Tag: IndiaAndNepalBicycleTour

Garry McGivern Travelsonabike2 bicycle tour across India and Nepal. 2000 miles of adventure cycling

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Travelsonabike2 Nepal On This Day 14th November 2016

Bicycle Touring Nepal 14th-November-2016 Cows by straw building

Bicycle Touring in Nepal

This week’s Travelsonabike2 on this day bicycle touring blog post comes from Nepal on the 14th November 2016. There had been a national strike the day before, and I had a very quiet ride yesterday without any traffic on the roads. I was also getting ready to cross back into India. While I’d been in Nepal, the Indian government had banned some of its banknotes overnight. Causing chaos at the banks and cash points.

Monday 14th November 2016. Lamahi to Kohalpur. 68 miles.

It’s been one of those days where I’ve been struggling all day. I don’t know why; it’s been a bit hilly but nothing too bad. Still, it makes the end of the day better, and that beer taste even nicer. Normal service was resumed today, with the traffic back on the roads. The strike was off today. Mind you the roads have still been fairly quiet and nothing like they were when I was near Kathmandu.

Man in kitchen
My landlord from last night who wanted me to take his photo

My ride today has been mainly through the jungle, and I kept seeing signs with pictures of tigers on. I’m not sure whether there are tigers around here or not. Best not hang around too long to find out. I did see some monkeys at the end of today, though.

The chaos in India with the money situation is still just as bad. I’m hoping that when I cross back into India, either Wednesday or Thursday, there will be some touts at the border so I can exchange some money with them, even though I know I’ll get ripped off. But I don’t really have a choice as it seems that most ATMs either have a long queue or are not working.

Subscribe to my blog and follow me as I travel around on my bike. Plus, as a subscriber, you’ll be among the first to receive news and updates on future tours. And, of course, you can always follow me on social media: Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, X, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. I’m also on Flickr, where photographs from all my tours are.

If you want to find out if I’m away touring at the moment and check my location, visit the Where’s Garry web page.

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Travelsonabike2 India This Day 17th October 2016

Bicycle Touring India 17th-October-2016 Abusy street in India

Bicycle Touring in India

This week’s Travelsonabike2 on this day bicycle touring blog post comes from India on the 17th October 2016. I’d fallen ill while cycling in India with a chest infection. But I was lucky enough to be staying at the Hotel Ganapati Palace in Dhule, where the hotel owners had taken care of me.

Monday, 17th October 2016. In Dhule.

I got invited to go and have breakfast with Deepam and his parents in their apartment this morning, which was really nice. The breakfast was an unusual mixture of English and Indian cuisines. On the one hand, there was porridge, cornflakes, and toast, and on the other hand, there were sweet things like dates and shortbread, fresh fruit, lentils, fried cheese, potatoes, and a dish made from flour.

Table laid with food
Breakfast with the Shahs

It was all washed down with black tea with ginger in it. It was all delicious, and so nice of them to invite me.

I’m Famous

No matter where I am, whether in the hotel or outside, everybody seems to know me and knows I’ve not been very well. Whenever they come up and talk to me, people always ask the usual questions like where am I from, where am I going, do I like India and so on. And now they ask how my chest is!

I went to a gentleman’s parlour this afternoon. Which isn’t quite what it sounds like; it was a barber. I’d decided to go and get a shave, more for something to do than anything else. The monotony is starting to get to me a bit now.

That was an okay experience, although I got a bit more than I bargained for. After a shave, the barber proceeded to give me nearly every other treatment he had: face scrub, head massage, upper body massage, and steam bath on my face; he even put some cream on my face to make my skin fairer! Like, I needed that! I came out of there exhausted, but at least it passed an hour or so.

I’m off to the hospital again tonight for a follow-up appointment. Things seem to be getting a lot better now, and I’m thinking of starting to cycle again on Wednesday.

Subscribe to my blog and follow me as I travel around on my bike. Plus, as a subscriber, you’ll be among the first to receive news and updates on future tours. And, of course, you can always follow me on social media: Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, X, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. I’m also on Flickr, where you’ll find pictures from all my tours, along with a monthly photo update that I publish each month.

If you want to find out if Garry’s away touring at the moment and check his location, visit the Where’s Garry page.

Follow Garry on his travels

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Bicycle Touring South Asia: Nepal, Photos | Travelsonabike2

Just stunning views on the Tribhuvan Highway.

Bicycle Touring South Asia: Nepal, Photos

These are the photographs that have accompanied my daily blogs over the past two months. As I cycled 2000 miles across South Asia, through India and Nepal.

They may not be the best quality as they were mainly taken on my mobile phone. But they are all the photos that I posted, plus one or two extra ones. The main photo album will be published on my Flickr page as soon as I get around to uploading them. In the meantime, please enjoy these.

You can also find photos on my Facebook and Instagram pages, which you can view without subscribing. But if you already subscribe to social media, why not give me a follow?

Photo Album

(click on any photo to view)

The Nepalese border
Start of the climb up to Hetauda.
Dried up river.
Dried up river.
Leaving Hetauda not liking the look of the mountains ahead!
Starting to climb up the Tribhuvan Highway.
One of the many twisting roads Tribhuvan Highway.
Meeting friendly people on the Tribhuvan Highway.
More twisting roads that Garry had just come up on the Tribhuvan Highway.
Garry’s campsite for the night on the Tribhuvan Highway.
Stunning views of the snow capped mountains in the distance on the Tribhuvan Highway.
Garry sharing his breakfast.
Just stunning views on the Tribhuvan Highway.
Just stunning views on the Tribhuvan Highway.
Flags at one of the villages on the Tribhuvan Highway.
Just stunning views on the Tribhuvan Highway.
Just stunning views on the Tribhuvan Highway.
Just stunning views on the Tribhuvan Highway.
The final push into Kathmandu.
Street in Kathmandu.
Pancha Mukhi Hanuman temple Durbar Square Kathmandu.
Nasel Chowk nine storey building Durbar Square Kathmandu.
Pancha Mukhi Hanuman templeDurbar Square Kathmandu.
Wooden carving of a diety in Durbar Square Kathmandu.
The diety Shiva in Durbar Square Kathmandu.
Diety on top of a building in Kathmandu.
Street in Kathmandu.
Wooden carvings inDurbar Square Kathmandu.
Shiva Parvati temple in Durbar Square Kathmandu.
Nasel Chowk nine storey building that isn’t nine storeys any more after the earthquake in 2015. Durbar Square Kathmandu.
Kathmandu viewed from the hotel roof.
Another view of the Trishuli river.
The Trishuli river.
Looking up the Trishuli river.
The Trishuli river.
It’s a goat hotel.
The rough road from Mugling to Narayangadh.
Not only a rough road from Mugling to Narayangadh but Garry also had to contend with the fumes from the lorries!
One of the many rivers Garry crossed in Nepal.
At least Garry knows how far it is to go!
Bit of a hill to climb on the way to Butwel.
Looking up a rather steep climb.
Looking down at the view on a big climb.
Garry stopping on a big climb on the road to Butwel.
Buddha along the road.
Temple along the road.
It’s Nelly from the Jungle resort in Chitwan.
Elephant in the “Jungle Resort” Garry stayed at in Pithauli.
Small village near the Chitwan national park.
Some local children near the Chitwan national park.
View from the hotel in Butwel.
Staff from the hotel in Butwel.
The only other traffic on the roads this day was cows!
And bicycles!
Quiet roads on the way to Lamah.
The landlord from my guesthouse in Lamahi.
Mist on the road leaving Lamahi.
A misty start leaving Lamahi.
Some local houses.
Cows!
Lunch stop
A much slower pace in western Nepal.
Crocodile basking in the sun in the Bardia national park.
A turtle in the Bardia national park.
One of the many police checkpoints in Nepal.
A monkey in the Sukla Phanta wildlife reserve.
Bardia river in the Bardia national park .
Not a particularly nice meal, Garry ended up with a rather bad stomach after this.
People from the Hotel Garry stopped at in Ghodaghodi
Paddy fields
Dam right! Even though Garry had to ignore it himself!!
One of the many rivers Garry crossed

Follow & Support Garry’s Bicycle Touring Adventures

If you’re enjoying the ride and want to fuel my next mile, you can always support me by buying me a beer. And of course you can always follow me on social media: Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, X, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. I’m also on Flickr, where you’ll find pictures from all my tours, along with regular photo updates that I generally publish each month.

If you want to find out if I’m away touring at the moment and check my location, visit the Where’s Garry page. And for an insight into the gear and logistics that keep me on the road, see my Life at 10mph Guide.

Follow Garry on his travels

Subscribe to my email and follow me on my travels

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Bicycle Touring South Asia: India, Photos | Travelsonabike2

Garry McGivern meeting school children at a school in Sagar.

Bicycle Touring South Asia: India, Photos

These are the photographs that have accompanied my daily blogs over the past two months. As I cycled 2000 miles across South Asia, through India and Nepal.

They may not be the best quality as they were mainly taken on my mobile phone. But they are all the photos that I posted, plus one or two extra ones. The main photo album will be published on my Flickr page as soon as I get around to uploading them. In the meantime, please enjoy these.

You can also find photos on my Facebook and Instagram pages, which you can view without subscribing. But if you already subscribe to social media, why not follow me?

Photo Album

(click on any photo to view)

In search of the dabbawalas in Mumbai.
Cows on the streets of Mumbai.
Crow taking a ride on a train in Mumbai.
The Dhobi Ghat in Mumbai.
The Dhobi Ghat in Mumbai.
Sign on the hotel bar in Mumbai.
Garry at the Gateway of India Mumbai.
The Taj Mahal Palace Mumbai.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Mumbai.
A few of the dabbawalas in Mumbai.
Countryside once Garry had left Mumbai.
The busy roads leaving Mumbai.
Stopping for a bite to eat at a cafe.
Staff from the hotel in Malsne.
The onion Market at Umarane, Maharashtra.
The Satmala hills.
A shrine along the roadside.
One of the brightly coloured that was outside every shop in Dhule meaning welcome.
A dead cockroach.
The results of Garry’s blood test, Garry was impressed with the age they put!
View from Garry’s room in Dhule.
Passepartout outside the hotel in Dhule.
Satmala Hills.
Sign outside the hotel in Dhule.
Street in Dhule.
Drawings outside the shops in Dhule.
More drawings outside the shops in Dhule.
A good old Indian bike.
One of the many trucks on the roads.
The Satmala Hills again.
Cows on the road.
River front houses!
Ox and cart ploughing the field.
Mind those cows on the road.
Road in Dhule.
Garry’s view from his hospital bed in Dhule.
Hospital ward.
The nurses that looked after Garry in Dhule.
Sign outside the pharmacist in Dhule.
Garry on the nebuliser.
Garry’s treatment room at the hospital in Dhule.
Getting ready for an engagement party at the hotel in Dhule.
Preparing the food for the engagement party.
Some of the food at the engagement party.
Pushing a cart along the street.
Tent covering the engagement party.
Garry was in Dhule for so long he set up a business!
Dhule street.
Wash day!
Busy streets in Dhule.
Making friends in Dhule.
Garry’s local in Dhule!
Deepam, Pradeep, Kalpana and Bagheeva the dog, owners of the hotel in Dhule.
The family from the little shop I used whilst I was stuck in Dhule.
Horses behind the hotel in Dhule.
Trinkets given to me by Kalpana, the wife of the owner of the hotel in Dhule.
Crossroads in Dhule.
The caterers.
Inside with some of the food.
Meeting some friends of the hotel owners, from the hotel in Dhule.
Busy food market in Dhule.
Colourful market stall
Lovely food.
Market in Dhule.
Streets in Dhule.
Smiley market traders
More happy faces in the market at Dhule.
Sewing services.
The barbers in Dhule.
Deepam and the staff at the hotel in Dhule that looked after Garry when he wasn’t very well.
Hills near Nardana Maharashtra.
There’s some hills in the distance.
Nearly at the top of the hill.
The Narmada river.
A camel caravan.
Washing in the river.
Goats.
Camels along the road.
Crossing the tropic of Cancer.
The suns going down and Garry was still cycling.
Garry cycling into the night.
Monkeys in the road.
The local car wash!
The mosque in Bhopal.
Leaving the hotel in Indore.
Hotel in Sehore.
Yet another river.
Meeting school children at a school in Sagar.
Busy roads today!
Doing the washing.
Taking the goats for a walk.
Busy streets in Kanpur
School children wanting their photo taken.
The very appetizing breakfast not! At the hotel in Lalipur.
A fort at Amargarh.
Making a right mess trying to eat his dhal!
Lunch break.
Guesthouse in Orai where Garry stayed for the night.
People always want you to take their photo.
Bhognipur.
Bhognipur Uttar Pradesh.
Colourful trinkets for sale in the market at Kanpur.
Busy streets in Kanpur
Don’t think anybody uses them!
Arriving in Lucknow.
St Joseph’s cathedral Lucknow.
Happy Diwali.
Happy Diwali signs in Lucknow.
A taxi stand for rickshaws in Lucknow.
Rickshaws in Lucknow.
The general post office in Lucknow
Vidhan Sabha in Lucknow.
Fireworks in Lucknow on Diwali.
Bikes are used for so much more than cycling from one place to another.
Farm somewhere on the road to Faizabad.
Looking out over the fields.
Basti, Uttar Pradesh.
Pretty flowers on the water.
A river somewhere along the road on the way to Gorakhpur.
Waiting at a level crossing.
The woods on the road out of Gorakhpur.
Spiders in the woods coming out of Gorakhpur.
Mosquitoes buzzing around the light
A rickshaw in Gopalganj
There’s an elephant in there somewhere
Burhi Gandak river
It’s Garry
The rough road leading up to the Nepal border.
Hotel camping in the first hotel after leaving Nepal.
The bad roads on the way to Moradabad.
Queues at the banks following the abolition of 500 and 1000 rupee notes.
A rather dirty and dusty Garry at the end of the day
People from the Hotel Garry stopped at in Ghodaghodi
On the road to Delhi, it reminded Garry more of America than India.
The view of a smoggy Delhi from Garry’s hotel room
Raisina Hills Delhi
The message on the front of a learner drivers manual, Don’t think anybody reads it though going on the experience Garry had!
Government building in Delhi
Looking up towards Rashtrapati Bhavan the presidents residence Delhi
Marble and chandeliers in the hotel lobby in Delhi
India Gate Delhi
Feroze Shah Kotla Palace Delhi
The Red Fort Delhi
The Red Fort viewed from Netaji Subhash way Delhi
Statue in Delhi in memory of the countless Indians who generation after generation struggled and sacrificed against foreign rule
Parliament building Delhi
Tomb of Kan-i-Khana Delhi
The end of the road, Passepartout all ready to be boxed up.
Garry’s afternoons activity at the hotel in Delhi on his last day.

Subscribe to my blog and follow me as I travel around on my bike. Plus, as a subscriber, you’ll be among the first to receive news and updates on future tours. And, of course, you can always follow me on social media: Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. And, of course, I’m on Flickr, where I publish my monthly photos first. Pictures from all my tours, along with my monthly photos, can also be found on Flickr.

If you want to find out if I’m away touring at the moment and check my location, visit the Where’s Garry web page. And for an insight into the gear and logistics that keep me on the road, see my Life at 10mph Guide.

Follow Garry on his travels

Subscribe to my email and follow me on my travels