back home on mostly nice smooth dirt paths that cut through the endless back fields of yellow, purple and pink flowers, which it was quite fun and picturesque. Why can't they all be of smooth dirt? I don't know why the main roads are all so rocky, when the land is obviously not -- they must have been added deliberately by some misguided city planners, cuz they suck! (Sorry, just had to get that out. I disclaim, my Rant may not be fully exorcised yet.)
Today we biked 10km in the Other direction to another part of Chitwan Park (hopefully not That other part of the park with the bad tiger), with Pradeep, the farmer's son, to hopefully see the purportedly kick-butt museum. The roads to get there, you guessed-it, Sucked! Then we paid the 500 rupees 'tourist admission' to military guards with machine guns -- a handsome sum of money which we could live off for 3 days on the road, and get this, admission for Nepalis is only 20 rupees! With the theme of Jurassic Park going through my head we pass through the barbed-wire entrance, bike across a long bridge an get our admission 'Permits' looked over by another set of guards, then go down a short hill where some more guards try to make us leave our bikes with them, but Pradeep somehow gets us permission, thanking them Formally (Namascar!) before we follow the path towards the museum, which is Closed today. We went over to a nearby Alligator refuge, paid another 100 rupees each (gratis for Nepalis), and saw a bunch of alligators. There were a bunch of big turtle areas, but No turtles. The best thing we saw -- no special fee required -- was the Orphan Tiger. We walk through the woods and find a big wooden cage, as tall as it is wide and deep. I climb a ladder and look-in at the huge gorgeous Bengali Tiger, whose mother was a man-eater, which in this case runs in the family! I can comment on how much you're all on your own regarding safety here, from the sketchy ladder that takes you up 20 feet, how easily I could have fallen (in or off), to the fact that I was taking video of the stunning beast through 1/2 inch of termite-chewed wood, and yes you can stick your fingers right in and touch her if you dared. Amazing!
Suddenly it was half past two and we had to beat it 15-20km to make our last-reservation-of-the-day Elephant Safari! Man, I knew it when we started off in the opposite direction that this would be the case! At 4pm we made it (an hour late), and somehow Pradeep convinced them to still take us on our wild journey. Another 4,200 rupees later (1,000 each for us, 200 for Pradeep) and with the Jurassic Park theme still playing we were crossing through multiple tall barbed-wire electric fences into the Elephant Sanctuary, which was indeed wild, sprawling, and beautiful. This is where everything changed to Amazing.
I was worried that this whole elephant business might be a sad, exploitative affair. Ironically, my Vegan amigos were all gung-ho and despite my being grumpy on the ride over and trying to get out of it, here I was. As soon as I saw our two big elephants waiting for us, eating bundles of greens, I got excited. They looks SO adorable, lively, fit, and I'll be damned if they weren't happy to see us and Smiling. I've seen a bunch of elephants, a bunch of them heartbreaking, but also some happy ones, indeed, but these two 40 year old babes seemed to be doing all right. In a minute we were all petting them, holding their warm thick trunks in our arms, climbing on top. And off we went! Apparently we were very lucky to come across a couple of Rhinos only minutes into our jungle tour, a momma and baby. Single-horned Rhinos, native only to Nepal I believe, are SO cool-looking! Super thick, steel grey, with leathery armored bodies. Their butts look so funny! (Video to come on my Flickr, eventually.) The land was thick forest, with prehistoric-looking growth everywhere, no paths; we just forged through the brush atop our giant elephant kings of Chitwan like timeless kings or aboriginals ourselves.
Man I'm tired now, as you probably are of reading, but an hour later and many snuggles with our purring beastly friends (or were they growling? I can't be sure), we were on our bikes again. It was suddenly dark, and we had a decent distance ahead of us to get home. And now for my epiphany, revisited...
This summer at Burning Man, the desert's dry cracked surface was mostly soft and far more difficult to bike on than in previous years, due to some late rains in the season. Many people refused to even attempt traversing the playa on bike after their first day out, as the quicksand dunes could be seen everywhere -- it just wasn't as fun. One night after running our bar for a couple hours I borrowed someone's cruiser and took-off into the night, biking like the wind, inebriated, uninhibited, and unfazed by the unfavorable playa conditions. It was then I realized that, regarding the sand dunes, what you can't see can't hold you back. So for the rest of the week I just didn't pay them any mind, and I was free.
I had an idea that this might be the case, too, on these hell roads. In the fleeting light the road looked more smooth. Darkness descended, and we could barely make out the street or its countless rocks, road-apples and ditches, but we didn't stop. Rocks went flying, we got slowed-down soft dirt, we bounced and jolted and surely had some close calls, but none more than during the daylight, and it was a lot less stressful. Miraculously we followed the strip of not-black home, and none of us busted our asses! I even think, opposed to our daytime weave to the clearest-looking patches of road, our blissfully ignorant direct path was smoother, and it went by a lot quicker.
With my eyes Off the road, I got to take-in the sights. As usual, electricity was out for miles, and I noticed all the dark homes with families within, an the rest with only a single candle (or two at the most). Oh, what a sight! Since we never bike at night, I've never yet had the pleasure to drive through towns in this minimal light. To glimpse into earthen homes lit by a single wick of fire is incredibly transcendent, just raw beautiful. All day today I've been noticing the beautiful architectural and aesthetic simplicity of the country homes, and by night they are ever more vivid. When we got back to our lightless home, I ditched my bike and lay in the hay pile. Balarm sat and spoke to me, and I could barley move, but eventually rolled over to show him video of the tiger and our jungle trip. It was all worth it. Pradeep went right to sleep (without dinner, I think!), we washed up, ate, and retired to our beds. Speaking of books, are you still reading? Sweet safari dreams!
448km
Song: The L Train is a Swell Train and I Don't Want to Hear You Indies Complain by Out Hud
...I muttered at least a few times during the last 2 days off-roading in pursuit of the wonders of Chitwan National Park. Disregard any previous references to Royal Chitwan, as the royal family no longer has much pull or influence over things in Nepal, nor are they in the public's favor. 25km-in today, (25 too far on these roads, in my opinion), I wanted to give-up and go home. I imagined skipping out on the Elephant Safari we were booking it to, late for our 3pm appointment, going home and laying in the hay pile and reading the Dalai Lama book I started yesterday, sipping on lots of warm tea, and blogging about how I hate biking these Nepali back roads. It was too late, we were too close, I had to push-on. I lucked-out actually, because the safari was much better than I expected, and I had a minor epiphany about these crap roads. I'm more tired than ever, and typing (and my English) is difficult tonight, but Let's take it from the top:
Yesterday, Balarm the farmer graciously led us on bike to Chitwan National Park to hopefully go on safari, but it was a wickedly ass-kicking ride (in a bad way) 10km down some main thoroughfares, which for some reason around here are all covered with baseball to football-sized rocks. (The same roads we've suffered through before between here and Narayanaghad on bike and gypsy bus.) Unfortunately for us there was no safari yesterday, because unfortunately for some other humans and cattle in another area of the park, a dastardly tiger has been out terrorizing, and the elephants were called to duty to scare it away. (Tigers are scared of elephants.) We went out for a nice leisurely lunch at the nearby Rhino Resort, and had a much more pleasant ride back home on mostly nice smooth dirt paths that cut through the endless back fields of yellow, purple and pink flowers, which it was quite fun and picturesque. Why can't they all be of smooth dirt? I don't know why the main roads are all so rocky, when the land is obviously not -- they must have been added deliberately by some misguided city planners, cuz they suck! (Sorry, just had to get that out. I disclaim, my Rant may not be fully exorcised yet.)
Today we biked 10km in the Other direction to another part of Chitwan Park (hopefully not That other part of the park with the bad tiger), with Pradeep, the farmer's son, to hopefully see the purportedly kick-butt museum. The roads to get there, you guessed-it, Sucked! Then we paid the 500 rupees 'tourist admission' to military guards with machine guns -- a handsome sum of money which we could live off for 3 days on the road, and get this, admission for Nepalis is only 20 rupees! With the theme of Jurassic Park going through my head we pass through the barbed-wire entrance, bike across a long bridge an get our admission 'Permits' looked over by another set of guards, then go down a short hill where some more guards try to make us leave our bikes with them, but Pradeep somehow gets us permission, thanking them Formally (Namascar!) before we follow the path towards the museum, which is Closed today. We went over to a nearby Alligator refuge, paid another 100 rupees each (gratis for Nepalis), and saw a bunch of alligators. There were a bunch of big turtle areas, but No turtles. The best thing we saw -- no special fee required -- was the Orphan Tiger. We walk through the woods and find a big wooden cage, as tall as it is wide and deep. I climb a ladder and look-in at the huge gorgeous Bengali Tiger, whose mother was a man-eater, which in this case runs in the family! I can comment on how much you're all on your own regarding safety here, from the sketchy ladder that takes you up 20 feet, how easily I could have fallen (in or off), to the fact that I was taking video of the stunning beast through 1/2 inch of termite-chewed wood, and yes you can stick your fingers right in and touch her if you dared. Amazing!
Suddenly it was half past two and we had to beat it 15-20km to make our last-reservation-of-the-day Elephant Safari! Man, I knew it when we started off in the opposite direction that this would be the case! At 4pm we made it (an hour late), and somehow Pradeep convinced them to still take us on our wild journey. Another 4,200 rupees later (1,000 each for us, 200 for Pradeep) and with the Jurassic Park theme still playing we were crossing through multiple tall barbed-wire electric fences into the Elephant Sanctuary, which was indeed wild, sprawling, and beautiful. This is where everything changed to Amazing.
Armored [Rhino] Butt
I was worried that this whole elephant business might be a sad, exploitative affair. Ironically, my Vegan amigos were all gung-ho and despite my being grumpy on the ride over and trying to get out of it, here I was. As soon as I saw our two big elephants waiting for us, eating bundles of greens, I got excited. They looks SO adorable, lively, fit, and I'll be damned if they weren't happy to see us and Smiling. I've seen a bunch of elephants, a bunch of them heartbreaking, but also some happy ones, indeed, but these two 40 year old babes seemed to be doing all right. In a minute we were all petting them, holding their warm thick trunks in our arms, climbing on top. And off we went! Apparently we were very lucky to come across a couple of Rhinos only minutes into our jungle tour, a momma and baby. Single-horned Rhinos, native only to Nepal I believe, are SO cool-looking! Super thick, steel grey, with leathery armored bodies. Their butts look so funny! (Video to come on my Flickr, eventually.) The land was thick forest, with prehistoric-looking growth everywhere, no paths; we just forged through the brush atop our giant elephant kings of Chitwan like timeless kings or aboriginals ourselves.
Elephant Butt
Man I'm tired now, as you probably are of reading, but an hour later and many snuggles with our purring beastly friends (or were they growling? I can't be sure), we were on our bikes again. It was suddenly dark, and we had a decent distance ahead of us to get home. And now for my epiphany, revisited...
This summer at Burning Man, the desert's dry cracked surface was mostly soft and far more difficult to bike on than in previous years, due to some late rains in the season. Many people refused to even attempt traversing the playa on bike after their first day out, as the quicksand dunes could be seen everywhere -- it just wasn't as fun. One night after running our bar for a couple hours I borrowed someone's cruiser and took-off into the night, biking like the wind, inebriated, uninhibited, and unfazed by the unfavorable playa conditions. It was then I realized that, regarding the sand dunes, what you can't see can't hold you back. So for the rest of the week I just didn't pay them any mind, and I was free.
I had an idea that this might be the case, too, on these hell roads. In the fleeting light the road looked more smooth. Darkness descended, and we could barely make out the street or its countless rocks, road-apples and ditches, but we didn't stop. Rocks went flying, we got slowed-down soft dirt, we bounced and jolted and surely had some close calls, but none more than during the daylight, and it was a lot less stressful. Miraculously we followed the strip of not-black home, and none of us busted our asses! I even think, opposed to our daytime weave to the clearest-looking patches of road, our blissfully ignorant direct path was smoother, and it went by a lot quicker.
With my eyes Off the road, I got to take-in the sights. As usual, electricity was out for miles, and I noticed all the dark homes with families within, an the rest with only a single candle (or two at the most). Oh, what a sight! Since we never bike at night, I've never yet had the pleasure to drive through towns in this minimal light. To glimpse into earthen homes lit by a single wick of fire is incredibly transcendent, just raw beautiful. All day today I've been noticing the beautiful architectural and aesthetic simplicity of the country homes, and by night they are ever more vivid. When we got back to our lightless home, I ditched my bike and lay in the hay pile. Balarm sat and spoke to me, and I could barley move, but eventually rolled over to show him video of the tiger and our jungle trip. It was all worth it. Pradeep went right to sleep (without dinner, I think!), we washed up, ate, and retired to our beds. Speaking of books, are you still reading? Sweet safari dreams!
Monday, December 8, 2008
Climbing Mountains to get to the Lowlands
Climbing Mountains to get to the Lowlands
Monday Dec. 8, 10:07PM
Sucranada, a village near Chitwan, Nepal
Song: "After Class" by Atlas Sound on Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Not Feel
Today we pushed it, 80km (twice the distance we did each of the last two days!) The first 30 or so were hard, up and down rolling hills on a dusty narrow broken mountain road. Then, all of a sudden, it flattened out, like we were on a plateau. It was weird to be biking in Nepal without going either up or down a hill. As the mountains faded into the background behind us, we were cruising fast on level ground, and the vegetation changed radically to more temperate, sprawling forest, and I could imagine THIS to be the home of all the wildlife I've heard about. A saw some monkeys in the road, and only imagined far-off sounds of elephants and tigers. Suddenly we were going trough the very large and kinda dumpy city of Naranghar (Nepal's 2nd largest city to Kathmandu).
We heard the farm was another 10-15km beyond the city.... 40km later down the bumpiest-ass crap country road (I was really cursing) we arrived at the Balarm Bhattarai House, Balarm being the man of the house, Pradeep his son (20) and Pradicha (13) and Pramila (16) his daughters. From what we could tell in the sunset, the farm is beauiful, but as we were exhausted we skipped the tour and hit the showers. After unpacking and dinner we sat around on the stoop of our newly-completed guest quarters and got to know each other. Cara guided us all through some yoga stretches. Pradeep narrated a photo album filled with past guests, Nepali traditional ceremonies, and photos from a Safari we'll go on in the National Park we're actually in right now! If we were here 2 days earlier, we would have attended an Elephant festival in which they play elephant polo! And we got the low-down on some of the national dress (and those cool caps that the men wear). Many guests in the guestbook were sporting traditional Nepali dress... wonder if we'll be around for any special occasions!
They also have a tiny cat named Conga, who looks just like the one from last night in the classroom. We actually saw a few more cats today, and I'm going to make a generalization that they all look pretty much the same: light-colored, tiny and skinny, with large ears. I would never have guessed Conga was a mother 3 times over. Anyway I'm happy to have a kitty around.
I can already tell, this family is so cool. It's ridiculous and hard to get over that we can just travel around, help out a bit, but basically be treated as family and get shown around. It's just so... foreign! I mean the concept of being so friendly to strangers. People rule. I never thought traveling could be so easy, at least in regards to feeling welcome, and safe, and so well looked-after. It's truly an inspiration on how I want to live my life, not as a guest but as a host. Well both, as you can't have one without the other! I want to be more open, and learn not to distrust every stranger I meet... that's bad culture! Brotherhood of all (wo)men! Hey, where'd that soap box come from?
Anyway I'm super-duper beat, but psyched that we might get on the internet tomorrow so I can finish uploading some of these pictures! Or at least I'll try. Love from Chitwan, Anthony
Monday Dec. 8, 10:07PM
Sucranada, a village near Chitwan, Nepal
Song: "After Class" by Atlas Sound on Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Not Feel
Today we pushed it, 80km (twice the distance we did each of the last two days!) The first 30 or so were hard, up and down rolling hills on a dusty narrow broken mountain road. Then, all of a sudden, it flattened out, like we were on a plateau. It was weird to be biking in Nepal without going either up or down a hill. As the mountains faded into the background behind us, we were cruising fast on level ground, and the vegetation changed radically to more temperate, sprawling forest, and I could imagine THIS to be the home of all the wildlife I've heard about. A saw some monkeys in the road, and only imagined far-off sounds of elephants and tigers. Suddenly we were going trough the very large and kinda dumpy city of Naranghar (Nepal's 2nd largest city to Kathmandu).
Happy Cow, aka Cowface
(The Bhattari family farm guest house. We shared the room on the left.)
We heard the farm was another 10-15km beyond the city.... 40km later down the bumpiest-ass crap country road (I was really cursing) we arrived at the Balarm Bhattarai House, Balarm being the man of the house, Pradeep his son (20) and Pradicha (13) and Pramila (16) his daughters. From what we could tell in the sunset, the farm is beauiful, but as we were exhausted we skipped the tour and hit the showers. After unpacking and dinner we sat around on the stoop of our newly-completed guest quarters and got to know each other. Cara guided us all through some yoga stretches. Pradeep narrated a photo album filled with past guests, Nepali traditional ceremonies, and photos from a Safari we'll go on in the National Park we're actually in right now! If we were here 2 days earlier, we would have attended an Elephant festival in which they play elephant polo! And we got the low-down on some of the national dress (and those cool caps that the men wear). Many guests in the guestbook were sporting traditional Nepali dress... wonder if we'll be around for any special occasions!
They also have a tiny cat named Conga, who looks just like the one from last night in the classroom. We actually saw a few more cats today, and I'm going to make a generalization that they all look pretty much the same: light-colored, tiny and skinny, with large ears. I would never have guessed Conga was a mother 3 times over. Anyway I'm happy to have a kitty around.
I can already tell, this family is so cool. It's ridiculous and hard to get over that we can just travel around, help out a bit, but basically be treated as family and get shown around. It's just so... foreign! I mean the concept of being so friendly to strangers. People rule. I never thought traveling could be so easy, at least in regards to feeling welcome, and safe, and so well looked-after. It's truly an inspiration on how I want to live my life, not as a guest but as a host. Well both, as you can't have one without the other! I want to be more open, and learn not to distrust every stranger I meet... that's bad culture! Brotherhood of all (wo)men! Hey, where'd that soap box come from?
Anyway I'm super-duper beat, but psyched that we might get on the internet tomorrow so I can finish uploading some of these pictures! Or at least I'll try. Love from Chitwan, Anthony
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Sleeping in the School, Again!
(Down down down the mountain, my friends riding on top of the bus with our bikes, me safely bouncing around inside with our bags.)
Songs: Orgasm by L7, Monster Hospital by Metric
I'll make this a quickie entry. I just powered-up to charge my dangerously low-batt iPod to, but since we're sleeping in a school again (without much privacy) I best make haste before they notice my pretty shiny Apples.
(Geek: Did you know that you can charge your iPod from your notebook running on battery power? Me neither, till recently. It actually sort of sucks if you're just trying to play movies from your iPod on the big screen, as it automatically charges your iPod/and subsequently discharges your computer. No options for this, Apple?)
We've been in bed for 2 hours and groups of people coming home peer in the window and say hello (some singing, some drunk, all laughing). So we're back in the school house from 2 weeks ago, and boy that seems like ages ago! Back then, I though sleeping in a simple room with rock walls, tin roof, and dirt floor was roughing it. Now we're seasoned pros, and this is great, and free! Yeah, the rooms for 150 rupees ($2) we can do without! It was funny to have the school room as our destination today, and only moments after we arrived the kids came down off the mountain running and kept us company until sunset. This time I didn't feel as objectified, (like when we we re setting-up and dozens of them were watching from all angles through the windows.) This time, set-up was lickety-split, they know us now (from last time), and we spent most of the next 2 hours playing in the school yard.
(We slept in these kids' classroom.)
We've doubled-back in the direction we came from (82km so far from the farm in Begnas Tal), two days of pedaling behind us and in another day we'll be at the next farm in Royal Chitwan National Park. Biking has been great. I'm stronger, riding back over familiar terrain has been a pleasure -- usually I'm bored going back the same way, like when hiking -- and I re-arranged my bags by taking my bedding out of the big panniers to make more room and strapping them on to the top (in Bob's awesome waterproof bag, big wink!), moving heavy stuff out from the front bags for way better handling. The ride in this direction has also been much easier, with lots more downhill riding. One hill I was dreading was about 10km up, and whenever I felt weak I'd ponder this deep thought: "Would I rather be working in Midtown, or be climbing this mountain in Nepal?" I don't think I even enjoyed the downhills we had on the first trip, as I knew they meant long climbs today. But I've been tackling these hills like a beast and singing all the way down, as they're behind me now! Today I topped 50km/hr downhill four times! We also stopped off at familiar places where we had great meals, got some killer groceries for fresh fruit and vegetable salad for breakfast. In short, we've got this down!
[ Pic: ferocious kitten ]
Today I saw some monkeys doing it. They were big baboon-types. I haven't seen any monkeys since Kathmandu, so that was a treat. We also saw some dogs doing it earlier. Now we're heading to Chitwan to see the tigers do it. My sex life is strictly vicarious -- so how's the action back home? One more animal anecdote: Shortly after we got in our sleeping bags and started reading we hear this loud, incessant meowing. Either it was kids (not a long-shot) or a rare Nepali kitten! (There are so few cats here, I can count all I've seen on one hand.) So the little cat jumps in the window and she's like a constant meow-machine! She snooped all around us, smelled our bags, then jumped up into the rafters and climbed all around the top of the classroom until she really started crying and we tried to rescue her. Eventually she did some cat aerial acrobatics and got down, and hung out with us until just a little while ago. I started to miss Ezmy, Amy's cat, and looked at going away pictures on my iPod for a while. Sniffle. I miss you guys!!!
I may sound like Ironman when it comes to biking but I'm freaking tired! I was ready for bed at 6:30 when we got here. You wouldn't believe it but I've been up by 7am most days, which still adds up to more sleep than I've ever gotten in my life! Tonight Jamey reported that his love handles are officially shrinking, and Bonnie's declared her butt is, too. I wonder what's happening to me! I haven't looked in a mirror in weeks. Oh dang, I'm the last one awake! I better catch some zzZZz before class is in session. I loved reading some positive feedback emails last night. I'll keep posting if you keep writing! (Ahem, ahem! Sorry, must be some phlem from the burning trash.) So much for a short entry! Goodnight, lovelies!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Metrics
I'm metric now, so some of our norms so far are:
it 28 degrees in the daytime (and we're pretty high up but shorts and tees are fine, with sweater in the evening); we're moving at an avg. 9km/hr while pedaling uphill (which is sloooow! -- I wonder what my RPM is on gears 2 & 3); we cruise down the mountain at about 35-40km/hr (which still feels dangerously fast as, with bike and body I probably weigh about 300 lbs); i just got my bike 'computer' or speedometer working yesterday -- yay data!; I drink about 4 liters of water on a day-long ride; i hit my head on the tiny doorways at least once a day. I'm a bona-fide giant in these parts. 80% of the doorways are 4-8 inches shorter than me, and I never fail to whack my head good, esp. in the morning as I'm carrying my luggage out from the room. It is kind of fun, though, being 2 feet taller than grown adults.
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