Phaplu

We stayed in Phaplu for a day, resting up to take on more challenges. The days in Phaplu were spent in real luxury. The house we stayed at belong to a very rich man. On the long list of his achievements was among other things the position of executive producer on the movie Apocalypse Now, a great movie. We sat down to dinner with him and talked about everything and nothing.
 

He introduced himself as a man of weath and taste. And his servants made sure he was very comfortable. He had been around for a long long year. But I was puzzled by the nature of his game. I am glad I did not have to guess his name.

Pickey Peak to Phaplu

As the sun rose at 05:30 we began our acent to Pickey Peak. The last 400 meters of climbing now seemed like nothing. The little devil on my shoulder, who had been with me the whole trip telling me I would never make it to the top, began to lose its hold on me. As the top came closer and closer I could see the sun rising above the peak of Pickey. Just focusing on putting one foot in front of the other I climbed higher and higher. And suddenly there I was on the top of Pickey Peak in the
shadow of Mount Everest. I fell to my knees I was so happy I had made it all the way to the top.

After a good break on the peak we headed down. We rode some amazing and challenging downhill trails all the way down. The fast and gnarly forrest trails of Pickey made the long climb up there worth it. Of course there was no time for pictures on the way down. After we reached the bottom we had a good climb before we arrived in Phaplu. We were to stay in a grand mansion, in great luxury, for a change.

Goli Gompa to Pickey Base

We woke up in Goli Gompa to some beautifull weather clear skies ment we could see the peaks of the Himalayan mountains around us on all sides. We prepared for a full day of carrying our bikes. 4 hours of acent with the bikes on our backs. We climbed though some alien looking forests, looking more like they belonged in a lord of the rings movie than reality. Half way to the top we stopped at a small house for some noodle soup and Snickers. The house was run by the funniest couple of older ladies We did not share a common language so we communicated through gestures and smiles. Full on energy we headed up, 2 hours of bike portaging later we arrived at Pickey Base. At Pickey Base there was litteraly nothing. Only a small guest house, amazing views of the surrounding mountain and some roaming cows. At 3700 meters we could see all the way down to the valley were we started and I realized just how far we had climbed. We spent the night huddeling around a bucket of heated coal as the temperatures dropped below zero celcius.

Bandhar to Goli Gompa

We woke up in Bandhar valley and ate a good breakfast. After making sure everything was set up for Didier's helicopter evacuation we decended further into the valley. A great downhill awaited us along this trail. Riding on the cliff edge we rode very fun jeep tracks down the mountain. Marcus showed off his aweinspiering bike skills by clearing some rather extreme trails that one would think only a mountain goat would attempt. At the bottom of the valley we reached a river. We rode along the river before we began our 1500 meter acent. The incline was about 15% and was really challenging. At some parts the monsoon had destroyed the road and we were forced to climb straight up between the switchbacks with the bike on our backs. On the way we stopped at a small house for some noodle soup and some snickers. A good and needed energy boost before we continued our climb. At this height we began to feel the effects of the altitude I started to climb fast as I could to reach the top. This was a big mistake, not yet accustomed to the height I did run the risk of getting altitude sickness. Tangi, our guide, caught up with me and reminded me that this was not wise. I took his words to heart and put my ego and sense of competition away. We were a team, and who ever made it to the top first did not matter as long as we all made it.

After even more and more and more climbing we finally arrived at Goli Gompa. We were to stay at a small famely house and they greated us with open arms. They prepared to slaughter a chicken to celebrate our visit. We shared beer, food and good stories that night as we made a big camp fire on the patio of their house. At this altitude, 3000 meters pluss, getting anything even water is a big challenge. Everything has to be carried up.

Jiri to Bandhar

After a nice morning in Jiri we left for Bandhar. This was our first whole day on the bike. We passed through a valley before we did an seemingly endless climb up to the top. Once we got to the top we rode through the clouds and stopped at a small house for a well earned lunch. The house was situated along the ridge line of the mountain and was run by a small famely. As we stopped our bikes caused a big rukus among the locals and everyone wanted to check them out. After lunch we did a shorter decent into a valley. This is where we lost our first rider. Didier, one of the great French, jumped off his bike at the wrong spot and fell 2 meters down and landed straight on his feet. He twisted his ankle in the fall and suddenly we had a problem.

Didier was lucky and his fall only twisted his ankle. Although in great pain he was able to limp down the trails and do a little biking on the flat. We had to abort our trail riding plans for this day and we headed straight for Bandhar valley were we coordinated a helicopeter evacutation of our friend didier. Despite his fall Didier was in a admirably smiling and taking this whole situation in strides.

In the valley we stayed in an amazing house, a bit spartan, but the location was unreal. We could see our highest destination from here, Pickey Peak, and it was a little frightening to stand in the shadow of the 4050 meter tall mountain we will climb over the next days.

Katmandu to Jiri

After a last minute change in transportation and some waiting we received a new driver. He was an amazing driver and quickly made up for the lost time. We stopped over for some lunch and after an 8 hour drive we arrived in Jiri.

Katmandu

After waking up in my hotel in Katmandu I had a great breakfast and got to know some good people. An Austrian couple who were mountain bike instructors, a french guy who works at a campsite in the south of France, a British woman who is a midwife and is doing volunteer work in Nepal ,a Nepalese guy who runs the hotel and a German guy who is in Nepal working on his phd. After a great breakfast, some coffee and chit chat we headed out for our first bike ride in Nepal.

We rode through the city and out to a nearby farming area. We rode across makeshift suspension bridges into some beautiful landscape. Tall mountains were above us as we rode some really nice single track. I took a couple of tumbles as I was not used to the dry soil. All in all an awesome first ride and it fills me with anticipation of what is to come.