Kathmandu
Three years previously, I trekked the well-known Annapurna Trail,
one of the most iconic routes through the Himalayas. The scenery
and the humbleness of the mountain people stayed with me, and I
was delighted to be back among the Nepali people.
Staying in the tourist area of Thamel with its trekking shops,
restaurants and Tiger balm sellers came easily. It’s a cosmopolitan
area, swarming with tourists, trekkers, climbers and bicycle rickshaws
all crammed into its narrow walkways. I had my bike serviced,
laundry done and sent a few postcards home.
As the third was my birthday, I splashed out on a pizza and a glass of
wine. I even had my nose pierced even though I don’t have a nose
one wants to draw attention to.
The dream of cycling from Kathmandu to Tibet was peppered with
problems. First, the Tibetan border was closed to individual tourists.
The only way to pass through Tibet en route to China was by an
organised tour to Lhasa and then by train to China. These tours were
expensive and still meant one couldn’t cycle Tibet, and a new plan
was devised.
Sadly, the only remaining option was to fly to Thailand and bike to
China. So, we bought tickets for 17th April on the notoriously
unreliable Royal Nepal Airlines, as they were the cheapest.