to Daman: the mother of all hills! Almost 2000 meters climbing.

April 9, 2016

Just as it's never all downhill, it's never all uphill either. Yesterday we left Chitwan at 150 meters to Hetauda at 450 meters. Today, we climb to the top of Simbhanjyang pass at 2400 meters. Then a drop down to Daman at 2200 meters. So was our past two days of cycling.

The climb to Simbhanjyang pass is the part that wasn't all uphill. It is so tough to gain altitude only to lose and then have to regain it on a long climb. That happened a couple of times today. The switchbacks help mentally to see where you are going and to look back and see that progress has been made. The air is hazy and we see small fires burning on hillsides, so some views are limited. We slowly make our way up, stopping often for breaks.

We stay at the Mountain Resort with a watchtower where Patrick stayed on his around the world trip 24 years ago. The shower in our room stops working after Patrick had already soaped up. Rachel goes to explain to the owner with some difficulty he finally understands and gives us access to the shower in the room next door, still a cold shower though. For dinner, we are fixed a very basic dal bhat. We are not use to the cooler temperatures at this altitude and pull out our fleece jackets for the first time since Ooty in central India three months ago.

Staying here in Daman increases our chances for seeing the Himalayan Mountains early tomorrow morning, hoping the air is clear.