Day 5... It's all downhill from here...

I had done some thinking overnight and this morning... I still didn't feel great. My sore throat hadn't miraculously disappeared and I still had the vestiges of a headache. I woke up reasonably early in order to look. at. my. route and maps and discern what was the best move next.

I could continue with my prepared route.... I knew that the route to the next town, Darding Besi, was pretty much downhill all the way. Then to get to Gorka, I was looking at 20 miles up and over. I googled places to. stay between Darding Besi and Gorka but nothing showed up in the little villages in between. There might be a homestay or guesthouse that wasn't advertised on google but once again I was faced with the possibility of requiring help from. friendly villagers to either let me stay or a flat place to pitch my tent in the vicinity.

The other option was to drop down from Darding Besi, on F34, all the way to the highway, the main road from Kathmandu to Pokhara. The highway I knew had plenty of places to stay along its length and I would have no trouble there. I had discussed this. last night with my hosts. The road over the hills to Gorka was shorter for sure but would be a slow plod at best depending on the condition of the tracks. The longer highway route which would take me to the road that led to Besisahar and the start of the Annapurna circuit was tarmac, certainly noisy and traffic ridden but would be faster and infinately more rideable.

Which would you prefer I was asked... 

It wasn't really a case of preference... If this was my main goal then I would always choose the dirt road. But this was about getting to the start of the circuit, warmed up not broken. I would have plenty of time trudging or cycling up the circuit to enjoy the scenery, but I had to get there with enough time to allow me to do so.

I justified my choice to myself... I still hadn't recovered from what, given the incessant shivering last night, was probably a mild case of heatstroke and both me and my battered bike could use a shorter day. Plus, as I had agreed 0830 for breakfast, I likely wasn't going to get out of Patle till 0930 without seeming rude to my hosts.

I announced my choice and there were nods of agreement.

So Darding Besi and then down to Highway 04 otherwise known as the Prithvi Highway.

Satified I waited for breakfast.... in due course a mound of maize bread and a bowl of the curried veg that I'd really liked the night before.

Bishwas was again present and we chatted a bit more about the Nepali culture and safety here compared to different countries. I also found out that as a government worker he received 43000 rupees a month about £250 if I had got my maths right. A good salary for Nepal. Shubhadur also pointed out a white peak, peeking above the cloud cover which had descended in the night... Manaslu, the worlds 8th highest mountain. The picture I rook didn't really come out bit it was still something to behold, even if not fully revealled. 

I found it difficult to eat curry for breakfast but the maize bread was excellent. Once again though, I didn't really feel hungry and didn't quite finish all that was provided. It. was then time to pack up, load up. my bike and get on the road.

Before I went, from the vantage point of the terrace on the roof, myself and Shurbhadur looked over the roofs of the village. He pointed out the slate tiles and informed me that they had all been rebuolt after the earthquake. He then showed me. pictures from the village after the quake and one of his house, nearly completely destroyed. Theu did get some. money from the government towards rebuilding, about 300,000 rupees per house but of course it cost a fair bit more than that. They were built sturdier than they had been in the hope they would withstand any future earthquakes.

It was remarkable how they had built the village again from rubble with so little resources. But that seems to sum up the Nepali people to a tee.

I thanked them all for a lovely stay and made. my way out onto the grass track, sped down it and promptly missed the turning down to the road.... turned around and found the right one.

Downhill fun coming up! Once again the brakes were squealing and I was in full road concentration mode. This is why I struggle up hills on my bike (or in this case risk life and limb on an auto rickety-shaw). The downhill means soo much more and is more fully enjoyed if you have sweated to get up there.

Starled people stared as I whizzed by at times on the edge of control. The bike however took it all in its stride. Some grinned and shouted Namaste and welcome to Nepal. It was fun. In fact, barring Fleecer Ridge on the Divide, I think it was the best stretch of downhill I have ever done. My mood was sky high, its amazing what a bit of downhill can do. The miles flew by, instead of crawling, the breeze was oh so welcome, the sun, shielded by a bit of cloud was not blazing, at least not yet. As I descended I lost sight of Manaslu, but became embroiled in a vast field network, taming the steep hillsides into order.

To my left, from the rock. walls flowed many small waterfalls and once again I splashed through the overflow on the track, mud flying everywhere.

Of course it could not last and within the downhill were several short, lung busting. climbs but in general it was a downward slope into the valley of Darding Besi. As I went down and grew closer to the city,. more dwellings and little shops appeared,. first at a trickle, then as a flood. The air grew a little thicker, a little less fresh. and then I missed a turn which fortunately I noticed pretty quick..

I went back to my turn off to find a slope so steep down that I got off the bike and. walked, with my my brakes on. At the bottom, I hit tarmac and the main road.

Immediately the honking of horns became the background noise and there were people everywhere. It was a sudden change that my head wasn't quite prepared for.

I rolled through the streets on a straight shot to the centre of the town. It was early still and I thought I could get a drink and maybe food. I found a cafe of sorts and sat down to the stares of all occupants. No one smiled or attempted to speak. I downed my coke pretty quickly and set off again. I had now turned onto the road which took me across a river, up the other side and then along the river valley to the highway..

Only 13 or so miles of blacktop. River valley makes it sound flat, but here they have steep sides so the roads wind up and down higher up. The climb up out of the town was steep and it was now once again achingly hot.

I pushed up the climb pausing for breath frequently. My mouth was dry and the sore throat had come back probably because of all the dust around. I was still making sure to drink often but it was making little difference. Once at the top of the climb out I sat back on the saddle and pushed off. My chain promptly slipped off. Back on again. and tried again... a few hundred meters.and it came off again. I set it back. in place and changed to a gear up... that seemed to do the trick. My bike was complaining about the lack of care shown over the last few days.

I patted it... reassured it that today would be better and off we went flying downhill, swooping round bends, until the next up... 

This one was doable in low gear so I tapped my way to the top and prepared for another downhill. Often at the bottom of these sections, was a waterfall and a large puddle across the road, draining over the side. 

Occasionally I had to stop to let a large truck through first but in general the drivers were respectful with a lot of horn beeping around bends and when they were coming up behind you to let you know. The fumes coming off the lorries and buses was less pleasant but this was the downside of the route I had chosen today.

It was not easy cycling by any means with the constant up and down but I got into a rhythm and the miles passed.

one stop I made at the top of a steeper section I looked up to the tops of the trees to see a very large spider suspended in a web between 2 of them. Even from this far below he was easy to spot so must have been a good size. I zoomed in and took a picture bit it wasnt detailed enough to give a clue as to the type. shame. 

Shortly after this I passed another small shop where 3 teenagers were sitting. On seeing me they excitedly jumped up and shouted at me in English. I stopped. Why not have a drink here. I spent the next half hour or so drinking tea and chatting to the three young girls, who all want to come to England when they finish school. Again the questions of husbamd, kids, solo? came up. I like to think that I offer young girls an alternate possibility, even in places like this where certian things seem to be expected of young women. Perhaps they too could travel and see the world.

I left them waving and again contemplating how this choice had led me to a nice encounter with people. 

I alternated between hurtling down and tapping up and then just as it seemed as though I must be nearly there, my gps teased me with a possible route off the main road which would drop me down to the river and get me further up the highway in the direction I wanted to go. It would have been some. path as the sides were quite steep, but the point I should turn off came and went with nosign of an alternate route so I carried on up a steeper hill. This one flummoxed my legs due to the percentage of the incline so I got off. and walked the remainder... surely now I was almost there. Up. and over and downhill all the way to the crossing of the river and my first time on the Prithvi Highway.

It was as expected... fairly busy (though I have cycled worse) fumes from the traffic feeling cloying after the air of the mountains, no where to hide from the blazing sun. My head started throbbing and once again I stopped and poured water over myself. I knew what hotel I was aiming for... it was a couple miles down the road, though it felt further than from London to New Zealand at this point in time. It went steadily up as it ran alongside the river, which was incidently, beautiful.

I hopped off my bike and walked a bit... my arse was quite painful now and needed a break from the saddle. Then I saw what looked like a nice place to eat, with a shaded seating area. Perfect. I pushed my bike in, leaned it against a pillar and saw the woman behind a counter gesticulating to a girl to go over to me. Basically she was the english speaker and apparently I look english from a distance... what gave me away? I namastayed to everyone and sank into a seat. The food and drink choices were explained  and I went for a pepsi and for the first time, Momos. These are filled dumplings and reminded me very much of the ones in Mongolia which I had liked, despite having mutton in them. I asked what meat and was told chicken... great. In no time a plate. of momos had appeared. with what looked like a very spicy sauce. I tentatively dipped one in... yup pretty spicy (no hotter than korma remember!) Still the mix of chicken and veg was really nice and I devoured a full plate whilst chilling reading my book in the shade. It was a good moment. I evem phoned the hotel I was aiming for to check they had a room.. all good.. all. sorted. 

All good things must pass,. so I once again swung my leg over the saddle to complete. the last mile or so. I pushed uphill and then found a downhill waiting for me so managed to freewheel all the way to the hotel lobby. Done for the day. I picked a huge double room and settled in, then ordered more food. A second helping of momos was polished off in short order as well as a plate of very nice chips. Life was gooood! 😁

So now I'm sat on a bed with a mattress, warm (not shivering tonight) and full of good food, catching up with the blogs.

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... Lets see what tomorrow brings 📖😁