The Himalayan Challenge - Day 17 & 18
Reports by Syd Stelvio. Photos by Gerard Brown
~~~~ Day 17: October 7, 2018 ~~~~
Kathmandu - Rest Day One
Flying high
Most of us enjoyed a well earned lie in this morning - and a lazy breakfast. Those booked on the first round of Everest flights however had to present themselves at reception at 5.30am for the transfer to the airport and thence to Sagarmatha.
Following their roof of the world odyssey, they were back in plenty of time to begin the spanner checks and running repairs on their cars. Matt Bryson, was first on the tools, he “loves” the Austin A90 Westminster he’s navigating and, along with Adrian Hodgson the driver, reckons that there is “ absolutely nothing wrong with it” but nevertheless Matt is all too aware of the need for regular nut tightening and lubing, jobs he clearly relishes.
Marc-Philip and Ulrich Zimmerman’s Volvo Amazon had lost its anti roll bar links so along with Russell Smith they set to replacing them.
Lee Strelzow spent most of her day in and around the customs office of Tribhuvan Airport, trying to retrieve the tyres for their Bentley. Ultimately she was successful, but tomorrow she plans to see the sights and hit the shops.
Once these few basic chores had been completed then, for most of the rally, it was time for some fun.
Nature abhors a vacuum though, and nowhere is this illustrated more clearly than on the streets of Kathmandu. Every available inch of space is taken up, by either a person, a taxi, a tuk tuk or a motorcycle. The streets of the Thamel District of Kathmandu, make Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi look decidedly spacious.
Those crews who did venture out into the melee did so largely on foot or by taxi. Their rally cars deserved a rest as much as they did.
The historic heart of this ancient city had been hit hard by the 2015 earthquake and sadly, parts of the famous Durbar Square are now either piles of rubble or are out of bounds to tourists, awaiting repair.
There was still plenty to see though and Matthias Bittner and Dennis Billon ventured up to the famous Swayambhunath Stupa with its expansive views over the city. This visit involved a steep climb and a gauntlet of monkeys but, as one of the most sacred sites in Tibetan Buddhism it was well worth the effort.
Other crews were happy to sit and relax with a drink on the terrace by the pool.
Interestingly, it was noticed by one sharp eyed rallyist that today’s Himalayan Times reported two pieces of news pertinent to us. Firstly was that the locals held a protest last week complaining about the government’s failure to fix the roads after the earthquake. If only we could have joined them.
Secondly they reckoned that the monsoon had finally finished which was a little odd given that this afternoon the sky darkened and the streets ran like rivers once again.
Tomorrow is another rest day and we’re all looking forward it very much.
~~~~ Day 18: October 8, 2018 ~~~~
Kathmandu - Rest Day Two
The roof of the world
For those crews who hadn’t managed to take the Everest flight yesterday, then today was the day. There’s no traffic at 5.30am so we arrived at the airport within minutes. We were whisked through security and on board, comfortably settled in our seats, within an hour of leaving the hotel.
Everyone has a window seat, and the flight itself is like skimming through the pages of a North Face catalogue. The views are breathtaking and the champagne very welcome. And, we can also confirm, the roof of the world is painted a shade of deep blue.
Away from the lofty heights though, there was still a bit of spannering going on, Roy Stephenson and Peter Robinson for example managed to get a new alternator fitted to their Datsun and almost everyone used today as an opportunity to do little spring cleaning in and around the footwells and dashboards. It’s been a dusty few days.
After lunch, a couple of crews were lucky enough to secure permission to take their Bentleys into Basantapur a UNESCO World Heritage site, for a spot of sightseeing. Jonathan Turner’s 1997 Peking to Paris car was joined by Bill Cleyndert’s Super Sports and, both cars were quickly swallowed up by the hordes of tourists and souvenir sellers all keen to get in on the action.
Other than that we can also report that the pool was busy, it didn’t rain and the word from the 48 hour car is that getting out of the valley is a lot easier than getting in.
Tomorrow we set a course for Chitwan on the final leg of the Himalayan Challenge.
Reports by Syd Stelvio. Photos by Gerard Brown