Today we had a very early start from Tansen. First we tried to admire the Annapurna mountain range, but it was hiding in the clouds. Then we started our descent from Tansen. The first 5 to 6 km were extremely steep. I can only compare it to a black/diamond slope in skiing a d the road was in an awful state as well with rubble and holes. On top of that you had to avoid pedestrians, motorcycles and dogs, so that was a bit of a challenge. But the sun was there and afterwards once we were outside the villages, we had magnificent views. We progressed our descent but suddenly instead of being in the sunshine, we were in the middle of a cloud. The temperature certainly dropped 5 to 6 C and i wished that my hat and gloves on. After approximately 25 km we stopped at a small village, where we had Nepalese tea. This is tea with milk, ginger, cinnamon and cardamon. It was delicious. At that stop we admired a lady who was cooking. She was preparing a vegetable curry and green cabbage. On the other side of the road in the trees and the rock, there was a monkey family entertaining us ! First they pinched some apples from our cycle truck and then we gave them some bananas. It was great fun to watch them. After the tea, Anna, Kaho, MC, Danielle and myself continued in the van, as the others had a steep climb to tackle. We enjoyed the small villages that we drove to and the great scenery. We stopped for lunch in a small town that was very dusty and where a lot a passing traffic came through. On the menu, the National Nepalese dish : dahl bath (lentil soup and rice with vegetables and chicken). After lunch, the bikers set off again for another 17 km climbing. We continued with the van and stopped whenever we had a great view to take pictures of the surroundings and the cyclist when they were passing. Eventually we stopped to pick them up and went all together in the van to Pokhara. After dinner we had a stroll in the hotel neighbourhood and had desserts and coffees. We are realising that tomorrow is the last day of biking in this beautiful country.
Today we set out by bike at 7h30 to visit the Birthplace of Buddha. We had to go in barefooted and we queued to visit the place. Afterwards we visited different temples that have been built in honor to Buddha. There were a lot of people and all was very peacefull. Youngsters started talking to us asking from where we came. I must admit that we were rather looking weird to them with our biking gear. The tought that the girls' white legs under the biking shorts were hilarious and several pictures were taken with people of our group and those students. After visiting several temples, we returned to the hotel where our cycle ride for today started.
We did take the same road as we had come in the previous day for 12 km or so and then took small roads through the country side. The road was in real bad condition with a lot of holes and rubble. Suddenly we heard a tumb and Kaho had smacked to the ground. We all got a scare, but luckily he wasn't heard. It was very pleasant to bike through the country side where the kids came running out to say bye and sometimes hallo. We also paid the visit to the place where the regional manager of Spice Roads was born and met his sister. As we started biking late, we all started to be drained of energy and were very hungry, but there was still some road to go. Finally we arrived at the restaurant at 3 pm where we had a very late and tasty lunch. The banana lassi (yoghourt smoothie i would say) tasted wonderfull. After lunch no more biking for today. We had a 40 km drive on a very narrow, busy, and upwards winding road. It was packed with lorries and other traffic. The views were really beautiful and we arrival finally at our hotel that is located on the top of the City of Tansen. We had our usual beer aperitif and all agreed that it was a beautiful ride. In total we have cycled approximately 43km today and i must admit that my but is feeling a bit sore.😉
We were informed that today would be a short ride in the woods but it turned out totally different. First one of the small roads was blocked and we were going to take a different path. After we had cycled through some small villages, crossed a bridge we had to cross the river again and there was a problem. The dam was being worked on and no "dry" passage was possible. We had either to ride through the river and that meant that our feet and shoes would be wet or we had to walk through the river. Neither of these options was appealing to us certainly after we saw Sauros did a try and strand in the middle if the river. Another man crossed by foot and was up to his knees in the was and he was rather tall. The it was decided that we would cycle on the highway. This highway is not like anything that we are used to. It a tarmac road where sometimes the tarmac has dissapeared and on this road are lorries, vans, bikes, tuftufs and lots of schoolkids walking on the side to school. Add to that the constant noice of the horns being blown, the drivingstyle which is at times suicidal and the dust and you get a picture of what it really is. One of towns was especially chaotic and MC nearly had a close encounter with a car door that was suddenly opened as we were passing at the left of the vehicle because the road was blocked by a bus that stopped and another one the was overtaking it. The towns we passed there were a lot of shops and we enjoyed to watch these as we passed by. After we had driven approximately 20 km we had all to go further in the van as lunch was foreseen on the road and we were still about 100km away from Lumbini our destination for today. The road was climbing through the mountain and very narrow and some lorries barely made it up so at times we were stuck behind them for a while. After lunch in a road restaurant/hotel it was agreed that we would be driving in the van until 20km before Lumbini and then cycle into the town. It was a very interesting ride and we saw a lot of other cyclists on the road amongst the lorries, school busses, vans, cars, tractors and pedestrians. We arrived on the bike at our lovely hotel New Crystal whilst the setting sun was colouring the ski
Today we had a restday as far as biking was concerned, but we had a very busy agenda. In the morning we set out for a canoe trip to see if we could see the crocodiles. Our boat was a bit delayed and whilst waiting we were having the company of a busload of Nepalese teenagers. No need to say that they were very noisy and busy with all kinds of devises starting with an I , there were using their iphone, ipads, ipods etc.... not only to take pictures but to play music as loud as possible as well. The canoe was carved in 1 piece our of a trunc and we had to go in one by one and take a chair, sit down and then the next person could come in and have a seat. We started on the river and not long after we saw the first crocodile sunning on the river bank. We saw quite a few of these animals as well as a beautiful stork and several peacocks and enjoyed the trip thanks to our very able "skipper" and the guide who pointed out the different birds and other animals. After the canoe trip we continued our journey on foot walking through the jungle, hoping to see some rhino. And we were very lucky to see one of these imoressive animals. It was eating grass on the opposite riverbank of where we were looking and it took a bath as well. It was great fun to look at. Then a bunch of noisy singing youngsters arrived, but then our guide told them to be quiet so that the rhino wouldn't flee. We all took loads of pictures except for Lizy who was really pissed as her battery ran out. After lunch some if us decided to have a bike to the village to the shops. Martin wanted to go to the barber, Lizy needed shower cream and MC needed to buy some cigarettes for Danielle. Ana and Kahro came along as well. We purchased all what we needed at the local shops and took some pictures of Martin as they started to trim his beard at the local barber shop.
The on the afternoon agenda there was an elephant ride programmed. We had to sit with 4 people on the back of the elephant in a kind of basket which made it very snug. MC got in first, then myself, then Lizy and Danielle had to squeeze herself in as last. We took off and the ride took us for 1h30 trough the woods and forestland. We saw loads of deer and peacocks and the other elephants carrying tourists, but no rhinos nor any tigers. We were shown their footprints by our elephant driver but we had no encounters. At one time Lizy dropped her sunglasses and the ekephant that was following us with Veerle, Dominic, Anna and Kahro, picked it up and gave it to his driver and Lizy got it back in one piece. It was quite and experience and we bought bananas fir the elephants. The ate them without peeling and it was also quite funny to watch how the tip that we gave fir tbe driver, was taken by the elephant in its trump and then given to its driver.
We all enjoyed our day if rest at the Green Mansions lodge.
Today we were going from Hetauda to the Chitwan National Park. We all started in the bus and drive through the Terrai roads out of Hetauda. As we drove out the citi we saw a van that had driven in the river. As we were wondering how this could have happened, the fkegmatic answer came from our driver Rahj : "car wash". A d indeed on the other side there was a lorry also standing in the river and being washed. It was a very busy road and after approximately 40 km tbe bus stopped where the bike journey started. MC and myself were going by bus to the resort. As everone prepared to start there were a lot of schoolkids watching. They were waiting fir their schoolbus to pick them up. It was great fun and we continued on the road as everyone set off on a small path for the bikeride. We saw many mire schoolkids walking or biking to school, all of them wearing uniforms. Some had a pale blue shirt and navyblue trousers, others were in white shirts and navyblue pants and even some girls in yellow tops and rubyred skirts. We also noticed that there were a lot of people biking.
We arrived in the middle of the morning at the Green Mansions resort. It has beautiful gardens with lots of trees and flowers. It is an oasis of peace and quiet where you only hear the birds. Mc and myself had a very relaxing morning awaiting the others. We were then instructed on our activities for the next 2 days. So for this afternoon a visit to the elephant breeding centre and a walk through the village was planned. We saw a baby elephant of 2months and 10 days old tbat was quite playful but stayed always near his mom. It was quite interesting to hear that since the start of this program in 1986, 32 baby elephants were born. And take into account that a gestation period is 22 months up to 2 years for an elephant. We then walked back through the village. Before dinner, we had a dance show by the Tharus. The performed for us several of their ritual dances with a stick. In the end they invited us to dance with them. We did and it was great fun.
As we all wanted to see the sunrise on the panorama terrace to admire the mountain rangein the early sunlight. So we were all there by 6h00 o'clock in the morning but it was a bit of a deception. We had kind of expected to see a majestic mountain range in the rising sun, but it was quite hazy. So we decided to go back to our rooms.
Apparently we gave up too soon and 5 minutes after most of us left, Anna and Kahro were able to take some nice pictures.
So we returned to our cold rooms and got our walking gear on before we went for breakfast at 7h00 o'clock. But we arrived at a closed door. Five minutes later the door was opened but breakfast wasn't ready at all. Eventually we got all our plates and after that we set out for a hike: first to the Buddhist temple . We had to get down and up to a whole lot of steps before we arrived at the Buddist temple. We were allowed in by the monk and we admired the book of Buddha and the small inner room. The monk offered some herbs and an oily liquid. I tasted it but can't tell what i have been tasting. After that we went to the Hindu temple. First again we had to climb up a whole number of steps to get there. The we admired the temple which was formed naturally in the rocks. We saw some people doing their rituals by offering flowers and burning incense sticks. They also rang one of the bells hanging there. Then we had to return. It was quite a whole steep climb up on those steps, but we got back at the hotel by 10. We were told that lunch would be served when we were ready changing into our biking gear and packing up. So by 11 we had our lunch before starting our bike ride. We were told that it would be downhill the whole time but first we hadroximately 1,5km to climb up to the highest point of our journey, being 2488 meters high. A team picture was take and then we started downwards. It was great fun going down and you had to concentrate. But going down for 45km at a considerable speed is quite something.
The views were absolutely breathtaking. We saw cultivated terraces and passed through liitke villages where the liitke children were always waving enthusiastically to us and calling hi or hello.
It was a great downhill ride.
With some 11km to go, MC, Danielle and myself got into the van, since the last part was going to be up and down. We got into Hetauda by 4 in the afternoon and a bit of relaxing time before supper.
The hotel was a bit of a rundown affair but we had a good drink and a hot shower, so that helped. Diner was very good and we are looking forward to our journey to Chitwan resort tomorrow.
Today the team was complete and we all met at breakfast. Let me introduce you to Martin from Ipswich in the UK, then we have Kahro and Anna from Hong kong, Lizzy my roommate from Belgium, Marie-christine and Danielle my friends from Belgium and Veerle and Dominic from Edegem in Belgium. We all got into the bus and we were told that we would start biking outside the Citi and that the ride would take approximately 30 to 45 minutes. But that was not taking into account SARC (South Asian Region Cooperation) top and since a part of the ring was closed our driver tried an alternate way but we got entirely stuck and got to come back on our steps. Eventually after 2h30 we started to bike. The trail was quite rough with pieces of bricks and rubble. After a while the slopes were quite steep and MC, Danielle and myself had to negotiate the steep slopes up on foot pushing our bikes. After a while it was clear that this was too much for us and we took the bus instead for the steepest parts. The views were breathtaking and we enjoyed all along the scenery. We had lunch in a very piece-full little village with a view on a lake. After lunch we continued on the bikes again and our road was around the lake. We stopped many times to take pictures and enjoy the wonderful sights. When the road became to steep again, the 3 galls took the bus again. We were climbing quite a bit and as the afternoon progressed the temperature dropped considerably. By the time we reached our destination at an altitude of 2400 m it was very cold and everyone was shivering. But we got a nice surprise in the room. The beds were heated ! After a nice diner we all agreed to have an early rise to admire the panorama of the mountains
