Turnaround

Did not expect this trip may turn like that. We had several obstacles to reach the Annapurnas from missing gear to supposedly invalid permits and potentially closed lodges.

All turned out to be manageable so we climed up to Jagat on mainly heavy gravel road with two digit inclination. We had no problem to find places to stay. So all fine until we reached the checkpoint to the Manang district where we got hit hard. The policeman made it clear that there is no way through and this will last until end of March.

We returned back to the previous lodge and considered our options. Not having many of them we decided to stay until lockdown was supposed to end and do hiking in the nearby mountains in the meanwhile. The timeframe of one and a half week was in the range we thought we can cope with.

Soon after though there where informations that the periode of lockdown may be prolonged. Also we got messages from the German embassy that we should return as quickly as possible to either Pokhara or Kathmandu. 

Both the unclear timeframe and the recommendation from the embassy made us to change minds and to stop the venture in order to join the repatriation program. 

The embassy provided us with an official letter declaring we are supposed to return to Pokhara so we can cross the numerous checkpoints on the way. We definitively needed this and also the assurance to the police that we are already more than three weeks in Nepal to bypass quarantine. It was our longest cycling day from sunrise to long after darkness without real food until we reached Pokhara. 

The following day we went to the airport and had been impressed by the embassies care. They had staff on site and informed us that there is a flight soon back to Kathmandu. Costs for it are covered for now which we would have to refund later. Within half an hour we had all our luggage including the bikes checked in and boarding passes in hands. 

We returned to a Kathmandu under complete lockdown. The places that had been stuffed with people a week ago are now deserted due to mobility sanctions. All shops and restaurants are closed with respiration masks mandatory. I am amazed to what level lockdown has been set through here – something I never thought to be possible in this country. 

We went back to the hotel from a week ago which still had open for stranded tourists to provide accommodation and food. We are waiting now on further news from the embassy on when we can take the flight to Germany. 

Pokhara and Annapurna

We had a really relaxing time in Pokhara and enjoyed cooking and eating European food after so long time we mainly lived from local restaurants. After the tourist Police confirmed our permits to Annapurna region still be valid we abandoned all ideas to take one of the last flights out of Nepal in favour for an outstanding venture. 

Pokhara reminds me a bit on Garmisch Partenkirchen with its location at the footstep of a huge mountain ridge. From our apartment we could well see the snow covered mountains and the excitement to start the tour increased day by day. 

We stripped down our heavy cargo bikes to their absolute minimum in order to save on weight. On the circuit there should be lodges all the way so we decided to leave camping gear behind but pack everything that keeps us worm for the high sections on this route. My cycling shoes though would not be sufficient for what we want to do so a new pair of mountain boots made it in my kit. 

We set off from Prokahar direction north east to Besishara where Annapurna Circuit is supposed to start. We well recognized the situation has somehow changed in respect to Corona prevention. Most restaurant on the way had been closed and we got really concerned if we may find a hotel for the night. Arriving in Besishara the first hotels had already been closed but we found a simple place that had open and had not been too concerned about hosting German tourists. 

Corona and it’s consequences

My trip got unfortunately stucked in Nepal. They have closed the borders to India so by land there is no way to reach another country. I am tempted to fly out home but not sure if it’s nicer there at the moment. 

On the touristic streets in Thamel quarter of Kathmandu it got very quiet and there are only few tourists left.

I met up with the two other cyclists I was travelling already in Iran which is a strong boost for the moral. Both wanted to go south east Asia but got stucked like myself in Nepal. 

We are planning to do a longer mountain trek to get distracted from the ubiquist Corona terror and to take efficient use of the grounding time in Nepal.

So tomorrow we will set off from Kathmandu towards Pokhara where the Annapurna Circuit is supposed to start. There is still a questionmark on this trip wether the government may stop issuing permits to enter mountain regions after they already stopped all permissions for the mountain climbing tours. We need to go there and see if we get a permit at the time of our planned arrival in a few days. 

Nepal and Kathmandu

It’s a strange thing on the long term bike tours – whenever you are in a country or in a region your are allways looking for the one next to go. So do I when leaving India and entering to Nepal.

Nepal proofed immediately to be an “easy” country. Within one hour I got Visa, Cash and SIM card. The Visa thing was the quickest ever in my life. From the check point it was close to the immigration office. When I went in there a guy in shorts, towel on the shoulder and toothbrush in his hand was beaming at me. Did not think he is an official so went up the building and asked a woman which was hanging up the laundry where the visas are issued. She shouted through the building and the guy from before turned up still in shorts and T shirt. He gave me the form with very few points to fill in, I gave him my passport and 50 USD and in less than 5 minutes later his colleague gave me back my passport with the Nepali Visa.

Set off quite happy by this easy transition on Highway 01 direction to the west. Then my phone was ringing and I was tempted not to pick the call because who should call me on my Nepali number that is just three hours in operation. It was the guy where I purchased the SIM card telling me that I left my passport in his shop. It was already afternoon but after a short thinking it was clear I need to go back and pick it up as I may not even check in at a hotel without it. Luckily there where continously busses going back and forth and within 3h I could take my fully loaded bike from the shop where I left it in the hope that I bumped into trustful people. This was a strong lesson to have an even closer look on my passport in the future. 

Highway 01 through the low lands of Nepal is not a cycling paradise. It has heavy traffic through a densly populated region with Nepali who have a similar love affair to their horns as the Indians. I had to cover about 250km on this road before the intersection with Highway 06 leading north into the Himalaya region. My hope was to find nicer cycling ground there to cover the remaining 200km to Kathmandu. 

And I was not disappointed! The route winded up in numerous hairpin curves towards the first pass. Traffic was very moderate. The sky was clear and at the top the sight was free to the snow covered mountains of the Himalayas. A true cyclists paradise for the ones that like to climb.

Arriving in Kathmandu I immediately felt very comfortable. In the inner part of the town they have small lanes which are not accessible for cars which create a rather quiet downtown which I had been missing in most of the towns in India before. There are lots of restaurants and coffee places and along with all the shops for the people in need for hiking gear it is clear that this city is well adjusted to traveller’s in similar mindset than myself. 

Darjeeling and Sikkim

Happy to leave the depressing Bihar behind me and entering the state of West Bengal with tea plantations left and right of the road. From Shiliguri at the bottom of the Himalayas I started my way up to the 2000m high Darjeeling. The route went first through the Sukna forrest famous for the elephants and several signs gave instructions how to behave when meeting them. Would have loved to see one.

The National road up to Darjeeling follows the track of the narrow-gauge railway that has been built by the Brits end of 19th century. It’s still in operation albeit I really was wondering that trains can savely roll on this track which partly looked so bumpy. They constructed the route without any bridges and tunnel but at the expense that the train does some zig zag turns when the terrain is very steep. The train then reverts its driving direction but does not need the space of a hairpin turn. For cycling this road along the track is absolutely great as the inclination allways stays at moderate value still climbing up to 2200m at its highest point.

Darjeeling is a very touristy spot. Built up on the hill it does not have much space so congestion of all the tourist cars make it a less pleasant city to stay in. It was all the time cloudy up there but for a short moment there was a window in the sky so giving a glimpse on the Kangchendzoenga – the 3rd largest mountain in the world with 8500m and for me a touching moment for the first time in my life to see one of these.

From Darjeeling I went down on the other side in the Tista Valley and entered the Sikkim state. Still India it has a border checkpoint and I was asked to apply for a permit. Had already some imagination what might be waiting for me and was not disappointed. A burocratic process with photocopies, stamps and forms in front of a small counter window with a good amount of other travellers all trying to be first at the same time. I was pissed off after this process but had the permit in hand and could continue my way up to Gangtok.

It became dark when climbing up, it was raining, it was cold and to make it really a memorable ascent I was cycling up in bumper to bumper traffic. I bypassed the standing cars in the hope to see soon enough when one of the car drivers decides to open a third line partly on the opposite lane not expecting to have somebody next to him. In India people don’t look on the back traffic as they expect others to horn and if there is no horn then all is fine for them. It’s an ongoing danger for horn less traffic mempers but I got used to it by now and in worst case strong shouting of nice German words can help. This is so unusual in India and often works to get right of way.

Bihar – seen it, don’t like it, leave it

The flight to the north went perfect and my bikebox was even first on the convayor belt upon arrival in Bihars capital Patna. Never had that when carrying a bike on an airplane.

To my observation you can well correlate the quality of the roads with the wealth of the region in which your are travelling. In the southern section of India the quality of the roads was often above my expectation and was not limiting my daily milage except when I was searching for the small roads. Already when leaving the airport I could feel the lower quality of the streets here. Even the main highways have only partial termac and the smaller cities are mostly with gravel roads so at the end of a days riding you look like a Schnitzl ready to be fried. 

Talking with a hotel owner he told me that literacy in Bihar is at 12% whereas in the southern India states its above 90%. Also it’s rare that people speak a decent English which doesn’t help travelling.

More and more I get annoyed here by motorbikes catching up to make me stop for a Selfie. Its fine once in a while or when I have a break. On Bihar’s streets I get this request every ten minutes. I do not see the reason for me arriving at my destination one hour later but beeing posted like a hunted animal on numerous Facebook accounts. Also its not really working as a start for further conversation due to the language barrier. I am turning down most of the requests more or less politely depending on how I get addressed for it. 

All in all its not a pleasant cycling through the heavily overpopulated Bihar. For me it represents more the negative side of the saying “India – love it or hate it”. I will finish the stretch towards Shiliguri and want to climb up the hills of Darjeeling in the hope to have nicer scenery and less traffic to get back my India excitement that seems not having made it from the south up to the north yet. 

Pampan Island

I left the tip of India at Kanyakumari in north east direction. Landscape changed significantly. Instead of dense forrest terrain it is now rather bushes and small trees with a good bit of agriculture. On my complete trip I had not much problems with headwind. This changed radically on India’s east coast. It was a heavy blowing wind from north east which was fine for the various windmills they put there but very bad for a kilometer hungry cyclist. I like cycling on mountains where you invest energy and get it back with a nice downhill – but working against blasting wind is a complete nuisance. 

After two long and very exhausting days I reached where I wanted to go. The Pampan island is pointing from mainland India like a needle in direction to Sri Lanka. At the very end of the island it is just as wide to allow for the road and you are only  around 25km away from Sri Lanka. It is a very popular spot for Indian tourists but once again I have seen very few western tourists. Unfortunate that in the last decades they did not manage to establish a ferry line and the only way to travel to Sri Lanka is by plane even its so close. 

My section in the southern part of India comes to an end. With the prevailing wind on the east coast blowing from the north there is no point in further working up by bike. Therefore I have booked a plane ticket from Madurai to Patna in the north east to see Sikkim and Meghalaya state and then to cross Nepal from east to west. Once again I will pack my bike and gear in the hope it arrives without damage at the same destination than myself. 

Tamil Nadu and Kanyakumari

After leaving Kotchi I was heading towards the city of Verkala with its famous beaches. The place has been recommended by another tourist I talked to in Kotchi. I only planned to stay there for the night but the site was so comfortable that I played three days the beach triathlon of eating, swimming and reading knowing that I will miss ocean and beaches in the weeks to come. 

Another full day of riding along the coast brought me to the next state called Tamil Nadu. Here in partulicular the catholic church seems very strong and you have churches chaining up every kilometer. Several of them are of recent bulit and some of them can well compete with Lourdes and Fatima in terms of their architectural tackiness. Ceremonies are well visited with many people forced to pray outside. The massive amount of people in comparison to the services in Europe gives a well understanding about the future catholic centers of gravity.

Finished the ride from Varkala in the city of Kanyakumari which is the most southern point on mainland India and also my personal most southern point on this trip. Strangely the city is not at all in focus of western tourists but has many Hindi pilgrims visiting Vivekanada Monument and the Bagavathy amman Temple.

By a bit of behavioral instructions from two Hindi tourists I joined a procession in this temple. You do not only take shoes off when entering but further more male people have to take shirts off. After walking three times round the quite dark inner section of the temple we had been let in the sanctum to get cleaned – I suppose – by the holy fire and to drop our donation to reinforce the blessing.

Another important sight in Kanyakumari is the Gandih memorial where the urne containing Mahatmas ash had been exposed for public viewing before immersion in the sea. 

Kerala and Kotchi

From Karnataka state following route 66  south I reached Kerala state. By now I have made up my mind where I want to go further. I want to reach the south end of India at Kanyakurani where route 66 is actually ending.

This idea came thanks to a French cycling couple which I met on the road in the opposite direction. This was the second time that I met cycling tourists from abroad within a periode of two month so meeting fellows with the same state of mind is a rare occasion. This couple was outstanding as they traveled from Assam in the north east to the south end beeing in their mid 70s. It’s admirable that their adventurous stimulus keeps them on making such tours where others look for cruising in well equipped mobile homes. We exchanged addresses and I am looking forward to meet them again and talk about their worldwide tours. 

This route down south also satisfies the natural desire of a cyclist to reach outstanding landmarks either on height or extremities on the map so it fits well in my tour.

The highway changes between two lane for each side and a small road without middle lane depending on the proximity to the next larger city. Traffic is partly intense but still OK. On many occasions I try to make detours off the highway to smaller roads closer to the ocean which often is a lottery if you find a decent termac or rather gravel roads that slow down the milage for quite a bit. The life on this beach villages is about fishing and any sort of tourism seems far away. People are allways friendly asking where I am from and where I want to go. For the younger generation the Selfie with the guy who can not afford travelling on a bike with engine is the normal way to express their sympathy.

The stretch the last days was mainly through Muslim dominated areas. Approaching Kochi this changes due to historic influence of the Portuguese and Dutch. The wealth of the area reminds well on Goa and invites to stay a day longer to enjoy touristic amenities.

Moving again – Karnataka

After more than four weeks of cycling vacation in Goa I am back on track to go further south on India’s west cost. The southern neighboring state of Goa is Karnataka.

The continuous company for the last two month was very nice so it hit me when I dropped my friend at the airport and beeing complete solo again. My German cycling companions already left a week earlier up north to continue their world cycle. To boost moral I used the trick that worked already in the past to do something a bit out of the usual frame. This time I purchased a plane ticket and made a two days trip from Goa back to Mumbai which I left without much notice when arriving end of last year. So I spent two days walking through the city seeing the touristic sites and had coffee & cake in the world famous Leopold Cafe.

Using the regional trains in Mumbai was another experience I would not want to miss. Ticket price for first class and 2nd class differs by a factor of ten even though there is no difference how wagons are equipped. Both classes are packed in rush hour so you feel like sardines in the can. The train has doors but I never have seen them shut and I am wondering how many people may fall out every year when the crowd pushes in from one side and the door is open on the other. 

By now I reached the busy pilgrims city Murudeshwar with its 40m high Shiva statue right by the sea. It’s a very touristic place with countless rickshaws, travel coaches and motorbikes trying to reach the temple. I take my pictures and post some postcards but then I am happy to leave again in favour for more quiete places on wonderful Karnatakans coastal stretch.