Annapurna trek
The sanctuary hike passes through traditional villages, terraced farmland and ends at Annapurna base camp with a fantastic view of the Himalayas.
Videos Nepal
Bodhnath
A magical evening around the Bodhnath stupa. During full moon, Tibetan families came there to light candles in honor of… the Buddha.
Dasain
During the Dasain festival, rental bike owners make offerings to Durga. To help ensure a safe year on the road.
Swayambhunath
In 1982 I saw a photo of Swayambhunath. The temple was so exotic and different from everything that I knew… in Seattle. I resolved to one day go see it. Years later Paul and I arrived there at dawn while Nepalese pilgrims circled the stupa. It was better than I expected.
Pedaling the Terai
Nepal isn’t just soaring mountains. The Mahendra highway runs through the Terai, a strip of flat land between the Indian… border and the Himalayan foothills. It had a serene simple beauty, so unlike the frantic chaos of neighboring India.
Khusum hotel
Pfff… We hadn’t slept a wink. Throughout the night, truck and bus drivers stopped at our hotel for a meal. When they left, they couldn’t resist revving their engines and blasting their horns.
River crossing
The spectators were lined up and the jury was out; could the next ‘contestants’ (Western cyclists) successfully reach the other… side? They had seen the earlier ‘challenger’ flounder. He stranded midway; with his truck wheels sinking into the river mud. The kids watched eagle-eyed as we began the crossing. We made it! We were happy, but I’m not sure if they were…
Cycling the foothills
Our route to India led us through Nepal’s foothills. I still can remember stopping to look back at the vast… Himalayan panorama we soon left behind.