Energy problems

No, this is not Palomina’s Rotax. Instead, it is our hotel’s power generator. It looks like we’re going to spend another evening in the dark.

With daily blackouts (in fact, in Nepal you get only 12hrs of electricity per day, on average) each business has to have one.

And electric energy is not the only problem. Fuel shortages are also common. One in two fuel stations is out of stock and situation is even worse with GPL, as I’ve seen hundreds of people waiting in line for delivery.

In addition to this, the transport infrastructure is in a nearly “after war” condition, the public schools are so bad that there are more private schools than restaurants and the pollution is extreme, with mountains of trash piled everywhere. The more I see this country the more I feel like the other two Romanians who are, simultaneously, riding in Africa.

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Annapurna Himalayas

We just came back to the lowlands from a 2 days Annapurna incursion. As per Laura’s bright idea, we left most of the luggage in Bali. She fixed the tank bag straps and I took the bike to the shop to weld some cracks in the rack. I also softened the suspension and I reduced the tire pressure.

The road from Bali was rough (read: the way I like it) with many rocks, mud and river/creek crossings through the river bed. We spent one night in Jomsom and continued in the morning. From 3000m elevation the mud was frozen and after 3500m the road was already covered with ice and snow, which made advancing impracticable without the spikes tires. So we had to turn back, only 4km away from Muktinath.

In only 60km we went from tropical forest to deciduous forest, then to conifers, followed by alpine tundra and then by desert landscapes.

Later edit: read Beni instead of Bali.

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Still alive!

We are still alive, on a mountain road somewhere in the Annapurna region of the Himalayas. I will update the blog as soon as I have reliable access to Internet.

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Part 2: Hello from Kathmandu!

We arrived two days ago in Kathmandu, Nepal. Palomina followed suit, one day later. Today we went to the customs to claim her. It was all such a smooth and quick process, nothing like what happened at Los Angeles or Hanoi. Thank you, Mr Ching (ABC Shipping, Bangkok), Mr Ram and Mrs Kalpana (Overseas Flight, Kathmandu) for your continuous support!

I remind you, the reason all riders must airlift their bikes from Nepal or India to Indochina is Myanmar forbids them altogether (including for its own citizens, in most urban areas, due to many crimes being performed using a motorbike in the past years) and travelling to China by road with your own vehicle is very complicated from visa/permits point of view.

The first time I heard about Nepal was when I was a kid and I was curious to see where was the highest mountain in the world. Some time after, in 1998, while I was playing Need For Speed II, I enjoyed the Mystic Peaks race and the scenery caught my attention to the extent that I decided to put Nepal on my “to go to” list.

And finally, 14 years later, here we are, anxious to discover it all!

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