The plan was to ride to Phokhara today… Get up into those mountains that I had come so far to see…
I hopped out of bed, and drew back the curtains to see what sort of weather I would be riding in…
Would you want to go for a ride in this...?? Thought so... Neither did I...!!
One look was all it took, as they say… I hopped back into bed and watched a bit of Bahrain going up in smoke on the BBC… And while I am on the subject, there is absolutely no truth in the rumour that I had anything to do with the unrest in all those countries I passed through recently…!!
Just because the Gypsy Biker has been through Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Jordan and Bahrain in the past few months, and might have expressed a few unpopular opinions……
Well OK…, so maybe I made a few suggestions….but I never thought they’d take them seriously…!! Honest…!! (PS… Keep an eye on Qatar…and don’t say you heard it here…!!)
There are very few English road signs in Nepal... The next sign for Lumbini was 22 km down a dirt road... At Lumbini itself...!!
Nepal, despite being the country with the second largest or richest water resources, is plagued by a shortage of power… In an effort to conserve their electricity supplies, a system of load-sharing has been instituted, so regular power failures are very common…
I sat around trying to update my website and eventually gave up… I took a short walk down the main road to see if Nepal was a calmer environment to ride in than India had been… Bottom line… It is not…!! They drive just as badly here as they do south of the border…!!
By midday the mist had still not lifted sufficiently to want to make me hop on the Big Fella and attempt the ride to Pokhara…
"Hey look GB...!! You forgot to slap a mattress on my back... You loaded me with just about everything else...!!"... Hate it when he gets cute with me...!!
The chief of security at the hotel suggested I make a short trip out to Lumbini, a mere 22 km away… With nothing better to do, I agreed and went to put some kit on… I was not going to ride around here without some form of protection…!!
The main “road” to Lumbini was under construction, in a manner of speaking…. Meaning that the road had been compacted in preparation for tarring, but no machinery even remotely associated with this type of work was to be seen anywhere…
I rode in a cloud of dust for the next half an hour… Trucks, buses, scooters and fancy SUV’s tore down the road, riding as if they were on a well paved highway, rather than the corrugated and potholed dirt road leading to Lumbini…
My tyres were pumped way too hard for this surface, and at times, things got a bit “squirelly” as they say… A portion of the road had been watered down by a well-meaning soul in a large water tanker, but what he did not realise, is that water and clay are not conducive to riding a big bike on, or any other vehicle for that mater…
I was trying to overtake a bus when I saw it suddenly veer off to my left… Thinking that the driver was actually letting me pass (and almost fainting in surprise) I forged past the bus, and straight onto the section that was now akin to an ice rink… How I stayed on the bike, I will never know…!! We skated for about 50 metres before I got the brute under control, and limped onto a drier part of the road…
The bus driver by this time was trying desperately to control a sudden fit of hysterical laughter, brought on by the sight of the impatient foreigner, heading inexorably towards a rice paddy…
I spent the remainder of the ride chewing dust, fighting back a serious attack of adrenaline overload…
More later…. Just remembered I have to go and wash that mud off the bike….!!
World Heritage Plaque, Lumbini...
These circular mounds are known as Stupas, and are used to lay incense and offerings to the Lord Buddha during worship...
The ruins of Buddha's Palace, with the museum built over his EXACT birthplace in the background...
Prayer flags adorn the trees at the entrance to the Sacred Graden...
One of the 29 temples in the complex... This is the Indonesian one...
I am not sure of the meaning of this one... Without passion, where would we be...??
I promise to remove no brickbats...!!
GB strikes the pose, while the Tranquil One looks on...
The Russian temple stands near the main entrance...
A can of Red Bull put back some of the energy I had lost, walking around in my riding gear...
This is Surendra, the policeman who escorted me around the site...!!
Ok... Let's see... Thats 12 inside and another six hanging on... Surely there's place for more...!!
"Pssst...!! Don't look now, but there's another big fella coming up behind you...!!"
"Hah...!! He doesn't scare me...!! My 89 horses beats one elephant power any day...!!"
This new gateway to Lumbini is being built on the outskirts of Bharaihawa...
One kilo of naartjies to go, Ma'am... And a box of fags... My nerves are shot...!!
©GBWT 2011
Sad how these people have so much reverence for a Golden Statue, but no respect for one another. I hope that you will not have to endure more India in Nepal.
Christians place just as much reverence for Christ on the Cross, and show as little respect for each other…!! Who’s to say whose “right”…??
Totally agree – religion is man-made therefore flawed. It is not about right or wrong, just about a relationship with a living, vibrant God. You have revealed so much of Him in your travels. Thank you !
I am the same you querried about the flight details to BKK and Mt Flights for your friends who were supposed to come from India ( near the Discover Hotel where you are residing ).
I viewed all your pics which speak the whole story of your trip in different parts of the country.I got overwhelmed while seeing you in my hometown. Really your stuff took me back to my village where I haven’t been almost for 4 years. I guess, you have plenty of pics are left to upload of the dirty Kathmandu city.
Hope to see more pictures of more places you are planning to visit.
Rajan