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Cycling Out of Kathmandu
February 23, 2009
I cycled out of Kathmandu contending with smoky diesel fumes from the relentless traffic. Gradually I made my way into the suburbs and up out of the valley. I was not used to the mountains but I glad to be cycling on some hills again.
It felt like the beginning of another adventure and with the bare trees and overcast weather it reminded me a little of the Black Sea coast in Turkey. I continued onward past a sprawling area of industrial quarry works to the of the valley. At the summit I was greeted by wonderful views of steep mountains.
Tags: NepalCycle touringTravel
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Meeting 5 saddhus on a Pilgrimage to Parvati
February 23, 2009
From Daman on clear day, you could see 18 Himalayan peaks. Unfortunately visibility wasn’t good, but the peaks of Ganesh Himal, Annapurna and Machappuchre were a mystical sight floating atop the whispy clouds and haze.
I passed the 2400m summit point feeling spiritually rested from being in the quiet mountain area surrounded by glorious wild nature. The downhill was long and ponderous. I regularly stopped to take photos, film travelling shots, and otherwise record my thoughts as they occurred via dictaphone. I stopped briefly in a house where a large old woman with a crinkly face sat with her young grandson propped against her knee and her daughter.
Tags: Nepal
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Staying with Laxman the Botanist in Nepal
February 23, 2009
Onward I went up through the mountains, through little villages, and clay shacks by the roadside. I decided to continue to cycle in the moonlight and arrived in the town of Daman at 2330 m at around 7 o’clock. I went into a Dhaba which was a building made of branches with a thatch roof, a small clay oven. There were two ladies. One was smoking a pipe whilst cooking by some pans on a stove.
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Visiting a School in Nepal
February 23, 2009
I met a man who was playing a type of table top hockey. He asked me to go and visit his school. Inside, the children were attending their lessons. The school was a project of ‘Room to Read’, the local community and the Nepali government. Architecturally the building looked good and with a nice paint job on the outside at least.
The teacher took me onto the roof and said ‘we don’t have equipment for our school - no tables, books, and no money to buy them’. I replied ‘it’s not a school without materials, it’s just a concrete shell’. ‘A foreigner, a German came last year and donated 50,000 rupees and we were able to build the roof’ he told me. I got the impression that they were relying on another beneficiary to turn up out of the blue and make a considerable donation.
Tags: Nepal
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Putting A Bike On A Bus to Kathmandu
February 5, 2009
I arrived in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, by bus last night. I decided to take the bus so I could see the capital without rushing and not have to backtrack on myself. My plan is to cycle the length of Nepal then drop down into India at the most western border crossing and go on to Delhi.
Nepal holds great intrigue for me because of the mountains and the geographical significance. So far, it seems like a relaxed place. There are a lot of facilities for tourists such as Internet cafes and craft, clothes, trekking and book shops. However, I am hoping to dig a little deeper beyond the surface of the tourist stuff.
Tags: Public transportKathmanduNepalBusTravelAdventureShoppingCity
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Donating a bike on behalf of Wheels4Life to Help a Nun Get to Work
January 29, 2009
Last night, after a long day’s ride, I was taking some photos of an amazing sky and I met two ladies, enrobed in orange shawls.
They spent a few minutes watching me getting different angles of the melting pot of colours that made up the sky. I noticed they were interested in speaking to me.
‘Where are you from’ in a fluent English, one of the ladies asked. We struck up a conversation. They were Hindu nuns who also volunteered as teachers. They ran a small, local school, which doubled up as an orphanage.
Tags: GivingCharityWheelsforlifeDonationIndiaNunHelpIndiaWheels4Lifehansreyhans reySchooleducationorphanage
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Arriving to Varanasi on India Day in Thick Fog Eating Jelebi
January 26, 2009
I slept in a police station last night and they gave me a fantastic meal of Roti, Aloo Gobi, Chappati, fried cauliflower and potato.
I’m on the search for breakfast after having a sugar high due to eating loads of Jelebi (gooey sweets) with the police. They had a little ceremony just before I left putting the flag up because it is India Republic Day.
I left shortly after and cycled towards Varanasi in thick fog which didn’t clear until 10:30am and caused havoc on the already very busy (human and mechanical traffic) roads. I witnessed numerous truck crashes!