Ka Pai Kiwis

A rest day today. We have caught up on a few chores.  I have given the bike a bit of a clean and also downloaded the Spark app so I can watch the ABs a bit later on. I’m not sure if its general unfitness or the after effects of yesterday or maybe a slight  delhi belly but I’m knackered after cleaning the bike. ( could be the humidity and heat - most people round here sleep in the middle of the day!) R  Some street scenes.  Just in case you don’t get to see a real rhino. So restful day reading.  We are now sitting a too hot bar with a beer and about to watch the footy, much like most of you I’m sure.  Go the ABs.  How the hell can this happen, every game this morning has been fine but now for the ABs game there is more buffering than game. If this is a spark issue they’ve lost me forever.  I hope it’s good at home. Apparently all is not well in godzone.  Mark not smiling as the Spark app is not working as it should.  Oh well they won at l...

Today we signed up for an all day canoe and walking safari. We got up early and the hotel provided us with breakfast and a packed lunch. Our guide collected us at the hotel and we wandered down to the banks of the East Rapti river, a broad and gently flowing waterway. We set off for our 1 1/2 hour journey with just us, our 2 guides and the boatman in out dugout canoe. The sky was clear and as we floated downstream the view to the mountains was spectacular.  Mark looking wistfully at the mountains.  There is an abundance of wildlife on the river with a variety of birds and of course crocodiles. There are two varieties of crocodiles in Nepal. The Mugger croc is the most common and looks similar to other crocs we have seen around the world, then there is the fish eating Gharial croc with its long snout and interlocking teeth, this one is on the endangered species list.  We then said goodbye to our boatman and began our journey back through the jungle on foot.  It was ve...

The  weather did not let up so we set off for Sausara in light rain. Heavy traffic but the road was good.  Once we turned off the Pokhara-Kathmandu road there was less traffic and the road was excellent. Also the rain stoped and road dried out. A real treat for about 40km. It was a neat motorcycling road with beautiful scenery. A green steep sided gorge with terraced gardens and rice paddies.  In the early afternoon we arrived at out hotel which is nice, we will be here for 3 nights.  Sausara is a tourist gateway to the Chitwan National Park. Home to a variety of wildlife including Elephants, Deer, Rhinos, crocodiles and Tigers.  The Park is located in a flat basin and is ringed by hills all around. To the south is India, to the north is the foothills of the Himalaya and rising up behind is the Annapurna range.  Mosquitoes are a big deal here, especially at this time of the year so we need to be extra careful. Malaria and Dengue fever are rife.  The in...

Sadly the monsoon weather does not want to depart this year, I am reading of early mountaineering expeditions being thwarted by persistent snow. So another rainy day for us and no mountain vistas.  We had a bit if a sleep in,  Robyn has been downloading books all of this trip which has meant she has had her head down reading at times, those of you who know me will know I need constant conversation to keep me going haha.  I have been content with news channels and Trademe but the news is always dominated by two idiots on either side of the Atlantic so now I’m also downloading books. This has the potential to become a major expense of the trip! I don’t think either of us realised how tired we have become, the constant battle with the roads, heat and pollution has taken its toll so it is good to have a recharge.  We haven’t been completely idle though, we visited the excellent mountain museum which has a wonderful display of mountaineering pictures and memorabilia, not ...

A rest day today. That’s all. Nah just kidding.  It rained most of the night and it has continued today, not heavy but just enough to need a brolly.  The low cloud and mist have also obscured the wonderful mountain vistas this place is renowned for.  A few housekeeping chores this morning, with my 3rd haircut of the trip first up, this turned into a full head, neck and back massage, Robyn saw the guy knew what was doing so she had a massage also. We do both feel better for it.  We sent our laundry out including our bike gear, the last few nights our less than salubrious lodgings have included various unsavoury aromas, but this hotel is pristine so the unsavoury aroma can only mean one thing!  Bike gear needed to be washed!! Its no wonder, we have been dripping wet with sweat and covered in black diesel fumes for weeks.  A wander around the town and the lake front with real coffee and a sweet treat, we spoiled ourselves.  It is early season here but the...

We got up early and packed  the bike , we had organised breakfast for 7 so we were on the road by about 7:20.  Similar to yesterday but the road got rougher and rougher.  Many many bicycles on the road, people going to work and to school.  One thing about Nepal, there are very few cars, people here cannot afford them. We have seen far more tractors than cars. Of course there are many buses and tuktuks.  The trucks are mainly local tip trucks but there are a few goods lorries and these will increase the further east we travel.  After about 150km we came to the large town of Butwal, we stopped here for gas and a drink.  Here we left the main road and headed into the hills for Pokhara, at first I thought Maps.me was having a laugh and directing me into the local motocross course, wow the road was not even potholed, it was like wave after wave of undulating craters, muddy and uneven. The “road” was basically formed by laying down river rocks and letting th...

A travel day today as we make our way to the tourist hotspot of Pokhara. The roads are generally good and light of traffic. We have covered 330km today so we rate our chances of getting to Pokhara tomorrow although the road looks pretty windy.  Todays journey was delightful as we passed through wildlife reserves and national parks. In places it reminded me a little of some of the roads on the West Coast albeit a little warmer.  These women carry such heavy loads on their heads.  Also we passed through many little towns which although not much to look at were bustling little places.  At one little place a Tiger almost ran over a dog, luckily it was equipped with ABS brakes.  Goats on top of the bus, the young man climbed out and up to check them whilst the bus was moving along.  There seems to be a large number of schools and heaps of children going.  There were several army and police checkpoints but they didn’t bother us other than to ask the bike num...