Hello you all!
Just came back to Italy two days ago after a perfect flight from Delhi thru Moscow.
Well, this has been one of the most beautiful and unforgettable trips of my entire life!
First of all, let's talk about the bikes: the Royal Enfield I rented in Kathmandu at
www.bikemandu.com was absolutely perfect and never had any problem.
A brand new bike (April or May 2012!), perfectly serviced before being given to me, with a highly professional treatment I received from Gurung, the Company's boss.
Bikemandu.com highly suggested to anybody who wants to hire a motorbike in Nepal, no doubts!
After collecting the Enfield, I left Kathmandu to Pokhara, where I arrived after 7 hours but consider I have pulled over many times for many pictures and videos because of the fantastic sceneries.
Was stopped by the Police two times at checkpoints, but they always turned out to be very polite, professional and absolutely friendly (we also had pictures together like old friends).
Stood in Pokhara two nights and three days and there I had the pleasure to spend this time with Fern, Heike, Felipe and some other guys from the HUBB, enjoying their tales from their trips around the world.
Thanks for the fantastic moments, guys!
From Pokhara I tried to make my way up to Jomsom and Mutkinath on the famous 80-km dirt road, but I managed to ride only 30 km. in about 4 hours, then I gave up: I realized I had no enough time to go to Muktinath and be back in the three days I planned, it would have been a long rough ride just to arrive there, stay there a couple of hours and be back.
Too much, it was a stress with no fun.
So, I turned the bike and made it back to Pokhara by night to meet the guys again, and I spent a couple of great nights at the Bullett Base Camp, a fantastic hangout for bikers just in town.
I had the bike serviced at the Bullett workshop nearby because a big stone on the track to Muktinath bent the shift leverage, then I headed to Chitwan, staying a day at Bandipur, a Newari town which is out of the mass tourism circuit but that really deserves a visit.
At Chitwan National Park, I took an elephant ride, walk in the jungle, canoe ride and I also visited the Elephant Breeding Center: all of this was
very interesting and perfectly organized by my hotel, the Travellers Jungle Camp in Sauraha.
From Chitwan, I made my way to Heutada then I took a twisty mountain road with gorgeous views that led me to Kathmandu, where I stood three days to visit Kathmandu, Patan and Bakthapur, three lovely towns with an apocalyptic traffic!
Then, I dropped off the bike at Bikemandu on November 12 and on November 13 I caught my flight to Delhi, where I picked up the 2007 Royal Enfield I booked at Tony Bullet Center in Karol Bagh neighbourhood.
The bike run OK for the following 5 days (only with some oil leaks), so I visited the entire Delhi and I made my way to Agra for the famous Taj-Mahal (STUNNING!) and the Agra Fort.
On November 17, last Saturday, I dropped off the bike in Delhi at Tony Bullet Center (by, the way, very professional treament also there) and came back home by Aeroflot flight Delhi-Moscow-Bologna.
What can I say?
99% of the trip's pleasure has been made by Nepali and Indian people, always friendly, smiling and much willing to chat and get sincere friendship.
Majestic landscapes, but terrible traffic: everybody honks, scarse respect for road rules, they overtake anywhere and with any traffic condition, but I must say that nobody ever put me in dangerous situations, they "take measurements" very well.
No fuel shortages anywhere, and some problems with road conditions on some stretches of the national roads, but nothing too serious (for example just outside of Kathmandu on the way to Pokhara and close to Kusma City, where a river crosses a town with no bridges, so I was forced to get into it with the Enfield, but with no major problems).
And it was also a pleasure to hook up with Fern and the other guys from the HUBB, with whom I spent really unforgettable moments in Pokhara at the Busy Bee and at the Bullett Base Camp, two places you don't have to miss when in town.
TO FERN: I spotted you in an apocalyptic traffic jam of Kathmandu on the 11th in the afternoon and I was going to reach you to say "hello", but I hired a tourist guide for the historical spots that day, he was on a motorcycle leading me to Patan, so I was forced to follow him when he took another direction when we were only a few dozens of meters away from you.
Sorry, Fern, it'll be for the next time, but I really would have liked to chat a bit screaming louder than the concert of blowing horns
...
What was the name of the Spanish guy with BMW GS that was with us the first night? I don't really remember it, despite my efforts (too many Gorkha and Everest
s, unfortunately... :-).
This is all, if somebody needs some info, I'm here.
Greetings,
Nick