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| notes : photos : GPS tracks : general info : ride stats
Trip organisation We looked for companies which organised tours, found Phil’s company Multi Terrain Biking, and asked Phil and Corinne if they could customise a tour for us. We did this because the standard itinerary is shorter than we wanted: 15 days KTM–KTM whereas our trip was 21 days. The extra amounted to 3 days in the foothills, a rest day in Pokhara, two spare days at Muktinath, and a slightly longer descent of the Kali Gandaki. On the whole we think our extended trip was a considerable improvement. The foothills aren’t as striking as the scenery higher up, but they give the trip a better sense of being a meaningful journey. One of the spare days at Muktinath gave us a very enjoyable ride, and the other gave a welcome rest. If we had known better, we’d probably have truncated the trip by one day at the end: the stretch from Ghasa (our lunch stop on the 22nd) to Baglung (where we stopped riding on the 23rd) contained little of interest. On the other hand we might have appreciated an extra rest day at Lo Monthang. We dawdled at Patan at the end partly on account of the prices of air tickets. We’d have had to pay more to return sooner, presumably because workers were returning overseas from Divali celebrations. We were in no hurry to get away. Phil and Corinne, who run Multi Terrain Biking, were very accommodating. Ajay, who guided us, was excellent, and his brother Aayman, who drove the jeep, was reassuring and knew lots about mountain biking in the area. The other cyclists we met had sometimes been sent on poorly chosen routes by uninformed guides, and the Hoggs – walking – had trouble with theirs. It’s worth getting a guide who knows his stuff (or her stuff – there are female guides too, including Ajay’s colleague Usha). Some of the guides, including Ajay and Usha, are very expert mountain bikers. Upper Mustang (the region north of Kagbeni) is a restricted area, so independent travel is not permitted. There was a group riding the standard tour at the same time as we rode our private version: Andy, Mandy and Simon. They were slowly gaining on us as we took extra rest days. We met them at Lo Monthang and didn’t see them again until they arrived at Pokhara on the same day as we did. But Ajay was keeping in touch with Usha, who was one of their guides, warning them of the difficulties we’d encountered and telling us of their progress, which largely amounted to riding the sections we’d skipped. It’s our impression that cyclists are almost as numerous as trekkers in Upper Mustang. Sources of information We didn’t have much information. We consulted the Multi Terrain Biking website and one or two others. We had paper maps and consulted OSM and (the much inferior) Google Maps. We made use of Kim and Del Hogg’s website Going the whole Hogg, which contains an account of a route similar to ours and very detailed general information; but they trekked rather than cycled. There is no consistency in the English spelling of Nepali names. Everything changes. The rock in Mustang is mostly conglomerate, the remains of a sea bed thrust up by seismic shift. It crumbles in wind and rain. Monsoon torrents wash away trails and bridges where they cross stream beds. Road builders bulldoze trekking trails for jeep roads and dump stream rubble onto them to consolidate the surface. Often they remain unjeepable. But at least some good is done: we understand that the Lupra trail is recently built. No information is up to date. Ajay repeatedly asked locals whether a certain trail existed, and often passed information on to the following group. You need to be flexible and prepared for surprises.
The level of comfort diminishes the further you proceed from Pokhara, being lowest on the east side of the Kali Gandaki. We always had a private bathroom. In the more basic places there were squat lavatories and we had to make use of our sleeping bags. Toilet paper should be put in the bins provided, not flushed. Comfort isn’t everything. The hotels and tea houses in Tibetan areas seem to have formerly been prosperous private houses built round a small courtyard; the courtyard has been glazed over to provide an atrium. They are furnished in a traditional style. Life centres around the kitchen (and it’s there that Ajay and Aayman were to be found). The kitchen isn’t purely functional: a family’s inherited pots and pans are a source of pride and given prominent display. The dining room is more formal, often with wall paintings, embroidered cushions, and ornate chests instead of tables. The invention of the table leg would certainly facilitate dining, but would detract from the charm. The bedrooms are basic. Hot showers are provided, but the hot water is sometimes tepid, exiguous, and squirted out at odd angles. There are more comfortable hotels in the main tourist places. They are modern and concretey but comfortably furnished. You’ll appreciate them at the time but they won’t stay in your memory. In Kathmandu and Patan you will find the entire range of qualities and styles. Even the more international hotels, such as Yak and Yeti and Dwarika’s, are sometimes based on a historical core.
A set meal of dal bhat is the Nepali standard. It contains greyish green dal (which is only lightly spiced), rice, and a variety of extras and condiments, including “spinach” and usually a pickle. Servings are bottomless. In Tibetan areas noodle soup and thukpa are common; tendhuk is a form of thukpa made with pasta pieces rather than noodles. We asked for pickle to spice it up. Momos are often available and delicious. Whenever possible we had fried momos (i.e. deep fried), and we thought that cheese and potato filling worked particularly well (because it binds better to the casing). “Tibetan bread” is also deep fried. I think you’re expected to put jam on it, but we usually put an omelette on it instead. It’s very good. Sadeko was the culinary discovery of the trip. It’s considered to be a snack rather than part of a meal, but don’t let that put you off. We sometimes had 3 snacks between us instead of a meal, and less greedy people would have been happy with 2. The main sadeko ingredient (chicken, peanuts...) is served in a warm salad with coriander herb, a little tomato, some chilli, and lemon juice. Mexicans would feel at home with it (but would use lime juice instead of lemon juice). Aloo Mustang is another snack, made of potatoes spiced chiefly with cumin. Meat is not of western quality. “Mutton” is goat, and you may not find much of it to be edible. Chicken is more reliable, but probably rather industrial. “Buff” and yak can be quite good; the yakburgers we had at Marpha were delicious. We mostly ate veggie. There is often a long delay between ordering food and its arriving. In hotels and tea houses it is a good idea to order in advance, including ordering breakfast the night before.
There is Nepalese wine, but to our shame we didn’t try it. It seems that Bihar is the main export market, which doesn’t inspire confidence. Climate and seasons October is the commonest time for visits. The skies are generally clear and it isn’t too cold. We suspect that it’s also the busiest period, especially for Nepali motorbike tourists, of whom there are a great many. Two of the main Nepali holidays – dashain and divali – fall in this month. The many poplar orchards turn yellow as the month progresses. November will be cooler but on average clearer. We were never at all cold, and had several layers of unused clothing. The route isn’t high compared with the trekking circuits, so November should be perfectly bearable. Spring is an alternative. It’s generally considered to be cloudier than autumn, though the statistics I’ve seen (for Jomsom) don’t bear this out. It will be greener and there will be wild flowers. We were very lucky with the weather. There were storms when we arrived and rain turning to storms when we left, but inbetween, apart from lingering clouds at the start, we had clear skies. We understand that the monsoon had been unusually dry in most of Nepal and unusually wet in Mustang, and that this accounts for the number of washouts along the way. Connectivity Wi-fi is almost always available in tea houses, although bandwidths are low. Mobile phone coverage seems to be phenomenally good. Our own phone didn’t work in Nepal, but Ajay was forever making calls in the middle of nowhere. Bikes We rode hardtails (and Ajay humoured us by doing the same). Most people take full-suspension bikes to Mustang, as Andy, Mandy and Simon did. A few people are said to have taken gravel bikes. We saw some very fat tyre marks near Lo Monthang. Colin had a flat tyre early on due to a defective inner tube; otherwise we had no mechanicals. | notes : photos : GPS tracks : general info : ride stats |