Royal Mountain Travel Magazine Royal Mountain Travel Magazine Issue 3 | Page 20

Highway to Kathmandu. Photo: RMT.

From Rumbuk we made it via some quiet back roads to the
main Freedom Highway where our freedom to breath fresh air
was badly tested by trucks belching black smoke and throwing
up huge dust clouds. Luckily the nuisance can be greatly
reduced by cycling on the wrong side of the road if the wind
comes from that direction. Rules for bicycles are virtually nonexistent in China and if they exist, no-one enforces them.
Eventually we made it to the border after a beautiful downhill ride
down a steep valley. The last day started with a long downward
ride until we reached the Sunkoshi River, where scores of redclad women were celebrating the Teej festival. From there we
had a hot thousand meter climb up to Dhulikhel. Peter set a
murdering pace, Tilak had no problem following, but I got cramp
in my legs. I fell behind, and then fell off my bike into the grass
along the road. I tried to massage my legs, ingested salt, drank
more water, ate bunches of bananas and walked when I could
not cycle. After a while Tilak came back looking for me. By then
I had recovered enough to be able to cycle again, albeit slowly.
After Dhulikhel, it was luckily mainly downhill to Kathmandu and
my legs had fewer problems with that. We cycled right to the
centre of Kathmandu, braving the dust and fumes that pervade
its crowded streets. The clean, crisp air and beautiful views of
the Tibetan plateau were already just superb memories of an
unforgettable trip.
High passes and snowcapped mountains: cycling along the road in Tibet.
Photo: Piet van der Poel.

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May 2014