TRAVERSE 88
join in . This wasn ’ t our first rodeo – and after cutting our teeth on the traditional Nepali dance circuit back on Baglung , we hit the makeshift dancefloor with a few moves that the local Nepalis seemed to approve of or at least chuckled along to .
Yac Donald ’ s was a cosy three story wooden inn that seemed to be exclusively inhabited by bikers . The rooms were warm , the showers were hot and there was a fire going in a small courtyard out back that we used to try and dry off our boots after the days failed river crossing attempts . The signature dish on the Yac Donald ’ s menu was a Happy Meal featuring a Yak Burger , which we duly ordered and ate while sipping a few beers and trading tales with a group of Italian bikers who were also on a tour of lower Mustang and staying in Yac Donald ’ s . Then it was early to bed , so we were ready to go again the next morning .
Kagbeni had felt like a bit of a frontier village … no tarmac , one shop , Yac Donald ’ s and that was pretty much it . We saw a man casually herding his yaks through the main thoroughfare in the morning as we were getting ready to leave – and as we peeled out of Kagbeni , the rough track quickly evaporated into pure mountainside . It felt like we had reached the ends of the earth and were now deep in the Himalayas . The Muktinath valley was a biker ’ s fantasy . An endless private playground of hills , mountains , tracks , and open spaces with no one else around for as far as the eye could see . We spent a good hour just tooling around , taking in the mountains , gawping at the scenario ,
TRAVERSE 88