Back down the rocky road and some find it more difficult going down than up. I prefer going down; I like a bit of rough. The mud is still there, despite the rain ending last night; the track is slippery when wet.
Then follows a very enjoyable tarmac road going up, down and around the mountainside. It's relatively cool heading up, but by the time we start coming down, we're eagerly seeking the shade when we stop for chai. Kathmandu is only about 20km away, but we have to negotiate the ring road to reach our hotel, adding about 5km to that.
The road into Kathmandu is not potholed any more than European roads, perhaps even better than some. However, what it lacks in holes it makes up for in bulges and ridges, which are in some ways worse, as they're not as visible. They're created by the heavy trucks and buses and there seem to be more of them on corners, which makes cornering safely more difficult.
There's a protest going on in Kathmandu, so the local people are being cautious about entering the city. As we approach it, we see many trucks parked up at the roadside and further on we're stopped by the police. We're apprehensive that they won't allow us through, they've seen the Indian plates on our bikes and want to make sure we are not agitators. Satisfied that we are not, they let us through; hopefully, our luggage truck following us, will do the same later and we won't be sleeping in our riding gear tonight.
Shortly after, we hit a big jam on the main road. We thread our way through it, squeezing through gaps and riding up the inside of trucks next to the pedestrians, all the while looking out for people jumping out from behind the tall vehicles.
Once clear of the jam, the road is empty of cars. However, that means the road is awash with speeding motorbikes, suicidal scooters, death wish bicycles, sleepwalking pedestrians and... cows. Ring roads are usually city arteries; think A406 North Circular or the Brussels Ring. Now imagine cows wandering along the carriageways, sat in the middle of the road sleeping or watching unperturbed as the world go by. It's unimaginable, but here it's normality. The cows somehow are just avoided. As cows are venerated in Nepal, people take care not to harm them.
We arrive at the hotel safe and sound, tooting our horns noisily as we enter the courtyard with the old security guard saluting us like the old soldier he is. Handshakes and man-hugs all round and we pose for a final group photo. The tour is over and we're all in one piece. Result!
My speedo says, we've covered 1400km which doesn't sound like much, but on the roads we travelled, it's quite an achievement. We've seen great scenery, challenged ourselves on tough roads, on bikes not really designed for such conditions, and had a great laugh with mates old and new.
Once again this eclectic mix of directors, accountants, CEOs, managers, property developers, and a grey bureaucrat, prove that you're never too sensible to have a good time!
Sent from my trusty rusty BlackBerry
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