Day 6... Silence the Gods

 

My intended early start was ruined when in true style, I swiched off my 0600 alarm, rolled over and went back to sleep. We've all been there! 

Then at 0700, I got up, packed quickly and resolved to be out of the door asap... but the young man who had carried my bike up the stairs to my room last night suggested breakfast.... 

I sat down to an omelet and toast and tea. It was nice. We then started chatting and time slipped away a little but I decided that actually this is part of what it's about so didn't stress. Besides today was tarmac day. 30 ish miles on blacktop. That should stop the laughter of the cycling gods, at least for today. Even with the expected rolling terrain, it couldn't be harder than my 3 previous days. 

I was confident that this plan was a good un. 

So when I did finally set off it was probably half 9. 

My stubbed toe (which I think I forgot to mention, trying so hard not to slip in the shower but stubbed my toe instead.)  was throbbing and wasn't exactly comfortable to push on the pedals with... but no choice there. I also seemed to have a bit of a cold, probably induced by the constant heating, sweating, cooling cycle that had been going on. Those things aside, I was a fairly buyant mood. 

I set off and the clouds were low (although Saroj from the hotel had said that the sun would come through by 11am). It was quote pleasant and although it was a bit muggy it was better than blazing sunshine for sure. 

Tarmac felt good. The trucks and motorbikes, cars and buses were by and large very respectful drivers and everything I had previously heard about cylcling of the Prithvi Highway seemed to be unfounded... but then I did survive Highway 100 out of St Lewis and the Mojave Freeway into L. A. 

Some of the trucks passed quite close but they sounded their horns to let me know they were there and then went pretty slowly so that was fine. The road rolled up and down, following the contour of the land carved out by the river below. 

The river was turbulent at times, smooth running at others... kinda like this trip so far! 

The ups came regularly but weren't too steep and I could pedal them all at a reasonable pace. The downhills were fun, swooping round with head on a swivel to watch for trucks and bikes behind and overtaking ones on my side of the road in front. I was enjoying myself and the miles melted away under thebrubber of my tyres. 

5 miles came and went quickly and boosted my confidence that today would be a good day. There was no laughter from the Gods today.

It was 11am when the sun came out in force and I was cruising... over 10 miles done with lots of ups and down to keep my legs pumping hard. I still felt good and was determined to get to 15 miles, halfway before I stopped for lunch. After the hardships of the previous days, this was good.

Admittedly I wasn't seeing Nepal at its finest... the dust from the road had covered me from head to toe already and all the greenery at the side of the road was grey, not green. The air was thick with pollution and the noise at times was all consuming. Occasionally I'd get a few minutes of peace until the next wave of trucks came though and used that to hear the river below and the birds singing.

That said, from a people point of view, it was great. Many drivers who passed gave me. a wave or a thumbs up and kids waved from the side of the road. At one point, on a slightly steeper climb, I jad a gaggle of school kids jogging alongside me... I lost them as soon as the downhill commenced.!

I lost count of the times I said 'Namaste' and received a smile and one in return. It was nice. Despite everyone telling me that lots of tourists come here, I don't think I had seen one white western person today. And no other cyclists at all. It seems most tourist hop on buses in Kathmandu or fly to Pokahra and miss the real Nepal... grimy, yes sometimes but equally beautiful and heartwarming in others.

Today I experienced a different side from. the mountain people and the farmers of the last few days. Here shops lined the main highway in the villages, all built to serve the mass of people travelling. Hotels, food places abounded. Some residences also abutted the road, some of them barely more than wooden huts, others elaborate 3 story buildings with wrought iron gates. 

In between the villages, goats and dogs roamed the side of the road, where stallholders sat with their wares and fisherman hung fresh fish on a rod to sell to passers by. Still the same smiles and waves as the mountain folk but perhaps a little more world weariness reflected in their faces, or perhaps I read to much into them. 

I hit 15 miles and a slightly larger village with many places to eat and settled on one that had a seating area inside. Smiles greeted me and the language barrier easily overcome with the query momos? coca cola? 

Both were available and I slumped in the chair, by now very hot and sweaty.  I chatted a little to the group of nepali people who were sat there but when food arrived, they left me alone to eat and I spent a very pleasant half hour with food, coke and a book! Life felt pretty good at that point.

My arse was a little sore but probably more about that later and as the 15 miles neared there were points where it felt like I was cycling through treacle. Most of the time it was because it was FLUP (Flat up for those that have not read my previous blogs). 

I had made good time... halfway in 3 hours ish. It boded well. Only 15 miles to go and if it was similar, I should be done by 3pm.

I had a plan A and a plan B and a plan A and a half, depending on how I felt today. Plan A was a little town called Dumre which was the turn off point to the road to Besisahar, the starting point for the circuit. If I could get there today, then that would ease tomorrows journey a little. Plan B was a few miles short of that at another hotel on the way, depending on how things were. Plan A and a half was a bit of a pipe dream in case I felt really good.

I enjoyed my lunch, taking my time, confident the next half would be good.

Off I went, back onto the blacktop. Stopping is never good as it makes your legs and your arse think you are done for the day, so they are a bit cross when they find out you aren't. 

So it took a few miles to get into the swing of things. And then a further 5 miles or so down the road, absolute cycling disaster struck. 

Roadworks! 

The whole of the tarmac carriageway had disappeared leaving a rutted, muddy, unridable (on the ups) mess of a road. They had closed one side leaving all the traffic to squeeze past on the other, leaving me pretty. much in the gutter. Nightmare. Absolute nightmare. I can't describe how bad it was. Like the mountain roads only with 2 trucks squeezing in different directions beside you whilst you are crawling along.

Add to that, the condition of the road was bashing my arse in the saddle and that soon became pretty painful. The 2 cheek shuffle on the saddle wasn't working. It was literally just grace through it.... for 10 miles. 10 muddy rutted miles.

At one point a truck spraying water came down the carriageway. Fortunately I had clocked it early enough and basically jumped off. my bike into the ditch to avoid being soaked from head to toe. 

Then came a long steep hill... totally unridable. So I put one foot in front of the other and step by painful step trudged over the ruts and beside the lorries. I didnt feel in any danger as the drivers are used to people walking on the road but it was tiring and long and time was ticking by inexorably.

I did get a lot of sympathetic waves and smiles and managed to smile. and wave back even though my body was dying on its feet. It was not fun.... 

ok most of it was abominable... but... 

There was one or two enjoyable interludes of off road downhill where I outstripped the cars and the motorbikes who were crawling along, whereas I could let fly on my mountain bike.... this is what I had been doing the last few days... sketchy downhill. 

Of course mud was flying everwhere and the dust that covered me was replaced by mud until my legs were almost black with it.

It just went on and on... 

There was a funny moment where I looked over to the other side of the carriageway, seeing people walking on the now new smooth tarmac and motorbikes whizzing along that bit in both directions. I was late to the party and when I crossed the road, the nice tarmac ended. On another bit that had been finished, cars and trucks swerged over tp that side so we now had both sides of the highway, each with cars going both ways... it was a little confusing but I decided to risk joining the nice side as my arse was complaining vociferously. Of course it didnt last long and soon both sides were back to the muddy rutted mess.

There was nothing for it but to keep plodding on. I was progressing, albeit slowly. And the miles slowly ticked down, frustratingly slowly to be sure. 

I had now nearly completed the 30 miles, only to find that my watch and my Garmin disagreed with google maps and maps. me aboit how far was left to the hotel I had picked. Not that it really mattered, I'd get there when I arrived.

Turns out it was another 5 miles... 4 of which was awful road... 1 of which was finally back to tarmac. 

Perhaps the Gods had been laughing all along but the noise of the traffic drowned the out. 

I rocked up to the hotel... looked nice enough on the outside and had good reviews. It was 4 star reviews so imagine my disappointment when I was shown my room, that the bathroom light was not working and the wifi didn't connect. I went back up to ask about it. Even with google translate, I was met with laughter by the other? staff which did not improve my now slightly pissed off demeanor. Cables not working.. roadworks was the explanation.

I went to my room slightly grumpy... now not that bothered that my shoes were spreading mud everywhere... went to the bathroom... with my headtorch to find no toilet paper and no towel and then promptly bashed my head on the doorway.. hard. That was about the final straw. I threw my headtorch on the bed and stomped upstairs.

This time I spoke to the lady who. had checked me in. She did look a little abashed, handed me a roll of toilet paper and got me. a nice clean towel.

I don't expect much... dont need much from a room in general but if you are advertising services, and they are not working, then at least let me know that before I check. in so I can decide whether I want to stay. Also if im paying for wifi and light then I kinda expect it. Don't marlet yourself as a higher class of stay unless you are. The cable thing I could understand but me having to ask for toilet paper and a towel.. not great. I got much much better service from the homestay in Patle and the family in Goganpani than I recieved here initially. 

To top it all off, none of the sockets were working. 

Anyway, I made my peace with it, accepted I probably wasn't in the best frame of mind and went up to eat. Dahl bhat gain... but when it arrived I was so tired from that last 15 miles that I could barely lift my spoon to my mouth... it was also waay more spicy that previous ones had been. So the combination of the 2 meant that I crawled back to my room, having eaten very little.

To be fair, the hostess had found me another wifi signal. and password to use, which worked well. And half way through writing this blog, the light in the bathroom came back on, along with the sockets so was ok in the end.

I still don't regret the mud in the room but the review will now be a  bit better than the one I was going to give! 

Big day again tomorrow... fingers crossed the Gods were satisfied with their mischief today. 

LHS