Kathmandu at last !

21st March - Mugling to Kathmandu - distance 113km -ascent 1050m - av speed 16km/hr - current position Kathmandu

Three months to the day after setting off from the Dead Sea in Jordan the EverestMax team today arrived safely in Kathmandu. It is by no means the end of the cycling journey as we still have a grueling ten days to climb to Everest basecamp. Nevertheless we have overcome an enormous hurdle and we now have a few days to catch our breath and enjoy the delights of the city.

Today wasn't without its problems. My back wheel proved to be unrideable after yet more spoke problems leading to some creative repairs and a delay of nearly an hour. The road out of Mugling followed the river undulating the whole way. After 50km we had completed several hundred metres of ascent but were less than 100m higher than our starting point! We stopped to look at a Practical Action project that we had been told about. Although not one we were supporting directly, we were keen to see what other projects they were involved in after our visit to the 'bicycle ambulance programme'. The so called 'gravity lift' links a remote village 2000m up a hillside with the valley below. It is basically a small manually operated cable car system in which loads of up to 120kg can be sent down from the village above. Although not designed for people, fruit and vegetables and other produce can be delivered in only 4 minutes to the valley. Prior to this villagers would have had to carry their load down in a journey of at least two hours.It was a beautifully simple design and is another example of how Practical Action are helping to alleviate poverty by helping people to help themselves. Further down the road we came across a large number of local people breaking rocks into gravel at the side of the road. This is done with a simple hammer and no eye protection. I was shocked to see a lot of small children working, the youngest perhaps only four years old. (pictured to the right). It must be 'mind numbing' work at the best of times but it was particularly sad to see children working in this way. Our visit to the SOS Children's Village a couple of days before showed the true value of education in a poor country, and Nepal remains one of the poorest in the world. Access to a modest education here will make a huge difference to someone's life. We have all been impressed by how the three charities we are supporting are working in different ways to tackle poverty.

Falling behind with time we enjoyed a quick lunch before a tough afternoon climbing to over 1500m for a great view of Kathmandu. We then had a quick descent trying to beat the fading light. It was an evening of reunions! We met Dickie and Ro having been separated from them for the last 6 days. They were unable to travel by road with all our gear due to the Maoist strike and instead air freighted over 400kg of kit from the border with India. They've done a brilliant job. We decided to nip out quickly for dinner only for Pauline to bump into her husband, Phil. What followed was a fairly emotional reunion after 3 months apart. Phil has been out here climbing and is joining the team for the climbing phase.

From my point of view it is an immense relief to see us arrive on schedule and with the whole team intact and injury free. It was always a massively ambitious undertaking. We have cycled over 7000km through seven countries so far, all of them offering varying challenges. If it wasn't bird flu in Turkey, freezing conditions in Iran or riots in Pakistan, there has always been something to test our determination. I feel very privileged to have led what has been an incredible team. Thorough planning, fitness, determination and yes a fair bit of a luck have got us this far. Nevertheless seamless teamwork is the over-riding factor in our success. Nic and Jamie have proved strong on the bike but more importantly demonstrated a willingness to tackle anything that needs doing. Pauline's boundless enthusiasm, energy. and calmness under pressure has also paid dividends on countless occasions. Sarah has shown real tenacity, having more than her share of ill health but always determined, particularly in ensuring that this blog is delivered to you everyday! Dickie and Ro have had a difficult job in support. Never an easy role they have both demonstrated remarkable patience and a willingness to do all they can to get us through this challenge.

Over the next week or so the climbers will start to arrive and we will all be together by the 31st of March for the next phase to begin in earnest. The blog will have a slightly different feel up until then. All of the team will write about their impressions of the last three months, the highs and lows and also their feelings about the mountain ahead. It only remains for me to thank all those who have supported us, either financially, or just with the much appreciated messages of support. Stay tuned, we haven't started the hard part yet...!

Posted by Dom

The Strike Is Over!

20th March - Pokhara to Mugling - distance 100km - descent 470m - av speed 18km/hr - current position 27,50N 84,35E

As we devoured our freshly prepared museli and porridge, we were informed that the Maoist strike had been called off at last, but may return in a few weeks. For the local communities this is excellent news since they survive on the money which tourism brings to the areas. To see a place as beautiful as Pokhara deserted is a massive shame, and to see the local hoteliers, shop keepers and restauranteurs struggle is very sad. Let us hope that this situation can be rapidly solved since yet again a beautiful country is suffering due to internal politics.

Leaving Pokhara should have been very easy, but not so when everyone including the Police gave us wrong directions causing a 6km diversion. Finally we were on the road to Kathmandu and all was going well until Sarah had a major stress - where was her passport? Luckily at the bottom of her bag where she had put it - close call! At the first drinks stop Jamie, who was carrying half of Pauline's gear today, tried (and failed) to "charm" the 55 year old female shop owner with his humour and tricks, and all he got in return was rocks in his back pocket. Sarah then managed to cycle off without her bag (a feat which she also repeated at the next stop) but luckily the caring boys quickly pointed this out to her.

The roadd to lunch meandered alongside a river valley and in the adjacent fields women worked in the paddy fields whilst the men controlled the oxen in the deep muddy water using all sorts of shouts for left, right, faster and slower. Somehow their objective was achieved but not too sure how! Lunch was a relaxing affair spent watching the cricket but none of us were too keen to start again. When we finally got back on the bikes we were greeted with a 9km ascent before a rapid descent into Dumre where Dom and Jamie both discovered broken spokes on their back wheels but took these in their strides as enhanced training methods.

We reached Mugling just before 5pm and quickly found a hotel for around £2 a room. Our evening meal was accompanied by some traditional Nepalese singing which I don't think was quite to Dom's musical tastes. His curried chips then rounded off his night perfectly with the curry monster, second only to Dickie, finally finding his match.

Tomorrow will be the last day of phase 1 of the trip in that the cyclists will reach Kathmandu. With over 7,500km cycled to date we have one more day including an ascent of over 1000m, until we reach Kathmandu and are reunited with Dickie and Rowena. It is a day which we have all dreamed of for some time now and all are looking forward to commencing phase 2 of the trip after a week off and the climbers joining us. The cycle to base camp Everest on the north side will take about 10 days and will be a tough period for the team acclimatising to the increasing altitude and climbing the mountainous roads whilst trying to follow the rule of "Climb high, sleep low" in order to give the body the best possible chance of success.

Posted by Nic

SOS Children's Village

19th March - Pokhara - distance 0km - ascent 0m - av speed 0km/hr - current position 28,12N 83,58E

Today all our hard work from the past 3 months was rewarded by an invitation to the SOS children's village here in Pokhara. This village houses and cares for the Tibetan orphans of Nepal and with our effort and your support, will benefit directly from the EverestMax expedition.

As we rode into the village on our bikes we were greeted by the village director with Kettas (Tibetan prayer scarves). There was instantly a warm and friendly feel about the village. It was immaculately clean and well looked after and set with a stunning backdrop of the Annapurnas. In this village, Tibetan orphans are given love and support from the moment they arrive and are provided with the chance to live in a family atmosphere with 6 – 8 other children of varying age and sex. The head of the family is a mother figure for the children and cares and looks after them from a monthly budget provided by sponsorship and charity fund raising. Below is an extract from a poem read to us by one of the children living in the village. It highlights just how important family life is to the Tibetan people, and more importantly, just how valuable the village here in Pokhara is to so many children that would otherwise have no family to support them.

My Mother

I think my mother is a goddess,
A goddess to whom we pray,
I think my mother is my world,
A kind lady what the peoples says.

Good character of hers I admire,
Always the same from her I desire,
Oh! May my mother loves me forever,
Forgiving nature will I always remember,
Forever in life.

(Thupten Tsering)

We were also shown around the primary school that was connected to the village, and given the chance to see some of the children hard at work, trying to pass their Tibetan exams. The school was clean, warm and friendly, and as with the staff in the village, the teachers here showed pride in their work and also care for the children.

In 1975 when the village was first opened, there were just 35 children seeking refuge there. Now the village provides a home for 118 children and since 1975 it has seen over 400 kids integrated into higher education schemes in both India and Nepal . This village has, and still is, changing the lives of so many unfortunate young Tibetan refugees, but it is important that support from the western world still reaches these children, so the village can continue to provide care to those that need it most. It costs merely £25 to support 1 child here for a month. This is the amount of money that is directly donated to charity when someone becomes an official supporter of the EverestMax expedition, so instead of popping down to the pub tonight, please help us to help the children of Tibet , and you too could help make a difference.

After Nic and Pauline had taken the village on at football, I had taken them on at Table tennis and Sarah and Dom had kept them entertained with photos, we cycled back to Pokhara for some lunch. The latest from Dickie and Ro is that they have arrived in Kathmandu but not quite with all the luggage as it was sent on 4 different flights! However we are confident that they will be waiting for us on the evening of the 21st with all our luggage and 7 cold beers ready to toast our arrival to Kathmandu.

Posted by Jamie

Bulking Up in Pokhara

18th March - Pokhara - distance 0km - ascent 0m - av speed 0km/hr - current position 28,12N 83,58E

We had come to Pokhara in a thunder storm at night during a power cut, so to wake up to a blue sky, snow capped mountains and a stunning lake was fantastic! Dom did a really early 5am walk (he gets excited and can't sleep,bless). Jamie and Nic did a pre breakfast walk (although they may tell you it was a 10 mile run round the lake) and bumped into Sarah doing the same. That only left me enjoying the novelty of a lie in with no lorries, buses or street noise, possibly helped by sampling the rum and coke last night too ....

This place is a paradise for bulking up as any good pre-Everest expedition team should be doing. We spent nearly 2 hours over breakfast which was possibly some of the best food we have had on the trip so far. It is also so cheap which is incredibly convenient considering the amount we seem to be able to get down.

A few admin. jobs on the computer and that left the rest of the afternoon to go boating on the lake which of course involved diving off boats and trying to take photos of us looking cool in such a dramatic setting. However the very definitive tan lines being modeled by us all will probably prevent any company putting us in their brochure. Cycling kit really doesn't give the opportunity for the all over body look. I am probably the worst culprit having the most shockingly white legs known outside Scotland.

Nepal is suffering badly from the lack of tourists here right now because of the bad media coverage about the Maoists. One man I was speaking to put it into perspective when he said that it is more dangerous to be in the UK than in Nepal as in the UK we are always under threat. However, the problem here now is the strike which is preventing any commercial vehicles using the highways. This is causing major disruption to the whole country. Nobody knows if it is going to last two days or as much as a month. Dickie and Ro have managed to get a flight with cargo space to Kathmandu and should be flying there today and we will meet them there in a few days.

We will struggle on eating as much great food as we can with the backdrop of the Annapurna range reminding us that to be able to do Everest, we really need to have pudding too!!

Posted by Pauline

Not a road to rush

17th March - Bhairawa to Pokhara - distance 124km - ascent - av speed km/hr - current position

What an awesome day. We were woken to the sounds of Nepalese children reading out loud outside our room at 6.30am. Morning prayers? Nope, they were reading science books! We set off on a blissfully peaceful road contouring around the mountain side looking down the lush green terraced hillside in to the valley some 500m below.

Over a saddle and into the next valley we had our first sight of high, snowy Himalayan ranges. Set against the green of the lower valleys it was a stunning view and we all ground to a halt to take photos and some film footage. The mountains were part of the Annapurna range to which we were headed. It is unusual to see them photographed from this angle and so it was fantastic to see a new view of the peaks, particularly Machupuchare (‘The Fish Tail') which looked beautiful. The road followed the valley down to the Kali Gandaki river. It was a brilliant descent and Jamie, Pauline, Nic and Dom swooshed from one corner to the next happy in the knowledge that there would be no traffic on the road due to the strike. Blissful. I was forced to take it more sedately as my front brake cable broke at the top of the hill and my back brake was loose and not that effective – great! Where it got too steep I ran, on the plus side it gave me longer to soak in the view. Reunited at the bottom of the hill the boys tinkered with my back brake and made it loads better (thanks!) though it was still not ideal.

The road remained much the same for the rest of the day; climbing and descending over pass after pass, waving at children as they greet you with shouts of 'bye bye' 'hello' and frenetic waving. We took in the rich Nepalese scenery and watched the clouds building over the Annapurna range in the distance. Dom suffered the first puncture we've had in days but he had a fantastic view at the crest of a hill to do his bike repair and seemed happy enough.

We got slightly out of sync. around lunchtime; Nic overtook Jamie and Pauline at the front while they were in a local shop and didn't spot them. On and on he rode, no doubt becoming increasingly impressed at how fast they must be cycling, but he eventually stopped when the hunger became too much. With no money in his pocket he waited for Dom and I to come along, he waited…and waited….and waited. Unknown to him all four of us were back up the road tucking into samosas and cold drinks. He finally chose to cycle back and he found us just as we'd paid up and were preparing to head off. His reply to ‘How far did you go on?' was ‘Far enough'. All good training.

As we started the final 20km leg into Pokhara we heard rumbles of thunder. The sky became progressively darker and darker and the flashes of lightening more impressive. As we came up to the top of our final hill before the descent into Pokhara we met our next obstacle, road blocks. Strewn across the road were blockades of boulders, trees, and even burnt out cars. The rain started, big blobby droplets that instantly soak you to the skin, and the sky darkened even further. We were amazed how quickly night fell. The final descent was another great ride down deserted roads in very atmospheric weather. Jamie, Nic, Pauline and Dom came across a man who'd fallen off a roof and broken his leg so Jamie and Nic set off at speed down into Pokhara to alert an ambulance. They came within metres of a lightening strike which hit an aerial next to the road, as you can imagine they both thought it was pretty cool.

Wet roads, knackered brakes, darkness and hairpin bends with goodness knows what drop off the edge do not mix well. When I was still accelerating despite using both hands to try and jam my brake on I decided enough was enough, got off, and ran. I felt like I was on an expedition. Finally the road flattened out, hurray!, so I jumped back on and cycled off. 100m down the road I went over something that slashed both tyres leaving me in the middle of a thunderstorm, with no idea where the others were and a double flat. At moments like this you laugh or cry so I laughed and laughed. Happily I found shelter outside a light bulb shop and the owner called up his English speaking son who helped mend the tyres. All was going well….and then the whole town had a power cut, so we finished fixing them by candle light! As I was getting ready to leave we saw a headlight approaching which turned out to be Jamie and Nic. The others were all sheltered drinking chai (sweet milky tea) in a café 500m down the road; off we went.

We rode the final stretch into town in total darkness, dodging speed bumps and barbed wire barricades that you couldn't see until the very last moment, splashing through puddles and potholes, and laughing all the while. We stopped at the first hotel which turned out to be great and after the quickest showers to date we headed out for a much deserved slap up meal in one of the many restaurants. What a fantastic day.

Posted by Sarah

Namaste!

16th March – Bhairahawa to Bartung - distance 57km - ascent 930m - av speed 18km/hr - current position N27,52 E83,33

Occasionally when you're traveling you have a day so intense that it feels more like a week. Today was one of those. Despite still feeling 'under the weather' Jamie had arranged a visit to the Practical Action project that we are supporting in the town of Bhairahawa. Those of you that have followed the progress of the expedition will know that we are trying to raise money for the construction of 'bicycle ambulances' in Nepal. We arrived at the local factory where they are designed and built at about 9 o'clock for a tour. We were all impressed by the concept and the design itself. The beauty of the project is that for only £150 an ambulance could be built to transport local people to hospital in relative comfort. Nepal is desperately short of motorised transport and even decent roads so these ambulances provide an essential service in rural communities. Furthermore the money that is required to build the ambulance is all spent 'in country' thereby supporting the local economy even more. We managed a couple of test rides although being a patient with Ro at the helm was a little tense. She managed to collide with a rickshaw within a few seconds of setting off! I endured an epic battle changing money in town while the others returned to the hotel for yet more hackysac practice. Despite weeks of intense training Sarah can now kick it at least once! After our delayed start we only planned to complete a 66km leg to the town of Bartung, halfway to Pokhara. Yet again Dickie and Ro had to be left in the 'rear with the gear' desperately trying to devise a crafty way of getting our stuff through to Kathmandu in time for the climb. We hope they will catch up with us sooner rather than later. The Maoist national strike is still in full force preventing any travel by motorised transport. Fortunately travel by bike is permitted so the roads were blissfully free of traffic. This didn't stop Nic the leader in the falling stakes, from trying to take out Dom in a moment of poor concentration! Fortunately lightning reflexes saved the day!

The last three weeks since crossing the Indus in Pakistan and throughout India has seen our altitude hover around the 200m mark, varying by less than 50m each day. A little demoralising as we reached that altitude at about 10am on the first day up from the Dead Sea! Not much progress you might think after 7300km across Asia. And so it was for the first 30km to the town of Butwal, climbing only about another 30m. We stopped for a drink before leaving town and suddenly we entered the Himalaya. It's hard to believe that such a vast mountain range could begin within the space of a 100m but we suddenly found ourselves entering a narrow gorge and the real Nepal had begun. The road wound its way uphill past small villages complete with thatched houses nestled amongst banana groves. We saw our first terracing on the steep hillsides and found ourselves saying 'Nameste!' every few metres to the local villagers coming out to greet us. The literal translation of Namaste means 'I salute the god within you'. Hordes of small children offered us a 'bye bye' before the traditional greeting and pressing their hands together. It seems that the local teaching of English has gone astray somewhere! We stopped for a cup of tea and Jamie and Nic joined the locals for their usual game of football. Unfortunately Pauline also joined in and with a shout of 'watch this over the head' the villagers' only football came perilously close to disappearing 1000m into the valley below! The scenery improved with every turn as we followed the river's course uphill over an ascent of nearly a 1000m. For Jamie and Sarah, for whom it was their first visit to Nepal it was a particularly special day. We arrived at our destination just before dark and tonight are staying in the house of a local Nepalese family. A memorable and fantastic day....

Once again on this trip we have seen the immense difference that charity can make to the lives of local people. The work Practical Action undertake is admirable for its simplicity but also in the value of what it achieves. If you become an official supporter half of your donation will go directly to the projects we are sponsoring.

Posted by Dom

Happy Holi!

15th March – Bhairahawa - distance 0km - ascent 0m - av speed 0km/hr - current position N27,30 E83,25

Today we realised why all the roads were so quiet in Nepal yesterday. There is a Maoist strike on at the moment, so we decided it would be wise to stay in Bhairahawa for the day. If its not Bird flu in Turkey, Nuclear friction in Iran, the Taliban in Pakistan and riots about the Danish cartoons in all Islamic communities, then it is the Maoist rebels who are trying to stop Dom and his EverestMax team from beating Winkler to the summit! They can try, but they won't succeed!

The rest day has actually come in very useful. Dickie has had time to collect quotes on a vehicle to carry our equipment to Kathmandu, Dom has had the chance to catch up on some urgent admin and most importantly Nic could keep his bike away from the enemy, who are armed with paint and highly accurate!

After a late breakfast of Nepalese pancakes, Nic and I worked up a sweat with a skilful game of hacky sac, but were careful to wear old clothes due to the rumours of a Holi celebration starting outside the guesthouse at 10am. Our hopes of staying clean were very much alive until we saw Dickie walking down the drive with a bag full of paint powder and a bright pink face. His smile said it all – let the carnage begin! Leaving Dom at the hotel to continue sending emails home to the climbers, Pauline, Ro and Sarah joined Dickie, Nic and I in the street to celebrate the Holi Hindu festival. The aim of the game was to cover each other in paint powder whilst wishing everyone happy holi. Everyone in the street had paint on them somewhere but none quite like the EverestMax team. As we walked down the main road in Bhairahawa we came across our first rivals. A group of children had set up a roadblock to trap and paint spray all the rickshaws as they cycled through town. They weren't expecting us and we even managed to catch them by surprise, but somehow we still ended up worse off. It was so nice to see everyone laughing and smiling, even though it was probably at us rather then with us!

By this point Ro's hair was a different colour every time I looked at it and Sarah's legs were so multicoloured that they could almost be mistaken for her new golfing trousers that she cycles in. A woman and 4 kids then ambushed Nic and I with water bombs. Luckily, Pauline came to our rescue and courageously (or stupidly) stood in front of us as a bucket load of water came our way. Was this a tactical move by me and Nic?

As the celebrations continued we found ourselves dancing with a group of very colourful people who had obviously been on the Nepalese whiskey all night. Dickie moved straight to the dance floor with a hand full of red paint, and Pauline, who by this point looked like a red faced Rastafarian with long black dreadlocks, starting busting out some dance moves that can only be described as the Nepalese version of break dancing.

Back at the guest house Dom took some photos of his filthy team mates and then we hosed ourselves down so we wouldn't leave multicoloured footprints in the corridor on the way to the shower. Nic, Dickie and I do not obviously have the full range of products available in the girls wash kits and are still slightly stained. I'm a slight pink colour, Nic has a hint of green and Dickie's beard seems to have turned even more ginger!

We are still not entirely sure where and why the paint throwing originated but it was great fun to be a part of and a great introduction to Nepal, our penultimate country on this epic journey.

Posted by Jamie