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