A longer break from driving now awaits us. The first two weeks after our arrival we continue to travel nomadically: Kathy, Louie’s mother from New Zealand, visits us! Together we explore different places in the valley and also outside. Among other things, we enjoy a very bumpy and hot Nepalese bus ride, Louie goes with Kathi on a several-day trip by motorcycle to the Chitwan National Park and we spend a few days in the pretty villages of Bandipur and Ramkot, where we move sweating on foot. On a trip to the center of Kathmandu, we unanimously conclude that the crowding and density of the capital has reached a level beyond our limits. We prefer the hustle and bustle of the somewhat quieter royal city of Patan. We drink tea, eat momos, chowmein and samosas, visit temples and enjoy our precious time together.
Since the Nepalese authorities forbid foreigners to live in children’s homes, we don’t know for a long time where to stay after Kathy’s departure. A Nepalese friend becomes our savior when she offers us a room in her family apartment. For about five weeks Kanchan, Poojan and their sons Samartha and Shawra tolerate us as their new family members and we enjoy the comfort of a fixed home.
We spend a lot of time in Kusunti with the “La Dhokas” and of course I pay numerous visits to our women’s project Narighar. The project (www.ladhoka.ch) is running wonderfully and it is nice to see the eagerness with which the women are doing their work. With the fundraiser we have raised over 7000 Swiss Francs and Louie and I are now allowed to think about how we want to use this money wisely. We will add some new Scholarship children to our program, finance some one-time expenses on site, and maybe a collaboration with a doctor friend is possible.
We also have some “office work” to do during our time in Kathmandu. The most time consuming task of all is my visa application for New Zealand. We spend numerous hours gathering the necessary documents that prove our relationship and thus enable me to get a work visa. Also our further journey wants to be marked out somewhat and numerous searches are necessary, until we come to a decision.
We also have to extend our visa for Nepal by one month, we have to visit some doctors, the blog needs to be updated, dear people need to be visited and every now and then we have to spend some days in the countryside.
Louie spends a spiritual week in the Buddhist monastery Kopan, where he practices meditation techniques and meets wonderful people.
Once again, we are in Nepal during the monsoon season, so a trip to the cloud-covered Himalayas is less enticing. Instead, we travel for a few days to Kava near Dhulikel, where I meet my friend Supiya again after many years. She now works as a cook in an upscale hotel in Dubai, is married and happens to be visiting home. Her family lives in a beautiful corner outside the Kathmandu valley in the middle of greenery, surrounded by steep rice terraces and hill ranges. It is always amazing how quickly the densely populated Kathmandu Valley can be left behind. The house is surrounded by a true “food forest”. Supiya and Mahindra show us around and we taste our way through wild asparagus, fruit trees, edible herbs and tasty stalks.
We are welcomed like old family friends and Supiya’s parents spoil us with wonderful meals, fresh buffalo milk and a room with a view. Yes, even this luck is granted to us: In the evening the heavy clouds loosen and for a few minutes we can enjoy the view of some impressive mountain giants. From here, in the right season, an impressive mountain panorama would be visible. The father pulls out his cell phone and shows us some shots of the huge mountain range. The family’s traditional mud house was completely destroyed in the 2015 earthquake, but in the meantime the Kali family has rebuilt a house. The house is oversized and will serve as a homestay in the future. It is the perfect accommodation for those who are looking for peace and nature, enjoy a magnificent view and like to spend some relaxing days off the beaten track in a family environment. The Dahlbaths we have been privileged to enjoy with the family are some of the best we have come across in our two months in Nepal. So if anyone is looking for such accommodation in Nepal: Get in touch with me; I’m still so happy to make the connection!
From Kava we finally hike over steep hills and green rice fields to the Buddhist monastery Namo Buddha. Here we spend a night in the guest room and are allowed to experience the prayer hours of the monks. The morning giving, however, comes a little different than expected: Just on this day Dalai Lama’s birthday is celebrated. The monks of all ages bring letters and small gifts to an altar, recite poems, sweet rice with nuts and dried fruits is served in the prayer room and finally little novices with glizzer party hats sing a sweet Happy Brithday. Oh- and not to forget the sticky birthday cake that is handed out in hundreds of portions on top.
After this morning prayer of a different kind, we hike on to Panauti and from there drive back to Kathmandu.
Trips like this make us bear the dust and the traffic in the valley. Even though we feel totally comfortable and at home, the longer the more we look forward to the next leg of our bike journey.
A more daring plan would have been to leave Nepal by land towards Darjeling, travel through eastern India to Bangladesh or even through Myanmar, and from there to Bangkok. However, complicated visa procedures, the unclear situation in Myanmar, and the threat of heat dissuade us from this idea. We could avoid the heat by taking a mountainous drive through neighboring Tibet… but we discard this plan as well.
A completely different factor plays an important role in our planning this time: Since a few months we are no longer only two on the road, but a small stowaway has joined us. This one makes the heat a little hotter for me, the roads a little bumpier, the luggage a little heavier and the kilometers sometimes a little tougher.
Suddenly we aim for less altitude, better roads and reasonable health care within reach. So Thailand is the plan and after some very busy last days in Nepal, our bikes and slimmed down luggage are finally moving back into big boxes and getting ready to fly. Outcycling continues!
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)