Butwal – Narayangarh - 121km
The day came with the realisation that it had been two years since I
left home, and I wondered how many had cycled from Cape Town to
Nepal. The trip was far more fascinating than I ever imagined and no
two days were ever alike.
I was ready to depart at around eight-thirty but wasn’t sure if one
was allowed on the road taking the countrywide strike and curfew.
Protesters were burning tires and chanting slogans while a heavy
police presence prevailed. Eventually, at around 10h30, I was given
the green light and had the way all to myself. As no vehicles were
allowed due to the strike, only pedestrians and bicycles were out,
making biking a pleasure. Almost thirty kilometres from Butwal, I had
my first taste of the “hills”. The route climbed about fifteen
kilometres, but where there’s an up there’s usually a down and I
reached Narayangarh in good time.
The Royal Rest House, located next to the road, made overnighting
convenient. Although not very royal, the rest house had a generator
and my room had a window on the outside. When I placed my food
order, it contained two complete meals. I figured it must have been
assumed that there was another person in the room since it's unusual
to find a woman travelling solo in India and Nepal.