travelling hibbo

After an evening out at a local restaurant in town it was an early breakfast and out the door to pick up some bicycles for a trip up into the mountains to stay at a local village. 

The trip notes had said we were due to drive but due to the strike (which felt like it should really be over by now) it wasnt possible. I was more than happy with the bike option and it was great cycling through the local streets and we saw much more than we would have done by car. The quality of the bikes however was slightly debatable and almost straight away it was clear that our journey would take longer than planned due to several mechanical stops on the way. My bike had only 1 workable gear, a swiveling seat and really shoddy brakes but I was one of the lucky ones. All except Kelly who had an almost new bike which looked like it had been taken straight from the streets of Amsterdam. All that was missing was a loaf of bread in the basket.

After setting off it was clear that the Pokhara we were staying in was really a fairly isolated tourist zone far removed from the main town which was further up the valley. As we continued upwarss in the direction of the Annapurna ranges we heard whistling and soon enough it was obvious that we had run into a Maoist protest. Any roller shutters that had started to creep upwards suggesting that the shop might be open were quickly dropped back down as people watched the protesters pass. By now in day 3 of the strike I got the feeling that people just wanted to get on with their lives and start earning a living again.

People watch on as the peaceful protest passes through town

We continued up towards the mountains observing the locals going about their daily routines. Often the children would shout out at us or run after us on our bikes.

Possibly the most funky waistcoat I've ever seen

The army then passed us (possibly following the protest) and it was clear that they didn't take the whole thing too seriously.

We finally cleared the main town and reached the misty blue waters of the Seti River. From here we would continue up towards the mountain shown in the foreground of the picture below where we would climb to our home stay in the village of Hyenjakot. A few of the local children were keen to pose with us as we all took turns in trying to capture the incredible view up the river. 

The group and our new friends

Off again passing the local sherpas and children enjoying the traffic free roads

Our next stop was a Tibetan refugee centre and monastery where there was a chance to get involved in a kick about with some of the local children. In the past where I have chosen to indulge the locals with my lss than attractive football skills I had come a cropper (see Sa Pa - 2008 http://www.travellinghibbo.com/my-journal/month/april-2008?currentPage=2).

This time no Tiger beer was involved so no excuse not to be confident with showing these kids a thing or two. My sobriety didn't really assist but they seemed relatively impressed with a couple of my moves and my knowledge of the English Premier League. They seemed more interested with Barcelona who are current European Club champions. Even the kids in these remote locations are fickle. A year before they would have been wearing Man Utd shirts. 

A local takes the load off and takes in the view

The strike influencing the Nepal gambling problem