To Khatima: Back into India, are you ready for some honking?

May 2, 2016

The question of the day...Why has an east-west road built by Indian and Nepal cooperation and have the road abruptly stop at the border, and no trucks can cross?

Well, for now at least. Looks like the final bridge is yet to be built.

Last night we were lucky that the loud music that sounded like a wedding party didn't continue all night. Though Rachel wouldn't know how long the music went because of earplugs and Patrick can sleep just about through anything.

Now that we are leaving Nepal we finally figured out the Nepalese script for numbers. Slowly the distance markers stopped using English numbers, we could have Googled the numbers, but it took awhile to realize the English numbers were not coming back. The distance markers would change the destinations so it was hard to figure out some of the numbers. Today the distance markers were for only two destinations and we could confirm the numbers. We knew 1, 2 and 5 from the 100, 50, and 20 rupee bills. The 1 has a small curl at the top making it look like a nine and 2 looks like a two and the 5 looks like a Y. Then figured out the 3 looks like a 3, and the 4 looks like an eight. Only today confirmed that a backward 3 is a six, the swirl that looks like a 6 is a seven, something that looks like a part T and 7 is an eight, and the 9 looks like a backward Y. Oh well, it gave us something to focus and think about yesterday riding the 109kms and all the flat hills.

Ten kilometers to the border there was a gradual increase in traffic. Plenty of motorcycles, bikes with loads or passengers or just transportation, electric tuk-tuks, three wheel bike taxies, tractors pulling wagons, cattle pulling wagons, pedestrians, a few buses, something new are horse drawn passenger wagons, and something missing...lots of trucks. We understand why no trucks after going through immigration.

We get our Nepali exit stamp rather easily then cycle into no man's land where the asphalt road abruptly ends then a sharp left on gravel road, across the bridge and then a straight shot along a canal to India immigration. First a checkpoint where our passport numbers are written in a book by guards. Then past the customs office, there is no checking, we reach the immigration office and go through the process for re-entry into India. We have 10year multiple entry visas for India which makes this border crossing very nice.

We are not completely on our way just yet. We have to navigate across the dam on a narrow pathway with railroad lines in the middle with lots of pedestrians, a few on bikes and a few motorcycles. On this side, we see all the buses that are lined up behind all the shop stalls. When on the Nepal side, groups of people would walk through no man's land together. They must have been on an Indian bus, walk through to the Nepali border then arrange transportation.

The road is pretty beat up until the town of Banbasa. There are hotels on either side of the border but the way we've staged our ride to Rishikesh, we continue on another 20 kilometers to Khatima. We now know we are back in India. The constant beeping of horns has returned as well as the traffic jams created by buses stopping anywhere to pick up passengers and slowed to having to scoot our bikes with one foot.

There was a hotel on Google maps we were looking for and must have missed it. When we get to the major intersection of the town, Patrick asks in a bakery about hotels. We are given directions to go left then left again to the Best View Hotel. Being off the main road we expect it to be quieter, the room is air conditioned which is good because by the time we reached Khatima the temperature was in the 40 degree Celcius range.

Settled in and cleaned up, we go in search for lunch. Riding into town, Patrick had seen a decent modern looking Restaurant. Walking along this main street seems more treacherous than riding a bike, but we find the restaurant located just before the bakery where we had asked about a hotel. We both have an awesome Thali and will return here for supper. One more stop to get the sim card for India sorted out with Idea this time, not Vodafone.

For the afternoon, we are just enjoying being out of the heat.

Guy folding and filling the daily batch of potato samosas.

The Nepali Immigaration office is hidden in a small building just off the main road.

And then the road just ends.... All along we have seen signs how this major east-west highway was built in partnership with India. Numerous bridges are spanning many rivers coming down off the mountains. But the last bridge is not build yet, no trucks or buses can cross here.

Through no-mans land approaching the Indian check post.

A narrow bridge with a narrow gage railroad runs across a dam. There are lots of pedestrians and cyclists but no vehicle traffic.

Today's ride: 70 km (43 miles)
Total: 16,585 km (10,299 miles)

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