Australasian Dirt Bike — June 2017

116 |JUNE 2017 http://www.adbmag.com.au

its heritage. Everything from the
incredible 800-year-old Buddhist
monasteries to the washing done in
the aquaduct is magical. People almost
ignore the intruders. We were flies in
their town, allowed to move around,
soak it in and move on.
The introduction of electricity
hasn’t, yet, brought much more than
light and power to the guesthouses.
They still do everything the old-
fashioned way, still use horses to move
around and work tremendously hard.
After two nights our time was running
out.Wehadtoheadbacktotheborder.

RETURN TO KATHMANDU

Onceyou’ve reached the end of the

Mustang road, the only way out is

back the way you came. The way

down is better. The road faces the

Annapurna until you reach Jomsom.

The whole ride is in the shadow of

this snow-capped mountain standing

5000m above you. It’s uplifting,

intimidating and adds something

special to the journey.

When you reach the sub-tropical

forests, the density of people, the

chaosofaroadfilledwithNepalese

and the noise all come as a shock. For

the last seven days the only noise has

been the wind, the trickle of a stream

and the mellow purr of a gutless,

choked Honda. Now it bustles.

The Upper Mustang is an incredible

place that has been inadvertently

preserved by the military restrictions

on it. It means that, right now it’s

rough and basic. It’s a raw experience

where the riding is challenging, the

altitude physical and the scenery is

unlike anything else I’ve ever had the

joy of experiencing. It’s a motorcycle

adventureparadise.

With each corner we rounded and every peak

we crossed the scenery became more dramatic

ADV RIDE I THE UPPER MUSTANG

132

MAIN: The introduction of electricity hasn’t

made much difference to the locals

1. A traditional hall in the wall apartment


2. Do your washing before the goats arrive


3. Suzuki DR200 mixed it with the Hondas