Another Personal Blog

It had been long time I was not being able to be out on the road. After I have started doing the freelancing, I got engaged on various stuffs and hence not planning for long ride. But that come when a friend of mine at Hetauda, Makanpur invites me for a Android workshop on his college. I immediately got excited and started planning for the cycling upto there and then visit Janakpur on the return way. Talked with friends and family, informed the clients and started the preparation.

None were suggesting me in favor of my plan but they were also trying to warn me of the possible danger on the way or the fatigue that I could face. Regardless I was determined and started preparation. Bought a bladder bag, thinking that could be easier to hydrate myself on the road, some packets of energy bars.

Day 0: One day ahead of my start, I did the cleanup of my bike and packed stuffs on my panniers and handlebar bag. I got to carry my laptop too, which made me little anxious and hence I decided to carry on extra defense for the rain(rain covers) and the jerks(soft wrapper for my laptop).

Day 1: Early morning, I woke up, did remaining packing up and is ready the tie my panniers to the carrier of my bike. Also, I tied my handlebar bag which is going to carry my camera, mobile phone, power-bank and such. By the time my mom prepared breakfast for me and forced me to have it. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings and that’s also logical and hence I had it I was ready to hit the paddle by 7:00 A.M. Waved hands to family, kissed my little nephew, started geo tracker and started. As my bike is loaded with laptops, camera and changing clothes, I was feeling a bit heavy and hard to control but It soon got used to.

Early morning and there was no sun. It was fun to cycle the way. People thought me as a foreigner and some of them waved too. Some were also saying “Look, this is the way to visiting place” (I just overheard them while on traffic jam).  Reached Dakshinkali at 9:00am. The way after way at worst condition. It was under construction and hence most of the section have no gravel. And majority of them are completely filled with mud. So cycling with two panniers on back carrier on such road turn into an art. 🙂 Looking back the road, it looked like paddy field ready for the plantation.

The slippery mud was one problem but the biggest one was that I have laptop on my bag and hence my heart started to pump faster when there rough road ahead and my bike bounce a bit. Such pain is relieved when there are lots of Naspati seller on the road, and the bank of the road is full of the naspati trees. Have some fresh naspati and cucumber. At around 10:00 I wanted to have meal but there were no shop on the way. people suggested me to proceed to a bazaar ahead called Sisnery. I was already feeling hungry and hence the nutrition bar comes to help me. Had some of them along with ORS solution. The trail ahead was still climbing up. Anyway, I pushed and pushed and soon started the most awaited downhill. It was nice downhill but rough due to the broken garvel. And I would have lot more fun if there were no fragile stuffs on my panniers.

Reached Sisnery bazaar at 11:50. It is a nice bazaar on the bank of a river. A small settlement mostly fruit shops, motels and a police checkpost. Had food there on a motel. Food was really really nice along with a very chilly pickle. After 30 mins of rest, I started the journey ahead. I knew the trail if half for that day but I don’t know what the road ahead is.

Road is kindda good from there. Reached Kulekhani dam at 13:40. After crossing the dam area, there starts the last and longest uphill of that day. And it starts raining too. It took me around 2 hrs to finish the 8 KM distance/500M vertical distance. It was 15:35 when I reached Deurali. The environment there was cool(maybe due to that light rain and elevation,1862m). It was misty ahead. Inquired with the locals and they informed me that It is all downhill upto Hetauda. I just got excited and hence I confirmed it twice or thrice with them. Had tea and headed in a happy mood.

The fog was soo dense that I event have to use my headlight to indicate my position for the vehicle. The first bazzar after Deurali was Bhimphedi. It was a very nice bazaar area. With open and straight road and the parallely flowing river, and the open middows on the side of roads. I thought of staying there once again for a night or two. But for that day, I got to reach Hetauda. As the locals told, the trail keep going down, making me happy.12 KM ahead from Bhimphedi lies another sattlement called Bhaise, where the the trail meets the tribhuvan highway comming from Naubase. I headed south and it was still downhill. Soon after the sattlement starts to appear frequently along with some army barracks. At 17:30, I finally reached Main Road of Hetauda bazaar. Got to hotel, parked the bike, had shower and waited for the food. Besides, I also had to prepare for the android workshop that was going to be held the day after on a college.

Day 2&3) Workshop going on and I just had short ride around the bazaar and on the bank of rapti river. Washed my bike on the water of Rapti River and paddled through nice bank on the back of the Hetauda Cement factory.

Beautiful trail on Hetauda.

Day 4) Finished the workshop around 10 on the morning. And ready to run at 12:00 noon. I was paddling on the east-west highway that day. The way is expected to be clean but didn’t have much clue about the elevation except that I was about to lose around 350m vertical height till I reach the destination, Janakpur.

It was hot and the road was straight. There were moderate movement of vehicle and most of the time I was alone on the road. Sometime people get interested and wave hands at me or even talk about where, how, why. And when I was alone I used to read the number printed on the powerline going parallel to road and observe the jungle and the road ahead. Sometimes I become desperate and check the map and the next bazaar area on the way. It rained a little on the evening and it becomes fun to cycle on cool environment.

Monotonouly straight road.

At 6:30 PM I reached Lalbandi, District headquater of Sarlahi District and I decided to stay there for that night.

Day 5) I got to cycle around 60 KM that day to reach Janakpur and the way is all flat, with no ups and down. It is good in one way but as the straight road and the plain surface makes no changes and becomes monotonous. On the way I thought, the change and the speed are what make life interesting. It is not ease or hardship that makes life interesting. You will get bored on either case but when there is change and it happened fast, you will get no moment to get bored.

Anyway I was expecting stay with my friend, Kedar, who is doing TFN fellowship. They were teaching kids at remote school to improve the status of education there. Being flat land everywhere, I can paddle everywhere but due to lack of drainage(I guess) and awareness, the way was full of mud and animal dung. After all this section of around 5 KM become my worst trail.

It was 1PM when I reached his apartment. Had food, took rest and on the evening, we went to the Hateia, a place where people gather weekly/twice a week to buy stuffs they required and sell what they produce. We bought some fresh vegetables. It was my first time and I liked this. Kedar and his friends (Ashish and Madhavi) cooked food together, we eat and slept for that night.

Day 6) I packed my stuff’s and headed to Janakpur bazzar with Kedar for visting the temples there around. We crossed nice green paddy field, muddy sections. Kedar choose this way less muddy section. We crossed a large patch of muddy road to find out people were protesting to demand improvement on the condition of the road. We were forced to took alternate way as they had blocked the road completely.

protesters burning old tire and blocking road in demand to improve the road condition.

Visited old rail track of Janakpur. Once there was and rail service from Janakpur, Nepal to Jainager, India. But it is abandoned now, local administrations is building road section on top of that platform. On the other side lies another abandoned factory, Janakpur Cigarette Factory. Thousands of people used to work there before its closing. It was owned by the government and now is not functioning.
I just realized how much effort and money were wasted there .

Abandoned train cabins, once upon a time they were providing service to hunderds of people

The Janaki Temple of Janakpur.

Clean lake(very rare because most of them are dirty) and the temple on the bank.

There after, we went to Janaki Mandir, Bibaha mandap, Bhuteshwer tample. Mitilla culture is full of colors. The Janaki temple is an example. It looks grand from outside and same inside.
Then at around 12:00 we had food and we headed for Sindhuli. Kedar accopained me for next 10KM and then he returned to his place. I was planning to stay that night at Sindhuli. I know I have to climb but unlike the monotonous plain highway of tarai, I was about to get some excitemetns too. 🙂
It was already 6:00 when I reached Chiya Bari. It was clear that I got to climb around 16KM uphill to reach Sindhuligadi, which I planned for the next morning.

Day 7) Climbed the gadi at the speed of catterpiller. I got to rest multiple times. And had breakfast on the way. Got flat tire, found out the dendride got solidified and I got to use the spare tube. It was a slow but steady climb.

The famous section of BP Highway

Had meal at Khanaya Kherka and there starts another downhill. The road was nice in this section accompanied by uphill/downhill section. I used to gain full momentum on the downhill to climb small uphill followed immediately. The stream flowing over the road gave a bit problem but after all. It was full of excitements and fun.

The strange mirrors loving god.

Crossed Sindhuli district and started to paddle on Kavre district at around evening. Asked people about place to sleep and they suggested me to reach a bazaar called Managaltar where I am expected find some hotels. Crossed Nepalthok and reached Mangaltar but it was hard to find hotel. I got to ask multiple shops for shelters. When I was getting ready to ask local resident for a night to sleep, found an hotel at the end of the bazaar area.

Day 8) Started from Mangaltar at 7:00 AM. Way is uphill till Dhulikhel according to the locals, so I was prepared for it. It started to rain lightly which is a plus for cycling on summer. But the fog also get denser as I climb up. I had to use my head light and take the googles out to increase visibility. After all it made the trip more interesting.
It was 11:30 when I decided to have lunch at Banepa. After a heavy dose of dal, bhat, I started climbing again for sanga, my last major climb of the trip. At sanga, I decided to visit the world tallest statue of Hindu lord Siva. It was 143ft hight and ya it looked really giant and the view of the valley from there is good. Nice place to be for a day trip, I think.

The strange statue of lesbian goddness

The largest statue of Hindu god Shiva

I got to descend again on the Araniko Highway to Bhaktapur. Tooke another shortcut from Suryabinayak to reach Godawari through Lele of Lalitpur. Maps.me guided me turn by turn and I got to experience some nice and technical section on the way. It was 15:15 when I reached to my dad’s home at Godawari.

Update: GPS track of the trail

If you have reached this down, here is the bonus for you. 🙂