Kathmandu to Bandipur, Nepal
Photo,
Pictures of, Images, Picture
(April - May, 2011) |
Saying goodbye to the hotel owner where I stayed for three miserable months.
Great guy, nice hotel but Kathmandu is too noisy, polluted and crowded for me.
Back on the road at last! Leaving Kathmandu on a hot busy morning battling
horrendous traffic. A whole lot slimmer than a few months ago but now woefully
out of shape for the upcoming mountain climbs.
Gretchen contemplating some dried fish on a stick for lunch. Mmmmm! We had
rice and daal baaht instead.
Ticky tacky houses climbing up a hill. They look as if a stiff
rain might sweep them all down! A few of the hotels we stayed in were just as
precarious.
These Indian tourists in Nepal really wanted to give me directions.
Unfortunately they had no idea of local roads, so they stood around smiling at
me and making small talk.
Locals are just as curious about us as we are of them.
Gretchen making a Nepali language cheat sheet. With just a few basics (Hello,
Thank you, Where is the toilet?), you can get through many situations.
On the road up to Bandipur, a quiet 8 km climb up an 8 to10 percent grade to a
beautiful, carless village high in the mountains. Well worth the ride, but
feeling the last few months of inactivity and nights in the bars.
A basic Nepali farm. The out buildings are probably for livestock, as well as
separate buildings for the kitchen and the bathroom.
Gretchen and some local kids. The little guys in blue shirts are walking the
long hike back from school. The other kids might not attend school. Not everyone
can afford the school fees and uniforms.
On the steep road to Bandipur. The only other vehicles on the road are tractors
pulling trailers, usually hauling timber or some other farm products, and the
occasional jeep overloaded with people.
The lovely car-free streets of Bandipur. The buildings are old wooden affairs
with balconies and great views.
Nepali women wear spectacular saris. The men's clothing is quite drab in
comparison.
Finally entering Pokhara after a long hot ride.
It was difficult to but gasoline (petrol) for my stove
Our very first picture together on our first day riding together.
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