K2K, Chitwan to Kathmandu, The Land of Never Ending Peace and Love
We had lots of help loading the bikes this morning. There
were people to hold the bikes, people to offer advice and poke things. There
were others to test ride the bikes before they could be declared safe for us.
Lots of laughs were happening as well as lots of recounts of the adventure so
far and the plan ahead. This had to happen lots of times as various people came
and went.
We meandered back through the rural landscape and crossed
the river. Cruising slowly, we were subconsciously delaying the inevitable
arrival back on the East West Highway. We turned left into the traffic and
brought the rhythm up a little bit. We had about nine ks to stay on here before
we turned North again. It wasn’t too bad. 
Mugling was a busy little place and out of about a hundred
little restaurants there, we managed to pick the wrong one.
It started off when we went to pay our hotel bill when we
checked out. They had no card payment system. Ok, we can pay cash. Nope, we
don’t have enough. There was much discussion behind the counter, none of it in
English. I said I would go to the ATM back in the village and got on my bike to
go and find it.
While I was gone, Mary befriended the hotel dog and fed it
some biscuits. It even barked at me when I got back. We headed off, and no
sooner had we got out on the main road, than I turned and saw it cantering up
the road behind us. He was onto a good thing, he was going with biscuit lady.
The dog weaved in and out of the traffic, dodging the trucks, desperately
trying to keep up with us. It was up hill and we couldn’t really pick up the
pace, but eventually he decided that the biscuits were over rated and decided
to sniff something else on the side of the road.
About half way up the biggest climb of the day, we rode past
a little resto, with a bunch of young boys out the front. They had us pegged
and chased after us asking for money, chocolate, pencils and “can you help my
mummy”, in that order. We were going slow once again, and they stayed with us
all the way to the top, probably about three ks. One of the little darlings even
tried to get into my rear bag as we were riding. This was a first for us, and a
sign that we were now on one of the main tourist routes.
The day started with a pretty big climb, no warm up, that
hurts. Half way up the climb we lucked out with a strange little espresso bar
that served awesome coffee. Another sign we were back on the tourist route. This
made up for the shocking breakfast we had in Damouli.
Anyway, we arrived in Pokhara after 800 metres of climbing and
had to go right through the city to get to “Lakeside” where our hotel was. A
friend in Adelaide had recommended the owner of this place, Garuda Inn, and he was going to
help us set up our trek hopefully. We
found a brilliant organic café for lunch and had real espresso again. Twice in
one day? That just never happens.
With the bikes safely stored away behind the hotel
generator, we put on our walking boots and headed out to our waiting taxi.
At this point, we realised that we had forgotten the
trekking poles that Raj had offered to lend us. Jit to the rescue. He found us
a sturdy pair of green bamboo poles that would turn out to be our best friends
over the next few days. At home I have a nice pair of carbon fibre, cork
gripped trekking poles. Naturally we didn’t carry them on the bikes for the
whole trip. But the straight bamboo, which was quite light and very strong, was
awesome. Mostly because it didn’t have a handle grip. We could slide our hand
along the pole to make it any height that was required for the terrain in an
instant. You can’t do that with normal poles. Next time, green bamboo for us.
We left the road and all of a sudden we were going down, we didn’t
expect that. It didn’t last long, just until we got out of the village. Then,
it was up, up, up, and into the forest along a beautifully hand made stone
path. It was only an hour to our lunch spot at Australian camp, during this
time we got to know Jit a little better, between gasping, and trying to
understand the intricacies of teahouse trekking. This was definitely about
finding out how to go about organising future treks for us.
Our bodies felt good as we pushed on towards today’s
destination, Deurali. It was only another hour, but much sweat was extracted
from our bodies along the way. This is where we discovered what tea house
trekking is really all about.
It turns out that what you do, is get up early and have a
massive breakfast. Then you spend the morning walking, maybe with a cup of tea
along the way if there is a convenient tea house. Then you arrive at your
destination between 11 and 12 and have a massive lunch. Then, if you are lucky,
you can buy some hot water for a bucket bath which is great. Then you spend the
rest of the day lounging around, telling tall stories with other trekkers,
drinking Ginger Lemon Tea or really bad coffee before having another really
large dinner before sleeping for ten hours or more.
Our original plan had been to stop at Forest Camp tonight,
but Jit was constantly calling ahead trying to get a room for us. It seems that
there are a few large groups on the trail at the moment and they had completely
booked out some guest houses, making it hard for the independent trekkers.
Luckily Jit was proactive and wasn’t just waiting to arrive in camp to see if
there were rooms available. So an additional two hours was required of us
today. That was Ok, we had lunch at Forest Camp then we kicked on. We were still at
Low Camp in the early afternoon.
All day, the trekking was through a thick forest with lots
of interesting flowers and fungi, as well as the ubiquitous rhododendron trees.
These were not in flower, but their trunks are very interesting, with their
bark patterns that stand out from everything else in the forest. Everything else was covered in thick moss. The
incline was pretty relentless, ending at 2970metres ASL. We were travelling
well and showing no sign of altitude sickness.
Arriving at Low Camp, the only room available was pretty
rustic, but would do us ok. There was a big Nepali group pre-booked to come in,
but they never turned up, much to the disgust of the owner. He had turned
several people away during the afternoon. They also had the nice rooms booked. 
During the night, through very thin walls, a lovely Philipino
Australian Lady we had become friendly with was heard screaming in the room
next door. It seems a possum had jumped on her head, and she was determined
that she was going home, Right Now. It was 4am. We are pretty sure it was a
mouse, which didn’t seem to console her at all.
Trekking on, our feet felt light. At every turn and rise, we
got a different view, including Annapurna South and Hinchuili on the opposite
side of the ridge we were climbing. A tea break at the half way point, saw the
mist swirl in again and hide the view from us for the rest of the day.
We arrived at High Camp in quite good time as usual and were
greeted by a very busy and bustling tea house. We had decided to stay here two
nights to give us the maximum chance of the view we were after. We were
mountain hunting, and this was the place to do it. All indications were that
the weather would clear overnight and come in again during the morning. We were
still on the cusp of the seasonal change.
A very cold trip to the loo at 2am got me really excited.
The stars were out. Clear skies. I could see the snowy outlines of Annapurna
South and Machupachare in the starlight.
We tried to walk quietly past the Yak
Herders tent just out
of camp. But then his dog barked and we got a very loud but friendly “Namaste”
from inside the tent, and “Good Luck”. Namaste to you too friend. Life is tough
in the mountains.
One of the things about going trekking in the mountains during
a cycle tour is that you don’t exactly have all the gear you would bring if you
were just coming for the trek. Little things like head torches. We had a front
bike light, which was actually very good, and Jit had a head torch. So we
decided that Jit would go in front, then me, then Mary behind with the torch
and there should be enough light. Wrong. I nearly went down three times, and
seriously, this is exactly where you don’t want that to happen. Iphone torch to
the rescue. Believe it or not, it actually worked fine.
The starlight slowly gave way to a little pre-dawn light as
we were ascending through about 3800metres. The going was very steep, but as we
started to get mountain views, the pain and the heavy breathing became
secondary to the joy we found in the views.
The sun was just coming up behind Machupachare and the
orange glow
of the sun’s first rays was striking the top of Annapurna South at
7219metres tall. We were also seeing into the great bowl that is formed by
these two mountains as guardians on either side with the main Annapurna range
forming the back wall. The most prominent of these was Annapurna Three at
7555metres.
Later, he led us back to the little tea hut and produced
Tibetan bread and jam wrapped up in foil that he had carried up from high camp
for us. Then it was tea and coffee from the tea seller and believe me when I
say, we have never had a better breakfast, sitting outside on the frost covered
rocks, with that view, wow.
We hung around up the top breathing the thin air and taking
more photos as the light changed, but eventually it was time to start our
descent to High Camp. It was a bit more technical on the way down, but it was
enjoyable all the way as the view changed. On the way, three local men passed us
going up with empty baskets on their backs. Jit looked at us and made a
slashing action across his neck. He said that they were going up to slaughter a
yak. Mary was horrified and desperately hoped that it wasn’t the one we had
just been photographing.
We were back in camp mid morning and had second breakfast,
or was it early lunch, it’s hard to tell. We got a couple of hours sleep and
woke up to total white out with the heavy fog and no view once again. We were
so lucky and grateful for the amazing morning we had.
Later that day. We were all just sitting by the window in
the tea house and Jit pointed out to me that the three guys were on their way
back down. As they walked past the tea house, I said to Mary, Look, Here Comes
The Yak. She got all excited and turned to look, and then a look of horror came
across her face. Unfortunately, the poor Yak was in bits, hanging out over the
top of their now overflowing baskets. Boy was I in trouble for that one.
Day 5, High Camp to Forest Camp
Another beautiful clear morning greeted us with astonishing
views all around. It was very cold however, with most of the puddles frozen
over until the sunshine met them, Yesterday afternoon's hail was still frozen too, so it was probably just below zero.
Down we went, back into the mossy forest. We really just
rolled out the k’s today, enjoying the occasional views on both sides of the
ridge. We could see rice terraces up steep mountain sides, small villages
perched on remote ridges and precarious suspension bridges across gorges for
access to the villages. It was very scenic, even without the snow capped
mountain back drop.
The guide network went into action, which was great to see.
They sent one guy back up, and tried to talk the missing guys out of their
dilemma. In the end, they bush bashed back up hill until they came across a
black poly pipe and they started to follow that, hoping it would lead them to
civilisation. By this time, everyone had been alerted up and down the trail,
and several people were out calling for them.
Jit knew what he was doing when he suggested we go back this
way. He knew that we were here for mountains. Going to Lwang was more about
culture and village life, but seriously, we had seen all there was to see of
village life on our travels so far, so he realised that more mountains make
Mary and David happier trekkers.
The walking was much the same as the previous day and we
stopped for tea at the Deurali tea house we had stayed in on the way up. The
Lady there looked after us well again. We went on and had a long lunch break at
Pothana. This was fun, we were people watching the nice fresh clean trekkers walking
past our lunch spot on their way up. Some of them were friendly and craving
information about the trail ahead. Some of them, with there heads still firmly
planted up their arses, were way above talking to someone so unprofessional as
to be walking with bamboo trekking poles. Oh, had I told you that I had planted
a garden in mine? Jit and Mary were occasionally picking nice things from the
trailside to add to it. Very unprofessional. Bloody Aussies.
We cleaned up and chilled out for a while, then a massive
thunderstorm rolled in. It went on and on, and any hopes of seeing the view
were fading fast. Then the temperature dropped and Mary looked out the window
and her jaw just dropped.
We headed outside to the roof top view point, Jit joined us
a bit later. The thunderclouds were still clearing a bit, but we could see all
the way up the ridge to Mardi Himal base camp. The trek we had just completed.
On the high sections, there was quite a covering of fresh snow. The wind
direction had changed. All week it had been gently blowing up off the Terai,
bringing the heat, humidity and the afternoon cloud and showers. Now it blew
down from the North, off the mountains and the Tibetan Plateau. The season had
changed in that moment, it was an amazing thing to witness.
We insisted that Jit join us for dinner tonight, something
that’s not normally done, but I really wanted to buy the guy a beer and share
it with him. The guides don’t normally do this, but it was nice for us, and
hopefully Jit enjoyed it as well.
Day 7, Australian Camp to Kande, to Pokhara.
Walking on at 8am, we were all a bit quiet. Mary and I were
ready to face the ride to Kathmandu, but were also a bit reticent about the
traffic on the last stretch. We would face that when we had to, we knew the
first two days would be ok.
9/10/18 Rest Day in Pokhara.
It was time to be tourists for the day. We were keen to see
the Peace Pagoda which has a commanding position on a ridge high above Fewa
Lake. We had been impressed by the one we had visited in Darjeeling. 
As an art form, the Pagoda is essentially a large stupa,
with the four sides adorned with statues of Buddha in four postures. What made
this one more beautiful than others was the very interesting freezes that were
behind the statues in the alcoves. They were of brilliant blues and golds
depicting the life of Buddha, but they really highlighted the main statues,
creating a wonderful scene. 
To look out from here, was a magnificent sight, we had a
beautiful day. We looked down upon Fewa Lake with Pokhara’s famous ‘Lakeside’
district lining it’s Northern shore. Add to this the backdrop of the Annapurna
range and the Goddess Range flanking the iconic Machapuchare right in the
middle. We could sit and look at this view all day.
One of the displays of local life, was of a strange cooking
pot, that I asked Jit what it was. He explained that this was the system used
to make Millett Wine. Having a bit of an interest in home brewing, I said to
Jit that I would love to learn about this process one day. He said that we were
in luck, his wife’s family were making wine today and he could take us there to
show us. We readily agreed and were soon in the little taxi, heading through
the back streets of Pokhara on the way to his Mother in Law’s house.
We were greeted by several ladies with very warm Namaste’s
and were ushered into the back yard, where the stack potted still was sitting
on top of an open fire. The process was already underway, but Jit explained the
process to us and his Mother in Law gave us a sample to try that was still
warm. I have to say, that it was every bit as good as some of the finest
Japanese Sakes that I have tried. I was very impressed. What lovely people, who
were only too willing to share their knowledge with us. Thanks again Jit, if
you are reading this.
11-10-18 Pokhara to just past Mugling.
https://www.strava.com/activities/1942548339
Earlier, we had decided that we would stop for coffee at a
spot we had found on the way up and make a decision then about how far we would
go. This was at the 44k mark and we got there very early, about 10am. It was
too early to stop at Damouli, so we decided to kick on to Mugling as we were
feeling very fresh still. 
The sun came out on the climb which made us sweat a bit
more, but over all, we were so much more comfortable with the change of season
keeping things a bit cooler.
The funny thing that happens as we get late in our stages,
is that we do spend a bit more money on the luxuries when available. This really helps us to finish off.
We weren’t disappointed with our choice, and had a great room and nice food and drinks in a great spot overlooking the rushing Trishuli River. Some people think we are doing it tough.
It was quite funny really. The whole bus thing seemed like
people were walking around discussing something that they really shouldn’t be doing.
It turned out that there was a group of guys touring on Royal Enfields
supported by a couple of Nepali guys and a driver in a mini bus, they were all
having lunch.
Our last 200k’s saw fresh legs push us 100km’s the first
day, followed by a crazy 50km day with lots of climbing. The continuous truck
and bus traffic and the heavy exhaust fumes, plus the narrowing of the road
with nowhere for us to safely ride got to us just a bit, and we decided to
catch a lift in a van up the 40km switchback climb. We arrived at a vineyard
resort just 15km’s short of Kathmandu. Today our last 15km’s of our journey was
delightful. We were expecting dirt, dust and grime and a fight for space on the
road, but instead found a beautiful backroad which allowed us to breath good
air and roll into Kathmandu. As we got closer into the city there were a couple
of challenges, but we can honestly say that we totally enjoyed this last ride.
We were greeted by 4 beautiful children who welcomed us with smiles and
Namaste’s and photo bombed us with glee.
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| Annapurna South 7219 metres (left) and Hiunchuli 6441m |
28/09/19
Chitwan National Park to Mugling
https://www.strava.com/activities/1942548184
https://www.strava.com/activities/1942548184
Two days away from riding is a lot for us. We needed a
break, sure, but when we sat down to our early breakfast this morning we both
declared at the same time that we were ready to ride again.
 |
| The travelling Sadhus were always very friendly to us |
The breeze was cool against our skin on this early start and
it felt just awesome. Despite our feelings about the tourist elephants, there
is something quite surreal about pedaling past one of these magnificent
creatures on it’s way to pick up it’s tourists for the day. Sometimes you have
to pinch yourself.
We meandered back through the rural landscape and crossed
the river. Cruising slowly, we were subconsciously delaying the inevitable
arrival back on the East West Highway. We turned left into the traffic and
brought the rhythm up a little bit. We had about nine ks to stay on here before
we turned North again. It wasn’t too bad.
As we turned onto Highway Five, we saw this pristine new
road leading away into the forest. We looked at each other and swore that
neither of us would say it. Really, what were the chances that this was going
to be the standard for the next thirty ks into Mugling? If we dared to mention
it, we would be back to bus swallowing pot holes within a few hundred metres.
Guess what? It lasted the whole way. It was awesome. The
road followed the river through this magnificent gorge. It had it all, the
beautiful fast flowing river, a great road that just flowed up the valley,
mountains rising to great heights all around us. The depth of the gorge even
had us riding in shade for all but the last five k’s. It was actually all over
too quick. We had only set ourselves fifty four ks today due to the climbing
that we barely noticed, so we were checking into our hotel well before lunch
time.
Mugling was a busy little place and out of about a hundred
little restaurants there, we managed to pick the wrong one.
Do you have a menu please?
No!
Ok. A cold drink perhaps!
Cold Icy Stare from Scary Lady.
The son came out and got us two cold drinks and then we
decided we would just check in early and eat lunch at the hotel. Hilarious.
The sound of rushing water from the river below us led to a
chilled out afternoon.
29/09/18
Mugling to Damauli
https://www.strava.com/activities/1942548198
https://www.strava.com/activities/1942548198
Today was one of those days where it feels like you’ve got
your pants on backwards. You look down discreetly to check, but no, they are on
the right way. The feeling persisted for most of the day.
 |
| One way of keeping your roof on |
Arriving at the sign that said ATM, with a half closed
roller shutter down over the door, I could see a guard’s feet, he was sitting
on a chair just inside. I knocked on the door and said ATM? He shouted back, No
ATM, Next village. Turns out that this was the only one in town.
Riding back to the hotel I’m thinking what on earth we are
going to do about this, so I decided I had to make it their problem. I had
enough cash to pay half and promised to drop the rest in on our way back past
here to Kathmandu in about ten days. To my surprise they agreed. They couldn’t
be bothered following us to the next village to collect either.
Finally, we were on our way later than we had planned.
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| Damouli and the Madi Nadi River |
It was a nice ride, quite hilly, but we only had forty four
ks to ride today and took our time on the climbs.
 |
| Strange Wildlife in Nepal |
We had a long cooling descent after that, it was
disconcerting, as we gave away all of our elevation gain that day. We found a
nice place to stay, overlooking the Madi Nadi River. We had a nice lunch here
watching the eagles circle as we listened to the West Coast eagles beat
Collingwood in the AFL grand final.
30/09/18
Damouli to Pokhara
https://www.strava.com/activities/1942548217
https://www.strava.com/activities/1942548217
 |
| Fewa Lake |
After that it leveled out to a very low angle climb for the
rest of the day. The only real exception was a really bad section of roadworks
that was very dry dusty and rough. It went on for quite a while and it turned out
that later on at dinner, we had been spotted by some Canadians that had seen us
from their bus and somehow recognised us at dinner. I promise that we had
showered and changed before we went out.
 |
| These kids helped us select our trekking supplies |
We also had to check out the availability of some trekking
needs which was quite fun with all the outdoor shops in town sporting genuine
copies of all the major outdoor brands. North Face is the most popular, or as
it is known here, North Fake.
This led to drinks, which led to dinner, which led to a
downpour of rain which led to another table of ladies needing to join us at
ours, and we had a great night telling crazy cycle traveler stories. I think we
like Pokhara.
Mardi Himal Base Camp Trek
We chatted with Raj, the owner of our hotel who, like just
about everyone else in town, can organise guides and porters etc, for all sorts
of adventures in and around the Annapurna region.
Raj seemed like a good guy, he set up a schedule to trek the
Mardi Himal and quoted us various options. We were reasonably confident about
carrying our own gear, so we decided to just hire a guide, and Raj would also
organise the transport to and from and the all important ACAP and TIMS Cards.
Once we had it all sorted, we were confident to go out and
buy a few things we needed. Two small back packs, and Mary needed some boots.
This wasn’t at all difficult other than the fact that we knew we would have to
abandon it all again on our return. Regardless of this, organising a trek this
way was so much cheaper than booking into an organised trek from home. It was
also way more personal.
Raj organised our guide Jit to come and meet us. We hit it
off straight away and were very confident in his ability to safely guide us
through the mountains. We arranged to meet at the hotel the next morning, ready
to leave at 8:30.
Day 1 Pokhara to Deurali
With the bikes safely stored away behind the hotel
generator, we put on our walking boots and headed out to our waiting taxi.
The morning was cloudy and hot, we still hadn’t seen the
famous mountain views of Pokhara. If only we knew what lurked in those clouds
much closer than we imagined.
We wound our way up to our starting point at Kande where we
farewelled our driver and slipped our light packs over our shoulders. The
elevation here was about 1600 metres and was a little cooler.
At this point, we realised that we had forgotten the
trekking poles that Raj had offered to lend us. Jit to the rescue. He found us
a sturdy pair of green bamboo poles that would turn out to be our best friends
over the next few days. At home I have a nice pair of carbon fibre, cork
gripped trekking poles. Naturally we didn’t carry them on the bikes for the
whole trip. But the straight bamboo, which was quite light and very strong, was
awesome. Mostly because it didn’t have a handle grip. We could slide our hand
along the pole to make it any height that was required for the terrain in an
instant. You can’t do that with normal poles. Next time, green bamboo for us.
We left the road and all of a sudden we were going down, we didn’t
expect that. It didn’t last long, just until we got out of the village. Then,
it was up, up, up, and into the forest along a beautifully hand made stone
path. It was only an hour to our lunch spot at Australian camp, during this
time we got to know Jit a little better, between gasping, and trying to
understand the intricacies of teahouse trekking. This was definitely about
finding out how to go about organising future treks for us.
We arrived at Australian Camp, a group of quite large tea
houses, and settled into an early lunch with a surprisingly large range of menu
options. How civilised is that?
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| Tea House Life |
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| Wood burning clay stove. |
Repeat.
The lady who ran the Deurali Tea House we stayed in was a
human dynamo. Every room was full tonight and the range and quality of meals
she managed to turn out on a one burner wood fired clay oven was nothing short
of amazing. All while chatting, laughing and giving the guides and porters a
hard time.
Day 2 Deurali to Low Camp
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| Our First Tea House in the Mist |
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| A glimpse of Annapurna South |
Arriving at Low Camp, the only room available was pretty
rustic, but would do us ok. There was a big Nepali group pre-booked to come in,
but they never turned up, much to the disgust of the owner. He had turned
several people away during the afternoon. They also had the nice rooms booked.
The other thing that happens, is that the guides and porters
can’t wait for their tired charges to go to bed, then it’s their time off. So
tonight, there was much singing and dancing to be heard from the Restaurant
once we had been sent to bed. Hahahaha.
During the night, through very thin walls, a lovely Philipino
Australian Lady we had become friendly with was heard screaming in the room
next door. It seems a possum had jumped on her head, and she was determined
that she was going home, Right Now. It was 4am. We are pretty sure it was a
mouse, which didn’t seem to console her at all.
Day 3 Low Camp to High Camp.
Following the possum incident, no further sleep was had, or
probably needed if the truth be told. So, up at the crack of dawn, we were
greeted by an amazing view of Machapuchare, or the sacred “Fishtail” mountain.
At 6993 metres, it was a sight to behold. There was still a little swirling
cloud around, but it was nothing short of magnificent.
We had breakfast outside in the cold, we didn’t want to miss
anything as the light changed the view before us.
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| Machapuchare at sunrise 6993m |
We arrived at High Camp in quite good time as usual and were
greeted by a very busy and bustling tea house. We had decided to stay here two
nights to give us the maximum chance of the view we were after. We were
mountain hunting, and this was the place to do it. All indications were that
the weather would clear overnight and come in again during the morning. We were
still on the cusp of the seasonal change. |
| Annapurna South and Hiunchuli |
The afternoon was spent in lazy trekker mode, lounging
around, trying to stay warm in the tea house, chatting to people from all over
the world.
Day 4 High Camp to Mardi Himal Viewpoint and return.
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| Trekkers' Dawn |
I didn’t sleep after that. And when our room mate Clara got
up at 3:30, we decided that we would go and find Jit and get going a bit earlier than planned. He was
already at our door suggesting the same thing. We had a quick cup of tea and
slipped out of camp, aiming for the viewpoint seven hundred metres above us for
sun rise.
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| Annapurna South |
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| Jit looking almost as tall as Machapuchare |
One of the things about going trekking in the mountains during
a cycle tour is that you don’t exactly have all the gear you would bring if you
were just coming for the trek. Little things like head torches. We had a front
bike light, which was actually very good, and Jit had a head torch. So we
decided that Jit would go in front, then me, then Mary behind with the torch
and there should be enough light. Wrong. I nearly went down three times, and
seriously, this is exactly where you don’t want that to happen. Iphone torch to
the rescue. Believe it or not, it actually worked fine.
The starlight slowly gave way to a little pre-dawn light as
we were ascending through about 3800metres. The going was very steep, but as we
started to get mountain views, the pain and the heavy breathing became
secondary to the joy we found in the views. |
| Best Brekky Ever, Note The Frosty Seat |
There is a tiny thatch hut at the viewpoint at 4100metres,
unbelievably there is a guy who sells tea there. We went on a little further
along the knife edge ridge, photo time.
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| Yak Catching The First Rays |
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| The Viewpoint Tea House |
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| Annapurna Range in the Background |
The sky was perfectly clear and as you can see, we took lots
of photos. This is what we came for, and Jit was so proud that he was able to
deliver on our dream.
There was a yak herders camp up here as well and we admired
and took photos of some yaks catching the mornings first warming rays of
sunshine.
 |
| Some Guy |
More people were making their way up, including some of the
new friends we had met along the way. This included Alex and Florina from Mt
Gambier in South Australia. Something was afoot. Us and a few other new friends
were ushered up to the spot by the prayer flags where Alex produced a ring and
proposed to Florina. This created a massive stir on the mountain and many tears
were had all around, even by those who had never met them. Ten out of ten for
style Alex, and we wish you guys a life of wonderful adventures.
We hung around up the top breathing the thin air and taking
more photos as the light changed, but eventually it was time to start our
descent to High Camp. It was a bit more technical on the way down, but it was
enjoyable all the way as the view changed. On the way, three local men passed us
going up with empty baskets on their backs. Jit looked at us and made a
slashing action across his neck. He said that they were going up to slaughter a
yak. Mary was horrified and desperately hoped that it wasn’t the one we had
just been photographing.
Later that day. We were all just sitting by the window in
the tea house and Jit pointed out to me that the three guys were on their way
back down. As they walked past the tea house, I said to Mary, Look, Here Comes
The Yak. She got all excited and turned to look, and then a look of horror came
across her face. Unfortunately, the poor Yak was in bits, hanging out over the
top of their now overflowing baskets. Boy was I in trouble for that one.Day 5, High Camp to Forest Camp
 |
| Annapurna South and Hiunchuli from High Camp |
Breakfast was enjoyed and then we began the downward journey
towards the trail head. Our original plan had been to drop down into the valley
on the East side of the ridge to a village called Lwang. Once again, Jit found
out that there was no accommodation available there, so we decided to go back
the way we came in, but stay at different camps. Also, if we were lucky with
the weather, we would get another great panorama from Australian camp on our
last night.
Down we went, back into the mossy forest. We really just
rolled out the k’s today, enjoying the occasional views on both sides of the
ridge. We could see rice terraces up steep mountain sides, small villages
perched on remote ridges and precarious suspension bridges across gorges for
access to the villages. It was very scenic, even without the snow capped
mountain back drop.
We arrived at Forest Camp for lunch and settled in. Jit got
us a nice room and we could have a hot water shower, so we did that and then
settled in for the afternoon.
The big group of Kiwis that were coming down behind us
arrived, they were going on to a village on the West side of the ridge, down on
the Annapurna Base Camp Trail about two hours further on. They soon learned
that four of their trekkers and a guide were missing. Luckily, their trek
leader was able to contact the missing guide on his phone and it turned out
that they had taken a wrong turn down an unmarked yak or buffalo trail and had
gone at least an hour past the turn. They couldn’t find their way back.
The guide network went into action, which was great to see.
They sent one guy back up, and tried to talk the missing guys out of their
dilemma. In the end, they bush bashed back up hill until they came across a
black poly pipe and they started to follow that, hoping it would lead them to
civilisation. By this time, everyone had been alerted up and down the trail,
and several people were out calling for them.
Eventually the five missing trekkers heard a voice above
them and they were guided back to the trail. They arrived at Forest Camp just
before dark and crazily decided that they would go on to catch up with their
group, rather than stay here. We thought that to be a bad decision after what
they had just been through, and a couple of them were visibly angry about it
all. But on they went.
It turned out that our room was right next to the toilet
that served about ten rooms. The ceiling was open at the top. Trying to sleep
while plugging your ears with your fingers is very difficult. Some sounds just
can’t be unheard.
The next morning the trail network informed us that the Kiwis did arrive
safely, well after dark.
Day 6, Forest Camp to Australian Camp.
Jit knew what he was doing when he suggested we go back this
way. He knew that we were here for mountains. Going to Lwang was more about
culture and village life, but seriously, we had seen all there was to see of
village life on our travels so far, so he realised that more mountains make
Mary and David happier trekkers.
The walking was much the same as the previous day and we
stopped for tea at the Deurali tea house we had stayed in on the way up. The
Lady there looked after us well again. We went on and had a long lunch break at
Pothana. This was fun, we were people watching the nice fresh clean trekkers walking
past our lunch spot on their way up. Some of them were friendly and craving
information about the trail ahead. Some of them, with there heads still firmly
planted up their arses, were way above talking to someone so unprofessional as
to be walking with bamboo trekking poles. Oh, had I told you that I had planted
a garden in mine? Jit and Mary were occasionally picking nice things from the
trailside to add to it. Very unprofessional. Bloody Aussies.
We arrived at Australian camp to a great surprise from Jit.
A room with an ensuite bathroom. Talking about luxury.
 |
| Trekking Pole Complete With Garden |
 |
| Machapuchare Through The Storm |
We insisted that Jit join us for dinner tonight, something
that’s not normally done, but I really wanted to buy the guy a beer and share
it with him. The guides don’t normally do this, but it was nice for us, and
hopefully Jit enjoyed it as well.Day 7, Australian Camp to Kande, to Pokhara.
It was only about an hour back to the trail head where our
car would be waiting for us. But we were up at 5am to watch the sunrise. It was
beautifully clear and we had amazing views of a crescent moon rising over
Annapurna 4 and the Goddess Range.
We relaxed over breakfast and enjoyed taking some more
photos as the light changed throughout the morning.
Walking on at 8am, we were all a bit quiet. Mary and I were
ready to face the ride to Kathmandu, but were also a bit reticent about the
traffic on the last stretch. We would face that when we had to, we knew the
first two days would be ok.
We donated our awesome trekking poles back to the guy who
was selling them to would be trekkers on their way out, complete with garden.
We had the afternoon off in Pokhara and ate western food to
catch up, and arranged with Jit to show us the main sights of Pokhara the next
day.
 |
| From Australian Camp |
 |
| Fewa Lake & Pokhara, Peace Pagoda On The Ridge Above The Lake |
 |
| Paragliders Over Pokhara |
9/10/18 Rest Day in Pokhara.
 |
| The Peace Pagoda |
It was a very windy and steep road to the top, but wow, what
a view. The Peace Pagodas were built in various places around the world by a
private Japanese organisation who wanted to promote peace. We obviously think
that this is very worthwhile and hopefully more and more people receive that
message as they visit.
As an art form, the Pagoda is essentially a large stupa,
with the four sides adorned with statues of Buddha in four postures. What made
this one more beautiful than others was the very interesting freezes that were
behind the statues in the alcoves. They were of brilliant blues and golds
depicting the life of Buddha, but they really highlighted the main statues,
creating a wonderful scene. 
To look out from here, was a magnificent sight, we had a
beautiful day. We looked down upon Fewa Lake with Pokhara’s famous ‘Lakeside’
district lining it’s Northern shore. Add to this the backdrop of the Annapurna
range and the Goddess Range flanking the iconic Machapuchare right in the
middle. We could sit and look at this view all day.
Another highlight that we discovered was on top of the
golden spire at the top of the stupa. A massive bright blue crystal, (we don’t
know what type) donated by the Sri Lankan government, adorns the highest point,
reflecting the sunlight brilliantly.
After this, we visited some caves which the outflow from
Fewa Lake flows through, then on to the Mountaineering Museum. This one
definitely tops the one at Darjeeling and has some great displays as well as
panoramic windows that are sited to take in the Annapurna views once again.
One of the displays of local life, was of a strange cooking
pot, that I asked Jit what it was. He explained that this was the system used
to make Millett Wine. Having a bit of an interest in home brewing, I said to
Jit that I would love to learn about this process one day. He said that we were
in luck, his wife’s family were making wine today and he could take us there to
show us. We readily agreed and were soon in the little taxi, heading through
the back streets of Pokhara on the way to his Mother in Law’s house.
We were greeted by several ladies with very warm Namaste’s
and were ushered into the back yard, where the stack potted still was sitting
on top of an open fire. The process was already underway, but Jit explained the
process to us and his Mother in Law gave us a sample to try that was still
warm. I have to say, that it was every bit as good as some of the finest
Japanese Sakes that I have tried. I was very impressed. What lovely people, who
were only too willing to share their knowledge with us. Thanks again Jit, if
you are reading this.
We spent the rest of the afternoon re-setting our load for
the final leg of our K2K journey. Was it really almost over? Oh no, it wasn’t.
 |
| Annapurna 4 from the Peace Pagoda |
11-10-18 Pokhara to just past Mugling.
https://www.strava.com/activities/1942548339
We planned to do this 204k ride in four days taking it easy.
We knew that day one was relatively easy, as we had already ridden it in the
opposite direction. This time would be largely downhill, with the scary bit on
the last day, a big switch back climb into Kathmandu.
We rolled out nice and early and the traffic was light. The
only hard bit was a big patch of roadworks about the 30k mark, but even this
was easier today as we were going down.
Earlier, we had decided that we would stop for coffee at a
spot we had found on the way up and make a decision then about how far we would
go. This was at the 44k mark and we got there very early, about 10am. It was
too early to stop at Damouli, so we decided to kick on to Mugling as we were
feeling very fresh still.
We knew that there was a big hill in this fifty ks, but that
was no problem, we had had an easy morning. So off we went, caffeinated and
ready.
The sun came out on the climb which made us sweat a bit
more, but over all, we were so much more comfortable with the change of season
keeping things a bit cooler.
We had to stop at the little hotel in Mugling to settle our
bill from when we were on the way up. This caused great confusion, I don’t
think they thought that we would honour our promise. Finally, we worked it out
and we could ride on with a clear conscience. We planned to go about 6ks
further to a nice riverside resort that looked really nice, if a little
expensive.
The funny thing that happens as we get late in our stages,
is that we do spend a bit more money on the luxuries when available. This really helps us to finish off.We weren’t disappointed with our choice, and had a great room and nice food and drinks in a great spot overlooking the rushing Trishuli River. Some people think we are doing it tough.
12-10-18 Mugling to Chandragiri.
https://www.strava.com/activities/1942548377
https://www.strava.com/activities/1942548377
Having ridden a bit over 100ks yesterday, today presented us
with an interesting dilemma. It was about 50ks to the base of the big climb up
into the Kathmandu Valley. But there was nowhere to stay there. We also knew
that this 50ks had about 900 metres of climbing in it, just the ups and downs
following the river, but not insignificant. It was going to be hard doing that
plus all or part of the big climb, a further 1200metres up. We were going to have to wing it and see how
we felt when we arrived at that point.
We were only about four or five ks into the morning when we
had a shock, seeing our second dead person of this trip. There was a small
truck rest area on the left overlooking the river. In the middle of this, were
two policemen standing by this dead guy. They had put up a few flags to try and
stop anyone else from running the poor guy over and had draped a small empty
rice bag over his head. But the rest was obvious to see. We don’t know what
happened, but we do know that this is a very tough place, where one mistake can
have drastic consequences.
It was hard to get our minds back on the job after that. But
concentration is the key thing to making sure that something like that doesn’t
happen to us. Focus is key.
The traffic was becoming more and more difficult to handle,
and the steep, short pitch climbing was taking it’s toll. A couple of near
misses led me to make the call. We were at about the 48k mark and nearly at the
base of the main climb, mentally we were both fried.
There was a nice looking restaurant for tourists just ahead
with quite a few tourist buses parked out the front. We pulled in there and
decided to eat and make a decision. I spoke to one of the bus drivers about a
lift and he suggested that I speak to the restaurant owner who assured me he
could arrange something and went off to talk to someone.
When he came back, he said yes, 5000 rupees, but you must
wait for a while. No problem, we relaxed. We only wanted to get to the top of
the climb, we could get a hotel there. We were adamant with each other that we
would ride in to Kathmandu tomorrow, come hell or high water.
It was quite funny really. The whole bus thing seemed like
people were walking around discussing something that they really shouldn’t be doing.
It turned out that there was a group of guys touring on Royal Enfields
supported by a couple of Nepali guys and a driver in a mini bus, they were all
having lunch.
No-one could speak to us until the westerners got back on
their motorbikes and headed off. Then all of a sudden we were the focus, and
our bikes and us were shoved quickly into the bus and off up the hill we went.
It seems that these guys were happy to make a bit on the side, but they had to
keep up appearances that they were there only for their tour.
We definitely made the right decision. The traffic was
insane. The climb was long, but not all that steep. It would definitely be
rideable without the traffic. There was no verge whatsoever, so nowhere to hide
when you needed it. It still took us nearly two hours to do the 40ks in the
bus.
Mary found a nice hotel at the top and we arranged a spot
for the guys to drop us off, or should I say, dump us and all our stuff in the
middle of this crazy road. We put everything back together and headed off up a
ridiculously steep side road to find our hotel. It was push all the way. When
we found that the place was open, nice, and had a room available, we sighed
with relief. That was one of the toughest days we have ever had, both
emotionally and physically. We were only 15ks from Kathmandu, and it looked
like we had spotted a back road to take us in.
12-10-18
Chandragiri to Kathmandu
https://www.strava.com/activities/1942548364
https://www.strava.com/activities/1942548364
I am going to let the words of Mary’s facebook post explain
our emotions of today. Let me just say that this has never been about the
destination. It is about the journey. This journey has taught us so much, but most
importantly, how to set our life up, in order to make something as epic as this
possible. After nearly 14000ks it’s not over, the journey continues. Perhaps in
another form, but then, who could allow our trusty steeds Larry and Priscilla
to languish in the shed at home? No, they will be a big part of our life still,
what a way to travel.
Kangarilla 2 Kathmandu
You little beauty, we can’t believe that we have now
completed our big dream.
This last leg of K2K started in Kolkata, exploring India’s
hidden secrets and giving us the experience of riding in the most chaotic
traffic in the world first hand. After 300k’s we decided life was too precious
and caught a train to Siliguri. We ventured up to Darjeeling and then to Sikkim
falling in love with the mountains and the people. With a downhill Run back to
Siliguri it was then onto Nepal. Across the Terai we ventured, then on into
Chitwan to explore the National Park. A beautiful ride up to Pokhara came next, then a week trekking the Mardi Himal Trail. Wow what an amazing time we had
surrounded by some of the biggest mountains in the world.
 |
| One Last Push |
Our K2K journey pushed us well outside of our comfort zone,
it created a dream that scared us, it exposed us to many challenges, we met so
many beautiful people along the way and most importantly it gave us an
adventure we will never forget.
We found the love of Camping in our little tent from
Kangarilla to Broome; we discovered freedom pedaling across the volcanic spine
of Bali, Java and Sumatra; we explored the beauty of the back roads from Kuala Lumpur
to Chang Mai; and we felt the true India from Kolkata to Siliguri, Darjeeling
to Gangtok. We absorbed the love and peace of Nepal as we ventured to
Kathmandu. What an amazing journey we have had.
Thank you to our beautiful family and all of our friends for
encouraging and supporting us over the last 2 years. Sharing our story has been
the highlight of our K2K adventure. Namaste 🙏
A LITTLE BIT UP, A LITTLE BIT DOWN
