Talk about night and day. With the exception that the bus drivers are assholes (that's worldwide though), Nepal and India are nothing alike. Crowds, garbage strewn about, weird smells. and the bizarre staring all went away in a simple border crossing. In its stead, are uncrowded roads, beautiful scenery, and well, some of the nicest people I have ever met.
Just 11 miles into Nepal, I stopped at a roadside cafe. This family (pictured below) started chatting with me, provided a pretty good synopsis of what to do in Nepal, then invited me to stay at their place for the evening. I politely declined as I did not want too impose, but they were just the nicest people, as are all the people I have met here so far.
On my trip up towards Pokhara, I ran into a group of locals at another roadside cafe, and they too invited me to join them for lunch. As I was leaving, they made the following comment, "if you ever have any trouble during your travels, just ask a Nepalese person, we will always help, that's just us." I could not agree more. I am not sure about the big cities, in particular Kathmandu, as people tend to be less friendly in the city (worldwide) but I will be heading out soon to see if the statement rings true there too, but not before I hit Pokhara. Note: Many of the locals make the comment, "Nepal is beautiful...except Kathmandu," and I will soon see if that statement rings true also.
Weird Observance of the Day: I was riding along in a small city near the India border and a cow darted out into street and in the way of an oncoming motorcycle. Despite the rider's valiant efforts, he hit the cow... right in the brisket ... spinning the beast 180 degrees. I was amazed that a cow could spin on its axis in that fashion and that quickly (I guess hooves on old asphalt do not offer much traction). Luckily, all people, and the bovine, walked away seemingly unharmed. One could say that they narrowly escaped an utter catastrophe.
As much as this place is beautiful, I did not pick the best time of the year visit - monsoon season - but I do like it when 95 percent of the tourists are not around as it is an opportunity to get a much better understanding of the country and its people. The only downside is the amount of rain that has been falling. It is excessive by local standards for this time of the year. The mud puddles are numerous and deep sometimes making travel arduous. Unfortunately, these road conditions will continue all the way to Thailand. I am not sure my suspension can handle much more, it is the stock shock and it was never intended to handle these roads nor all the weight I have piled on her (340 lbs on a shock designed to handle 170 lbs). In order to keep my spine from shattering and my fillings attached securely in my molars, I will need to change out the rear shock in the very near future.
Just 11 miles into Nepal, I stopped at a roadside cafe. This family (pictured below) started chatting with me, provided a pretty good synopsis of what to do in Nepal, then invited me to stay at their place for the evening. I politely declined as I did not want too impose, but they were just the nicest people, as are all the people I have met here so far.
On my trip up towards Pokhara, I ran into a group of locals at another roadside cafe, and they too invited me to join them for lunch. As I was leaving, they made the following comment, "if you ever have any trouble during your travels, just ask a Nepalese person, we will always help, that's just us." I could not agree more. I am not sure about the big cities, in particular Kathmandu, as people tend to be less friendly in the city (worldwide) but I will be heading out soon to see if the statement rings true there too, but not before I hit Pokhara. Note: Many of the locals make the comment, "Nepal is beautiful...except Kathmandu," and I will soon see if that statement rings true also.
Weird Observance of the Day: I was riding along in a small city near the India border and a cow darted out into street and in the way of an oncoming motorcycle. Despite the rider's valiant efforts, he hit the cow... right in the brisket ... spinning the beast 180 degrees. I was amazed that a cow could spin on its axis in that fashion and that quickly (I guess hooves on old asphalt do not offer much traction). Luckily, all people, and the bovine, walked away seemingly unharmed. One could say that they narrowly escaped an utter catastrophe.
Trip summary
Leg Distance: 427 mi (689 km)
Total Distance Traveled by Motorcycle: 29,645 mi (47,816 km)
Countries/Territories Visited: USA, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay, Canada, Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Gibraltar, France, Monaco, Italy, Vatican City, San Marino, Slovenia, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, Transnistria, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Greece, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, China (for 20 seconds), India, Nepal
😊I m missing u and your greta
ReplyDeleteThis is sushil paneru..
DeleteAnd Where are u exactly in pokhara? Did u visit 'lakeside' there?
ReplyDeleteYes. I visited lakeside. I am in a little guest house about a block from the road that fronts Lakeside.
Delete