Making memories; Bike packing our way through Nepal

We decided that the only way for an adventure not to end was to keep adding more, in Karen’s case to the absolute last hour. Having literally just finished the hardest MTB stage race we had ever done, Nepalese MTB champion Laxmi, Karen and I were embarking on another epic; bike packing our way back from Pokhara to Kathamandu. 300kms of dirt roads. Following the back ways to get a real taste for what rural Nepal was all about. The only slight hiccup was that we were told the morning we left that the Nepalese MTB pro’s Ajay and Roan had recced the route before and it had taken them 4 days. Guided MTB tours would take 8 days and because of Karen’s flight we would have to do it in 3 days. No pressure. 

Getting on the way with all smiles

We were sent off by the Yak Attackers who had become close friends. A feeling of nostalgia came over me as our journey began. We had been treated with incredible weather, bright blue skies set against the colourful features which made Nepal. The high peaks on the back ground. After having been so sick during the Yak Attack, I started to feel almost human again adding to my feeling of contentment. 

Badman fixing my back tire

we weren't spared from endless climbs

enjoying a little rest

never ending beauty 

landscapes changing in front of our eyes

We were all on high spirits cruising along taking in the beauty of our surroundings and the km’s seem to easily disappear. Laxmi had brought her friend who was nick named Badman to help us with the route. After an hour and a half we were sipping on a cup of tea and a couple of hours later we we were having lunch; this was the life!! We had to get to Ghorka  that night. Ghorka was a little mountain village at the foot of the Manasu Circuit. Laxmi was a world of knowledge and told us that Gorkha was the foundation of Nepal. It was the home to the bravest-of-the-brave troops in the world, Gurkha. From the Gorkha only, the vision of present-day Nepal was sketched by the first king of the modern Nepal. Before that, Nepal was divided into small kingdoms until when Prithvi Narayan Shah, the first king of (modern) Nepal had the vision to unite small kingdoms into a singular strength to build a wall against the rising force from the East, East India Company. 

no rush to get anywhere 

sunset

and then it was dark

some food before our final 15km climb into Ghorka 

We had to cover a good 100km to get there so Laxmi and Badman were working on “short cuts’ taking us to the most beautiful isolated small mountain villages with the friendliest people you can ever imagine. Sunset hit and our head torches came out but none of us seem to be overly worried and there was no real rush to get anywhere. Slight panic set in when a 7km road up to Ghorka was unreachable due to a road block, adding a 30km detour!! Up hill of course! We reached our beautiful hotel  at 8.30pm almost 12 hours after we set off in Pokhara. Laxmi had called ahead and had organised food for us which never tasted so good! That and a warm bed was all we needed to recover for the next day!

beautiful hotel in Ghorka

Day 2 started slow and ended up never really getting on track. Laxmi and Badman felt the efforts of the day before and Karen and I were riding to far ahead to make the day flow. Causing slight frustration on both ends. In terms of location we were placed in no mans land and we either had to do another 13 hours day to reach the next village or call it quits after 6 hours of riding so we had at least somewhere to sleep. This meant that our final day to Kathmandu was going to be another epic of around 120km but we did have time to recover a little. Laxmi’s choice of hotels was impeccable with great food, awesome service and a hot shower!! 

I woke up filled with the flu the next day a little worried what affect that would have. We left early to get as much day light as possible and I felt Karen’s tension wanting to get to Kathmandu in order to get everything sorted for her flight home. I felt absolutely awful, I had lost my sense of humour or sense for adventure for that matter and my body was not dealing very well with the early morning never ending climbs and the raise in temperature riding at such lower altitudes. 

We rode 5-6 hours non stop to make as much ground as possible before having lunch. From there it was 15-16km “Nepali” flat to the beginning of a 20km climb up to the hills surrounding Kathmandu and a 16-17km descent into Kathmandu valley. There was discussion that Karen would go ahead guided by Laxmi so she would get there at a reasonable time so I did not have to feel the pressure to keep up with a body filled with the flu. I was still in zombie land and did not really engage in the conversation, my lack of attention biting me in the ass later on!!  I decided to ride with music in my ears to distract me from what was going on and to try find my happy place moving forward. Causing me even more so to withdraw into my own bubble not really paying attention to the whereabouts of the others. After an hour of riding I realised I had lost Karen and Laxmi through traffic. I looked back to see where Badman was, but when I still could not see him after 10 minutes of waiting I panicked a little.  I had no idea where I was exactly, I did not have any data on my phone so I could not download any maps, and where to go once over the hill???!! It would be dark by then also. "crap" I thought. Unhelpful thoughts entering my mind. “Laxmi and Karen must have thought I was with Badman” I talked to myself. I waited a bit longer to see if he would catch up but after 20 min there was still no sight of him. "he must have taken the bus" I thought. I took a deep breath, nothing I could do about it other than to keep riding and address the issues as they presented themselves to me. So I went on, riding this incredible climb which for some reason suited me. The colder air made my body feel better, riding alone strangely settled my mind. I felt happy again. I found my rhythm and I reached the top of the climb unexpectedly fast, just on dark. And then panic again; Kathmandu valley was in front of me and it was massive!! "Where to go from here???" I tried to ask people around me but I only got lots of smiles and nodding. One of the military officers demanded a selfie, nodding and smiling endlessly at me when I tried to figure out where to go.  “Lets descend first” I decided and with a small head torch on my helmet I dropped off the mountain as my surroundings turned into a display of little fairy lights.  

climb into the Kathmandu mountains

Kathmandu valley

I asked directions to Kathmandu a few times not really trusting the answers but I figured that at some point I would run into a tourist and I could ask. That was my plan. I now felt I was  in a game of Pac-Man where I was trying to dodge the gaping motor bikes and cars heading directly at me. I had to jump off my bike into a gutter a couple of times. I went from wanting to cry to laughing out loud and back again. This was absolute madness. I found someone who spoke good English and who seemed to know what he was talking about. “just go straight he said, you have to cross two big roads and then you will end up in Thamel” Simpel.

Crossing a road at traffic hour in Kathmandu, anything but simple! Probably one of the most insane things I have done. Throwing myself in front of traffic seemed like the only way to cross, yelling “please don’t hit me, please don’t hit me, please don’t hit me” Using my beloved mountain bike as a body shield. 

After just under 12 hours from when we set off in the morning I reached smaller touristy streets, I asked a western looking man “do you know where the International Guesthouse is?” “you are right in front of it” he answered. I never felt so relieved!

I stumbled into the hotel to the amusement of other guests, covered in dust, dirt, and smelling of 3 days of bike riding. I looked into the smiling face of one of the hotel receptionists “Yak Attack?” he asked me. “Yak Attack indeed” I answered.

In the end I was only 20 minutes behind Karen and Laxmi and they did think I was with Badman and never expected that I had to cross through Kathmandu on my own. I had to laugh about it. It had been a massive few weeks and despite the amount of stress of the final day, I felt sad to see it had come to an end. 

It was surreal to spend a day doing nothing before getting on a plane. The only day in my time in Nepal with no craziness planned. 3 weeks of absolute madness and emotions at so many levels. I strongly felt that this was only the beginning, having sparked my adventure heart in a way it had not been sparked before. With the question "whats next?" lingering on my mind.

        "Only those who will risk going to far can possibly find out how far one can go" T.S Eliot