Much more to write

    There is much more to write about my last bit of cycling and I will do so
when I have more time!

Bike Ride Complete! Now in India!!

So I completed my ride and made it to Delhi, I have so much to tell about my
final days in Nepal and I can not type as fast as my thoughts!!

So leaving Tansen was a dream, gliding down hill for 40 beautiful kilometres
before hitting Butwal and after that another 25km of flat dusty land into
Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha. It was disappointing to be honest I expected
it to feel special but it was not, but everyone experiences things differently!

After this I decided to catch my Friends in India and to travel with them as I
have seen the highlights of Nepal and wanted to give India a proper go, so I
cycled back to Butwal. This is where you catch the bus for the boarder crossing.
I was sitting there and a Nepalese guy came up to me.. asked me if anyone was
bothering me because if they were he would shoot them.... um no I replied, I'm
fine but thank you. He had a massive scar under his chin, lots of gold, people
kept coming up to him and shaking his hand, and he kept taking tea off his
Friends to give to me every time I finished my drink. It was weird, when he
asked me where I was going, before I knew it everything was done for me, and he
spoke to the driver to make sure I was looked after, again offered to shoot
anyone who bothered me ( I have his number... so beware) and that was that!

Now I am in India it is a full on experience of sights, smells, people, colours
and feelings. I am in Pushkar and there is an important pilgrimage going on it
feels very very special and spiritual. I have visited the Taj Mahal and that was
simply beautiful, a very romantic place and story behind it.

I am having a wonderful time, it is not as easy as Nepal and you can't trust the
people like the Nepalese but there are some nice ones and yesterday we were
invited to eat dinner at some peoples shop we met through their love of
Argentinian football ( a person I am travelling with is Argentinian), and have
also been invited to a wedding if we are in the right area when it happens.

Nepal was amazing and I hope to go back one day, cycling through this country
was an awesome way to experience it! I feel very happy and content and am seeing
many beautiful, sad, and happy things on my travels

    Never
    Ending
    Peace
    And
    Love

NAMASTE!

Tansen.....its strange!

Made it to Tansen today the Siddhatha highway is very beautiful and I can see why it is ranked as one of the most scenic highways in Nepal. It is also uphill most of the way!!!!

Yesterday I left Pokhara early and cycled around 85kms before I was fixing my 3rd puncture of the day around 130pm. It had been a tough mainly uphill cycle and none of the towns I went through were on my map and for ages I did not know where I was and how far I had to go, it was hard.... Anyway...as I was trying to fix this puncture ( a Nepalese lady was trying to help me, she didn't speak English) and everytime she helped it kind of hindered what I had already done and all the time speaking to me. It was really hot and I think I must have looked a bit stressed as a guy on the loveliest silver Royal Enfield bike pulled over to see if I needed help. By then I was already done so he said 'there is a market / bus park 3km down the road I will meet you there'. fair enough, so I went to meet him and it turns out he is the bus monitor, he sat me down and gave me tea and said I looked really tired so just rest for a bit.
He said I was 47km from Tansen (but its all uphill) so I decided I would stay with his family and do the rest tomorrow as it would be dark before I got there ( so I hung out for a few hours chatting to lots of people and drinking tea and eating samosas (they really looked after me and again would not let me pay). We stored my bike in his office and I got on the bike and he drove me to his family's guest house which was lovely. For 300NR I got endless tea, Dahl Bhat, a bed, a bucket of water for washing, a wake up call and a lift back to my bike this morning!
Today was really tough all uphill apart from 7miles, at one stage I was so tired I thought I was going to cry, It seemed never ending! So I took the executive decision to get off my bike push it for about 40minutes while listening full blast to dance music....it worked wonders and I made it to Tansen by 11.30am.

Tansen is weird, where I'm staying is full of military not really doing much. The views from here are great though. And I had a really great afternoon nap!!

Tomorrow.. Lumbini- the birth place of Buddha (88km), hopefully I have done most of the uphill now!!

P.S

Thank you everyone for your emails and comments its nice to hear from you all!

Pokhara!

Well I have been in Pokhara since Saturday!

Leaving Chitwan was an experience and I may have left a trail of broken Nepalese
hearts at my guesthouse, the quick get away in the morning was not to be as I
was requested to eat breakfast with most of the staff. How long can this take I
hear you ask? Well when there are 4 people who want to eat their breakfast with
you, but individually....quite a while!!!

I finally set off cycling through the jungle around 7am ( the highway runs
through it) and the caution signs were slightly different to the usual elderly
or school kids, it was Rhinos and Tigers!!

I reached Pokhara the same day due to a couple of bike difficulties (which are
now resolved) I flagged down a local bus around 1pm  and they plonked me and my
bike on the roof! It was great I got to chat to loads of people.

The past four days here has been awesome! It has been Diwali and everywhere
there is singing and dancing in the streets, bright lights and loads of fun.

I met up with some people through my dorm and we spent a day boating and then we
walked up to Sarangkot (1589m) to watch sunset, and stayed over night to watch
the sunrise! There was lots of dancing during the night when we joined in the
village Diwali celebrations till the early hours!!!

Tomorrow I am leaving Pokhara to continue my cycle ( as the longer I stay in
places and meet other travellers, that I end up wanting to travel with,
departing is getting harder so I want to finish my ride and then I am free to
hook up with others).

I go along the  Siddhartha highway, which looks quite hilly but is meant to be
spectacular so I am unsure of how long it will take it is roughly 150km.

Still loving it!!

Important phrases I can now say:

My name is Gwen
I am 26 years old
I am very hungry, please give me anything you have cookd!
Thank you
 which way is?
How mch is that?
Started learning my numbers too!

NAMASTE!

Slowly Slowly..............

Day two;  I departed from Malekau and the usual cycle stop for breakfast after 2

hours, much intrest in me and my bike! Some beautiful kids andthey wanted to
take my photo and wear my helmet, breakfast was a doughnut and milk tea at a
roadside shack. Then I set off, at lunchtime I was joined by the Nepalese United

Nations, who thought I was a bit crazy and very supprised that I was a European
and did not smoke! They were amused and impressed at my attempts to eat with my
hands,(and again brought me my lunch, I am discovering the Nepalese are very
generous people) today it was a dried spicy buffallo curry. They tried to book
me into a hotel in Naranghat when they heard that was my destination. But it was

full so they said, everywhere else was too expensive or dodgy so I must ride 1
hour east to Sauarah and stay in the National park. Which I did, and its
amazing!  

I went on a jungle walk yesterday, saw loads of wildlife, you go with a guide
and he has a stick and makes sure you can climb a tree to get away from the
Rhino if need be!

Tuesday was spent cycling in the park with two girls from Amsterdam to a place
called 20 thousand lakes. Today I spent time with a couple from Austria walking
around Sauraha. At dinner yesterday the lady I asked where was good for food,
took me to her house ate with me then gave me some braclets which I was to learn

latter indicate that you are married in Nepal, so I think she was looking out
for me on my journey!

Tomorrow I set off for Pokhara about 100miles, so I plan to do this maybe over
two days. The saying in Nepal is Slowly Slowly, which you have no choice but to
adopt, everywhere you go people chat and it is impossible to have a schedual,
but I like this so am going slowly slowly myself and extending my stay in
wonderful Nepal and changing my router to encompass more sights.

Punctures so far...5 miles coverd about 150 (I keep accidently resetting my
spedo!)

How many Nepalese does it take to fix a puncture?!!! (Cycling Day 1)

At least 20!

At the moment I am in Chitwan national park a slight variation to my proposed
schedual!

I left Kathmandu at 6am on Sunday morning, at 630am I got my first of many
punctures!!! I was helped by a nice traffic policeman abd generated a crowd of
12 people, this is as I was to discover a very small crowd. Then I cycled up out
of the valley and started gliding down the mountain! After about 15km it became
quite up and down. Around 830 it was time for puncture no2, this time a load of
scholl kids came to watch, fiddle with my bike, help and try on my helmet!
Then I stopped for breakfast, I pulled into this little roadside shack,
Namaste!!!! I was given spicy potatoes a boiled egg and chai tea (all for 30p).
A crowd gathered again so I got out my map and showed them my plans, they were
very intrested, with a lot of laughing and gestering and the little kids talking
English to me
Then I set off, at 10.30 it was time for my next puncture. This time there was
over 20 people and the son of one of the houses took over but we could not fix
the tyre as the glue on my patches had gone funny. So a lady who spoke English
said dont worry bike mechanic is on his way, and if we cant fix/ or he cant come
you can sleep here and we fix it tommorrow. She offered me food and a drink and
we chatted about everything. They fixed my bike and off I went again. When I
stopped for lunch a Nepalese man sat with me and we chatted and he brought me my
lunch.

Then I made it to Malekeau (just short of Muggling) and was pointed in the
direction of a house to sleep, they told me where I would eat dinner and where I
could drink tea (my custom was most fairly shared out).

The daughters where I stayed painted my nails to make me look Nepalese and
brushed my hair, which they loved, emptied all my bags, reorganised them and
said I could not go for a walk as it was danger hour! But invited me to sit on
the roof with them!

This was my first day, its awesome. I  AM SIMPLY LOVING IT!!
I feel I am getting to see the real nepal and am  meeting loads of Nepalese! I
was concerned I may be lonely on my bike but this is not the case!
Everywhere I go on my bike people shout and wave hello, and when I stop they are
all intrested (very much with my bike helmet) in where I am going/come from.
They are lovely and generous and I feel that because I am stopping at these out
the way places I am seeing a side, and meeting people that I would otherwise not
have got too.

The scenery is beautiful.... day two update will follow tomorrow 

First Stop Mugling!

After an early start on my bike to avoid rush hour traffic I made it to Monkey Temple, awesome! Beautiful views over Kathmandu, monkeys running around, peace flags flying, incense buring, people praying and bells ringing..all before 7am.
Then the ride around Kathmandu area. Cycling in Kathmandu at first was daunting, but one you understand that though it may look like there is no order, there actually is. Weaving in and out of the traffic and going with the flow, everything looks out for everything else (apart from bloody busses but I think this is global- it made me think of you Steve and the Southampton busses!).
I'm not sure which is drawing more attention, the white, blond girl on the bike or the fact that I am wearing a cycle helmet as mine is the only one I have seen! It has been commented on by some Nepalese kids that it looks very pretty!

Tommorrow I start early and aim to make it to Mugling, roughy 120km.

BRING IT ON!!

So Far So Good!!

Arrived safe and sound as did my bike! I have put it together and am off to explore the outskirts of Kathmandu tomorrow...my test run! Wandering Kathmandu today it strikes me....the traffic is busy and only 20% of the streets are sign posted! (Polly don't tell Mum this!) So setting off early doors to miss the rush tomorrow!

However the Nepalese are very friendly and helpful when your trying to find out where to go.

Today I visisted Durbar Square and saw the Kumari- one of the 6 living goddess in Nepal. As well as this a pigeon pooed on my head, I was blessed by a Sadhu and visited Ashok Vinayak- one of the four most important Ganesh shrines in the valley and good luck for people going on long journeys! So with this combination hopefully I'll be sweet.

From Kathmandu my first stop should be Muggling on Sunday evening!

Namaste

Preparation!

Namaste!

On the 27th October 2010 I fly to Kathmandu, arriving on the 28th!

I will spend a day or so exploring Kathmandu before I depart on my bicycle on the 30th October with the aim of crossing the Indian boarder at Mahendranegar  a distance of roughly 800km. 

I plan on reaching Delhi on the 16th November 2010, which is roughly 300km from Mahendranegar, making the total distance from Kathmandu to Delhi roughly 1100km / 690 miles

I will try to update my blog as I go depending on Internet access, etc!

Wish me luck!

Gwen