Table of contents
- Motorcycle trip in Nepal Himaleluja
- There is already a lot of dust on the opposite lane
- “This is exactly how I imagined Nepal to be!”
- Tour group tasted blood
- Forces dwindle even with brave pilots
- The goal is 3900 meters above sea level
- On the peaks, the Buddha is in charge
- Real help for a fragile world
- Donations for reconstruction and development projects
- More information about Nepal
- Generally
- geography
- getting there
- Traffic / roads
- accommodation
- to eat and drink
- Organized travel
Jorg Lohse
43 pictures
Jorg Lohse
1/43
… and into the kilometer-wide river bed of the Kali Gandaki.
Jorg Lohse
2/43
One-a-pit stop at Ramesh (left) and Co .: Off-road mechanics at MotoGP level.
Jorg Lohse
3/43
The eight-thousanders show us the way like ice-cold compass needles.
Jorg Lohse
4/43
The hill country in the middle of Nepal is considered to be the breadbasket of the country.
Jorg Lohse
5/43
Motorcycle trip in Nepal.
Jorg Lohse
6/43
Prayer wheels in Muktinath: Does the path into the mountains also lead us to enlightenment?
Jorg Lohse
7/43
Bells in Muktinath.
Jorg Lohse
8/43
It’s freezing cold up here on the mountain.
Jorg Lohse
9/43
Even the bravest of pilots are losing their strength.
Jorg Lohse
10/43
Tourists in Nepal also experience an uphill and downhill ride emotionally: a trail of devastation on the road to Tibet…
Jorg Lohse
11/43
… Picture book motifs in the mountains near Muktinath.
Jorg Lohse
12/43
Out and about in the Mustang Valley: View from Muktinath to the Dhaulagiri massif…
Jorg Lohse
13/43
Motorcycle trip in Nepal.
Jorg Lohse
14/43
And for those who do it all too colorful in water passages: The highly motivated screwdriver crew will straighten everything.
Jorg Lohse
15/43
Progress is bought here with archaic law.
Jorg Lohse
16/43
Command: Form a group! Anyone who tears down Pokhara in the city traffic has lost.
Jorg Lohse
17/43
Bridge over troubled water? Seen in this way, the raging river is the least of the problem.
Jorg Lohse
18/43
On the way to truly divine summit enjoyment.
Jorg Lohse
19/43
Altimeter: When yaks cross the road, you have usually exceeded 3000 meters.
Jorg Lohse
20/43
Muktinath is 3900 meters above sea level.
Jorg Lohse
21/43
Matter of the mind: It is unbelievable what loads are faced even on the steepest paths.
Jorg Lohse
22/43
In her cookshop, however, Rubina swears more by fresh fish from the nearby river.
Jorg Lohse
23/43
After the hustle and bustle on the highways, it goes into the seclusion of the mountains…
Jorg Lohse
24/43
Motorcycle trip in Nepal.
Jorg Lohse
25/43
…where things are still colorful in the houses.
Jorg Lohse
26/43
Motorcycle trip in Nepal.
Jorg Lohse
27/43
First ride, then celebrate: an enthusiastic welcome from the Solidarity riders at the Dubachaur school.
Jorg Lohse
28/43
Even months after the quake, a trail of devastation pervades the country.
Jorg Lohse
29/43
The “Bikers Support Nepal” project supports the reconstruction of schools and health centers such as here in Dubachaur…
Jorg Lohse
30/43
…where a party is celebrated afterwards.
Jorg Lohse
31/43
…where a party is celebrated afterwards.
archive
32/43
Duration of the trip: 15 days; Distance covered: 1350 kilometers.
archive
33/43
Nepal, capital: Kathmandu, area: 147,181 sq km, foundation: 2008 (republic), currency: Nepalese, rupee, population: 26,494,504.
Jorg Lohse
34/43
Real friends? No, the Friendship Bridge to China remains closed.
Jorg Lohse
35/43
Abandoned: Kodari on the border to Tibet is just a ghost town.
Jorg Lohse
36/43
Eating on hooves: cargo horses and mules are indispensable in the mountains.
Jorg Lohse
37/43
Solar panels are used to cook above the tree line.
Jorg Lohse
38/43
The water points in villages are laundry rooms and bathrooms in one.
Jorg Lohse
39/43
Gorkha: once a noble royal city and ancestral seat of the legendary Gurkha warriors.
Jorg Lohse
40/43
Harvest time equals manual labor: Agriculture is a backbreaking job in Nepal.
Jorg Lohse
41/43
Shortly before Beni, the Gandaki Gorge has eaten its way deep into the earth.
Jorg Lohse
42/43
Motorcycle trip in Nepal.
Jorg Lohse
43/43
Hotel tip: the “Old Inn” in Bandipur, restored in the traditional Nemar style.
to travel
Motorcycle trip in Nepal
Motorcycle trip in Nepal
Himaleluja
A song to the high mountains? Nepal attracts mountaineers with the highest that the Himalayas have to offer. But once again the realization matures on this motorcycle trip: The path to truly divine summit enjoyment has never been easy, but is usually particularly rocky.
Jorg Lohse
02/04/2016
The bus suddenly fills the mirrored surfaces of the Enfields like a bright green monster. The staccato of the horn hits us in our limbs. Abnormally high speeds howl in our ears. Where else a windshield shines, a black hole yawns. The bus driver disappears into the eerie darkness. The roar of the machine comes closer, like a callous Transformer, the bus pulls itself inch by inch towards the rear tires of the Enfields. Instinct clearly says: Escape forward.
Buy complete article
Motorcycle trip in Nepal
Himaleluja
12 pages) as PDF
€ 2.00
Buy now
But reason slows you down. The pass road from Mugling to Kathmandu is tight. Asthmatically smoking Tata trucks shimmy up through the switchbacks at a snail’s pace. What is happening in slow motion in your own lane is reeled off opposite in Fast Forward: an endless bus and truck caravan rushes down the mountain at Karacho. The guy behind us doesn’t seem to care. Bigger, stronger, fits – getting ahead on Nepal’s highways is usually bought at the price of archaic law.
There is already a lot of dust on the opposite lane
Finally there is a gap. Now the rule is: We squeeze everything out of our 26 PS singles and pull past the queue with a loud crack of exhausts. An empty strip of asphalt gleams promisingly on the head, but there is already a lot of dust on the opposite lane. At the last moment the Enfields cut in. Done. But the joy only lasts for a short time. After a few sweeping curves, the game starts all over again – and the green monster appears again in the rearview mirror …
A small town is approaching. Road captain Peter decides to put an end to the remake of Spielberg’s “Duel” and pulls over to the left. Tea break. With a loud howling engine and fanfare, the green bus shoots past our tour group.
Europe, Alps and long-distance travel with the MOTORRAD action team – book now!
Jorg Lohse
Progress is bought here with archaic law.
In Rubina’s cookshop, delicious potato balls sizzle in the oil stock, with small fish from nearby Trisuli drying in the diesel-laden air. Buses, trucks and small trucks rush non-stop through the village. The loading areas and roofs crammed with people.
It is November 11th and thus Diwali time – the Hindu festival of lights, comparable to Christmas. An occasion to go home to the family, to eat together, to celebrate and to give each other presents.
“This is exactly how I imagined Nepal to be!”
But despite the magic of lights, the world in Nepal is anything but ideal. Quite a few bus and truck drivers who are heading towards Kathmandu from the south have the wind blowing directly in their faces. The Madhesis ethnic group has called for uprisings and strikes in the border region with India – and offered a bonus for kids who break the windows of strikebreakers. The fact that the border with India is tight and that hardly any goods come into the country can be seen above all at the petrol stations: sealed gas pumps, miles of queues of parked vehicles. Nevertheless, the traffic is rolling – thanks to the flourishing black market, where adulterated fuel is traded for five US dollars per liter.
Rider Markus sips thoughtfully at his Masala Chai: “That’s exactly how I imagined Nepal to be!” Exactly a week earlier, the passionate GS rider from Switzerland had already grumbled this sentence to himself. Again during a tea break, this one in Beni at the entrance to the Kali Gandaki valley. For three days before, it was on similarly smoke-filled asphalt faults from Nepal’s capital Kathmandu to the west. There is no trace of the high mountains of the Himalayas far and wide. The view of the green, but completely sprawled, landscape is rather shocking. Men crouch apathetically in front of crooked corrugated iron huts with thick smartphones in their hands. The women chop up the soil of a small parcel with the children in tow or carry heavy bundles of straw home from the fields on their backs. The ditches to the left and right of the street are like garbage dumps. In the subtropical south, the so-called Terai, the third world country Nepal shows all its poverty.
Tour group tasted blood
The real wealth of Nepal flashes in the early morning of the second day of travel in the north. At sunrise in the picturesque Bandipur, early risers are greeted by the summit chain of the mighty Annapurna massif, around 60 kilometers away, before it quickly disappears again into the hazy jungle air. But enough, the tour group tasted blood. Again and again the view through the visor seeks the majestic peaks of the Himalayas. Touristic highlights such as the old royal city of Gorkha – once the seat of the famous Gurkha warrior caste – are taken with you more or less as you drive past.
The time has finally come: The first snow-capped peaks are reflected in Lake Phewa near Pokhara, a bustling hotspot for the global trekking community. The traffic density is also decreasing accordingly. But the condition of the road between Baglung and Beni gives a slight foretaste of what is to come: The asphalt is repeatedly interrupted by gravel passages, and soon the tar cover is completely missing.
Jorg Lohse
Altimeter: When yaks cross the road, you have usually exceeded 3000 meters.
Like the tip of a compass needle, the almost 7000 meter high peak of the Nilgiri now gives the direction. Markus is now fully in his element. The nerve-wracking journey is forgotten. As elegant as a trial artist, the alpine fan balances the 500cc Enfield over hill and dale.
What was initially gravel suddenly turns into coarse rubble. Or greasy mud. Or deeply furrowed dust. And there is no end in sight. The way into the mysterious Mustang, once the forbidden kingdom on the border with Tibet, winds under threatening rock overhangs, countless water crossings, along vertical slopes further and further north.
Forces dwindle even with brave pilots
Our Enfield Bullet is anything but a hard enduro, but maybe that’s a good thing. The cult bike from India is stoic as a pack animal. First gear, then second, play a little with the accelerator, completely neglecting the game with the clutch – you have already mastered seemingly hopeless stretches of road with the 500 cc single-cylinder seemingly effortlessly. But the daily stages show that the path is really rocky: 30 kilometers on one, 40 on the other. And it’s still going uphill. Even brave pilots are losing their strength. Evelyn, at least 60, by no means slow and in the Alps a tenacious kilometer eater, after the umpteenth slippery water passage, exhausted, gets into the support vehicle.
We stop at Patrick, who runs a guesthouse with an original Dutch cafe in Tukuche. The mountaineer from Hertogenbosch got stuck here in Nepal 20 years ago. With a beer on his terrace after work, we understand why. The last rays of sunshine of the day bathe the Nilgiri, which is covered by wispy clouds, in golden light, then loneliness captivates us. Soon the fireplace is crackling in the living room, while the thermometer in front of the door drops rapidly below zero.
The goal is 3900 meters above sea level
The deep, green overgrown jungle through which the Kali Gandaki rushes down into the valley has meanwhile given way to a rough mountain world. But which is anything but inhospitable. Oranges, lemons and, above all, apples, which do not grow in the subtropical Terai but are in great demand there, make up the wealth of many farming families from the Himalayan region. The cultivation of barley, potatoes and vegetables has been cultivated up to 4000 meters.
We have long passed the tree line behind Jomson and are now aiming for the Thorung – this is only 6201 meters high, but the goal is to drive up to Muktinath at 3900 meters to the top of the summit. The piste continues upwards in serpentines from the kilometer-wide river valley. Washed out fairways require maximum concentration. Until a few years ago, the path was only passable for hikers – and two tractors that were used to transport goods between the airfield in Jomson and Muktinath. In the meantime, the runway has also been opened for jeeps – it is probably only a matter of time before the buses, which are ubiquitous in Nepal, roll to the entrance to the Kingdom of Mustang.
On the peaks, the Buddha is in charge
Colorful prayer flags, which are frayed by constant high-altitude winds, line the path. Unlike in the Hindu-influenced southern foothills, Buddha is in charge on the peaks. In Muktinath we leave the motorbikes and walk the last 100 meters to the monastery. Not only the low-oxygen mountain air is breathtaking.
The 360-degree panorama of the “Annapurna Conservation Area” does the rest. Opposite, the spikes of the 8,165-meter-high Dhaulagiri disappear in a fiery red glow. This is exactly how we imagined Nepal.
Real help for a fragile world
Jorg Lohse
The “Bikers Support Nepal” project supports the reconstruction of schools and health centers such as here in Dubachaur.
On this Nepal tour, there were not only tourist hotspots in the road book. Under the motto “Solidarity Ride”, motorcyclists from all over the world brought money and donations in kind to villages that received too little help after the earthquake. After the tremendous earthquake that devastated the region in the north of Kathmandu in particular in April 2015 and killed almost 9,000 people, the editorial team was also questionable as to whether a travel report through such a massively destroyed country would even make sense.
Above all, however, there was the question of how one can actually help those affected on site. Shortly after the earthquake, Peter Dos Santos from Classic Bike Adventures, who has been organizing trips to Asia for the MOTORRAD action team for a long time, and his tour guide Hubert Neubauer got an overview of the local situation: which routes are still passable, which accommodations are still available to disposal? They also use their contacts to the “Friends of Royal Enfield” (FORE) in Kathmandu.
Donations for reconstruction and development projects
Together with the Nepalese motorcycle club, the idea was born to bring help mainly to villages where little or nothing has happened so far. The Bikers Support Nepal project was born with the aim of “collecting donations for reconstruction and local sustainable development projects,” explains Dos Santos. “Our aim is to use these funds specifically where we can personally follow what is happening with the donations.” Which is why the two Nepal tours in autumn 2015 were put under the motto “Solidarity Ride”, where Classic Bike Adventures and MOTORRAD action team waived their proceeds.
But many more people, organizations and companies have supported the project so far. When the second Solidarity tour started a few weeks ago with a lot of relief supplies to the badly hit village of Dubachaur (approx. 30 kilometers northeast of Kathmandu), the donation totaled over 50,000 euros. While the FORE bikers were already helping to set up the school, numerous furnishings for the infirmary have now been handed over. More about all aid projects and the possibility to donate at www.bikerssupportnepal.de
More information about Nepal
Jorg Lohse
The hill country in the middle of Nepal is considered to be the breadbasket of the country.
From the hot, humid jungle up into the freezing cold mountain desert of the Himalayas. But travelers to Nepal should not only be reasonably climate-resistant, but also particularly good at saddle. On the tour into the remote Mustang Valley, the term off-road is given a new definition.
Generally
The story of Nepal is not easy and quick to tell. In 2008 the republic was proclaimed in the former kingdom. However, according to the Western understanding of democracy, there is a lot of trouble in the Asian landlocked country, which is encompassed by China and India. Corruption or discrimination against certain castes are just a few of the key words. Even the constant changes of government do not contribute to stable development.
Problems are mainly caused by the many different ethnic groups: the last census in 2001 counted over 100 different ethnic groups and castes, plus 124 different languages and dialects. There are always protests or uprisings, as is currently the case in the south of the country. But tourists mostly remain unmolested. After all, these are the main economic factor in the barely industrialized country. Almost 50 percent of the population are illiterate, 40 percent live below the poverty line.
geography
The landscape of Nepal is just as diverse as the population. From the tropical hot jungle areas in the south (lowest point 70 meters above sea level) it goes within almost 200 kilometers into the mountain desert of the Himalayas, well over 8000 meters high.
Seven of the ten highest mountains in the world belong to the national territory of Nepal – including, of course, Mount Everest, which the Nepalis reverently call Sagarmatha (“The Star of Heaven”). The journey into the lower Mustang Valley leads through the deepest gorge in the world – the Kali Gandaki River, surrounded by the 8000m Annapurna and Dhaulagiri, has dug into the earth over 6000 meters.
getting there
The best connections are offered from Frankfurt by Air India (via New Delhi), Emirates (via Dubai) or Etihad (via Abu Dhabi). The ticket prices vary between 650 and 1000 euros, depending on the season. The visa is easiest to get on arrival and costs around 20 euros (can be paid in cash).
Traffic / roads
In Nepal there is officially left-hand traffic. But this does not mean, especially in metropolitan areas, that overtaking is always on the right. The principle: there is danger where there is space. A forward-looking driving style is therefore vital. Bus and truck drivers are rigorously pushing their way forward, especially on the main roads. A loud horn is just as important as a well-gripping brake – because of the high number of pedestrians! The road conditions are very mixed, even on the so-called highways with deep potholes and wavy faults.
In the high mountain regions mostly only jeep slopes lead, the condition of which can fluctuate extremely depending on the travel time and weather conditions. Well gravel paths are the exception. Basically, you should have some off-road experience. After the monsoon season (May to September), many stretches may be impossible or significantly more difficult to pass due to landslides. Best travel time is autumn (October / November).
accommodation
The hotel situation is just as diverse as the country. In tourist centers, accommodation at a western level is not uncommon, in the high mountain regions, on the other hand, the demand has to be reduced significantly – especially in the sanitary area.
A heated room is the exception in simple guesthouses, as is an associated bathroom / toilet. Almost every accommodation now scores with free WiFi. A sleeping bag should definitely be with you on the tour to the Himalayas.
to eat and drink
Real kitchen hygiene is not to be expected in the roadside food stalls, which is why raw vegetables (salad, etc.) should be avoided. The traditional Dhal Bhat (rice with lentils) with curry vegetables or (well-cooked) meat side dish is usually well tolerated. Only drink water from closed bottles, never from the tap – this also applies to brushing your teeth!
Organized travel
The Classic Bike Adventures tour described here is offered by the MOTORRAD action team. Advantages: own Royal Enfield Bullets with fully comprehensive insurance, fit mechanic crew and support vehicles. Dates / prices for 2016: Magic Tour October 15–29. 2830 euros; with Lower Mustang November 14-28 3315 euros.
Info / booking at www.actionteam.de, Telephone 07 11/1 82 19 77.
Literature: Travel Guide Nepal by Ray Hartung from Trescher Verlag (18.95 euros)
Related articles
-
Motorcycle trip – Norway in summer
Joachim Deleker to travel Motorcycle trip – Norway in summer Motorcycle trip – Norway in summer Weatherproof Norway in summer, time of light, time for a…
-
Motorcycle trip in the Pyrenees
shepherd 33 pictures shepherd 1/33 Motorcycle trip in the Pyrenees – From the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. shepherd 2/33 Air sovereignty: Giant…
-
Motorcycle trip in the Ardennes
Deleker to travel Motorcycle trip in the Ardennes Motorcycle trip in the Ardennes Seize the opportunity Full of sun. And that in autumn and on a weekend….
-
Motorcycle trip through Mexico
Jo Deleker 34 pictures Jo Deleker 1/34 Out and about in Mexico. Jo Deleker 2/34 There aren’t that many in Mexico anymore, so everyone has to be in the…
-
Deleker 29 pictures Deleker 1/29 Black sand, lakes and glaciers. Iceland has an incredible landscape to offer. Deleker 2/29 With this rich green ……
-
Schulz to travel Motorcycle world tour Motorcycle world tour 50,000 kilometers home Many dream of the great journey, the trip of a lifetime. At some…
-
Motorcycle tour Himalaya Ladakh
Photo: Lohse 32 pictures Lohse 1/32 Lohse 2/32 … must not rely on perfect conditions. But a lot can be mastered on the Enfield. Lohse 3/32 Lohse 4/32…
-
Autumn trip MOTORCYCLE long-term tester
Artist motorcycles Autumn trip MOTORCYCLE long-term testers The MOTORRAD long-term testers on an autumn ride Slovenia! The traditional autumn ride takes…
-
Soothes 17th pictures Soothes 1/17 My boat, my bike: motorcycles are an important means of transport in Africa. This man crosses the Niger at Segou in…
-
Motorcycle trip to the Sibillini Mountains in Italy
Daams 23 pictures Daams 1/23 Grasses in the evening breeze: like the hair of young fairies (or Silvio’s playmates …) Daams 2/23 Pilgrimage site: Sunday…