On to Lumbini - September 26-27-28

Thursday-Friday-Saturday September 26-27-28 - Three days on the bike from Bardia Park on to Lumbini. First day started out backtracking to the main road through the park which meant going through a few small villages and getting offered a really fresh chicken.

Then over the same under-construction bridge as before. The alternative was to do as the vehicles and drive through the river. The day we came in, as a result of the heavy rain in the morning, the river level had been up two or three feet making it impassible for a while for vehicles.

TDA uses orange flagging tape to mark the turns on the day's route. Shortly after getting back on the main road, we found these two lads happy to pose with some flagging tape that they'd liberated from the turn from the sideroad.

Today was relatively short at 70 km and finishing in sunshine at a modern hotel with hot showers and swimming pool the picture is taken the next morning). We took advantage of that.

The next day was long at 140 km - a long day. The route mainly agricultural...

...but also passing through some forest / wildlife preserve land. One of the other ladies took Ursula's picture here, then Ursula went on ahead, riding a bit faster. Too bad, because the other lady spotted what was almost certainly a tiger crossing the road a couple of hundred metres ahead of her - all the profile, size, and movement was consistent with tiger, but not quite close enough to distinguish the stripes, but what else? That's the only tiger sighting we've had - lucky lady to see it.

A funeral about to start on a river bank...

...and ladies combing through water between the fields and the road to get tiny fish...

 

...some of which we had that night at dinner...

...to which Ursula's reaction (they weren't that bad !)...

The hotel itself was pretty basic... a bed in the middle of the floor (thin foam mattress on plywood), one seat and small table that you can see was all the furnishing in the room..

There,s a TV, air conditioner that isn't hooked up, ceiling fan, a couple of bare light bulbs on the wall, nicely finished ceiling and walls although it looks like they changed paint halfway through.

Bathroom tiling is put on the wall with no finishing. No shower head. No hot water.

Inside of bathroom door is bare sheet metal - I guess that makes it waterproof. Drain from the sink just empties into the floor drain.

At least the room was fairly clean. In the reception area is some of the electrical and electronic stuff...

The third day was just over 100 km. Some moderate climbing in a forest in the morning, also rain. Roadside was unbelievably muddy - must have been more rain the previous night. After lunch, after we left the main E-W highway and headed towards Lumbini, we got into what appeared to be a slightly more affluent area - that doesn't mean cars in driveways - everything is relative - and Rae got fascinated by the gates and doorways on many houses. There were some quite striking gates and fresh colourful paint on many houses, and not necessarily fancy houses.

 

the door was closed when I got the camera out, then the kids had to be in the photo

 

...and this immature Common Crane in a field almost let me get a photo...

...before I got caught in another rain shower and then a stretch of slimy mud before getting to the hotel with a dirty bike (fortunately there was a hose to clean it before it all dried) and of course dirty me. Ursula had arrived a bit earlier, hadn't got quite as much rain, but was equally mud-spattered.

So we're in Lumbini, a UNESCO World Heritage site, the birthplace of Lord Buddha and an important pilgrimage site for the Buddhist faith... that's for the next post.

Rest Day - Bardia Park

Wednesday 25 September - a rest day at Bardia park where there are elephants, tigers, rhinoceros, etc living in the protected area. We opted to go on a river cruise - leave at 0700 because early is best time to see animals. Lunch on board. Be back in camp at 1500, so there's time for other rest day chores. Sounded like it was maybe on one of those pontoon boats so we could get out of the sun and just relax while looking for wildlife...

...Well, that's what we thought was going to happen, We left camp shortly after 7, then drove around a few dirt tracks to someplace else where they tried to pick up a raft, but it was 7-person size and there were nine of us so somewhere else and they get the right size. Then yet another place to get life jackets. Bow back out onto the highway and go about 30 km back to the suspension bridge we rode across yesterday. They have to inflate the raft and launch it on the other side, but the vehicle is not licensed to cross the bridge. So they carry it and we wait around. Eventually, between 0930 and 1000 we get on board the raft. I guess just in time for the second sitting for breakfast for the wildlife that didn't eat early...

We were pleased to see some deer on the river bank, and they appeared equally amused at nine bike riders floating past in a raft...

...then an eagle at the top of a dead tree with a fish clutched in his talons. He (she...?) took off with the fish and headed home..,

...some lapwings...

 

...and a buck. These are middle-size deer, easily visible when they're in the open, but that tall grass behind it is well taller than any of us, so any animal that goes into the grass disappears instantly.

Cranes, not sure what type...

...and a heron that continually flew away ahead of the raft.

We went on shore for lunch and found tiger tracks - our guides said that they come down to the rivr for water but are very elusive - they're shy, and when in the grass, impossible o see - it's a matter of being lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time.

Rhinoceros tracks too... I should have made these photos the same scale, but trust me, the rhino track is huge.

Floated down the river some more and then back to shore... everybody off... 'follow me' says the guide and we walk for about 30 minutes... no idea of where we were going but is was about half past two so I figured it was a hike back to where their jeep would pick us up and get us back to camp by 1500 as faithfully promised We were all desperately hot and humidity was at least 99 percent. And obviously the time had long gone to see animals at breakfast.

The wasn't the plan at all. We all climbed a slightly shaky observation platform and were eventually told that a rhinoceros had a habit of wandering out there in the open space around 3 pm or so. We gave him until about 3:15. He didn't show. And if we thought we'd be in camp by 1500, think again. Thirty minutes back to the raft and then another at least hour of rafting.

As much as we could see our chore time shrinking, the late afternoon lighting made the rest of the float down the river quite pleasant. This egret preferred to fly away as we passed...

 

...but that Emily, our tour leader who had come on the raft trip, spotted a rhinoceros approaching the river. It proceeded into the water and walked across as we approached

 

...and on the other side, with us now coming almost alongside, he (or maybe he's a she?) turned to give us quick closer-up pose...

...then walked up the bank and quite literally was instantly no longer visible - you could even see the grass move...

The rafting ended not long after and it's fair to say that the rhino had made it a good day.

We got our chores done quickly. The 'resort' was pretty basic, especially for a rest day. The bed had a bottom sheet but no top sheet, just  light blanket - that's why we brought sleeping bag liners, just didn't think they'd be needed on a rest day. Bucket showers only, but the staff were good and pretty quick to bring buckets of hot water. 

Three riding days ahead of us now to Lumbini - first day just 70 km, then 140 and 103. 

Into Nepal

Wednesday 18 September - We leave Rishikesh today for the first of seven successive riding days that will take us out of the hills and into the open valley of the Ganges watershed and into Nepal on Monday. The first four days all have thousand metre climbs, so some gruelling riding even if the mileage is short.

Tonight's destination is the Army town of Lansdown. As with the past several days, it's all about steep hillsides and deep valleys and amazing views as we navigate the narrow roads that cling to little notches carved into the steep slope.

The problem of mudslides is evident here...

We often see women performing manual labour, always wearing colourful saris...

Bus shelter occupied by goats...

This bird (a lark of some kind?) was in a hurry to make a meal out of a bug he saw on the road...

Our timing at the end of the day wasn't good - we managed to spend the last hour of the ride in a pretty heavy rain shower, so we were soaked on arrival at the hotel. And nothing dries well in the 99% humidity that we have now.

Thursday 19 September - Lansdown to Vanavasa - good meal last night, but unfortunately for Rae his system spent the night putting it straight through him. A dose of Imodium and he rode the day including the last 4 km which was a steep climb up mostly unpaved tracks to this resort on the top of a hill - an unexpectedly beautiful place especially being at the end of a non-road.

Friday 20 September - Vanavasa to Marchula - Rae's gastro system had not cured itself so stronger meds for him and the sensible decision not to ride having got no nutrition now for two days and again facing a 1000-metre climb. Ursula started the day but it ended after less than 20 km when the group she was with hit a washed out area resulting in another rider falling ahead of Ursula, then Ursula falling and, as if to prove the worth of the helmet, not only banged the helmet on the stones, but then hit the other bike's chain ring resulting in a deep cut in her helmet - thank goodness it wasn't a cut in the head. As it was, she had a cut on one knee and needed a single stitch in the head where some part of the internal suspension system must have cut her.

Saturday 21 September - Marchula to Ranikhet, another Army town - another day in the hills, and another near-thousand metre climb. Rae is on the mend, but still hasn't eaten anything significant, so he took a ride on the support van to lunch and avoided two-thirds of the climb. Ursula took the support van all the way - the doc wanted to give the cut below the knee more healing time for fear of it opening up from the pedaling motion.

Sunday 22 September - Ranikhet to Naukuchia Tal - Rae getting back to normal and riding the whole day. But the tail end of thundershowers and fog and wet road in the morning resulted in another day in the van for Ursula as they didn't want the dressing to get wet.

Myna bird on a cable below the road...

A number of fairly well-kept colourful places along the road...

Hanuman, the monkey god, beside the lake in the village approaching tonight's destination...

Destination was a nice resort on a lake... 

... a butterfly that took a liking to Rae's camera...

...and then the rains came and we all headed inside...

...and it cleared later...

...our room is the one on the top level...

Ursula and the other lady who fell both needed new helmets. Thanks to Baba, our fantastic Indian bike mechanic - he has contacts all over the place - photos and specs for helmets were exchanged on smart phones, decisions made, orders placed at about 8 p.m., and the helmets arrived by taxi about three hours later from a town 40 or 50 km away.

Monday 23 September - Naukuchia Tal and a big 1200-metre descent into the open valley and on into Nepal at Bhimdatta. Both of us back in form and on the bikes. The border is to the right of this pic - we cross that bridge after police checks, then cross a dam, Then a series of Indian immigration and customs offices, then a bit of no-man's land and we find the Nepal immigration office amongst a bunch of other huts and get our visas.

One of the gate guards to Indian immigration...

Bhimdatta - after getting to the hotel, first order of business an ATM for Nepalese rupees, then the NCell people for sim cards. Along the way we pass the market. And we notice how many more people in Nepal are on bicycles compared to India.

We didn't see a lot of birds up in the higher mountains, but there a many more down here in the agricultural lands...

Tuesday 24 September - Bhimdatta to Bardia Wildlife Resort. Mostly agricultural land with some mix of forest at the end of the day and in Bardia National Park

Cows like bridges here, just like they did in India, and people carry live chickens over the handlbars of their bikes...

...and women go to work in their colourful saris, and more chickens get carried by motorcycle...

 ...yes, they're alive...

...and more birds, this one an eagle...

 ...and a kingfisher...

...and water buffalo enjoying swollen ditches after a thunderstorm (yes, we got wet too, but we also sheltered and let the van giv us a 20 km lift after the storm was over)...

 ...and finally a bee-eater just before arriving at the 'wildlife resort' about which more in the next post...