This trip was an adventure from start to finish. It challenged me in so many ways- it was so much more than the cycling . Unexpectedly ox could not lead the trip due to Dengue fever however he made sure he had able deputiies in Rocka taking over as lead guide and Jiban .
We loved stopping off a little places you would never believe were a cafe and out of nothing tasty noodles or chicken thali would arrive. The guides ably supported the fastest and slowest riders- making sure no-one felt left out . They arranged for us to see Buddist monasteries, temples. Rocka even took us to meet his family where we experienced the culture of family at a time of family grieving.
The weather ! Hot, sunny, humid and showers . The end of the Monsoon season was delayed so as we reached Chitwan a 16 hour rain storm signalled adventure time. Not that we cycled in it just witnessed the power of water. Our guides did a fabulous job hiring locals to assist us safely across swollen rivers- the Nepalese community spirit very evident. Frequent climbing over landslides and broken tarmac roads – I was pleased I had my own hardtail bike to navigate – nothing too technical just comfy. The weather gods continued to hamper us- no flight to Jomsom – contingency in place to get there in a jeep. Caution Nepalese roads in the Monsoon season are not for the faint hearted. Amazing skills witnessed in our drivers and in the local bus and truck drivers. None of us will forget that drive . Having arrived late at night north of jomson,in Kabeni ,the highlight of the trip was waking up to clear blue skies, to the big mountains. The long jeep ride temporarily forgotten cycling up to Muktinath followed by down hill to Marpha where a welcome change to itinerary meant we sampled the local apple pie, cider and brandy. Cycling the road back to Beni was fun – road in the loosest sense – 65km down hill ! Yes it would have been lovely to have drier weather but I would not swap that adventure we had. Nepal is full of extremes, mountains, rivers, roads, dodgy electrics yet wifi everywhere, physical poverty evident but not in spirit .