Into the Unknown: Far Western Nepal Part 1

Posted on June 2, 2014 by The Wandering Nomads

“But that’s the glory of foreign travel… Suddenly you are five years old again. You can’t read anything, you have only the most rudimentary sense of how things work, you can’t even reliably cross a street without endangering your life. Your whole existence becomes a series of interesting guesses.”

Far western Nepal was astounding, a small secluded section of Nepal which hasn’t been run over by tourism and the culture wash and money that comes along with it. It was a little piece of paradise in such a seemingly crowded country.

into the Unknown: Far Western Nepal Part 1

Oh The Things You See: 5,900km

Posted on April 8, 2014 by The Wandering Nomads

“The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day, to have a new and different sun.”

Though I have not enjoyed the humid, hot, and mosquito ridden terai (lowlands) of Nepal, is does make for some interesting cycling as you constantly find yourself cycling amongst goats, bulls, and even chickens packed on motorcycles.

A Somewhat Miserable Ride: 5,800km

Posted on April 5, 2014 by The Wandering Nomads

“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. ”

We started out early to beat the heat, but had to stop within half a kilometer as my gear cable had broken. Though Kevin fixed it easily, it took a bit of our somewhat cool morning which meant that we would be cycling more throughout the heat of the day.

On The Road Again: 5,500km

Posted on April 1, 2014 by The Wandering Nomads

“…How do you catch a cloud and pin it down.”

Leaving Kathmandu was hell. It was busy, complicated, and represented everything I have grown to hate about cities. About an hour in Kevin turned around and grinned at me as he exclaimed, “this is the coolest thing I have ever done.” Though I was becoming increasingly frustrated with the maze we were trying to extract ourselves from, I had to stop for a moment and remember that this really is the coolest thing I have ever done. That even if I am momentarily annoyed at the cars, dust, and people, there is still no where else I would rather be. The day steadily improved as Kevin and I soon found ourselves cycling up and down through the foothills of the Himalayas, surrounded by more farms and goats than cars. It was our first day cycling together, and though he was faster than me on the up hills, I could usually catch up on the downhills and flats. Overall our riding seemed very compatible.

Time To Cycle

Posted on March 23, 2014 by The Wandering Nomads

“Bicycling is a big part of the future. It has to be. There’s something wrong with a society that drives a car to work out in a gym.”

After a four month break, a break about three and a half months longer than I had planned for, I am ready to hop back in the saddle and become a cycle-tourer again. India and Nepal have proven to be more of a cultural tour than anything else, which is exactly what I wanted. I have spent more time off the bike than actually riding, but I have also had some absolutely amazing experiences. Now though, I’m ready to start cycling a bit more, continuing to gather cultural stories as I go of course.

Paragliding and Books With A Touch of Meningitis

Posted on December 29, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“The glass is neither half full nor half empty rather; it is twice as big as it needs to be.”

My last few weeks in Pokhara have been extremely relaxing yet eventful in their own sort of way. So, first let’s start with the good stuff.

What Cyclist Discuss

Posted on December 25, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“Once in a while it really hits people that they don’t have to experience the world in the way they have been told to.”

During my few weeks in Pokhara I was lucky enough to meet other cyclists, who, like me, are doing world tours. There were two couples (both Swiss) and a single Swiss man, all in their thirties, who have been on the road for varying amounts of time (one and a half to three years). The six of us hung out on multiple occasions, and even celebrated Christmas together. There seems to be an automatic bond between us cyclists as we are living the same lifestyle and can compare stories and anecdotes that “normal” people just wouldn’t understand. After the third or fourth evening together I realized that our conversations were quite different than those I have with other people, so I decided to share what an outing between cyclists looks like.

Babysitting A Baby Monkey

Posted on December 25, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“One person’s craziness is another person’s reality.”

I am quite use to babysitting as I have been a nanny for years. Typically though, my babysitting involves children, and not baby monkeys.

A Little Bit of Camping

Posted on December 24, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“Travel is not really about leaving our homes, but leaving our habits.”

After a week off I was itching to get back on my bike. As the Swiss cycling couple I had been hanging out with had invited me for Christmas dinner in Pokhara, and I still had three weeks to go, I decided to set off with absolutely no plan through what I hoped were small mountain roads. I wanted to just get out, hopefully gain a bit of elevation and bring myself closer to the snow covered peaks, and most importantly, camp. Though lately I have been opting for the cheap guest houses rather than pitching my tent, I have missed the tranquility of camping and could not wait to curl up in my sleeping bag everyday.

In A Day: The Nepali Valley

Posted on December 11, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“There are dreamers and there are doers, but what the world needs are dreamers that do.”

Everyday is different. Sometimes I cycle all day, while other days I will only do a few hours in order to spend the rest of the day doing something else. And somedays, I don’t cycle at all. Weather also plays a large role. If it is hot for instance, I do most of my kilometers in the morning, whereas in the mountains it is hard to get motivated at six when it is still below freezing out. That being said, everyday is pretty similar in many ways too, so I have decided to show you what a “typical” day of cycling looks like for me in the Nepali valley.

The Wandering Nomads

Two bikes, one life, and the whole world to see

Tag Archives: cycling Nepal

Into the Unknown: Far Western Nepal Part 1

Oh The Things You See: 5,900km

A Somewhat Miserable Ride: 5,800km

On The Road Again: 5,500km

Time To Cycle

Paragliding and Books With A Touch of Meningitis

What Cyclist Discuss

Babysitting A Baby Monkey

A Little Bit of Camping

In A Day: The Nepali Valley