Cycling the Himalaya
Mustard Seed and Mountain Views

Why I ever thought cycling in Nepal would be anything but tough I don’t know, but the pain was well compensated for by the sheer beauty of my snow-capped surroundings.

At my feet, the black dog that wandered in looking for food on the morning of on Day 2 is still there, but now with a quizzical look on its face having had to listen to a run-down of yesterday’s hardships instead. It is very early on the second morning of a four-day bicycle ride around the Kathmandu Valley rim and I am feeling sore from yesterdays effort and the almost non-existent mattress slept on last night. Consequently, I am mentally building a list of excuses so that I can retreat to Kathmandu. Surely three more days of yesterday is not survivable.

But how to tell my guide without looking like a quitter. That is the part that is troubling me and it is the step that trips me up when he emerges some thirty minutes later to discuss the day.

As soon as he mentions that we will have a good view of the higher peaks of the Himalaya, all thought of giving up evaporates and again I cannot wait to get back on the bicycle.

Nepal does that to you. It has so many iconic aspects, ones that we have all grown up with, that when one is dangled within reach, we forget our aches and pains and reach for it. This was how it went for me as well. After a hearty breakfast of Tibetan Bread and jam, generously washed down with cups of hot milk tea, I was back on the bike, eager to conquer the new day.

But Nepal also has a mountain full of challenges. The next three days were to be just as demanding as the first but now with the grandeur of the Himalaya traveling with me it seemed easier somehow. I still had to negotiate kilometres of deeply rutted tracks, long swampy sections and rocky ground that almost required carrying the wheeled walking stick, but once astride the machine again, it was all worth it.

The hillsides through which we traveled were dotted with stone buildings, often topped with thatch and surrounded by terraces growing a variety of maize, millet or mustard seed. Behind all this, like a painted canvas, were the snow-topped peaks of the Langtang Ranges, a sight that initially snuck up on us as we rounded a ridge and stopped us in our tracks. It was truly a magnificent sight, one that traveled with us for the next three days, losing none of it’s magic in its familiarity.

Trekking had not been on my agenda due to the physical requirements but it turned out that cycling in Nepal can be just as tough. Thankfully I stuck it out and loved (almost) every minute of the four days. It was exactly the experience that I had been seeking. Wherever I went, I found the people welcoming and the countryside like nothing I have experienced before.

Nepal is a magical place and I really hope I can return to discover more of its unique qualities. It was everything and more than I expected.