Day 5 - Bandipur to Pokhara...

Today was a scheduled short ride to Pokhara.  Riding beyond Pokhara would have left me in no man's land instead of loads of options for food and lodging in popular tourist destination Pokhara.

Short day today.  Bandipur - Pokhara.

I enjoyed a mellow morning at Milan Guesthouse.  I was served a couple pieces of Peruvian style bread, which further lent to the similarities between Nepal and Peru.  The two remind me so much of each other.  The music that the farmers play out loud while they work in the fields even sounds the same as the Wayna music of Andean Peru.

I had a couple cups of Nescafe and then loaded the bike up in the sun.  For such a basic guesthouse, Baniya and Niru do a decent job.  They could spruce the place up a bit and it would add a lot of character.  It did the job in a pinch and I don't have much to compare it to yet.

Two bus drivers got in a pissing match out in front of the guesthouse.  It was looking like it was going to get quite exciting as one was wielding a hefty looking stick and the other a brick.  It ended up just being a bunch of yelling back and forth until the local police showed up in their blue camouflage uniforms and marched them off.  About 100 people were in the street watching.  It was quite the spectacle.

After that excitement, I motored off for Pokhara.  It took me about 2 hours cruising in the sunshine.  There were only a couple of rises in the route today, mostly cruising along the river again.

I got to Pokhara and chowed down some Buff (water buffalo) Momos with spicy chili sauce and washed them down with a lemon soda, which was a couple lemons squeezed into some soda water.  Tasty really.

I rode out to check out Begnas Lake, to see if it would be better to stay out there than in Pokhara.  It was beautiful enough but the hotels were a pace away from the lake and didn’t look especially inviting.  I opted to head back into Pokhara, which would have me closer to the direction I’ll be heading in the morning.

The lack of quality suspension on the Royal Enfield has me questioning how the going will be once the pavement is gone past Beni.

Tomorrow I plan an early start.  I will have pavement nearly to Beni and we’ll see after that.  I’m hoping to make it to Tatopani, where there are hot springs.  Then the big push to Jomsom and Muktinath the next day.  I’ve already decided that if the roads are so rough that I’m getting rattled to pieces, I may not push all the way to Muktinath.  We’ll see how it goes.

Busy Bee Cafe - Pokhara, Nepal

Strolling the strip of Pokhara, I felt like I needed to get out and walk around and get some blood flowing. I'm beat. I fell asleep starting my blog post for today and napped for an hour.

I'm staying at a place on the north end of town where the hotel and restaurants are seemingly ever expanding.

As I rode into town I passed an Enfield with a dready guy and his girl riding two-up. I slowed down and yelled over to him asking where they were staying and if there was good parking for the bikes. He nodded and yelled back that I should follow him.

I would have never found it on my own. It was tucked up a sidewalk of an alley behind the Three Sisters Guesthouse. It was called Placid House and seemed freshly remodeled. A cute little Nepali girl opened the gate for me and showed me the room. It was nice and clean. She showed me the bathroom on the main floor and assured me the shower had hot water. All for 400 rupees or a whopping $4 bucks.  I unloaded the bike and quickly unpacked needing a shower. I figured that it'd be best to do that ASAP in case the water was just a translation of hot. I wanted to get clean and dried off before it got cold out.

The shower ended up being for real hot and felt awesome. Being free of the diesel and dust of the days ride was more than liberating.

I decided that I'd try to find the Hearts and Tears Motorcycle club that I'd seen online.  They rent Enfields and run tours out of Pokhara. The guy is an expat from Australia, I think, and his site was pretty cool looking. I didn't have anything else to do and I was still stuffed from the double order of buff momo's I ate at 3. And I'm still adjusting to what to do with my evenings now that I'm not filling them with drinking beer.

I remembered seeing that Hearts and Tears was located in the entry to Busy Bee Cafe.

I ambled my way down the drag. The north end of town is quiet. Some restaurants didn't even have electricity, just tables lit by candles. The street was just packed rock and gravel. This gave way to pavement and electricity and eventually music blasting into the street. There are dance bars on the second floors where the classy scantily clad Nepali and Tibetan girls dance. And live music in the cafés with local bands covering American rock and roll. The music sounded spot on, only the tinge of Asian accent giving them away as covers.

I was reveling in some shallow loneliness of the wayward solo traveler when I stumbled upon the Busy Bee.

From the road it didn't seem like much was going on. And it was early, only 8:30pm.  I walked in anyway.

It was cool to see all the vintage Royal Enfields lined up under the Hearts and Tears MC sign. The Busy Bee was buzzing. The band was bumping Bob Marley's "Redemption Song" and it was about half full with trekkers and young Nepalis eating and drinking.

I grabbed a spot at a high top and ordered a shisha to pass the time and a lemon soda.  Still feeling a little melancholy with no one to pass the time with, I just had to laugh when the band busted into a cover of Passenger's "Let her go".

Bittersweet. I love the song. But it is so strikingly appropriate to my life right now, that it's all a bit too real and poignant when I hear it. But what the hell?... What's life if it's not real.  I smiled and toked on the hookah pipe enjoying my surroundings and my lot in life. As I exhaled a giant cloud of double apple smoke I gave thanks for what a blessed existence I get to lead. I mean holy shit man take it all in...  I'm in Nepal. In a little city next to a beautiful lake tucked in between a bunch of foothills to the biggest mountains in the world!  The weather is great, probably 60*F.  I rode around all day on a brand new motorcycle, dodging busses and holy cows.  And all I have to do is get up in the morning and do it all over again... On roads I've never laid eyes on and sights I've only dreamed of. And who's really better company than me anyway?  Hahaha.

Life is good!  "Bartender! Bring me another lemon soda!  And some more coals for my hookah!"  HooRah!

Day 4 - Kathmandu - Bandipur... On the road again.

On The Road Again - Willie Nelson  - Click to get in the mood!

Oh so good to be twisting the wrist again!  Throttle Therapy saving my life again.

Woke up to misty skies, a cold room and sluggish disposition.  Breakfast was slow.  Last minute run to the ATM to make 4 maximum withdrawals of 10,000 Nepalese Rupees each for the deposit on the Royal Enfield.  I was already running an hour late.  I decided that I don't want to hurry on this trip and to really concentrate on enjoying the moment.  If the moment is being behind schedule... let it be.  Here a some morning views of Thamel - Kathmandu:

My taxi driver from yesterday was conveniently parked outside the hotel.  I told him if he wanted to make 500 rupees, he should wait for me to be ready.  He gladly obliged.  I got my duffel loaded into the car, checked out and set off through very mellow Saturday morning streets.

I arrived at BikeMandu.com's workshop around 10:30am.  The skies had burned off nicely and the sun was shining brightly.  Already 68°F in the sun.  Amar Gurung had my 2014 Royal Enfield 500EFI all fueled and ready to go.  We went through the paperwork, which was super organized, straightforward and thorough.  He documented all the previous damage on the bike, showed me some basic maintenance points, gave me a quick walk-through on operation, and gave me a tube, clutch cable and spark plug and showed me several recommended routes on the map.

Time to load up!

I nabbed this photo from my taxi on the ride over to the workshop.  It would prove to be a very important reminder.

Loaded and ready to rip.

The bike actually had less than 4000kms on the clock. 

The excitement had built to a peak.  I knew that the only thing separating me from the crazy traffic of Kathmandu's Ring Road was a short stretch of road out of the workshop.  I hopped on the bike, dropped it off the center stand, and fired it up.  The bike purred like a kitten... well o.k. maybe a mountain lion.  The Royal Enfields I'd heard rumbling in Kathmandu must have had modded exhaust pipes.

Amar reminded me the directions out of town and on to the highway to Pokhara.  I waved good bye. And a bit like the departure scene from Motorcycle Diaries, I lurched to a start wobbling and nearly crashing.  Ok, I didn't even come close to crashing but the first few feet sure felt out of control while I mastered the tiny narrow handlebars and the loose feel of this battle tank.

I rode through the big double gates onto the little cul-de-sac and off I went.  At the first blind corner, I instinctively merged right and hugged the corner for safety.  Until a car appeared blasting its horn at me!  Good thing we were doing 2.5mph.  Stay LEFT!

I made it to the Ring Road.  Now we're playing for keeps.

I joined the flow of traffic and buzzed along getting to know this peculiar machine.  It felt a little bit like my '83 BMW R80G/S.

The sun was shining and I was riding a motorcycle!  My life's worries started to peel away like layers  of Neruda's onion.  I had a giant smile on my face.  Giddy like a school boy, zipping along in the moderate malay that was Saturday traffic.  Soon I found my left junction at the pedestrian overpass and I was off climbing out of the Kathmandu Valley.

The surroundings looked very similar to Peru.  Terraces on the steep hillsides, impossibly clinging to near vertical faces, and marginal pavement barely wide enough for two busses to pass each other winding up and up.

I made the pass, stopped to ask a policeman if I was on the road to Pokhara and prepared to suck more diesel fumes.  No need to feel bad about smoking the occasional cigarette I guess.  I've just breathed enough diesel death to offset the carcinogens of a lifetime of tobacco.  My eyes burned; not just from the diesel, but from the smoke of burning... well burning everything, trash, vegetation from the fields, probably a body or two somewhere.  All of this pollution was sticking to my contacts and my eyes burned fiercely, as I breathed as little and slowly as possible through my nose only.  It became my meditation. 

The roads were actually terrible.  The pavement was the least flat pavement I've ever ridden.  I remembered Frank's words, "Nepal is for walking..." But the Enfield was doing great.  What it lacked in quality suspension it made up for by being brand new... the clutch was spot on, the front disc brake was single finger action and it actually had a bit of acceleration.

My hope was to make bucolic Bandipur, about 3/4's of the way to Pokhara.  And according to Amar, I likely wouldn't make it before dark, which would mean staying in a typical roadside guesthouse somewhere along the river, rather than climbing up into the picturesque turning tourist town of Bandipur.

I pushed along steadily, hoping time would be on my side.  The traffic spaced out a little bit and my badly burning eyes began to adjust.  I rode on for well over an hour trying to master the chaos on the road.  Cows, dogs, people, busses, cars, motorbikes, dump trucks, tractors, all moving at different rates of speed.

The road got smoother as it dropped nearer to the valley floor and I zoomed along the great river.  For the first time I could see a km ahead of me clearly.  I shifted the Enfield into 5th for the first time and buzzed along nipping at 100kph.

I let off the throttle as I eased into a bend.  HOLY SHIT!!!! "Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit..." I muttered out loud in my helmet as I tried to get onto a non-existent should to avoid the two busses side by side passing in a blind corner.  Fucking hell!  You've got to be kidding me!  Crisis averted but Holy Jesus! Come on people use your fucking heads!  Franks words came to me again, "Never ride over 80kph in Nepal."  Ok, ok.  Slow and steady wins this race.

I saw a half-dozen white-water rafts about to enter some raging rapids.  This would be a good excuse to pull over and check my shorts.

It was also my first opportunity to snap some photos...

I gathered my senses and motored on.  Passing a cable car heading across the river and up over the mountain, I took note and soon came to my first junction.  I pulled over and looked at the map.  I quickly found my location because the cable car to a nearby village was marked clearly on the map.  I was only 28 kms or so from the turnoff to Bandipur.  Excellent.  I still had nearly two hours of daylight.

Once I got to the turnoff, I stopped and paid a 10 rupee road toll.  Things changed immediately.  The road was a single lane of pavement switchbacking up steeply.  It was awesome.  Kids were running around smiling and life seemed to assume its proper place after getting off the highway.

It was 4:15pm when I first caught sight of the village of Bandipur.  I'd been on the road for exactly 3.5 hours.

This guy was calling his cow in from the fields...  Like he was calling a dog.  And sure enough, the cow was coming to him obediently.

 The views were amazing.  I pulled off to the side of the road on the pass and consulted the Lonely Planet guidebook.  There were plenty of options.  I found the two that fit my needs decided I would set out to find them.  I made it about a 100 meters and a man came out of a guesthouse and waved for me to stop.  His name was Baniya and he explained that I should stay at his guesthouse.  He said it was simple but cheap.  I asked how much.  500 rupees.  I tried to move on, heading for a place in the guidebook.  He shrugged but then pointed to the garage. "Everybody parks their motos here.  Even the Nepali people. 150 rupees for small bike.  300 rupees for this," pointing to my bike, which was easily double the size of a common Bajaj 150 or 220.  "You park for free if you stay my guesthouse."

Sold.  I didn't care to pick around until dark and just then Baniya's wife came out, speaking English too.  "I make good family food, ready in one hour."  I was starving!  Done and done.

I started to unload the bike.  They stopped me and pointed to the alpenglow on the mountains.

The room was spartan but the company was great.  A half dozen foreign travelers and Baniya, his Nirma (Niru she insisted being called.), their boys and myself.  Tasty food.

Baniya is 41, Niru 35... their boys 17 & 14.  Baniya couldn't understand how I could be 40, unmarried with no kids.   The food was excellent typical nepali food.  Rice, dal (?) I'm still learning, with pumpkin squash and all kinds of tasty garlic and onion and peas, which were all grown in their garden.

Everyone shared beers after dinner and shared stories in mediocre English, getting worse as the night wore on, until 11pm.  Baniya also could understand why 'Alaska' wouldn't drink beer.  And he didn't understand the word 'hiatus' and I was too happy with my masala tea to bother explaining.

Dogs barked and barked while I warmed up my sleeping bag, working on this blog.  I remembered the earplugs that were giveaways from the Minnesota Blues Society awards ceremony... amen.  Best sleep yet.  I am now happy to be carrying each of these items immensely: ear plugs, air mattress, sleeping bag and liner!  Bandipur:  Huge success and I haven't even left Milan Guesthouse yet.

The Things They Carried...

Back in the old college days, I was in between trips to Greenland. I was working for a company called Greenland Outdoors, an up and coming tourism company from Maine, seeking to open up the snowfields of Apussuit, Greenland to Olympic ski training for teams worldwide.

I had six months of free time before my return assignment to the arctic, so I relocated to St. Joseph, MN, where my best friends were attending St. John's University.  I lived in a rugby house called the Chickenshack, took on the unofficial role of weekly party planner, snuck into classes that seemed interesting, mostly film studies, a rastafarianism class and several English Literature classes.  A book that was being studied in one of these classes was, "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien.  It was about soldiers in the Vietnam War and though I never read it, my roommate did and I'm sure we discussed it.   Funny thing is that I don't know much about the book, but the title has always stuck with me even now, some 15 years later.  I imagine that it has everything to do with not only what the soldiers physically carried but most likely what they psychologically carried as well.

I only bring it up because every time I pack for a trip, which is frequently these days, I think of that title.  Usually like this... I see all the shit that I have laid out and think, "Oh, The Things They Carried..."

Well I've been meaning to do this every time I make way on a big expedition style trip and today I finally did it.  Most people will have no interest in this.  And perhaps no one will... But since I spent most of my afternoon and evening doing it.  Here it is:

THE THINGS I'M CARRYING...

Nepal Expedition Kit List

•Riding Gear

-Arai XD-3 Dual-Sport Helmet

-BMW Motorrad AirShell Motorcycle Jacket - High Visibility Yellow

(HighAbrasion Polymide (Kevlar) Mesh & Cordura)

((NPL Back, Shoulder, Elbow Pads))

-BMW Motorrad AirShell Gore-Tex Liner

-BMW 5 Pocket Black Denim Riding Pants

(High Abrasion Denim- NPL Knee, Hip Pads)

-Asolo Fugitive GTX - Gore-tex Hiking Boots w/ custom orthotic insoles

-ICON Leather Shorty Motorcycle Gloves

-Bison Designs Wildland Firefighter belt

-SOG Trident Mini Tactical Knife

-SOG PowerDuo Multi Tool & Belt Case

-CKRT Lil’Guppie Multi Tool 

-Carhartt Cotton Duck Belt Pouch (carries Lil’Guppie & Tire Guage)

•Clothing

*Base Layers*

-4ea. Hanes Cotton Boxer Briefs

-3ea. Polypropylene Quick-Dri Briefs (Patagonia, REI, UnderArmour)

-1ea. Icebreaker Heavy Duty Merino Wool Hiking Socks

-2ea. Icebreaker Mid-Weight Merino Wool Hiking Socks

-2ea. Bridgedale Mid-Weight Merino/Poly Hiking Socks

-1ea. Bridgedale Lightweight Hiking Socks

-1pr. Under Armour 1.5 Long Underwear

-1pr. TheNorthFace Expedition Weight Long Underwear

-REI Lightweight Short Sleeve Polypropylene Shirt

-Patagonia Capilene 1 Long Sleeve Shirt (lightweight)

-Patagonia Capilene 3 Long Sleeve Shirt (mid-weight)

*Casual*

-1ea. Abercrombie & Fitch Long-Sleeve Buttondown Plaid Collared Shirt

(Probably 15 years old and going strong!)

-1ea. OldNavy Short-Sleeve Buttondown Plaid Collared Shirt

(Ripped and Frayed favorite)

-1ea. Trail’s End BMW - Fairbanks, AK Cotton T-Shirt

-1ea. Honda Motor Corp. “Legend” T-Shirt (CR125 Elsinore)

-1pr. Carhartt Lightweight Carpenter Pants

-1pr. Hurley Surf Trunks

-1pr. Merrell AllOutRush Minimalist Running Shoes

-1pr. Ankle Socks

*Insulation*

-Cloudveil Heavy-Weight Fleece Pullover Jacket (Stolen from Chuck Cartier)

-Marmot 800 Fill-Weight Down Jacket

-Trail’s End BMW Beanie 

•Extreme Weather Kit

-BMW Pro-Rain One-Piece Rainsuit

-1pr. BMW Hydrosocks (Neoprene Waterproof Socks)

-1ea. BMW Silk Balaclava

-1ea. BMW Storm Balaclava (windproof - fleece)

-1pr. Black Diamond Gauntlet Style Ski-Patrol Gloves (Gore-tex - Leather)

(All Fits in BMW Elastic Mesh Bag - came with Pro-Rain Suit)

•Eyewear

-DKNY Prescription Eyeglasses

-NATIVE Gonzo Polarized Bronze Tint Sunglasses

-SMITH Interchange Sunglasses (Smoke, Yellow, Clear Lenses) -Backup/Night Riding

•Toiletries

-Eagle Creek Toiletries Tri-Fold Bag w/ hook & mirror

-2oz. GoldBond Intensive Care Lotion

-2oz. Hydrocortizone 1% Cream

-2oz. Crest Toothpaste

-.25oz. Colgate Emergency Toothpaste

-Toothbrush

-2oz. Shampoo

-3oz. Contact Solution

-2pr. Replacement Contact Lenses

-1ea. Contact Lens Case

-1dz. Q-Tip Brand Cotton Swabs

-1ea. Mach3 Razor

-1ea. Nail Clippers

-2ea. Durex Condoms

-1dz. Tums

-4ea. Loperamide Hcl (Anti-Diarhea)

-2ea. Advil Sinus

-2ea. NyQuil Gelcaps

-3ea. DayQuil Gelcaps

-6ea. Diazepam 5mg (Valium)

-2ea. Aspirin 500mg

-4ea. Ambien

-2ea. Vicodin

-4ea. 1000mg Ibruprofin

-1ea. 10mg Adorall

•Tank Bag Random Kit

-LifeVenture 4”x6” Mesh/Nylon Zippered Pouch

-6ea. Mighty Leaf Tea, Silk Teabags (Pilfered from 4Seasons Hotel)-

(2EarlGrey/2GreenTeaMint/2EnglishBreakfast)

-3ea. 1.25oz. Justin’s Almond Butter (1Plain/2Honey Flavor)

-1pk. Wintergreen Chewing Gum

-1ea. BMW-Powerlet to Female Car Adapter Charge Cord

-1ea. Car Adapter to 2 way USB 

-1ea. ClearEyes Max. Redness Eyedrops

-Tissue for Firestarter

-1ea. Bic Lighter

-1ea. Harley-Davidson Pocket Tire Guage (Outpost Alaska)

-3ea. Trail’s End BMW Keychain (LED, Compass, Whistle) - giveaways

-1ea. 1000mg EmergenC packet

-3oz. 30SPF SunCream

•First Aid Kit

-BMW Motorrad Touring First Aid Kit P/N: 71 60 2 312 354

-14ea. Asst. Adhesive Band-Aids

-3ea. Sterile Gauze

-3ea. XL Adhesive Band-Aids

-3ea. Insect Sting Relief Pads

-2ea. Sterile Stretch Gauze Rolls

-1ea. Adhesive Tape

-1ea. Triangular Bandage w/2 pins

-1pr. Vinyl Gloves

-1ea. Emergency Contact Card

-1ea. First-Aid Quick Guide

-1pr. Large Grip Scissors

-1ea. Small Elastic Ace-style Bandage

-3ea. Burn Cream Packets

-3ea. Hand Sanitizer Packets

-3ea. Triple-Antibiotic Packets

-2ea. Eyewash Ampules (Removed due to 3oz. Contact Solution)

-2ea. Lens Cleaning Cloths

-2ea. Sunscreen Towelettes

-1ea. Survival Wrap Blanket

-1ea. Rain Poncho (Removed)

-1pr. Earplugs

-1pr. Tweezers w. Magnifying Glass

-1ea. 3”x5” Note Card

-1ea. Pencil

***Personal Additions:***

-1ea. Medium Ace Elastic Bandage w/ hooks

-2ea. Band-Aid XL Advanced Healing Waterproof/Breathable Adhesives

-1ea. Dr. Scholls Blister Care Adhesive

-1ea. LCD Thermometer

-1ea. SteriPen UV WaterPurification Device

-50ea. Water Purification Tablets

-2oz. Lamisil Antifungal Cream

-1pr. Emergency Contact Lenses

-16ea. Ciproflaxin 500mg Antibiotic Tablets

-16ea. Keflex 500mg Antibiotic Tablets

-1oz. Nasal Decongestant Inhaler

-2oz. Triple Antibiotic Oitment

-2ea. Extra-Strength Anti-Diarhea Tabs

-2ea. Benadryl Tabs

-4ea. Extra-Strength Fever/Cold Tablets

-12ea. Tums Antacid Tablets

-1sm. package facial tissues

-2ea. XL Prescription Lidoderm Lidocaine Adhesive Pads

-1sm. Plastic trash bag

(All fits in 5”x8” Zippered Cordura Waterproof Bag with Reflective Handles)

•Tie-Down Kit

-12”x15” Bungee Net w/6 hooks

-2ea. 48” Woven Nylon Cinch Straps (BMW Motorcycle Crating Straps)

-1pr. 36” Shoe Laces

-1pr. Heavy-Duty Boot Laces

-1dz. Heavy-Duty Zip-ties

(All fits in 1ea. Crown Royal Whiskey Pouch)

•Clean-Up Kit

-Cycle-Wipes Multi-Purpose Motorcycle Wipes (Visors, Bugs, Bikes) - Thanks David Swezey

-Travel Size Wet-Ones Antibacterial Wet-Wipes (Citrus Scent)

-1sm. Roll Toilet Paper

-2oz. Dr. Bronners Castile Soap

(All fits easily in 1 Gallon Zip-Loc)

•Camping/Sleeping Kit

-Sierra Designs Zissou23 2-Season Down Sleeping Bag

(700Fill Weight DRIDOWN Water-Repellent Treated Down)

((Rating: Comfort 34°F/1°C - Limit 23°F/-5°C))

-ExPed SynMat UL 7 M Inflatable Air Mattress 

(72”x20”x2.8” Down Insulated-3.1R Value - 16.2oz./460g)

-Sea2Summit Sleeping Bag Liner

(InsectShield Permethrin Treated - CoolMax Fabric)

-Black Diamond Orbit LED Lantern - 3AAA Battery

(Travels in 2 Can-Size Coozies)

-1ea. BMW Motorrad GS Travel Towel

-1ea. Petzel LED Headlamp - 2AAA Battery

•Photography

-Canon G15 Prosumer Point&Shoot Digital Camera w/ Lowe Pro Belt Case

-16GB Class10 SDHC, 2 Batteries, Wall Charger, Radio-Control Shutter Release

-Canon Powershot ELPH 300HS Digital Pocket Camera w/ CaseLogic Case

-8GB Class6 SDHC, 1 Battery, Wall Charger

-GoPro HERO3 Black Edition Helmet/Extreme Sports Camera

-32GB Class10 MicroSDHC, 3 Batteries, Wall Charger, Wifi Keychain Remote, LCD TouchScreen Backpack, Handlebar Mount, Chesty Mount, Tripod Mount)

-GoPro HERO2 Helmet/Extreme Sports Camera 

-16GB Class10 SDHC, 2 Batteries (Uses Same Charger as HERO3)

***Special Shout out to Pilar Woodman @ GoPro!!!***

-UKPROgear 30” Gripstick for GoPro (Thanks Brett Lystad)

-Multi-Country Power Adapter

-Joby GorrilaPod Large & Small Tripods

•Navigation

-National Geographic Nepal Map

-Lonely Planet Nepal Travel Guide

-Belkin Expedition Compass

-DeLorme inReach Smartphone GPS Rescue Beacon, Tracking, Communicator

-Energizer Lithium AA Batteries (6 Total) 

•Technology/Communications

-Apple MacBook Pro Retina Laptop -16GB/512SSD w/ Moshi Pro Screen Protector

-Western Digital MyPassport 1TB Hard Drive (staying in Kathmandu)

-Apple iPhone4 Smartphone

-Apple iPod Nano 8GB (Ancient Generation w/ Matthew DeVito’s iTunes)

-inCase Neoprene Laptop Sleeve

-inCase Laptop Case with pockets

•Luggage

-2ea. Seattle Sports Back Pack Roll-Down Waterproof Duffles

-1ea. BMW Motorrad Waterproof Messenger Bag

-1ea. Winterstick Snowboard Backpack w/ internal Aluminum stays

(top and back loading 2800cu.in. 15 years old and completed North&South America Motorcycle trip… used to be black… now somewhat brown)

(Items being left behind in Kathmandu)

-Kelty Extra-Large cordura duffle bag

-Carhartt Denim Jeans

-Clean T-Shirt

-Clean Underwear

-Kavu Casual Dress Button Down Collared Shirt

-Icebreaker Casual Merino Socks

There you have it.  I'll try to add a photo of it all packed up later.  For now it's midnight again gotta get some sleep but I'm so fired up, I'm sure it's going to be tough to wind down.

Day 3 - Still in Kathmandu. And getting antsy...

I woke up this morning to someone praising the porcelain in the room next door.  It was a lousy way to wake up.  Especially for him.

I looked at my watch.  7:30am.  I pulled a pillow over my head and managed to fade out for another 15 minutes.

I was anxious.  I had to get out of Kathmandu.  I know there are tons of cool sights to see here.  But until I have a bike on lock-down, my mind is overwhelmed.  I'm not interested in gompas or stupas or divas or even Kumari at the moment.  I'll get to all of that in time. (I plan to hit the sights and sites during my decompression in Kathmandu before I fly out on my birthday.)  Right now, I've got one thing on my mind and that is locking down a bike and getting out for some very needed THROTTLE THERAPY!

I walked across the street to International Guesthouse and strolled into Mr. Ganesh's office.  He was sitting at his desk reading the newspaper.  He smiled at me saying, "Namaste," motioning for me to take a seat.  Three huge sticks of incense were billowing up plumes of incredible smelling goodness from the windowsill behind him.  The wafting smoke dancing exotically in the early morning sunlight.

I told him I wanted to rent the 350UCE.

He frowned slightly and told me he would call the man, but that someone had offered him much more money for the bike.  He punched a few buttons on the phone, the speaker shocked to life, when the receiver answered he picked up the phone and yelled out a conversation in rough Nepali.  He sounded angry.  I knew better.  I was quite used to this from listening to Egyptians speak Arabic to each other.

He hung up the phone. Smiled and said that he would be here around 9'ish and that I should come back in 45 minutes.  As I walked down the alley heading into Thamel to find breakfast, I looked at my watch it was already 8:45am.  So was it 9? or 45 minutes? I thought to myself, "must be Nepali time."

I found a restaurant down a nearly hidden walkway, called Secret Garden or Hidden Garden... something like that.  I went in and had an incredible steak and eggs breakfast with superb high octane coffee in a proper coffee cup.

This set me back 435 Nepalese Rupees or $4.35 US.

Killer.

When I got back to Ganesh's office at 9:20am, he told me I'd just missed my moto connection.  For a split second I was bummed out.  He tried calling him and the guy said he was busy now but could come back at 1pm.

I carried on and got checked out at the other hotel, paid my $15.  Ganesh said the hotel was still full but if I didn't want anything fancy he could put me up out back in the workers' quarters that they were converting to a new part of the hotel.  He would give me the terrace suite with breakfast for $15.

Works for me.  And I decided that missing the guy on the 350UCE was a sign.  I called A. Gurung at BikeMandu.com and asked if I could pay him a visit.  He told me to come by at 1pm, but it was going to cost me around $10US in cab fares because the workshop was across town.

I figured it was worth it.  I wanted to get a feel for this guy and see a 500EFI in person.  My cab driver was a bit of a half wit and it took nearly a dozen phone calls for us to make it to the BikeMandu.com workshop, which was the garage outside their nice home.  A. Gurung was young, bright faced and I instantly liked him.  

He showed me the bike.

It was battle green, had huge chrome engine guards and gigantic steel luggage racks.  It was nearly new, with only 7,000km's on the clock, or just over 1,000 miles.  The tires were totally fresh, chain and sprockets still new.  The only flaw was a giant dent in the top of the tank.  A. Gurung explained that the first guy to rent it, dumped it and bent the handlebars into the tank.  Bummer.

We talked at length, while my taxi driver slept in the car.  I really was torn.  This was definitely the bike for the trip, but even at the discounted price I swore not to disclose, this bike was over twice the cost per day of the 350UCE, even with the new inflated price of $25/day on the 350.

A. Gurung said he would include a spare clutch cable, tubes and tools and he would spend an hour with me in the morning, showing me the finer points of maintaining the bike on my journey.  His daughter, all of a foot and quarter tall, kept poking at my knee and pointing at the bike.  Salesmanship at its finest.  She climbed up on the bike smiling and reaching to A. Gurung for the keys.  He gave them to her to silence her jabbering.  She immediately put them in the ignition and turned it to the on setting.  Hilarious, she was all of two years old at best.

I liked these guys.  And as much as I hated to see my budget blown before I even left Kathmandu, this seemed like the right choice.  A. Gurung told me to come back at 7am, which meant another $5US taxi ride too.

On the ride back all I could think about was how I was going to manage riding in this whacky traffic. Cars, trucks, cows, and hundreds of motorbikes all driving on the wrong side of the road.  I breathed a few deep breaths, smiled and decided I'd worry about that when it was time to ride tomorrow.  For now I took the crazy ride as an opportunity to learn.

Time to repack for the the hundredth time...