BoP Ride to Nepal - V

DAY 7 - January 24th: Kathmandu to Ayodhya

The return journey was starting today. I decided to cover major portions today, till Ayodhya (via Sonauli border) and the next day till Agra, leaving me a comfortable 250 kms to ride on the final day. The prospect of 'return' winds down the enthusiasm and stamina of any rider. If I had stayed back with my co-riders, or even alone but still in Nepal, I wouldn't have experienced any tiredness!

I started off early, at 6 AM as I had to ride over 450 kms today. Food services at the hostel were at specified timings only, so I couldn't have chai. I decided to stop for breakfast after riding 50 kms. At this hour, there was obviously no traffic. The route was the same one I had taken while coming from Pokhara, but without the dreaded trucks. I was still riding at a slow speed due to the general bad condition of the roads.

Around 55 kms later, I spotted 'Hamlet Restaurant' and stopped for breakfast. The service mode is quite interesting here. They basically serve a buffet of sorts. All items are laid out, you look and choose what you want and they charge according to the items you take. In other words, the 'look' is of a buffet but you don't pay a fixed amount for unlimited stuff, you can just take some portions and pay for those. Quite a unique concept, especially for breakfast. I chose poori and alu sabzi and black tea from the adjacent stall. Once again, the food was excellent, as was the tea. This trip was quite a culinary delight, with almost no meal being below-average (yet....). While I had stopped randomly, because the restaurant looked nice from outside, PS later told me that it is actually a very popular hang-out spot. It's a nice, short drive out of Kathmandu and she'd been here many times.

As I was leaving, a guy in an SUV stopped and chatted with me for a long time until his wife gestured to him impatiently from inside the car. Guess she doesn't want him mixing with 'bikers' and getting his own ideas! Post breakfast, it was mostly an uneventful ride. The roads continued to be brilliant with sparse traffic. The weather was amazing too. This was another thing about Nepal. The air is fresh and easy to breathe, unlike the polluted air in Delhi-NCR. Then again, I'd be a hypocrite to complain about pollution when I myself ride a motorcycle.

My mood was a little down, to be honest. The trip was quite short, my mates were still here for another week and I was returning home alone. Post-ride blues are quite normal but this seemed to be worse than normal. As a result, I made one bad decision - to keep riding and not stop for lunch. I wasn't very hungry and I thought I could cross the border and eat on the Indian side. I kinda anticipated a lot of options.

Compounding my end-of-ride blues was what I perceived as one last attempt by this beautiful country to hold me back, 50 kms before the border:

Another little, heartwarming incident happened around 20 kms before the border. My brakes were very loose by now, so I stopped at a mechanic's to get them tightened. The owner of the store walked out to greet me and expressed regret that the mechanic wasn't around. When I said I just wanted to get my brakes tightened, he volunteered to do it himself (I am assuming that's not the norm at this shop). We chatted for a bit and he learned that I had a long ride ahead of me; without me asking him to, he lubed the chain, tightened a few nuts and even volunteered to dust the bike. To top that, he refused any money! My insistence fell on deaf ears. I was a visitor to his country and it was very minor stuff, he said, so no money required. Yet again, Nepali hospitality touched my heart.

I crossed the border without a single hurdle. The guards on the Nepal side simply waved me through. On the Indian side, I expected some sort of checking, so I stopped and asked a few people in case I get caught further down for some reason. When I was sure nothing was required, I continued. Bit of an anti-climactic ending to my first international ride, I must say.

Hunger pangs struck and I realized I should have eaten on the Nepal side. The roads after Sonauli are huge, smooth and empty. Nothing apart from fields on the sides. More than 50 kms later, at around 3.45 PM, I spotted a small restaurant. They served only snacks, so I gobbled down multiple plates of onion pakodas, samosas and a plate of gajar-halwa. The pakodas were perfect but everything else was strictly average. It was almost 4.30 PM now and I had more than 150 kms to cover till Ayodhya, so I started off without further ado.

At my next rest stop, I booked an Oyo Room (Spot On Jyotish House) for the night in Ayodhya. I hadn't paid attention to the name and assumed it was a regular hotel. I rode quickly through the darkness to reach at around 7.30 PM. As soon as I reached, I realized it was actually a small ashram of sorts, and they were probably renting out the rooms via Oyo as a side business. The caretaker there was a nice chap, who referred to 'bikers' as if it is a different species. After confirming that I belonged to aforementioned sub-species of Homo Sapiens, he proceeded to explain our various features to the other staff. He first explained how we all seem to wear these things on our arms and knees, how we carry a lot of stuff on our bikes, etc. I was allowed to proceed to my room only after the staff had properly observed this newly-discovered sub species.

The room was large and clean, although there was a lot of construction going on outside. I jumped into the shower quickly and stepped out refreshed. My only peeve with the place was that I couldn't grab a beer. But they served unlimited poori-sabzi for dinner (repeat of breakfast!) along with a huge bowl of kheer that I could barely finish. Before sleeping, I checked the distances and decided to stop for breakfast in Lucknow on the way to Agra.

DAY 8 - January 25th: Ayodhya to Agra via Lucknow

The fog was back, although not as bad as before. I started off from the ashram at around 7 AM. The main priest/head of ashram was also up and the caretaker jumped at this opportunity to show off his latest discovery to him. The head of the ashram was duly impressed by the young man's discovery and asked an insightful question - "what do these bikers do then?" To this, the caretaker responded that bikers seem to ride long distances, over plains, mountains and even deserts, they don't seem to get tired and claim to enjoy doing all this. I didn't get a word in edgewise, such was his mastery of the subject. He informed me afterwards that he had come across 'bikers' in Lucknow and thus knew so much about them. I congratulated him for gaining such valuable knowledge and bid a farewell to everyone gathered there.

Riding through huge throngs of people heading to the temple nearby, I touched the highway soon, where I stopped for tea. I was in touch with a couple of my friends from Lucknow, who all recommended Sharma ki Chai in Lalbagh. I reached there without much difficulty at around 10.15 AM. There was a huge crowd but service was super quick. I had bun makkhan, samosa and chai, of course. While all 3 were great, I did feel it's a bit too hyped. Don't get me wrong, they were really tasty, but I didn't think it was anything unique or mind-blowing and not really worth a detour into the city. Nevertheless, Lucknow seemed to be a nice and clean city to hang out in, at least the areas I had passed through.

I made my way out of Lucknow and hit the Lucknow-Agra Expressway, that eventually continues up to Greater Noida. I had heard a lot about this expressway, but this was my first time on it. I paid the toll and started. There is nothing much to write about from this point. It's a long, empty and monotonous stretch. I stuck to a speed limit of 75-80 kph. The only hiccup I faced was petrol. I had not tanked up since I crossed the Nepal border and now I was on the expressway with no way to go but straight. I could take the next exit but that'd mean repaying the toll when I entered the expressway again. The first 'rest-stop' was 75 kms from the start. I heaved a sigh of relief when I spotted the signboard announcing the rest-stop, tanked up and continued on my way. Lunch was at the next rest-stop, another 130 kms from the first one. Here, once again, I booked stay at 'Friends Guest House and Hostel' in Agra. I reached there at 6 PM. I was back in a dorm room now, after my stint in the private room in the ashram.

2 'dry' days had passed now and I was not looking to make it a hat-trick. Before that though, I stepped out and walked into a petha store nearby. How can I miss petha in Agra? The shopkeeper had a slow business day and was about to shut shop when I walked in. I just wanted a couple of pieces to eat, not to pack. He showed me his entire range and I chose a regular petha, a paan petha and a chocolate petha. He also refused payment! I was really on a freebie roll now. As promised, I am sharing the location here for anyone interested - with your back to the Friends Guest House and Hostel in Taj Nagari (Shilpagram Road), walk to your right for less than 30 meters, you'll find the petha store on the same side of the road. I recommend both paan petha and chocolate petha, they were amazing and unique.

I returned to the hostel and went up to the Bob Marley Cafe on the top floor. Beer, starters and some light dinner were consumed with gusto. Post 10 PM, I was requested to park my motorcycle inside. Inside meant REALLY inside. I basically rode over a small ramp into the hostel and parked my bike in front of the reception desk. Now that's a first! I was dead tired and hit the bed soon.

DAY 9 - January 26th: Agra to Gurgaon

The final day of the ride! I wasn't excited of course, but my mood had improved considerably since day before. I made a late start, at 9 AM to avoid the fog. Right before the Expressway Tollgate, I stopped to have chai at a small stall. I had a long chat with the stall owner. He was under the assumption that bikers who go on such long rides are sponsored by companies. When I told him that we mostly spend our own money, he was quite impressed and commented on the freedom and spirit of adventure we all must have inside us to embark on such journeys. His own life journey was quite interesting. He happened to be a skilled worker, who used to work in a chemical manufacturing plant nearby. After multiple burn injuries, his mother requested him to quit and he then started this tea stall. He mentioned that he earns less now, but at least his life and limbs are not in danger. I found this to be quite motivating, he seemed to have made peace with his life and its circumstances and did not dwell too much on the past or 'what-could-have's.

Thus motivated, I embarked on the last leg of my journey. I crunched through the kilometers and reached the Greater Noida-Noida Expressway. This is home stretch for me. I had spent many years putting my brother's Karizma through its paces on this very Expressway. Noida holds a special place in my heart, as I was born and brought up here and those 23 kms were quite nostalgic!

I made a quick stop to meet a friend of mine in Noida, though the 'quick' break turned into a 2-hour long lunch session. I finally reached home in Gurgaon at 5 PM.

This ride is now my second-longest ride, after Rann of Kutch. It was my first international ride and I truly wish I can go back to this nice little country again in the future. I felt that the good times I had here deserved a tribute in form of this blog and thus, this ride also helped push me over the 3-year long writer's block!

Until next time! Cheers and Jai BoP!

BoP Ride to Nepal - IV

DAY 6 - January 23rd: Kathmandu

This was the first and only full-day I had to relax and roam around. The day started really early, as I got up at 4.30 AM. The staff at the restaurant below had indicated that parking the bike in the airport may not be safe. I was also worried about carrying my helmet inside the airport, so I decided to take the taxi instead. There was one right outside the hostel that took me to the airport for Nepali Rs 700. I think it was quite a steep price for the distance, but considering the hour, I didn't think too much about it.

The flight was to take off at 6.45 AM. It's a 45-mins flight (called the Mountain Flight) that shows you Mount Everest and other high peaks in the vicinity. All seats are window seats. However, Sunder had told me to reach early and get seats in the first couple of rows, as the engine might block the view if you are sitting near the wings. I was probably the first person to report at the Yeti check-in counter at 5 AM! I chose a seat in the first row, went past the security check and into the boarding area. I had a long time before take-off and the food stall was just opening up, so I just took a nap on the seats there. I woke up at 6, had breakfast with tea and waited for boarding to commence.

As the clock ticked past 6.30 AM, I was a bundle of nerves. Mountain flights can get delayed or cancelled because of the fickle weather in mountains. I absolutely did not mind a long delay, as long as we took off. Once-in-a-lifetime is a bit too much, as I do intend on returning to Nepal some day, but I definitely wouldn't get a chance soon. Due to the weather up there, Everest-viewing flights by other airlines were also delayed. At around 7.50, things began to look up. Buddha Air's flight was called for boarding, and their original take-off time was before my Yeti flight, so I was quite positive. At 8.15, they called for us to board. YAY!

As we took off, the friendly air-hostesses explained the protocol. First the left side of the aircraft would get to see the peaks. Those sitting on the right, like me, would be called one by one to spend a few moments in the cockpit. Then the aircraft would turn around and the protocol repeated in reverse. As I awaited my turn, I noticed the contrast was remarkable on both sides. On the right side were low black/brown hills that barely rose above the cloud cover. On the left were peaks covered with snow that almost towered above the aircraft. While I awaited our turn to see the peaks, I saw an intriguing sight of a river of clouds. What you see in the pic here is not a glacier or river, but clouds shaped by the mountains around them. I was soon called into the cockpit and saw a brilliant view for a few seconds before being ushered back out. As usual, I forgot to take a photo.

We were all given a pamphlet that accurately showed the peaks and their respective heights. At first glance, for a city-boy like me, all the peaks look the same and I wondered if I could even spot anything. In reality, the peaks are quite distinguishable if you look at them long enough. The air-hostesses also point out to the features that can help you better distinguish one peak from the next. As we took a turn, I started paying attention to the peaks and accurately spotted peaks like Makalu, Amadablam, Lhotse and of course, Mt. Everest.

Once we had reached the 'last' mountain, the air-hostess came up to me and asked if I wanted to come into the cockpit again! I think they had time for a few more visits only and approached the first couple of rows. I jumped at the opportunity and took a small video from the cockpit. Please pardon my below-average video taking skills, I am not a natural and I had to decide between viewing and video-taking in less than 20 seconds.

Till now, the experience had been tremendous. Watching the huge peaks, the river of clouds, going inside the cockpit twice, the lovely service provided by the air-hostesses, everything made the delay worth it. The crew decided to add a cherry on top of the cake by offering champagne! What better way to celebrate this breathtaking scenery?

As we made preparations to land, we were all given a certificate signed by the pilot. I must say, Yeti Airlines not only had impeccable service, they also know what clicks with the tourists and marketed their services really well. For this entire experience, I have PS to thank, for arranging the tickets at such short notice and that too discounted! Credit to Sunder too for recommending the Everest flight in the first place.

I took another taxi back to the hostel. I was meeting PS for dinner at around 7 PM and had the entire day to roam around in Kathmandu. I also wanted to get my helmet visor replaced, as it had fallen on the ground and there was a big scratch right at eye-level. Before that though, I got in touch my dad's friend in Kathmandu for a trip to Pashupatinath Temple. While he was busy elsewhere, he put me in touch his driver, Shyam, who said he'd meet me in the parking lot of the temple. It was now around 11 AM and Kathmandu, for a city that small, seems to have a lot of traffic. Navigation was old-school (asking people for directions) as I did not have a mobile holder attached and did not have my tank-bag. It took me over 40 mins to reach the temple entrance. Another 15 mins were spent figuring out the parking lot's location, as the regular route was barricaded for some reason.

We entered the temple from the back gate. Shyam seemed to know a lot of people there and cheerfully greeted and talked to the guards and other staff. I'm not a religious person but the temple was beautifully constructed and had a peaceful air to it despite the crowds. We walked around for a bit inside, saw the sanctum sanctorum and walked through the maze of 184 shivalingams. As we stepped out, I spoke to Shyam about purchasing a khukri, and whether he had any idea about taking it over the border. Instead of listening to my question, Shyam simply walked over to the nearest stall selling memorabilia and asked him to show me khukris. I was looking at one of them and Shyam started bargaining with the stall owner there! In no time, they decided on a reasonable amount of Nepali Rs 650 and turned to look at me. Seemingly a decision had been made for me. At ₹400, it was a steal and I could afford it even if they do not allow it over the border. After purchasing it, I thanked Shyam for showing me around and went back to the parking lot. As I was taking my bike out, a bunch of bikers came in. I introduced myself to them and was intrigued by their 'SK' number plates. I assumed they were from Nepal, but turns out they were Indians! This was the Eastern Enfielders from Sikkim, who had entered via the Siliguri border a few days ago. They also had reached Kathmandu the previous night, only difference being that they entered the city at 9 PM and saw no traffic on the roads.

I got stuck in traffic again, on my way to the helmet shop. It was a fruitless visit too, as they only accepted Nepali currency and I had used up most of mine. The owner, however, kindly offered to hold the visor for me till the evening in case I got hold of NC somewhere. I reached the hostel and went to sleep after lunch. I woke up feeling refreshed at 5.30 PM, but was in no mood to go back to the helmet shop, so I called and informed him to not hold it for me. I'd have to risk using the scratched visor for now.

I was to meet PS at Radisson Hotel nearby, where she was attending a conference. Once again, Google Maps failed, as it kept leading me into private roads or dead ends. I had to ditch it and use my intuition to find the hotel. I was meeting PS after more than 6 years now and it was a joyful reunion. We went to Lalitpur on the other side of Kathmandu, over the Bagmati River that divides the city into two halves. It was now 7.30 PM and there was barely any traffic. It was a breezy ride to our destination, Patan Darbar Square.

I have never seen something like this in all my travels in India. The Darbar Square is like a heritage site/old palace/town center/hangout spot/plaza, all in one. The buildings are mostly made of wood and stone, in a distinctive architectural style that I am not informed enough to comment on, but resemble Buddhist monasteries externally. It is an incredible sight in the night, with little lights all over the complex that beautify the buildings but are not bright enough to overpower the view. Once again, I was so lost in looking around that I didn't take pictures. But trust me, a night visit to Patan Darbar Square is worth it.

We walked around for a bit, talking and admiring the views. PS grew up around here, so this was probably a daily sight, but I couldn't take my eyes off from the buildings as we walked. We were starving and went for dinner to Cafe du Temple. The rooftop was empty, probably because of the cold. Service was a bit below our expectations, but the food was delicious. It was a nice change to have soup and American chopsuey, instead of thakali. Post this heavy dinner, I still had room for dessert. PS recommended Roadhouse Cafe, where we had their signature 'Sizzling Brownie'. It was simply mind-blowing and a perfect way to end my day in Kathmandu. I had a very pleasant evening with PS, as we caught up on each others' lives and talked about our college friends, so many of whom we lost touch with but still knew enough about, thanks to social media! It was getting late, so I dropped her home, thanked her again for being an excellent host just like her fellow countrymen and found my way back to the hostel. I had to ask for directions till Thamel, but managed to navigate on my own through the little streets. Guess I still have some hope left in the navigation department.....

Link to Part V

BoP Ride to Nepal - III

DAY 4 - 21st January: Butwal to Waling via Lumbini

Remember those two points we were dissatisfied about? Not enough riding and no sightseeing. The first was taken care of on the Chisapani-Butwal stretch and now it was time to address the second issue. Earlier, we had briefly considered taking a safari in Bardia National Park but the costs and timings did not fit into our plans. On Day 4, we decided to head to the Vishwa Shanti Stupa (World Peace Pagoda) in Lumbini in the morning. This was around 40 kms from our hotel, so we headed out in the morning and planned to return by check-out time and proceed towards Pokhara.

A slight aside first, to explain the planning for the ride ahead. As I said, I decided to split off the rest of the group sooner than I initially had planned. The reason was that Jomsom had a very tough off-roading patch which would take a lot of time to cover. If I went to Jomsom, I'd have to skip everything else and start my return journey immediately afterwards as I had to reach home on 26th at all costs. Furthermore, heavy off-roading can take a toll on the bike and I had a long solo ride ahead of me, for which I needed the bike to be in a perfect condition. Finally, Sunder, our riding partner from Bangalore had posted pics and information about the Everest flight from Kathmandu and this caught my fancy. I thus decided to stay the night in Pokhara, roam around the next day and then leave for Kathmandu the day after.

On Day 4 though, we made an early start for Lumbini. The weather was cold as usual and the fog was back with a vengeance. Near Lumbini, we took a wrong turn and headed off a couple of kilometers away from the Stupa before realizing our mistake and turning back. We parked our motorcycles in formation in order to have the Stupa form the backdrop. It was completely empty when we reached. When we switched off our motorcycles, it was very quiet, as if the monument and its surroundings were aligned with their true purpose and channeling the spirit of world peace in the realest sense! Without anyone telling us to, all of us dropped our volumes by a few notches, such was the power of the place.

The Stupa itself is a majestic white structure and it stood out even more against the grey and misty sky. We had to remove our shoes at the entrance. I hesitated initially due to the cold, but realized it doesn't make sense to turn back now. The Stupa had 3 levels that you climb, circumambulating as you proceed to the next level. Ankit informed us that you have to circumambulate as you head back down too, instead of directly coming down three sets of stairs. Let me note here that only Dips and I scrupulously followed this rule, while others went down directly. Guess they don't care about world peace as much as we do!

While a few were busy clicking solo pictures here, the rest of us headed back to the parking where we had spotted a small outlet serving tea and breakfast. Once again, wai-wai and chai! Tea is customarily served black in these parts, you have to specify if you want milky tea instead. The noodles tasted excellent and I washed it down with 2 cups of tea.

We had an uneventful ride back to the hotel. As we were checking out and packing up, I got chatting with the guard there about khukris. I wanted to purchase a khukri, as did Ankit and Dips, but we weren't sure if bags would be checked at the border. Locals seemed to be unsure, with some suggesting not to take the risk. The guard informed us of a khukri-seller in Palpa where we could buy and get more information on whether it can be taken across the border. As it was almost 12 PM, we decided to make a stop at Palpa for lunch, around 45 kms from here, on the way to Pokhara.

A Prussian military commander once said, and I paraphrase - "no plan ever survives contact with the enemy" (more information on this quote here). I now present to you the motorcycle touring version of this quote - "no plan survives beyond the first kilometer of a ride". It is the essence of touring, it is very hard to stick to schedules when you don't know what the roads would throw at you. What was thrown at us on this day? A load of mud.

Couple of kilometers from the hotel, as the hills started and we started enjoying the curves, we were forced to halt due to what we thought was a landslide. There were piles of dirt on the side of the road and a JCB was hard at work. We were told it would take atleast an hour and had no option but wait. We clicked pictures and chatted around for almost 1.5 hours before they started letting through the bikes. We realized it was some road repair work going on and not a landslide.

We reached Palpa, where the rest of the group stopped for lunch at a restaurant perched over a beautiful valley. Dips, Ankit and I headed towards the khukri shop, only to find that the guy had shut shop and moved out a few months ago. We went back for lunch. Lunch consisted of another delicious thakali. We also sampled 'kodoko raksi', a local alcohol. The single glass was quite potent and we wisely stopped, considering the riding ahead of us. Post lunch, the entire group left together but I had to return as I forgot my arm-guard there. This meant that I had to catch-up with the rest of group for the next 30-odd kilometers. I found them at a tea stall, where Zaheer was impressing everyone with his grasp of the Nepali language. He has a knack for languages, as we saw during the Rann of Kutch ride where he made friends with locals by speaking in Punjabi and Gujarati. The lady at the tea stall here remarked that he looked Nepali too!

The delay earlier meant that we would not reach Pokhara that day. It did not affect our plans terribly, but for me, it meant that I couldn't spend a lot of time seeing Pokhara. I was in touch with a friend from college, PS, who stayed in Kathmandu. She had a few contacts in Yeti Airlines, which runs the Everest flights and was helping me arrange for tickets for a flight on 23rd morning. We thus stopped at Waling, a village 60 kms before Pokhara. This was the last group BBB session for me, and I switched to whisky instead of beer. We finalized our respective itineraries and turned in for the night.

DAY 5 - 22nd January: Waling to Kathmandu via Pokhara

Solo riding day! While there is always the risk of ennui when you are alone, I have, over the years, started enjoying them. I still hesitate to go on a completely solo trip from start to end, but this sort, where I cover some stretch with the group and the rest alone is very much within my comfort zone. As a rider, it is necessary to get comfortable with solo riding, as it is inevitable sometimes.

We had to make an early start, there was a lot of riding to be done for all us. Everyone else had to reach Pokhara and then turn towards Jomsom. My friend had arranged for me to pick my tickets up from Pokhara that afternoon for the Everest flight next morning, post which I had to head to Kathmandu. At 5 AM sharp, we all reported downstairs for a breakfast of chai and toast. I settled up the accounts for the last time in this ride while others packed up. For the first time, the hotel manager hesitated a bit before accepting Indian currency. This definitely is not the norm, but it'd happen more often to me now than before.

As we left Waling, we decided to stop only after reaching Pokhara. We were now riding in the mountains and the fog had enveloped us completely. The roads were patchy on this stretch, which made it more challenging but we pushed ourselves. As we climbed higher into the mountains, the fog reduced and the Sun rose pretty soon. Some distance before Pokhara, the tree cover reduced briefly and a breathtaking sight lay in front of us! Our strict schedule was temporarily suspended and we had a good time clicking pictures here.

Further ahead, at another turning, I witnessed the snow-clad Himalayas for the first time. I mean, I was riding 'in' the Himalayas, but I refer to the mighty, snow clad, towering peaks we see in documentaries and movies all the time. I have to say here that it was momentarily scary to see such a huge peak right in front of me. In this manner, we reached Pokhara a little before 10 AM.

We had reached well in time, so we gathered around at the beginning of the town. The first task was to hand over the accounts book to Ankit. Amidst some applause and cheering, I retired from the role of Chief Ride Accountant and took over the new role of Lead Scout. I was now in charge of mapping the route ahead till Delhi/NCR and giving updates to the rest of the group behind, as they'd be taking the same route a few days later. After clicking one last selfie (last for me, as I don't take selfies myself), I bid my farewell to the rest of the group and headed towards the Yeti airlines office.

PS had expected me to reach a couple of hours later and had to make some calls to get the tickets. In the meantime, I waited outside the office and got chatting with a passerby. He had a travel agency of his own down the road and said he visits Delhi quite often. He took my number and asked if we could meet when he next visits and I responded positively. This little instance encapsulates the entire experience with locals I had in Nepal - they are very warm, friendly and welcomed us with an open heart. On a political level, India and Nepal have had their issues but none of this has seeped down to the general public who all seem to have nothing but good things to say about Indians. I was blown-away by this level of hospitality and I hope I get a chance to make them feel equally welcome when they visit my country.

I collected my tickets from the office and spent some time there figuring out a place to stay in Kathmandu. I found a hostel called 'Famous Traveller's Hub' in Paknajol Marg in Thamel at an amazing price of Nepali Rs 455 for two nights. Before I headed there though, I wanted to go see Lake Pame and the arrangements being made for Rider Mania.

With the help of signboards put up by BOBMC and FORE, I made my way around Lake Pame and reached the venue. A few hundred meters of dirt track riding led me to the main entrance which was barricaded. I assumed it was shut for visitors and was about to turn back when a small boy materialized and opened it for me without a second glance. I went further in to the tents where a FORE member flagged me down. Now I was clearly not meant to be here, so I was honest with him about it - I told him I am not registered in RM and won't attend it, but I just wanted to stop by and see the place and if it was a problem, I could turn back. He was happy to let me walk around but told me not to take any pics inside as they were to go BOBMC first. They were clearly busy with the arrangements on the lakeside, but Pramod aka Goofy, the Vice President of FORE was nice enough to spend some time chatting with me. He also happened to be the first motorcyclist I ever met who does this for a living and not as a hobby like we all do. I also saw a guy there casually using a khukri to cut vegetables! I later read that despite the widely-known use of khukri as a weapon by Gorkha soldiers, it is actually more commonly used as an implement in households.

I thanked Goofy for letting me see around and started my journey to Kathmandu. It was lunch time now and I had a sixth sense telling me that I am going to be massively late, though there wasn't much I could do about it now. The first 50 kms break was lunch break for me at Green Hill Restaurant and Lodge. I had yet another excellent thakali here with black tea. The lady cooked delicious food but did not seem very welcoming initially. When I appreciated the food, however, she broke into a big smile for a moment! Having been told by many many friends about how I come off as unsmiling and unapproachable, I could completely empathize with that lady.

I continue my ride to Kathmandu. The roads were amazing and the traffic was still light. I emphasize on 'still'. Light traffic means you can ride at higher speeds in the curves and I took full advantage of this opportunity. But slowly, the truck traffic was building up. I had to spend several kilometers stuck behind a line of trucks before making a break for it and overtaking them. What's good, however, is that the truckers are very nice here and help you overtake by switching on the indicator when it's safe. I'd wave them thanks after overtaking. In this manner I covered the next 50 kms in 1.5 hours and stopped for chai. As I finished and headed out, another group of riders parked beside me, coming from the opposite direction. They were the Wanderers MC Hyderabad chapter, who piped up when I spoke to them in Telugu. Such is the magic of motorcycling, speaking in a South Indian language all the way over in Nepal! Wishing them a safe ride ahead, I continued.

The truck traffic was at its peak now. The final 50 kms were a torture, as it took me 2.5 hours to cover that distance. The roads in this stretch were horrible too, so even without traffic, it'd have been a pain to ride on them. Trucks enter the city only after 8 PM and were thus parked on the side of the road. There was barely any space for a motorcycle to squeeze through at many places. At one point, I had no choice but ride through a large sand-pile, that nicely coated my boots and bags with a film of sand.

The roads finally opened up inside the city. It was almost 8 PM by the time I reached the hostel in Thamel. Despite GPS, I was unable to find the exact location because of the narrow streets. I called up the hostel guy who stepped out of a small alcove and beckoned me inside. The hostel was right above a small restaurant and I parked my bike almost inside the restaurant entrance.

I had booked a bed in the dorm, since I was alone and did not see any need to spend money on private rooms. It was a small clean hostel. The first order of the day was to jump into the shower and wash off all the dust. The water was tepid but I could not care less about it. Refreshed, I headed downstairs for a beer and dinner. I wanted to walk around for a bit, but I had to wake up early next morning to catch the Everest flight at 6.45 AM and thus went to bed immediately.

Link to Part - IV

BoP Ride to Nepal - II

DAY 2 - 19th January: Tanakpur to Chisapani

Compared to the hyper-early start the previous day, we were more relaxed today. Our plan was quite fluid from hereon - we had a lot of days in hand and we could stop wherever we wanted to, no bookings were made. The primary focus today was to reach the border as soon as we could, as we anticipated long queues and lots of checking. Reaching the border was straightforward, we were less than 20 kms from it.

As we were packing up and ready to move, I had a minor scare as I couldn't find my keys. A frantic 10 mins later, I found them in my jacket pocket, that I had actually packed away. We bid our farewell to the hotel staff and moved towards the border. The first checkpoint we encountered on the Indian side was that of SSB (Sashastra Seema Bal). We were probably the first set of RM riders they had come across, although over the next week, they'd come across many more heading towards the event. They were a little hesitant to let us through when they saw the Bulls on Parade flags on our bikes, until we reassured them that there were no political connections and it was a club flag. A few hundred meters later, we were at the Nepal border!

This was quite significant, we were riding our motorcycles on international soil for the first time! During my year in Scotland, I had tried a lot to go on a ride. Sadly, the costs were highly prohibitive and it was much cheaper to rent a car for a road-trip. I was making up for that now though, riding my own bike outside India. We all took a couple of pics here. Anupam and Vikas were turning back and heading to Delhi, so we said our goodbyes and wished them godspeed. Now reduced to 7, we rode ahead and reached the checkpoint on the Nepal side.

We were first greeted by a guard who informed us that we could exchange currency right there. While INR (locally referred to as 'IC' - Indian currency) is widely accepted in Nepal, some outlets refuse to deal in them. Furthermore, the acceptance of ₹500 notes varies, with some being completely against it and others hesitantly accepting it. Thus, as a backup option, we all got a couple of thousand rupees exchanged there and proceeded to get our permits. We found the entire place to be surprisingly vacant, there was no queue and the clerks in the office worked quickly and efficiently. I got a permit (called 'bhansar') for 9 days, while others got it for 15 days. Nishant and I had proactively gotten international calling packs activated on our phones. The others went to get their local SIM cards, which took a long time. In the meantime, Wanderers Motorcycle Club (Dehradun chapter) 'wandered' in and we spent time chatting with them. They had grand plans of reaching Nepalgunj that day, something we were doubtful of since it was midday already.

We hit the road again and stopped for lunch soon. Nishant's tradition was to have the local delicacy on the first day of an international trip and we duly stopped for momos and wai-wai noodles in the next village. My own tradition is to have locally manufactured beer wherever I go and peel off the label for my collection. Unfortunately, they only served Tuborg. We had many more days though! The momos were good but I liked the wai-wai more. After spending some time here, we made a move towards Chisapani, our night's halt.

Chisapani had one big hotel - Siddhartha Resort. It's a beautiful piece of property on the banks of River Karnali, but the rates were a bit steep online. We tried to find cheaper accommodation but didn't like them much, although one guy did put in a lot of efforts to get us to stay. Ankit was our in-house rate negotiating expert and was sent ahead to get us a deal in Siddhartha. He did indeed get us a sweet deal and we headed there. We procured 'supplies' for the night - Barasingha, Tiger and Gorkha beer, i.e. 3 new stickers for my collection! Right before our BBB started, the Wanderers MC we had met at the border earlier rode in. So much for Nepalgunj! After a memorable and fun-filled session and dinner, we went to sleep.

DAY 3 - 20th January: Chisapani to Butwal

Two days had passed and we rode around 490 kms total, which is less than the distances we cover in a single day and we also hadn't really seen anything. We decided to make amends and ride in a more disciplined manner to Butwal. The route was through Bardia National Park. Personally, I love forest rides. Compared to the riding in majestic mountains or facing the mighty sea, forest rides have an aura of tranquility and relaxation, especially in the mornings.

We left early and reached the checkpost at Bardia. There were patches of fog in between, but it was mostly a smooth ride. At Bardia, the rules are very strict - you cannot cross the speed of 40 kph and you have to reach the next checkpost at a certain time only. I had come across similar rules in Tirupati, where a time limit is imposed to ensure people don't ride/drive too fast. We stuck to the speed limit and it was a very soothing ride through the misty and quiet forest. We didn't stop at all, due to the danger of wild animals. Still, I kept an eye out for elephants, having witnessed a little scare many years ago while riding in Anamalai forest when a mischievous elephant mock-charged an Indica driver who was too impatient to wait.

Hereon, we had an incident-free ride. We all had a lot of trepidation about Nepal's roads, having heard that they were horrible. It was partly the reason we had such a flexible plan, as we had factored in bad roads throughout. However, the roads were super smooth throughout the ride. There were a few bad patches of course, but for the most part, the roads were excellent. Long distance motorcyclists would agree with me here - we either want roads resembling slabs of butter OR we want rocks/gravel/sand/mud/streams. Everything else in the middle is unacceptable. The good quality roads also had very less traffic and whatever traffic was there was quite disciplined. Even the pedestrians and cyclists stuck to the corner of the roads, it took me some time to get used to this sort of discipline inside the subcontinent!

We stopped for lunch at Hotel Pauwa where I was introduced to the 'thakali'. Thakali is closest to what we in India call a 'thaali' - a full meal consisting of a couple of dry and grave-based curries, dal, rice, roti and other accompaniments. Thakali is quite unique though. To start with, the spiciness is substantially lower, almost none of the items are fried and overall, it has a very simple, fresh and homemade feel to it. I'd have 4 more thakalis during the course of this ride and while they all had unique additions, they were all delicious and filling, yet also light on the stomach. Adding to the  experience is the unbeatable Nepalese hospitality, where every request is met with a wide, ear-to-ear smile. We were just getting introduced to this though.

Onwards we rode, with our regular breaks. I was quite happy with the pace and progress of this ride and we soon reached Butwal. Butwal is a mid-sized town and we were suddenly seeing a lot more traffic than we had encountered since we left Delhi. Nishant had booked a hotel for us somewhere on the way earlier, but we stopped a couple of kilometers before to purchase important supplies for the night ahead. Right beside the alcohol shop was a little kirana store, where I bought 'touchings' (namkeen/chips to be had with alcohol). The wife and husband running the store spoke almost perfect Hindi as they spent many years in India. This turned out to be quite a regular occurrence actually, as curious onlookers on the road would initiate conversations with us and almost always would have spent a long time working in various parts of India.

After we reached the hotel, we decided to flesh out the plan ahead before starting the BBB. Nishant temporarily ditched his beloved gadgets and went old-school - he found a piece of paper and noted down various points of interest along with the distances. As the navigator of the group, he was subjected to multiple questions whenever he suggested something, so this was the best way to shut people up (peppered with a smattering of expletives of course).

At the end of this very fruitful discussion and note-taking session, things were getting clearer. I had to decide when and where to split off from the rest of the group and it had to be sooner than later. Everyone else was in the mood for doing some off-roading in Jomsom (Lower Mustang). While certainly attractive, it'd mean missing the more tourist-y places for me - Pokhara and Kathmandu, and there was quite a bit to do in both those places. The beginnings of a plan started formulating in my head, as I headed towards the BBB with a beer in hand...........

Link to Part III

BoP Ride to Nepal - I

The past few years, since my last long ride and blog (Rann of Kutch in December 2016) have been full of change and growth. I shifted cities a couple of times, did some freelance work, went to Scotland for a year to study and returned, got a new job and shifted back to Delhi-NCR after almost 8 years. Each phase was filled with lovely memories, fantastic people and of course, teeth-gritting frustrations and anxieties. Motorcycling took a backseat for a bit, although I did go on short-rides whenever I could, including one in Visakhapatnam with a local club called Vize Roys Bullet Club.

When I returned from Scotland, tentative plans were being made in BoP for Rider Mania 2020, to be hosted by Friends of Royal Enfield (FORE) in Pokhara, Nepal. I was in touch with Dips and Nishant about my plans. I became a 'tentative' when my job got finalized in Gurgaon and I moved here. The BoP Rajsamand Ramskulls ride in December served as a test-ride for me, to get me back into the motorcycling groove. From then on started the process of convincing my new manager and other bosses at the workplace. Frankly, I didn't plead or cajole much, but I did continually pester all of them. After some discussion, I was told I could get a full week off, but no more, which meant I'd have to return without attending RM. This was always a possibility in my head and I jumped onto it. I wanted to go on the ride first and foremost, RM or no RM!

A word on Nepal as a destination - I had Nepal in my sights since I started long distance motorcycling in 2009. It took me some time to get the confidence to even attempt such a ride, but even then, any plans I made kept getting cancelled. Once, an entire group of riders I was in touch with backed out, then political turmoil caused a destination change 3 days before and a third plan never took off from the ground. This time, things looked brighter and I was determined to make it too.

Preparations started in December. The primary focus was getting my rain gear sorted. While I owned an excellent astronaut-themed rainsuit, well-tested in South and West India, it was no good for this ride. The jacket had no warm lining and was too tight to be worn over multiple layers, so I purchased a large one in Decathlon. I also ordered rain-covers for my shoes, and bought surgical gloves to be worn inside my winter gloves for additional warmth.

Dates: 18th January to 26th January 2020

Route taken/Places visited: Gurgaon-Tanakpur-Mahendranagar-Chisapani-Butwal-Waling-Pokhara-Kathmandu-Sonauli-Ayodhya-Agra-Noida-Gurgaon

Riders:

1. Ankit Gupta - Silver RE Classic 350 - Alag starting point wala
2. Anupam Ghosh - Black RE Classic 350 - Doctor saab
3. Ashok Rana - Black RE Electra 4S - Helmet nai utaarne wala
4. Diptinder Singh Chhabra - Black RE Electra 4S - Peeke josh mei aane wala
5. Krishnatreya Brindavanam - Silver RE Electra 5S - Paise maangne wala
6. Nishant Jha - Black RE Electra 4S - Gaali galauj karne wala
7. Sanat Kumar - Orange RE Interceptor - Dheere chalane wala nausikhiya
8. Vikas Chawla - Sleet RE Himalayan - Ditch maarke jaldi jaane wala 
9. Zahiruddin Saifi - Black RE Classic 350 - Dikhne mei Nepali

Total distance traversed: 2,625 kms

DAY 1 - 18th January: Gurgaon to Tanakpur

The plan was to start at 4.30 AM from the Ghazipur Toll Plaza, and cross the border on the same day. This plan went for a toss when we saw the thick-as-soup fog in the morning. I had to start off at 3.30 AM to reach the meeting point on time, but the fog forced me to stick to a speed of 40 kph throughout. Despite this, I was in a great mood. Apart from the excitement of the ride, I was happy that it wasn't raining, which would have definitely caused me to stay in and start later. 

Having crossed 3 state borders (Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh), I reached the meeting point and found that most of the group had already gathered there, with the exception of Ankit and Sanat. As we waited for them, we got a message on our WhatsApp group that they were ahead of us, at the Dasna Toll Plaza. This was a little frustrating for us, since being together would have eased the decision-making process. We rode slowly to the Dasna Toll Plaza, a scary task when you are wearing spectacles that mist up every few seconds in the fog. Making it worse is the pollution - the water droplets hanging in the air are actually very dirty and within no time, my little spectacle-cleaning cloth was rendered dirty and unusable. We stopped as per the Google Maps location, unsure as we couldn't spot any toll plaza near us. While we waited for word from Ankit, Sanat and Vikas (who had lost us in the fog and gone ahead to meet them), we discussed Ashok's fancy helmet that had a large water-resistant patch on the visor, which made it very comfortable and easy to see for him. This is why he refused to even lift the visor!

We reached our full strength soon. Nishant drew upon his impressive dictionary of expletives to  roundly abuse Ankit for not meeting us at the starting point; turns out it was a honest mistake from the latter's side, as he missed it among all the messages in the WhatsApp group. Peace was made and we turned out attention to the puri-sabzi that Sanat had brought. Sanat was riding with us for the first time and this was also his first ever long distance ride, that too on an Interceptor! We enjoyed the delicious food out there in cold. I 'allegedly' took a larger chunk of the food and Nishant was given yet another opportunity to show off his vocabulary. 

The fog showed no signs of abating. We now knew that we couldn't cross the border in time and did not see any reason to push ourselves either. The key principle during this ride was to enjoy, instead of mile-crunching. Accordingly, we rode slowly and stopped for an extended breakfast at Garhmukteshwar. This was also the start of the ride's accounts book and I duly took charge. This was a role I had recently taken over. I have always donned this cap in every friends' group but never in BoP. All you need, apart from basic calculation skills, is the ability to be shameless. You need to be able to demand money multiple times and not be fazed by the abuses directed against you. No hubris, but I am almost made for this role.

Post breakfast, the sun rose, even if the fog stubbornly clung onto the ground. This made the going easier and we managed to increase our speed a bit. The day's destination was now changed to Tanakpur. Lunch was at a dhaba in a town called 'Kiccha'. The last dregs of the fog had disappeared by now and it was an effortless ride to our night-halt - Hotel Raj Shree in Tanakpur, 357 kms from home. After freshening up, we began our first and only full-strength BBB (Beer, Bullet and Bakchodi) session in the night, as Vikas and Anupam would turn back the next day from the border. The highlight of the night, apart from the jokes and the camaraderie, was the fresh, piping hot gulab jamun that the hotel manager got for us in the end. 

Link to Part II