27.11 Pokhara

25.11 Pokhara. U stop Fish Tail and Annapurna Range

24.11. Pokhara.

I thought I won't write much today. Let the photos tell you about my day....

23.11 Butwal

22.11 at 2.20pm local time I entered Nepal. I felt tears in my eyes, after so many months of planning, after 82 days of travel I finally reached the last country on my map. There will be no more stickers on panniers, no exchanges of one country’s currency to the next one, no need to adapt to new local habits, no more tasting of local food from the street…..

On one hand I am happy on the other little bit sad. Only 3 months ago I had mixed feelings. I thought I won’t manage, bike would give up, it already had high mileage. It appeared that it was I who suffered more, I’m not talking about accident in Turkey (even there my pride was hurt more). For many days my head aches and I feel exhausted. I’ve shed many kgs and really need longer rest.

Here is the plan, Now I have about 300km to my goal – Kathandu. But I don’t want to get there tomorrow. Tomorrow I will go to Pokhara and stay there for a couple of days. Maybe I could get closer to Annapurna. On Monday, accompanied by Kazik’s music I will reach Kathmandu and finish my voyages. But it won’t be the end of my trip. People from VSN await me, money you have donated it is for them.

Greetings from hot Nepal, from the border between jungle and high mountains!

21.11 Nainital

My body starts to fail me. I feel cold, last three days I had fever, 39C. I have constant headache. Surely my body needs, longer than one day, rest here in mountains. I stuff myself with drugs and dress worm, etc. But riding these roads is very hard and needs good physical fitness. Now, I am medium fit. Additionally all that noise for the last month or so, plus weight loss. I lost about 10kg since I started. The closer I am the more I’d like to be there already.

The good news is that I have a good amount of money for the kids . We have collected over 1000GBP and that is awesome, thank you all!

Since I left Shimla I had no chance to go faster than 60kmh. Roads were super twisty and super holey. Only breathtaking views compensated for lost time. I wanted to ride those roads, roads that so many spoke of.

After seeing Karakorum Highway with my own eyes, I can frankly say that it is a piece of cake. These roads here in Himalayas are the real challenge. Between Shimla and Dehradun (I didn’t get to) I came across 50km of offroad. Suddenly, smooth as silk tarmac gave in to rocks and holes. Motorcycle was heavily mistreated. As I’ve found out later all roads would be like this. It didn’t matter what time I woke up and left I wasn’t able to do more than 160miles. I could have possibly done more but all the stops for coffee and photo in those amazing places, slowed me down. Distances of 20km in straight line became 90km of twisty roads. Climbing to 3200m and down again to 850m.

Oil leaks from the gasket between crankshaft and Axle. Possibly from riding hard on those off roads. However there is no leak when bike is idle. It only happens when oil is circulating. I am optimistic though, I am so close now. Only 160km to the Nepalese border, then Pokhara and Kathmandu. Keep your fingers crossed!

20.11.Nainital

Today only few pics, and not the best ones as I have forgoten the right CF card. I am knackerd . I will stay here tomorrow and write few words.

17.11 Shimla

I feel really bad today. I have a headache and nausea. I don’t feel like eating, only sleeping all the time?! I woke up today after 12h of sleep. Hardly, contemplating if its even worth. Through the window I could see monkeys jumping from roof to roof looking for some food.

I don’t understand why I feel so miserable. I am on 2200m above sea level, so it is not that high. It was much higher in Gilgit. Maybe its a sun stroke and I should avoid direct sun? I don’t feel like doing anything today. It is first time during my journey I wish it was over. In straight line it is only 900km to Kathmandu but in reality it will be something like 8 to 10 day

I left Amritsar yesterday by N1 to Delhi. First stage was dreadful. Pakistan was a kindergarten, India is terror on the streets. Absolutely no rules and f*** klaxons. Honking, never ending, loud and with bizarre melodies. I turned towards Jalandhar. Small villages started to appear. I lost my way few times which became everyday habit during my trip. When I reached Una I got really cold. I was entering high mountains, beautiful mountains. It was Himachal Pradesh upland. Views were breathtaking but I decided not to stop every time I see something interesting. It was so long ago that I could lean on my bike like that. Riding through these beautiful passes between mountains and amazing nature around made me smile to myself. First time I have encountered a horde of monkeys occupying all the trees and roads. It was definitely a good choice. Traffic eased but still you could bump into a truck parked across the road and half on your side, dough! There was one problem though, average speed was about 40 kmh and it was still far to Shimla.

At 5 pm I realised that either I will have to stop and camp wild or ride in the dark to reach Shimla. I chose the second option when in one of the hotels on the way I was asked 600 rupees for a room. I was tired and dirty, and on top of that it was really cold. I didn’t stop however to put something on, I was freezing. I noticed lights on the horizon, it was Shimla, proudly covering the hill. Hotel I found was awful but it was enough for me. It is cold inside I had to use both sleeping bags. There is no heating no TV nor bathroom or any other luxuries. In the bathroom nearby I could wash myself pouring water from the bucket while standing on the cold floor. ... but what can you expect for 3 £.

As I’ve already mentioned I woke up late today. A walk around Shimla isn’t easy, every street climbs uphill. And I fell really bad. Tomorrow morning I will decide whether to stay one more day or ride to higher mountains. If my state is related to the heights I have to reconsider that.

15.11.Amritsar.India

I apologise but I won’t catch up on the Pakistani story. I’ll try to do it once I am back, however believe me there is not much to write about. The only place worth mentioning was Gilgit and Karakorum.

While staying in Lahore we decided with Richard to fly to Gilgit. To try something new and have a rest from biking. In the morning we set off for Islamabad. Only from there we could fly to Gilgit. After few hours of horrific riding we got to the airport. We were refused to enter
motorway so we had to take N5, really bad road and very dangerous.

We bought our tickets. Flight however was not certain, flights to mountains depend on the weather. For last few days planes were flying on schedule and there was no problems. So we were calmed.

At 7.15 we took off. After 10 min views became spectacular. Flat dirty ground changed into beautiful mountains. Pilot shouted that on the right we could see Nanga Parbat. My first 8000m peak.

The flight itself was amazing. We were flying at 5500m almost between peaks, but Nanga ruled the sky. Hotel was OK, only 290 rupees for a room. It was really cold there so we got some extra blankets.

Tourist office was next to the hotel. We agreed for price of safari with the owner. And because it was 9 am and we only had one day we had to hurry.

Old Toyota Land Cruiser picked us up from the hotel shortly before 10am. We had Passu and glacier nearby planned as well as Rakaposhi peak of 7000m. I felt really good when we were climbing Karakorum Highway higher and higher. At some point

Close to Passu we were at 3000m. All that gave me a foretaste of what is ahead of me, Annapurna trekking!

We’ve paid for hotel in Rawalpindi for 3 days, we wanted to leave our luggage there and take just necessary things to Gilgit.

After we came back we had one more night. In the morning I rode away to India and Richard to the airport to catch a flight to London. The story of sending his bike to London requires one whole post .

Since 2 days I am in India in Amritsar. Border crossing was fast and without problems. Maybe because I came just before closing and guys just wanted to go home.

I have checked in to a gratuitous hotel facing Golden Temple.

India fascinates and shocks at the same time. I have to admit that poverty can be seen all around, and a lot of disabled or challenged people. Lots of homeless sleeping on the streets. Traffic is even worse than in Pakistan and Iran together.

14 Nov, Amristar, India

This photo I took close to Gilgit in Karakorum, Pakistan. More tomorrow. I am now in India in Amristar.

Golden Temple in Amristar.

5 Nov. Quetta. Pakistan

From Shiraz we took route to Bam which wasn’t really recommended, for safety reasons. Views were breathtaking and I don’t understand why they consider this region as DANGER! Nothing distressing happened to us, it was rather opposite. Everybody welcomed us and we never felt endangered. We got to Sirjan. Small town. We decided to stay there despite how it looked, and in the morning set off to Bam. There we wanted to spend 2 days and rest. Sirjan was a total shithole. And people were the most annoying we met so far. One of the locals however, teacher of sth, spoke some English and helped us buying fuel on the black market. It took maybe 5 min, both of us tanked 20 litres. Hotel wasn’t far. We bargained room plus breakfast for 250 000, in the morning they asked for 340 000. We were pissed off! The guy warned us that they would try to do that, add extra for breakfast or parking…I have to run now. Will finish some other time

1 Nov, Shiraz.

After almost 500 km of boring road we got to Shiraz. Just after hour ago we checked in the hotel. On the way we saw Tombs of Persian kings and ruins of Persepolis. Once Persepolis was taken by Alexander the Great and as gossip says he sat it on fire by mistake. I have to admit, the vast area of ruins has raised my respect. And when I heard all that 200m x 300m was under wooden roof my imagination started to work. Because I was behind my schedule I decided to continue tomorrow. Journey to Kerman, its over 500km. We have to leave early morning. From Kerman we will go to Bam, where we stay two days and have a rest before we head to Pakistan.

31 Oct, Yazd

I can’t believe, today I’m 2 months en route. Time passes incredibly quickly. And it is also strange to be one leg already in November and to have 30C in the sun. Nights on the other hand are cold and the more east I go more cold they would be.

I got to Yazd yesterday early afternoon. It is a picturesque but not such a small place, around 350 km from Esfahan. Road was absolutely boring, no views, straight, full of trucks.

It wasn’t difficult to find a hotel. I stopped by a motorcycle spares shop. I took out my notebook with hotels, presented it to a guy, that appeared next to me and I asked in Farsi for a hotel. He took a pen and draw with a red line map how to get there. I have also purchased very loud horn for 25 000 rials – 3 dollars!

I found the hotel. In front of it, a brand new KTM990 was chained to the lamppost. Greg came here from Dubai. He was leaving early in the morning. He also gave me some of his oil. I climbed steep stairs inside. Outside the hotel looked like mud house, well it was a mud house. Inside though, had a spacey yard covered by textile roof. Sofas, fountain and dining area, really charming. I’ve set my tent up on the roof. Few Japanese and a French couple slept already there. Nights are chilly so I was glad I had my tent, unlike others sleeping under the sky. In the night I could hear clanking teeth. For this luxury I paid 2 bucks a night, not to bad.

I met there, Mike and Lotta, he is English she Finnish. They ride from Vietnam where they used to live for 5 years. They bought two Suzukis dr 650 and travel to Helsinki. They want to get to Tehran fast and from there take a train to Istanbul. Few hours after me another biker has arrived. Richard from London, on Honda 600XR. He just finished travelling around ex Russian republics and rides to Pakistan. He is joining me and we continue together tomorrow morning. From one story to other, when Rich heard I’m polish immediately mentioned a guy he met few days ago in Russia! It was Maciek (Lordmaciek) from Gdansk, who was coming back from Magadan after successful Motosyberia (www.motosyberia.com). The world is small. I was in touch with Maciek when organising my trip.

Yazd is beautiful. Hotel (Silk Road Hotel) stands in the old part of the city. Houses from mud or clay, narrow streets, small premises loaded with goods. Awesome aromas of fresh Nan bread escaping from bakeries. Old part of the city forms a big labyrinth. Every minute you can see a local racer on cg125 speeding by. Occasionally, farmers pick-up or a taxi, and at that moment you better stick to the wall and pray not to be touched by a mirror or bumper. It was first place in Iran where kids were coming to me asking for photos.

It is one of the oldest cities in the world. And minarets of the Jameh mosque are among the highest in the country (48m)

You could wander around Yazd for hours every moment discovering new and interesting nooks. I’ve done my favourite night photography as well as had tea in cosy tearoom in there.

29 Oct, Esfahan

Afternoon, before 5pm I was already in Esfahan. Despite having a map, copied from LP, I got lost. Some guy on CG125 showed me all the way to hotel doors. This hotel can be found in world wide read guide. Every tourist has it (except me). Unfortunately, this hotel turned out to be much much worse then expected. I got a double room, inside 3 beds, on one bed a pile of blankets and bed linen. On second one – table?! For a moment I thought that by mistake I entered storage room. I checked room number on the doors, No. 2, thats right. Well, what more do I need than a bed and fresh water? TV on the fridge, broken aerial though, that I could miraculously fix. Receiving was awful, it was black and white, and anyway I couldn’t understand a word. I checked almost all bed sheets before I found a “quite clean” one. I haven’t risked with blankets. I prefered familiar smell of my sleeping bag. On hotel doors sticker informs about new album of KAZIK (polish singer).

I wasn’t wandering a lot in the evening, I didn’t have a map nor I knew where I was. I only walked along main street. I found nice bakery, bought 2 breads straight from the oven. Inside oven was coated with small pebbles, bread had to be cleaned from them before giving it to the customer. In the shop next door I purchased cheese, in the next one tomatoes and onion, in third one coca-cola (ashi-mashi). I haven’t seen any shop with all those things. Supper before 10pm.

I tried to wake up at 6am today, to see as much as possible before I meeting Hojjat, Mehdi’s friend I met on Monday in Karaj. But I woke up at 8.30.

Yesterday I found a Foreign Nations Police booth . There, I got a map of Esfahan in German. “where do you work? What do you do? Do you study? You are so smart! I heard when I said I can also speak german.

Even with a map I was able to get lost or just go in opposite direction – as I prefer to call it. I got to Imam Square, at last, before it was called Kings Square. It was the size of market square in Krakow. Around beautiful and massive mosques. I could enter 3 of them paying 5000 rials for each. Unfortunately without any guide or tourist leaflet I can not say to much. It wasn’t even possible to join any tourist group that time. There are many more tourists here than anywhere before. Even in my hotel there was three other Poles recently. I think there used to be a lot of us, every storekeeper knows “dzien dobry, jak się masz, do widzenia, czesc”

I came back to hotel for 12. I took Hojjat on my bike and we drove to gas station. I filled my tank using his fuel card. 30 litres, I was supposed to pay 90 000 rials, and this is nothing compared to black market prices. And the second advantage was that I didn’t have to use my own so I still have 120 l on it. Hojjat however didn’t want to accept any money (I tried 3 times – Ta’arof) saying it was his gift to me. So many people gave me something or helped, and I don’t have anything for them, no gift no nothing. I will do it when I’m back home.

Now, I’m sitting in front of computer at chemistry department university of Esfahan. Before, I talked to some professor and he agreed to let Hojjat go early to show me the city. It is a beautiful place and I wanted to make some night photos. It is easier, as well, when you are with an Iranian, otherwise you are nagged every 100 meters by “welcoming you in Iran” people.

Ewelina asked me to take some more photos of normal life. Believe me, it is not easy to point your camera at people. Displeased women were hiding behind their scarfs, men were waving hands. I can maybe try with teleobjective.

27 Oct Tehran

Teheran, 45x47 km of complete madness. 12 000 000 people drowning in stink and smog. Never ending traffic noise. After 2 hrs I’ve developed a headache. Mehdi knew the place where I was collecting my money. I filled a form in 2 copies, counted money, correct. Now, I am relaxed.

BMW booklet says that the branch in Tehran also has motorcycle department. It looked like one but there was no spares, no oil. We were recommended some other place where they have never heard of Castrol GT or Putoline Formula-V either. Here is the tip – if your oil change is due in Iran, find a space to take it with you. I haven’t and now I started to worry if I will get to Nepal or not?!

Getting here from Karaj was easy. You can take a taxi or metro. Taxi is more expensive, however after calculating into western world currencies it is still cheap. Metro return ticket 5000 rials = 26p, taxi 10 000 rials. Taxi is faster and comfier, (trains are crotch-to-butt crammed), and additionally you can observe the road through front window. Here, nobody knows how to drive. Crashes are everyday thing. According to statistics, 20 000 people die here per year, which gives 55 per day, I can see how!

I do not recommend Tehran to anybody. I haven’t even really seen it. We’ve taken a city bus to the northern part of the city, to the bottom of surrounding hills. It took us 70 mins! I’ve fallen asleep at some point. And I have to add that giving up your seat to the elderly is not known in here. “Grandpa” can sit only if the younger leaves. And it was me who was urged by older guy to sit! Rear of the bus was reserved for woman. You pay when you leave not when you enter, which wouldn’t probably work in my country. When somebody gets off, runs quickly to the driver to pay him. Other countries other customs. North part is for reach people. Beautiful villas, BMWs, Mercedes S-Klasse in front. You can tell some have it better here. There are hundreds of shops and restaurants. Small cafés where you could hide with your girlfriend. Here I have seen the most of couples holding hands. Additionally small river and mountains make this place charming. Unfortunately charm was gone where we were charged 15 000 rials for tea!

Back home by taxi with 2 other strangers. I fall asleep, and woke up in Karaj. In the evening last dinner and loads of tea. I’ll be sad leaving Mehdi and Hassan. Its a pity, I don’t have more time.

In the morning I’ve noticed somebody stole my horn, the one that I’ve bought specially for Iran, Pakistan and India. I hope it won’t work for him!!!