14th September
Bian Ba Had asked me to meet him at the friendship bridge at 11:00. Just before I slept I reckoned it must be11:00 Beijing time… which was Nepal time 8:45. Checked out of the hotel. Right next door was the immigrationoffice, finished the formalities and went across the bridge. No sign of Bian Ba, couldn’t get through on his cell phone. Decided to go ahead to the Chinese customs I thought may be he will meet me once I cross the customs. But at the customs they wanted “Chinese guide”. It is mandatory when you travel through Tibet to have a Chinese guide from a Chinese Travel agency. This involves tremendous amount of paper work, (which is handled by the travel agency). So all through my travel in Tibet I will have a car trailing me with the guide and driver. The agency employed by my hosts in China has made arrangements for my stay in Tibet as it is necessary to show all halts, hotel bookings while in Tibet to procure the required permits. Also since I was taking a Motorcycle which was not going to go back the same way it came… the matters were complicated. I had to much in advance send all the papers of the bike, my licenses, and photographs of the bike from 4 angles. I still couldn’t get through to Bian Ba, I thought I had been ditched. One of the people I had met who had travelled through Tibet had told me stories of his permanently drunken guide, I had visions of Bian Ba drunk in some bar or badly hung-over from last night’s binge! After half an hour I got through he told me he was on the other side of customs getting the paper work done since the last hour. I was ashamed for the character assassination I had indulged in. well finally he sent some one across with some papers so I could get my passport stamped and my entry cleared while he worked on the bike. He came across at 13:900 hrs and took me for lunch. It was only after the poor guy had to run up to another customs office 10 Km away for some other papers, that we could finally take Rocinante across at 17:30Hrs. This trip has surely taught me to be very very patient.
Checked into a hotel and first of all spread my wet clothes from yesterday to dry and importantly had a bath after three days!!
13th September
Got up at 5:30 it was raining quite heavily, hoping the big bulldozer had done its job through the night, packed and left. On reaching the Check post at the exit of Barhabise, the officers there told me that the block was not yet cleared. I turned round and came back to the hotel - all I had achieved was to get myself clothes wet. In this trip that is one thing I am dreading- having to pack wet clothes. Since I am getting just one night in every location clothes don’t dry. Had saved up all my washing since Bhopal for Kathmandu.
At about 9:00, it had stopped raining; so I decided to make a second attempt. Decided to go right up and wait till whatever time it took. The truck had been moved, a bulldozer was still clearing the last bits but there was at least 2 feet deep slush. After about an hour the first truck was allowed to pass. I had managed to get the 9thspot in the queue by squeezing in. all the vehicles would get stuck in the slush at the same spot and then the crowd of people would have to push the vehicles through. It reminded me of a primary school function each one waiting at the edge of the slush nervously watching the earlier contestant finish their act and waiting for their cue. I felt like a champion when I reached the other end, and zoomed away. Five Km away there was another line of trucks, again I drove up to the front to realize there was a steep gradient the road was only scree and vehicles had difficulty going up. There as a big depression where the road had sunk just before the incline so it was not possible to gather momentum. Some would whine up to almost the top and come rolling back. I got through again with a heave from the villagers standing around, but this time for a charge. As I drove I came upon 4 more spots that had experienced landslides and had to pay each time to get a push across. There were bands of locals who hung around with ropes and made a brisk business pushing vehicles through. About 5 more Km and I was aghast- if I thought I had seen landslides… this one was the mother of them all! There was an earthmover actually carving out a mud road on the slope as the actual road of which I could see a few patches was covered with at least 40 feet of rubble. A patch of 500 meters of which 1/5th was remaning. This was going to take at least 2 hours if not more. I had my team of men ready and I was positioned already half way across the patch so the minute the machine moved away I could go through. Thankfully this was the last one.
The roads had been very demanding and Rocinante was showing signs of wear, She would just not pick up, The clutch plates must have got worn out I realized. We coughed and sputtered till the last 2 Km to Kodari when finally she refused to budge. Though gentle this was an incline and even if 300Kilos have wheels it is quite an uphill task!
Went straight to a mechanic got the plates replaced- very cumbersome even if I had learnt this in my crash course, it was on a different model. I hadn’t actually done it, I had just seen the assembly as to how to open what and what fits into what. Like watching a dissection without actual practical experience I realized this would have been difficult for me to manage on my own had it happened some isolated place.
Spoke to Bian Ba of course the gates were now shut and the crossing will have to be done tomorrow morning. It’s been a long and grueling day, have to crash.
12th Sept
Got a day and a half with the family, was most heart wrenching to see Kashyap crying through the taxi window as they left. I rushed back, finished packing, paying bills and left. The drive to Kodari the last town on the border of Nepal was just a 123 km, but fully mountainous and my internet searches said it was a 5-6 hour journey and promised to be ‘treacherous’ (yes! was slightly tense)
The first 100 Km was most hypnotic. The road through the mountain constantly curved one way and then the other. The roads were in an excellent condition and ‘scaly’ (to allow a good grip I guess). Yes scaly because it was literally like sliding up the back of a long grey serpent through the lush green forested slopes. Before you came out of a right turn you were already getting into a left turn, yet the ride was smooth… I was really waltzing away with Rocinante. I could have sworn there was a whole orchestra hiding behind the trees. Riding Rocinante was now next to walking…we operated in perfect harmony now.
…Passed a police and custom check post. The officers asked a lot of questions and wanted to see all the papers of the bike. I was a bit worried. I had heard tourists come on bikes from India and sell them here. Every place I halted people had asked me the price of the bike… The bikes sold for more than twice the price if you bought it legally. I guess as I had the side-car and registration papers that had the same address as my passport, they believed that I wasn’t going to sell the bike to get ticket fare to fly back home! They warned me about the roads ahead as they let me pass. Had Thukpa for lunch at Barhabise. Only aonther 26 Km left. I was planning to check in and go relax in the hot water springs of Tatopani 3 Km away from Kodari.
But here’s where the ‘treachery’ started. As I left the village, There was another check point. The officer here told me I can’t go ahead. I told them I had all the papers in order, “doesn’t matter” he told me
“there’s been a major land slide and a truck has overturned”
He pointed at the slopes and I could see a long line of stationary trucks ziz- zaging up. I was optimistic well I’ll go up and wait I thought. The vehicles were parked on one side of the road in a disciplined manner. No one was trying to get ahead and double park and in the bargain preparing ground for a grid-lock, once the first crisis gets resolved- as one often sees in accident situations back home. There were lots of gaps between the vehicles so I thought I should try to get as much ahead as possible and then stick my bike in one such gap. Drove past one and a half kilometers of vehicles to reach the ring side. An earth mover was busy clawing away at the boulders and mud. The people that stood around tried to tell me it’s not happening today, I had waited for 2 hours it was 15:30 now. The job seemed almost done. As I waited I saw big trees that had come down with the slide cut and put aside. Suddenly I thought this must have taken a long time – surely does not look like a job of a few hours. “When did this happen?” I asked the crowd of bystanders which comprised drivers and village youngsters. “3 days ago”. How come I wasn’t warned there was nothing in the news? Everyone was quite un fazed…” this happens all the time here, the last time the road was blocked for a whole week”. No wonder the vehicles were not clamouring to get ahead. A lot of them had even left to come back after 2-3 days. They started telling me I should turn around and go to the village as this would not be done before dark and I should not even think of travelling alone in the dark for the certainty of being mugged. Also they told me there were two more landslides further down the road. I was hoping and praying all these 30-40 men were pessimists, rumor mongers, professional perjurers, compulsive liars and/or sadists.
I had to reach Kodari today, it was just 26 Km away. My border crossing was scheduled for tomorrow and to top that across the border on the side of Tibet they are 2 and a half hours ahead so I loose time!
The one working left and after an hour another big bulldozer arrived to move the big boulders and right the truck. I had waited for 5 hours now- it was18:30hrs and dark I turned around and went back to the village got a room.
The only internet shop in the village was closing I begged him to give me 5 minutes to retrieve the number of Bian Ba Ci Ren my contact at the border… called to inform him of the situation.
The road will be cleared tonight I will leave at first light.
Went to the room and started writing the blog hadn’t been able to write anything yesterday…
11th Sept
It was a real recharger spending time with Shami and Katya-Kashyap. Spent the whole day going round the city sight-seeing and shopping for frivolous and yet obligatory curios. We were all thoroughly exhausted when we got back at 20.30 hrs after a full 13 hours of touristic behavior. I did not want to waste a single moment with the kids so… did not blog
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