Feb. 1 - Mugling, Nepal

Wednesday, February 1 :: near Mugling, Nepal :: 114km today / 3313km total

Up VERY early to get to Kathmandu International Airport for the Everest flight. Well, it was pretty much everything I had imagined it could be. The plane was small, maybe 16 passengers, everyone with a window seat. We were given outline maps of the peaks we would see, and it was most of the big ones. Being quite an Everest-phile I needed no hint or pointers on spotting it; the classic dark pyramid of Everest jutted out quite boldly amidst the lower neighbouring peaks. I was able to pick out numerous significant landmarks; the South Col, Lhotse, Nuptse, the South Summit, the Khumbu Glacier, the Western Cwm. Aside from Everest, I could see all the way from Dhaugliri to Kanchenjunga; the Himalaya are amazing, particularly from eye-level to their summits.

Back on the ground, and back in Thamel (central Kathmandu) I had a quick breakfast, packed up, and cycled over to the Pakistani Embassy. Kathmandu is a great city, one of my favourites, but it's time to start getting myself out of Nepal. After a short delay and a painful visa fee my passport was back in my possession, now quite full and out of free pages. There's a shiny new "Islamic Republic of Pakistan" visa, all ready for the border crossing in a few week's time. It'll be my first 'stan!

Now noontime, no time to waste in getting down to Mugling, 110km away. I was on the wrong side of Kathmandu (NE) and had to ride the Ring Road around to the West side. Not entirely fun, city traffic never is. Kathmandu sits at 4000 feet, in a bowl-shaped valley... to start my descent, I had to climb to the valley rim, and it was at least 1000 feet up, quite chilly at the col. After cresting it was a steep, winding, switchbacking descent for 40km, complete with sheer walls and dropoffs, a slick road (at times), and the usual insanity of the drivers. When I could look at it the landscape was dramatic, but I had to keep my eyes on the road, and the next bend, and the oncoming vehicles. The saving grace here is that I was descending as fast as the large vehicles, so I didn't have to suffer from their close, rushed passing; it was the "doubles" coming uphill at me - the side-by-side trucks and buses - that caused the concern.

For the next 60km the road roller-coastered up and down, slightly overall down, but with much climbing in between. As usual my frame cracked and I had to walk for 5km to seek out welding. Frame cracks are becoming par for the course, now, and if I count it right my frame has been blasted by a welding torch 5 times this trip. After the welding was done I had to race down (and up) the valley against the setting Sun, and pulled into a resort 6km from Mugling as darkness set in. I got a great price for a room, and had a fantastic sleep with Himalayan peaks all around.