July 7, 2025 to July 10, 2025
Bidding bye to another dear friend, dear village
Buddha pointed me to a scenic, secret route that dropped me back to the plains. What a trail! What a ride!
These little busty/hamlets weren’t even on Google Maps — the route definitely wasn’t either. I jotted down their names and set off on this ‘unknown’ trail after another heartfelt goodbye to Buddha, his people, and that tiny settlement.
F@#$. This route was insanely steep but so much fun. I hardly saw other humans on this forest trail, so I stayed on alert. Whenever I hit a hamlet, I’d ask locals for directions to my next landmark village — Saatimure, Kundabaari, and so on.
Often, I wasn’t really in control — my bike just flew down steep sections of sand, clay, and stone slabs. Stopping felt riskier than holding on.
After a gruelling 2–3 hours of downhill, I finally hit the plains — but not before some brutal empedrado sections that reminded me of Colombia.
The highway that followed was boring and uneventful. I rode until dark and stopped at 7 pm to teach my class online — after covering 40 miles.
It gets insanely hot in the plains, so the next day I started at 5 am. Within 30 minutes, I found a couple selling tender coconuts — I drank two, then a third to fill my thermos. Later, I found a Bihari selling sattu chickpea shakes — two glasses down, then back on the road. That day I did 60 miles, with some steep inclines in the sweltering heat.
The next morning I woke at 4 am — still stiflingly hot — showered, and tried to head out early. But the hotel was locked despite my informing the owners the night before. After 30 minutes of waiting, I finally got my bike out.
I tried not to be annoyed — and it turned out there was a reason for the delay. I met Jitu, a runner on his morning route — a mountaineer, paraglider, and more. He showed me around his town while finishing his training half-marathon.
He treated me to local chai brewed on a wood-fired stove — so good. Then I rode on and did 66 mostly flat miles. Not much to report, except the lodge tried to fleece me, so I found a backup — a room above a restaurant where they minced meat by hand all night as I tried to sleep. Bad call!
Next day, a big climb — so I headed out early. The BP/Sindhuli Highway was tough but stunning. I can’t wait to ride it again. It got so hot I stopped for yoghurt, ice cream, or, in desperation, my first-ever Coke. That day I did 50 miles with 5,000 feet of elevation gain.
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Just as I was exiting the valley, the road split. Some policemen guided me into their village and pointed me to a good place to stay. I slept well that night, my heart full and speechless from the BP Highway’s beauty.
Today's ride: 350 km (217 miles)
Total: 3,470 km (2,155 miles)
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