Exploring Kathmandu

September 20^th, 2026

Kathmandu, Nepal

Woke today at 7:00am.  Moved from bed to the chair and still feel asleep again till 8:00am.

Took a shower and dressed and then went upstairs for breakfast.

After eating a decent breakfast, I went down to the room to start getting things ready for today.

Pulled out the 360 camera and verified card and battery were good, and put the spare batteries on charging to top them off.

I also made sure the infrared camera was had good batteries and put my phone on the charger to top it up as well.

Then we sat and played around online for a bit till I heard from the tour manager that my car and guide would be at the hotel at 10:15.

I went downstairs at 10:00 to sit in the lobby.  Few other people sitting around.  The tour manager arrived and started to talk with one of the guys sitting nearby, he was the guide.

The car arrived a bit later and we got in and departed the hotel parking lot to drive to the first of four destinations today.

The traffic was a bit crazy already, and the narrow roads make getting around fun.  Was a slightly larger electric SUV as well, so bit tight in spots, but nice newer car with good AC, which we needed as the temperature was getting up there today, and air was a bit humid due to moisture in the surrounding hills.

We made our way west and started going up the hill side to reach the first stop of the day.

The Swayambhunath Temple was located up on a hill top overlooking the Kathmandu city and valley.

This very important Buddhist site dates back to at least the 3^rd century BCE, and is venerated by several Buddhist faiths, especially among the Tibetan Buddhists.

The main draw is the large Stupa, but several smaller stupas are located on the site, as well as temples and shrines.

There are a few families that stay in the area as monks and caretakers, though this is about half the original number that used to be onsite before the site was badly damaged in earthquakes over the last few decades.

Much has been restored and work continues on smaller areas of the site still.

There artisanship in some of the carvings and sculpture is amazing.

Parts of the structure still date back to 2000 years ago, but much of the site has been rebuilt in recent times as part of the restoration from the earthquake damage.

The site has several community dogs around it, and they pretty much just lay around all day.

Also contains a fair number of monkeys on the site, which are fun to watch as they climb sections of buildings, trees, and walls.   They have a swimming pool that was build just for them and some of the monkeys will climb up to nearby walls and roofs and then jump to the water 15-20 feet below.

Several vendors around the site selling simple trinkets that are connected with Buddhism in some way, or just unique art pieces.  Looked at a few cool statues, but no room to buy stuff like that.

I did find one spot selling the small collection of coins.  Found 2 sets, one with more recent coins, other much older.  As coins are not used much in daily life, and almost never see the Paisa (sub coin under the Rupee) coins, I thought this might be cool way to add some to my collection.

Vendor really tried to make out that these coins were really old, like 200+ years.   I doubted that (I later looked up a few and did find some going back about 150 years, so they are old), but still inquired about price.

He originally gave me price for each set which was way more than I was going to pay, then dropped price as a package deal, but still bit more than I wanted to give.

I offered about 60% of his asking price, and he really did not want to do that, so I then checked my wallet and offered a bit more, mainly as that was all I had on me in US cash since I was nearly out of local Rupee at this point.

He finally accepted the dollar offer, if I tossed in a few more rupee, which I agreed to.

All in I gave $46 for 36 coins, most in decent condition.  The exchange value is of course way below that, but from a collection standpoint I probably paid a fair market value based on some searching I did later in the day.

Shortly after I bought them, I met up with the guide again (He had let me wander around on my own for a bit after we had gone over the history and usage of the complex).

We exited back out the way we came, lots of steps and hilly roads, though we drove most of the way up, there is another route up that has 340+ steps to reach the same place.

We met up with the car and driver and left to reach our next destination a short distance away.

We pulled up and exited the car on the side of the road, then walked over and into the Hanumandhoka Durbar Square (also known as Kathmandu Durbar Square).

This complex of buildings includes many old temples put up by noted families and much of the former royal palace and administration offices.

Nepal was a monarchy for many centuries until events in 2001 started a slow dissolution of that type of government.

A member of the royal family went on a spree and killed much of the royal family.  One of the surviving members took the throne, but in 2008 abdicated the throne and the government changed in to a republic of elected officials.

The complex is now being restored and converted into a museum, though much work still needs to be completed.

Much of the palace is more recent in construction, a large part only being built in the early 1900s, but other sections date back to the late 1700s.

While walking around, we viewed some details on many of the temples, saw the insides of the former state courtyards, walked through a small section of the palace open to the public, and also entered the Kumari Ghar which is next to the old palace.

The Kumari Ghar is palace residence of the Living Goddess Kumari.  She is represented by a female child, chosen at a very young age from specific families from specific religion to serve as the Living Goddess until she reaches the age of puberty, at which time she retires the role and a new child is chosen.

Her duties include special appearances at festivals and religious functions.  On certain days, the goddess will appear in the window above the palace courtyard and visitors below can honor her presence.

We were there during the time of this appearance, so waited in the courtyard (which was very hot and stuffy as no breeze could blow through it, and packed with people) for a few minutes until the announcement of the appearance was given.

Then on the 3^rd floor of the building, a small girl, probably 4 years old, stood in formal attire at the window, staring mostly off into space, though I did see her look down briefly.  She appears only for about 30 seconds, while those below go quiet and put hands together in prayer, then many will start clapping as she departs.

On this day, a large group of school children were present and they were then led into the building, where I believe they get to meet or at least have a photo taken with the Goddess.  This ability is only for locals; no foreigners are allowed to go inside the building.

Once the appearance was over, people had to filter out the small narrow doorway, so the guide and I held back and bit and discussed the details on the architecture of the building until much of the crowd had dispersed.

When we finished seeing the rest of the complex, we met up with the car and driver and headed across town to the next stop, which is also where we will stop for lunch.

After a 20 minute drive, we arrived at the location of the Boudhanath Stupa.

This is one of the largest spherical stupas in the world, and one of the more important sites for the Tibetan Buddhist faith.

It is believed to have been built in the 5^th century, but could be older, and has been renovated and changed some over the centuries.

The large round structure is said to contain important relics inside, and is surrounded by a wall of buildings containing monasteries, shops and upper floor cafes and restaurants.

It was one of these places we stopped to eat at, located on the rooftop of the 4 story building.

This location gave a great spot to see the Stupa from a more elevated viewpoint.

I took a seat and ordered my lunch, the guide went elsewhere, not sure it he ate on his own, or went to a different place, as he seemed to know several people on the way in, so might have gone to spend some time with another local in the area.

I ordered Chicken Mo-Mos (steamed chicken dumplings with sauce), Dal Makhani (lentils and spice sauce) and had it served on rice.  Also tried a stuffed Naan bread (stuffed with cottage cheese).  Just had a coke and some water to drink.

As happened the other night, the portions were way larger than I expected, so ended up eating too much, and did not even finish the Naan.

When done, I paid my bill (2000 rupee, or about $13) and we left to go walk around the perimeter of the Stupa.  We talked about the history of the place, and its place in Tibetan Buddhist faith, and some about the surrounding town as well.

We then walked over to a nearby street to wait for the car.  Guide actually headed off and has me wait on the side of the road for a bit, and after about 5 minutes he returned and the car shortly after that arrived.

We quickly got into the car as he had to block traffic to stop and pick us up, and then headed over to the next, and final stop for the day.

We reached the Pashupatinath Temple after a few minutes and were dropped off along the road outside.

We walked a few blocks to reach the main entrance and then walked among the outer temple buildings to the river.

This temple complex covers 246 hectares and has hundreds of mini temples surrounding the main temple, which dates back to at least the 5^th century.

It is considered one of the holiest pilgrimage sites within the Hindu faith.

One of the more interesting aspects was the cremation ceremonies taking place along the river.

As in India, Nepal uses cremation as the main method of treating the body after a person’s death.

The body is burned on a special platform and when done washed into the river, which (in this case the Bagmati River, which does eventually join the Ganges in India).

There were several fires burning while we were there, and two more funeral ceremonies were just getting started with the deceased being still on the bamboo frame sitting on the side of the platform while the family gathered for the various rituals.

My guide explained how the whole process worked, the ceremonies, now various family members will follow certain things in the follow year after, the costs, and special handling that occur leading up to the fire itself.

I then had some time to wander among the nearby small temples and structures on the hillside, including a lot of steps.

There were lots of lazy dogs and active monkeys around this site as well.

Once we were done, we walked out along the river to meet the car.

At this point we then headed back into town and the hotel.

At the hotel I tipped the guide a small amount as I was nearly out of rupee, and then went up to my room to cool off and relax, my feet, legs, and back were a bit sore now.

I worked on a few things until the tour manager contacted me to meet up and discuss the next few days points.

He arrived at the hotel a bit later and we went up to the rooftop bar to have a drink and quickly go over things.

The guide for the bike ride will arrive sometime later in the day tomorrow and we will then get to go over the ride details and check out the bike as well.

We then talked about maybe doing a shorter trip tomorrow morning as well, but I was not sure yet if I wanted to go out again, or stay in the room.

I do need to check with hotel to see if they have laundry service and get my stuff cleaned so I can have a full set of clothing for the ride.

I will call him in the late morning if I decide too.

Once we finished talking, I went down to the room to grab my passport so I could go get some more local currency.

I also stopped at the front desk and extended my stay another day, since my original stay only included the days before the Tibet tour was to start, but as that was moved, those nights where cancelled.

As I am not leaving till Tuesday, I need a hotel for Monday night, so just as well stay where I am.

Once that was done, I then left to go check the rates at a few local money exchange shops as I had noticed today the shops along the places we visited were paying a bit more today.

I walked down the same street I saw the other day and the numbers were higher, but bit less than the shops in the other parts of town, but I did find the last shop was only .10 rupee per dollar less, so close enough.

I exchanged another $200, and then walked down to use the ATM as I wanted to see which was better option.

I pulled 10000 rupees from the ATM, paying a 500 rupee atm fee.

I then returned to the room to sort out the funds, and then did some checks and calculations and with the 100 rupee equivalent that my own bank also charged me, I was losing 600 rupees to the ATM, but doing the math, I only lost 200-300 rupee at the money exchange shops, so looks like the better option for now.

Once done with that, I then uploaded all the footage from today, and got things sorted, and also put batteries on the charger and the cell phone.

I am still feeling full from lunch, so going to just skip eating dinner tonight.

Now that I have this blog entry finished, I will get it uploaded and then either go to bed, or work on converting more 360 footage from the Arctic trip so I can get more videos done.

Catch ya down the road.

 

Planning for Nepal

September 19^th, 2026

Kathmandu, Nepal

Woke today at 8:00AM and got showered and dressed.

Went up to 5^th floor to the restaurant for the included breakfast and met up with Avo again.

Nice place with a good sized indoor seating area, and a smaller outdoor patio, which is where the omelet guy was working to build your omelet of choice.

We talked about various things while eating and then he left to pack, but will return when done.

While waiting, Ganesh, a local partner who will help me with some trip planning arrived, and then Avo came back soon after.

We discussed various ideas, and settled on a possible plan and then Ganesh made several calls to try and work on the logistics to get something going in a few days’ time.

Avo left again so he could get prepared for his departure at noon, he has to fly out and head to another country to start some scouting for a future ride to be offered there.

I stayed with Ganesh till we had all the details worked out for the bike trip and a day trip around the city for tomorrow.

Once done, I went back to the room and started writing the blog for the previous travel days, then when he messaged me, I went down to the lobby to say goodbye Avo and talk a bit with Ganesh before he left

Back to the room to finish the blog and upload it, and then played around online a bit.

By this time, I was getting hungry, so gathered my stuff and left the hotel to walk around the local area.

I had seen an interesting sandwich shop just a block away on Google Maps, but when I walked by, it was a small take out only shop, and quite busy, so decided to find something else to eat.

I walked a bit down the road, looked at some art from a local, nice stuff, but not anything I need anymore.

Turned down a small alleyway to check out some T-shirts. Guy was friendly, but kept talking about how he had not had any business today.

I found a cool looking shirt and when I asked the price, he asked me what I wanted to pay as I was his first customer in a while.  Without thinking I said out loud that I would probably pay X for the shirt in the states, so he agreed to that price, probably twice what he would have asked for…doh!

He then did not give me any change (small amount owed), instead giving me a small Nepal Flag patch, but as that was actually something cool, I was happy with it.  And the price paid was not bad, just did not take advantage of my location and get it cheap. 😊

I bought the shirt as I will probably need a spare anyway, I usually pack 1 less so I have room to buy a shirt if need along the route, though this time the shirt is not really related to my trip, but still cool.

I then walked back toward the hotel, then around the corner to check out other places along the road.

The area is mostly hotels, small food shops, and huge amount of retail, selling all kinds of things.  Lots of travel agents as well.

I browsed a few book/map stores, thought about buying a paper map of the area we will ride, but probably not needed since I have the guide.

Stopped at a small shop to buy a coke and then wandered a bit more.  Checked out most of the money exchange places, the rate was pretty close among them all, varied by only about .8, so not a huge difference.  I will probably get more money tomorrow, though might try the ATM to see what its rate is.

I went back to room to drop off the shirt and coke (bought it for later), then walked back over to a restaurant around the corner I had seen.

Kathmandu Burgers.  Looked good, familiar food, with a local twist.

Had the special, which was two patties, one ham, one chicken, both breaded it appeared, toppings and on a toasted bun.  Had some fries and a coke with that.

Was a good meal, and cost just over $5 for it all.

Sat outside and watched the traffic while I ate.

Quite hectic at times, narrow one lane roads.  The cars and bikes mostly are one way, but do see some bikes going other direction, and rickshaws and pedestrians going both.  You just walk on edge of road, no real sidewalk, occasionally a small patio in front of shops, but those are only short sections.

Had a few people trying to get my attention from street, some kid begging for food I think, another guy either wanting, or asking if I wanted something to smoke, I believe, and a few that I just ignored and did not even look at.

A few women, all with a single child, sitting on road begging as well.  Makes you wonder if this is real mothers in need, or just all part of some group to get money out of tourists.

As I had little local currency, I am not going to be “donating” anything today anyway, so ignored them.

After lunch I returned to the hotel, checked out the window display of shop near hotel that sells knives and such.  They had some really cool looking khukuri blades, but not something I have room for, and travelling around with it would make things complicated.

Back in the room I answered a few messages, then scrolled online for a bit.

My lower back was hurting, so I laid down on the bed to stretch it out, and withing moment I must have zonked out.

I woke up 4 hours later!

I was not super hungry, but needed some food, so walked upstairs to check out the dinner options at the restaurant.

Got seated, looked over the menu and decided to order what I thought would be a small starter, and a main course.

The starter, chicken mo-mo’s, was about twice what I thought it would be, but the small dumplings were really good, and had 3 sauces to work with as well.

The main course was a chicken dish.  It came out with pasta and veggies, all sizzling on a very hot plate, putting off steam!

Very good though, but now I have had more food than I should have.

I only drank water to help though.

Then they asked about desert, and like an idiot, I asked to see what they had.  Ended up getting a brownie with ice cream.  Should not have eaten that much extra, and wasn’t really that good either, not bad, just not great.

Once done, I thought they might bring me a check, but instead asked if I wanted coffee or tea.

I decided to get a nice chai with milk to finish off the night.  Was okay, but liked the stuff in India better.

I then got up and walked to counter to pay for my dinner.  I went ahead and paid now instead of charging to room since I am still not quite sure how the room is setup, do not want it getting billed to the tour company since they booked the nights and paid for them for me.

I then came back to the room to work on stuff.

Got the payment in for the bike ride trip, so good to go there.  Still working with other tour company to get final payments for a trip I will do in a few weeks, needed an updated invoice for some missing options.

I tried on the shirt I bought earlier, which was largest size he had.  Sadly, it is a bit snug across the chest and definitely over my fat gut.  Shoulders and arms are good, so perhaps as I lose some weight it will fit better.  Will need to be careful with washing, as it’s a 100% cotton, so will probably shrink.

Tomorrow I will do a tour of the city, checking out at least 4 main sites of local significance.  This will be by car with a driver/guide.  I will pay the guy cash tomorrow for that trip as it is smaller amount I have funds on hand for.

Will meet with the local tour guy again tomorrow I think when I pay him, so can get some final questions answered, and will meet again on Monday with the bikes and guide to figure things out before we leave on Tuesday morning.

Now that I have this typed and ready to go, will get it online and then probably go to bed since I need to be up a bit earlier tomorrow.

Or I might start editing the next episode of the Arctic trip instead, depends how tired I fell in the next 30 minutes.

Catch ya down the road.

Going half way around the Globe for a new Adventure

September 18^th, 2026

Kathmandu, Nepal

We are off on another adventure, this time to travel several regions of South Asia over the next two months.

My first trip was supposed to be a 2 week motorcycle trip from Nepal to Tibet and back.

Sadly, the recent flooding in Nepal had destroyed the border crossing, and for reasons not yet known, China has closed its borders to tourism travel, and also closed down many of the tourist spots along the mountains on their side of the border, so even flying into Tibet was not a realistic option.

The tour company has already agreed to move all of our reservations and funds to the exact same tour, on same dates in 2027.

As I have multiple trips planned in the region, I decided to go ahead and keep my flights and start in Nepal, and will just figure out something to do for the time I am there.

I was invited by two Brits on the tour to join them on some adventures they put together, but still not sure that trip is what I want to do as it only has 3 days of riding involved and more time spent at a safari park and requiring several flights inside the country.  They sent me some basic dates and stops, along with costs, so will look at some stuff from 2 other sources I have been talking with and make a decision my first day in Nepal.

****************

The first order of business was the long travel to get to the starting point of the trip here in Kathmandu, Nepal.

My flight was not till midnight on the 16^th of September, so I spent much of that Wednesday just finalizing my packing, having lunch, and visiting with relative I stay with while between trips.

I had arranged for a shuttle to pick me up in the small town I stay in and take me to the airport in Phoenix.  They are scheduled to pick me up at 7:45 PM on the 16^th.

A friend of my relative picked us both up and drove us over to the gas station the shuttle stops at and we waited till the shuttle arrived.

They were a few minutes late, but arrived and we did our goodbyes, loaded my two duffel bags onto the van and I took a seat in the back with 4 other people that were picked up earlier in another town.

Ride takes just over an hour to reach the Sky Harbor Airport, was a quiet ride, just the road noise and rain that came down intermittently during the drive.  Two ladies in front of van talked for a bit, but then both fell asleep.

We arrived at the terminal I fly out of first, so got off, grabbed my bags, tipped the drier $5 and then went into the airport.

The check in counter was empty for United, which was a bit odd.

I stopped at the kiosk, scanned my passport and answered the questions to get fully checked into my flight.

The attendant came over when called by the machine to verify passport and check to see what my Visa status was (Nepal allows several visa options, I will get mine on arrival in the country).

Then checked my bag with the riding gear and few things and attached the tag.  Then dropped the bag and headed up to the gate area.

Security checkpoint was fairly quick, no issues there.

Once through, I found my gate and sat down for a 90 minute wait till we boarded.

Flight boarded on time.  I was in zone 5, and by time I got onboard and too my seat in the economy plus section, there was exactly 1 spot left in the overhead for my bag.

I took my seat and got settled in.  Full flight tonight to Newark, New Jersey.

Flight was uneventful.  I must have fallen asleep as it went quickly, and as it was an overnight flight, there was no meal or beverage service on the flight (or I slept through it).

We landed around 7:30 AM local time in New Jersey where I would have a 4 hour wait for my next flight.

I got off the plane, verified my information for the terminal and gate for my next flight and then looked for the shuttle that runs between the 3 terminals.

I had arrived in Terminal C, and needed to go to Terminal B for my next flight.

Followed the signs for Terminal A/B shuttle, boarded and it drove all the way to Terminal A, so I figured they would stop at B on way back to avoid the left turn.

But I was told to exit the bus, and when I asked the staff at the bus stop, they told me that the shuttle would not stop at Terminal B until after 1:00 PM.  WTF?

My options were to exit the terminal to the outside, take the exterior shuttle over to terminal B and go through the full security check again, or go back to Terminal C, and take the Air Train, which is also outside security, so requires a full screen again.

Not sure what absolute moron setup this system, but this is the last time I will ever fly through Newark again.  FFS.

I returned on the next bus to Terminal C, grabbed the Air Train and then once in Terminal B, had to go through security for my gate area.  Oddly, each gate wing has separate security, so if gate would change, you would have to go through security again.

Newark, one screwed up Airport, avoid at all costs unless that is your final destination.

Completed the security check, which was not too bad, and arrived in the gate area.

I found the gate, verified the flight was mine, then I went back over to other side and went into the SAS Lounge which my business class flight allows me access too.

NOTE: I had upgraded my flights the day before when I tried to check in online to Business Class to avoid that long flight in coach – 16 hours is just too long to be that cramped.  I also upgraded the final leg as well, even though it’s a short flight, the cost was not bad, so did it anyway.

In the lounge, I found a seat and then had some basic food from the food bar.  Not much there, and was kind of weak quality, but did not cost me anything extra and was a bit quieter place to sit and work on stuff.  Bit warm in the room was my main complaint.

I sat for perhaps 1.5 hours, then left to go sit at the actual gate.

Much cooler out in the main area, so relaxed for a bit till the gate opened and then I approached to get my boarding passes updated to Air India as the originals were printed on United, and from past experience, those will not get you on the plane.

They got me setup with the correct passes for the next two flights, and verified my baggage check to make sure it moved to the correct planes.

I then sat a bit longer, then the announced the Business Class boarding line, so moved over closer to it and waited for it to open.

Once they started boarding, I was able to get on the plane quickly, stow my bag and then relax in the very nice, private cubicle in the front section of the plane.

Had walls all around, though the middle section was open to start with, only after take off do the permit it to be closed, and guy in other seat closed it, though he did introduce himself when we both sat down originally.

There was a nice large screen, huge area to put up and rest legs, small table next to me, cabinet to put stuff into, a small reading light, or larger cubicle light, and the chair could be adjusted all the way flat to make a bed.  Blankets and pillows were also in the space, along with head phones, slippers, and toiletry items.

The aisle wall could be closed for privacy when you were sleeping.

I got comfortable, got a drink from the attendants and waited for the plane to leave.

We got out of the gate 20 minutes early, but lost that time waiting on the jetways for other flights.  But still took off on time.

Once airborne, they came around and took our meal orders from the provided menu.

Food was very nice.  Once done with food, they cleared everything and provided hot towels to clean up, then offered everyone night clothes to change into to sleep if they wanted.  I opted out of this as I am perfectly good sleeping in what I wear on the plane.

I reclined my chair some, then read my Kindle for a few hours, till my eyes were tired.

I then put ear buds in and played music for a couple of hours, drifting in and out of sleep till my batteries were low.

Put them away and then just sat there watching the flight map till I dozed off.

Woke for the next meal, and then slept off and on till we arrived close to Delhi India.

The 16 hour flight had taken us along the US east coast, over small part of Canada, across the Atlantic, then across the UK and much of Europe, then unlike my last flight, we went across the Med, and cut over Egypt and across Saudi Arabia, then over the sea until reaching India.

Once we landed, we were quickly off the plane.  I stopped to use toilet soon after as I had not had chance to use it prior to landing with everyone trying to get changed back into normal clothes.

Then I found the transfer hallway and had to go through security again, which was a bit annoying as they had me unpack all the electronics and run them through again, which was about half my bag.

Once that was done, I checked the flight boards and no gate had been assigned yet for my flight was it was still 5.5 hours away.

I again found the lounge (Maharaja Club) and relaxed in there for several hours, having some light food and drinks while I waited, even dozing a bit, I think.

Finally left to find my now assigned gate 45 minutes before boarding time.

Gate was quite a walk, but then found chair near the front and sat there watching people as the Wifi was not free at the airport.  You had to get a code from businesses or kiosks, so probably required a purchase at least.  I had used the Wifi in the lounge which I also had to request access too (they scan your passport and then give you the code), but it was not working in this area of the airport.

They announced the business boarding, and I was first in line.  I was not sure how full it would be as when I upgraded my ticket, the entire section was empty, I was first to buy a seat there.

We reached the plane, but they then had us wait in the hallway before the jetway as they were still getting the cleaning crew off the plane.

Once allowed, we boarded the plane.

This smaller plane just had the business class at the front with the larger seats, but not much for extras here, not even a TV screen that I could see.  Did not even have power via USB, only via plug, which I did not bring with me, but battery was still good, and only 1.5 hour flight, so no need to charge.

The section eventually filled up except the seat next to me, and rest of the plane was quite full as well.

Once airborne, we again got a meal from the menu and drinks, and then once that was cleaned up, we were almost ready to land.

Landing was after dark, so could only see the city lights spreading out from the area, so not much to look at.

We stopped the plane on the tarmac and used a stair way to get off the plane and walk over to a waiting shuttle bus.

Once full, the bus took us over to the arrivals terminal where people started running to get inside.

I was not in a rush, so found my way inside and followed the signs for the visa on arrival kiosks.

Filled out the application on there, it quoted me a price, but the attendant helping me said I needed to photograph the app info on the screen and then take it over to the payment desk.  They also emailed it, but since I did not have internet yet, could not get that.

At the desk I paid the $50 fee for the 30 day visa and they gave me the receipt to provide to the immigration check point which I walked too next.

Since it was later in evening, about 8:30 now, there was no line, so just took the next window and they guy stamped and applied the sticker to my passport, took my photo and then we were on the way.

I stopped at the edge of the building before the exit hallway to buy exchange some currency, and then bought a SIM card from place next door.

$100 gave me 14,500 NPR, which means they kept about 1000NPR as a fee.  The official rate was 1.53, the exchange gave me 1.49, so pretty close.

The 28 day unlimited data/call SIM card cost me 2000NPR, which was about $13 US.

Once done, I proceeded down the long exit hall, where more currency and SIM vendors were.  The currency places all seemed the same, but not sure I got best SIM card, but what I got will cover my needs.

Once out of there, I went down to the main exit, expecting to see someone to pick me up for the hotel as arranged.

However, there was no one, and so I checked my WhatsApp messages to see if I needed to call someone, and there was a message that they were trying to reach me.

Turns out the local people were provided the wrong data for my arrival time.

When I first booked the airfare, I was on a flight that would arrive at 4:30, however, the airline canceled that flight a week later, moving me to the later flight arriving at 8:00.

Unfortunately, the tour organizer had forwarded the original message I gave him about the flights, not the updated one.

So, they had been there earlier in the day waiting for me, and had already left.

In the end, it was not going to be possible to get a driver there in time, so I had to grab a taxi instead.

As I had already been approached by someone outside the building when I arrived, he had told me he had a taxi and was also tour guide trying to sell me on his tours, which did sound interesting, so will think about it, if anything, for next year when I come back into the area for the postponed Tibet trip.

They got me to the hotel, cost me 1500NPR, so about $10, not a bad price for a 15 minute cab ride.

I got checked into the hotel, which was the place we were supposed to stay originally.  I had booked an extra 3 nights in front of the tour, as I had planned to explore the city a bit before we left.

I asked to keep those nights, and will then adjust as needed.

I got into my room, and then met up at the rooftop bar with Avo, who is one of the companies’ agents who helps out on the tours.  He was here for 1 more night before going off the prepare for some other tours in other parts of the world.

I sat with him for about an hour before we headed down to the rooms.

I unpacked a few things, organized some stuff, and then now will head to bed.

Will be up early to have breakfast with Avo and meet up with Ganesh who is a partner with the company and has the possibility of getting me on a ride to the Mustang Valley which is what I was really hoping to do, so will see what becomes of that in the morning.

Catch ya down the road.

 

Arctic Ocean Trip Wrap up and Next Plans

September 7th, 2026

Arizona

We have completed the summer bike trip.

June 9th to August 31st.

15450 miles ridden.

2 Countries, 16 states, and 6 provinces visited.

We traveled up the mountain regions of the USA to reach Canada, then spent time in the mountains and forests of British Columbia before going into Yukon for a bit.

From there a short day trip into Alaska to take a ferry and then back north into Yukon again, just to ride some scenic highways in a more efficient manner.

A day in the far west of Yukon on some horrible highways, then we crossed into Alaska.

Headed south across the forests and mountains to ride out into the back country to spend a few days in McCarthy, then back and across the center in the rain to reach Anchorage where we can access the Kenai Peninsula.

Explored several towns and rode all the main highways on the Peninsula over a few days while we also took a few days off to rest, do laundry, edit videos and get the bike oil changed.

We then headed back north, stopping at the last town on the Peninsula (Seward) before going back to Anchorage for the night.

We then headed north, crossing the open spaces and mountains to reach the middle of the state in Fairbanks.

From there we spent a few days to rest up, deal with some mechanical issues and then we departed on the first of the main objectives on this trip, riding the Dalton Highway to Prudhoe Bay.

Spent 4 days doing this ride in a remote, mostly empty area with little to do, but amazing scenery at every turn.

Once back, we rested again in Fairbanks before heading east again to get back over to Canada.

Took a different route out of the state across the Top of the World Highway to reach the border there and then down into Dawson City.

From here we spent a bit of time to plan and then started are attack on the Dempster Highway.

Much like the Dalton, only longer, more remote, and bit rougher in spots, but also more scenic and amazing.

This time we reached the shores of the Arctic Ocean, walking down and into the water and touching it with our hands.  (I opted not to do any swimming as I did not want to fight taking off the gear on an open rock beach).

We then returned south.  5 Days to complete the trip.

From here we headed south toward Whitehorse in Yukon.

We opted at this point to not ride another remote gravel road and instead stayed on the Alaska Highway all they way to the end of it on the British Columbia/Alberta border.

We then spent a few days in Edmonton to get edits done, laundry, and more bike maintenance.

We did visit plenty of sites in town as well.

Then it was south a bit to visit the fossil lands of Alberta and some more museums.

Then it was time to get out of Canada, but to get a few more days of it, we crossed AB, SK, and MB where we then crossed back into the USA and into Minnesota.

A day here along the upper part of the state before going into Wisconsin where we crossed in about 1 day, but then spent 4 more days exploring along the south part of the state to see some sites.

Then it was time to hit another major objective, the riding of Route 66.

This meant a quick ride to Chicago, then crossing the city and starting the route, following the older alignments as much as possible which are now state highways, county roads, frontage roads and city streets.

We progressed across Illinois and Missouri over a week, then Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas in a week.

We then hit NM and AZ and spent a few extra days to see sites before crossing CA in a few days to reach the Los Angeles area.

Here we decided to leave the route and not do the final leg to Santa Monica.  Tired, annoyed, and really not wanting to deal with LA traffic in 100 degree temps.

I did cross LA on freeways though to visit with a friend in the south edge of the metro, then we went south toward San Diego to bring a back highway back north and over the mountains to reach Palm Springs to visit another friend.

Then we headed home.

Overall was an amazing trip.

Rode all kinds of roads, in most weather conditions (thankfully avoided snow), and saw lots of amazing scenery, and attractions.

Met lots of interesting people, took quite a few photos, and many hours of video.

Each day has an entry on this blog, and there is video of the riding days going up on YouTube, though much slower process.

So now here we ware, a week after I returned and have been cleaning gear, sorting gear, and just relaxing.

But we are not idle for long.

On the 16th of September, we will leave again, flying over to Asia to spend 2 months riding bikes and other things in several countries.

Our first destination is Nepal.  We were supposed to bike up the bikes and ride into Tibet from there.

Right now, due to recent natural disasters in the region, the trip is in limbo.  The tragic floods wiped out the border we were to use, and sounds like they are currently closing other borders to tourist traffic.

So we may end up flying into Tibet instead, but still waiting to hear back from tour company to see how things will go, or if we will have trip cancelled.

If that occurs, then I will work with them on the financial sides, but will then just pivot and find some way to explore more of Nepal instead since I have things booked already.

From there I will explore more, but will save those details for later.

Hopefully you have enjoyed reading along and hopefully have been keeping up with the videos as well on YouTube.

Catch ya down the road.

Back to Arizona

August 31st, 2026

Arizona

We woke and got ready as usual.  

Loaded the bike and checked out of the room.

We then stopped at the fuel station next door and filled the tank before hitting the Interstate westbound for the CA-AZ line.

This stretch of I-10 is pretty sparse.  Not much once you get out of the Palm Springs metro area until you reach the border.

Made good time, with a fair amount of wind, but temps were a bit cooler today due to some clouds moving in.

Reached the border and crossed into Arizona.

We stopped about 8 miles in at a truck stop to fill the tank and get a small bite to eat as I was hungry at this point.

Back on the Interstate for another 40 minutes took us over the small mountains and through Quartzite to reach the interchange with US60.

We got a short sprinkle of rain about this time as well.

Clouds stayed in place for a bit once we got on US60, so helped keep temps in the high 90s for the ride.

US60 is mostly open space and mountains in distance, few small passes and a handful of small towns with very little in them, though most have at least 1 cafe or restaurant, though many were closed today.

Reached the turn for AZ highway 71 and turned off.

Never been on this road before, so was a nice change, though not that scenic.

This cuts straight across the desert to Congress and avoids the need to ride into and through Wickenburg if you are going northward toward Prescott.

Once in Congress, we joined up with AZ highway 89 which runs up Yarnell Hill and then across more open space and small towns before going over the mountain and down into Prescott.

Made decent time here as well, and temps cooled down into the mid 80s once we reached top of Yarnell.

In Prescott, we let the GPS take us on a local residential road that circled around the southeast corner of town and avoided the need to drive into the downtown area and its congestion.

Once back on AZ 89, we followed it to the junction with AZ69 to start heading back east and a bit south toward home.

Stopped in Prescott Valley for fuel as I was getting close, and while I could have made it, just wanted to have the option of riding faster if I needed. 

Temps stayed cool all the way home.

Reached the small town my relative lives in and pulled up to the house.

Took a few things inside, then proceeded to do a full unloading of the bike.

Spent the rest of the night relaxing and having dinner at Arbys before turning in.

Wrote this up, but will upload it later.

Will put a final entry together later as well.

More stories to come as I am only home for 2 weeks before hitting the road again, this time overseas.

Catch ya down the road.

Working on Videos and time with friends

August 30^th, 2026

Palm Springs, California

Woke a bit late today and then just sat around playing on the phone.

No plans, but will try to work on a video.

Friend called and wanted to know if I wanted to meet for lunch around 11:30, so agreed and then went to work on planning my route for tomorrow and just reading stuff online to pass the time.

Got showered and dressed eventually and then uncovered the bike and rode down to the south side of town and met her at Chipotle.

Had a good lunch and some great conversations before she had to leave to attend to several tasks.

Headed back to the motel and got to work on a video.

We had left it open to have dinner at a Japanese Hibachi grill later tonight if she had time.

A few hours later she called to say she would be free for dinner, but due to heat and timing, decided to move the place to a Mexican spot closer to her.   This actually was much closer for me as well, so agreed.

I kept working on video and had the episode completed and exported right before I needed to leave.

Got on the bike and in very hot, crazy winds, rode north to meet her at 5:30.

Arrived and met up with her in the lobby and we were seated right away.

Had an amazing meal, the big burrito I had was just fantastic.  Another evening of good conversation until it started to get dark and she needed to head back home.

I rode back to the motel in the same winds, just not quite as warm this time.

Stopped at the gas station next to motel and bought a few more drinks and then around the corner to park the bike.

Secured and covered the bike, then turned down the AC a bit and tried to cool off while enjoying one of my drinks.

Uploaded the new video to YouTube and then worked on this day’s blog since I am not going to do anything else tonight, figured I could get it done early.

Rest of the night will just be playing online, or perhaps I will turn on the TV for the first time on this trip.

Will leave tomorrow, probably normal time, though might try to get up early and leave while cooler.  Probably not going to happen.

It’s a 6 hour ride back to where I live in Arizona, so will be a good long day, and probably hot as hell most of the way, and the first hour or so will be crazy winds for sure, maybe longer.

But will be nice to get there and unload the bike for the last time.

Probably get most of the bags unloaded and laundry done right away, then sit and cuddle my cats, if they will even let me, still not sure how this absence will impact how they view me.

I do miss them, it has been hard to not have them, and I hate leaving them, but two things that cannot happen collided, and I really needed to do this travel thing now, so having to hope the cats will forgive me, even though I may have to re-home another one next summer.

Well, that’s it for this adventure.

I will write up a review of some of the gear later, and probably write my final thoughts on the entire trip, but will be a few days.

I also have more travel coming up in about 2.5 weeks, so will get busy again and have more to write about, though some of that may need to wait as I will be out of the country and may or may not have easy access to internet.

With that, catch ya down the road.

Desert, Mountains, and Friends

August 29^th, 2026

Palm Springs, California

Woke at 8:00am, but was still tired, so sat on sofa and half slept till about 9:00am.

Showered and got geared up, then went down to have breakfast.

Once done eating, which I had a fair amount of food since this was a bit fancier hotel and had several food options, I went over and luckily, they still had 1 luggage cart left.

Took it up to the room and loaded it up.

Then I worked on a few things as I needed to leave closer to 11:00 today to not arrive too early again.

Eventually just went down and loaded the bike, which was brutal as there was not shaded spots empty, so had to do it in full sun and it was already 98 degrees.

Once loaded, took cart back inside, checked out of the room, and returned to the bike.

Did the final steps, then we hit the road.

I went down toward the next freeway entrance and stopped for fuel, then we hit I-5 south.

I am heading for Palm Springs to visit with some friends, but going the north route on the freeways only takes 2 hours (well, probably 3 with traffic jams).  This would get me into town too early, and it is a boring, mostly crappy route anyway.

So decided to head south toward San Diego, but then turn off onto another highway that would bring me back up into another region I had never been before.

I actually wanted to go over the mountains just behind where I was staying, and the route had been checked out earlier, but when I tried to actually create the map last night, it refused to let me do it.

Some researched turned up a massive road works over the weekend, so when I plotted it the night before it was an open road, but not today.

This was why I was now heading down I-5, along the pacific coast, toward Oceanside.

My fears of arriving early were slowly put to rest.  Fucking traffic jam lasting most of the way.

I pulled off the road a few times, once to use restroom and once to check out a view point, but always had to pull back onto a parking lot.

It was backed up enough; I finally decided to try lane splitting to keep moving instead of sitting still. Since it is legal here in California and other bikes were doing it, I gave it a shot.

Was worried at first as with al the bags I am a wide bike, but I did not take into account that the cars, knowing and accepting the lane splitting will move over to let you by easier, at least once they know you are there, had to rev the engine a few times, but then people moved right over.

So did that for the last half of the trip and probably saved myself 10-15 minutes of sitting in traffic in 95 degree temps. (The close proximity to the ocean at least had a nice cool breeze blowing in.)

Finally reach the exit for the highway I needed and took it.

Highway was a bit slow going, not from traffic, just getting stopped at every damn red light along the route.

Eventually got past the area where the lights were every 1000 feet and was able to make some distance.

Next up was a short northward run up I-15.

After a few minutes I noticed it was taking me to I-215 as my next stop, and then realized that it was rerouting me again to the freeways.  I knew I was looking for a specific highway, and had passed that highway sign already, so pulled off the freeway and let it update its route.

Started down this route, but soon became clear this was not the same route I had plotted the night before.

Somehow ended up going a bit south again before heading into the mountains.  This added more time, so now it was clear I would not be arriving early in Palm Springs.

However, it was not too much extra distance, and was not a repeated road like some of the other route would have been, so enjoyed the ride. Mostly.

Several road work areas that had one lane roads that held up things about 5-6 minutes at each section.

Finally reached the road heading into the mountains and things cooled off some.

From here, I was able to catch another road heading north toward I-10.

I had driven this road before, but going the opposite direction, so still had some new feeling to it.

Turned off onto the higher mountain highway I had wanted to ride for several years.  It had been closed down for a few years due to some rock slide damage the road had taken about 5 years ago, and only recently has the road been re-opened.

This took us up in altitude some more, and things cooled into the mid 80s.

Stopped off at a view point for a short while, but too hot still to linger long.

But eventually had to start coming down.

Reached the I-10 freeway and things were back over 100.

We hit the interstate and immediately canceled the next stop I had planned to make to use up time.  The traffic, construction and longer route had already burned the time.  I was already after 3:00pm, so would just ride to the motel instead of stopping.

Only about 30 minutes to get there, and pulled up in brutal heat, typical for Palm Springs.

Checked in, but they did not have any ground floor rooms, so this means lugging everything up steps in this heat as well.

Pulled around and of course no parking near the steps, had to park about 5 spaces down.  No shade where parked, or on the steps.

Spent 30 minutes unloading.

Once done, I sat in the room and tried to cool off and dry of as I was so wet with sweat you would have thought I had just got out of the shower.

Made contact with the friend here and she gave me the information for a restaurant to have dinner and a time.

I did not really do much but sit and rest till I was ready to ride down to the restaurant.

This time I still had boots and pants on, but skipped the jacket, just too damn hot out.

It’s a 10 minute ride, and straight down the main road the hotel sits on.

But the WIND!!!

This section of town has dozens of huge windmills built around it, and for good reason.  The winds here never seem to let up, at least every time I have been here, they are blowing, and blowing hard.

I would guess at least 30mph winds, some faster gusts.

Reached the restaurant and pulled up next to my friend who was already there.

We went inside and got seated and had a great meal and some great conversation as we had not seen each other in person in just over a year.

Once done, we went outside so she could have a cigarette and talked more, then we had to cut things short as she needed to get home before dark as she cannot see very good in the dark and does not like driving in it.  I can relate as my night vision is not what it used to be either.

I headed back up the road, but stopped off at a convenience store to buy more to drink since I will stay here 2 nights.

Then reached the motel, parked a bit farther away this time, and then secured the bike.  Hoping the crazy winds will not blow the cover off. (It’s secured with its own strap, and I have another strapped on it as well, but could still get pulled up enough to flap around like crazy.

Went up to the room, put things away and then started working on uploading footage and typing blogs as did not do any of that last night, so behind a day now.

Will get the blogs online tonight, then will probably go to bed early.

No specific plans for tomorrow, not sure if my friend will want to do anything again, or if I will just hang out in the room all day working on stuff.  I might ride back down to the spot I was going to stop at, but canceled and do it.  Only about 15 minutes down the freeway, just hot and windy ride is all.

Catch ya down the road.

Todays Route:

Final day of Route 66

August 28^th, 2026

Lake Forest, California

Woke at normal time today and got ready.

Went down to the office to have breakfast, but not much there, just had a bagel with some cream cheese.

Back to the room to finish packing and load up the bike.

Do not have far to ride today, so need to try and leave late enough so that I do not arrive too early at my next hotel stop.

We got going sometime after 10am, but did not really pay attention.

I road the old route through the middle of Barstow, still a few neat old buildings around, some restored, many not.

I was looking for a fuel stop, though still had plenty of fuel, usually like to fill up first thing anyway.

Nothing on the route till near the edge of town, and they were either on wrong side of road (and annoying to try getting back across busy road) or some odd gas I had never heard of, so not going to risk it.

I had enough to get all the way into San Bernadino if I was careful.

Continued on the highway out of town and heading generally south.

Not much out here, some small towns, ranches, the railroad and lots of abandoned buildings along the road.

After about 20 minutes I saw a fuel stop I could use and pulled in to fill the tank.  Then went inside to buy a few cold drinks.

Drank part of one outside, then put them in the backpack and got back on the road.

Short distance past there we reached the only stop I had planned for the day.

Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch.

This unique feature was created by a local after he was left with a huge collection of bottles and misc stuff that he and his father had collected over 50 years of wandering around the local desert.

He constructed metal tree stands that hold the bottles and place them and many other things around a 2 acre spot on his property to share with people passing by on the old Route 66.  The site came about sometime around the year 2000, so was not part of the original Route, but has since become a well-known stop for those making the drive.

The creator has sadly passed in 2019, but his family has done what they can to keep the site open and accessible and are working to increase its relevance to the local region.

I pulled up to the side of the road and got off the bike to do a few photos with the bike and bottle forest behind it.

I then went inside to wander around a bit checking out the bottles and some of the other cool stuff just lying around in various spots.

I only stayed about 5 minutes as it was already over 100 degrees and just too hot to be outside for long without a good wind blowing.

Back on the bike we continued down the route till it curved over and went into Victorville.

I followed the route into the center of town and down the main street.  Not much here, but some cool buildings still.

I was hungry, and had not really seen anything unique for food, so just stopped at Del Taco for lunch.

Ordered my food, sat and ate, and just as I was getting ready to leave, started a conversation with a guy a next table who was also a rider, and wanted to do some longer rides.

Finally went out, got on the bike and headed down the road.

But had to pull over after a while as the Google Maps was off its meds again and acting stupid.  I had accidentally closed the app on the phone, and when you bring it back up again, it just freaks out.  The app is so damn stupid, I cannot figure out you are at point 4 on the route and just wont work because you are no longer at point 1.

I had tried to fix it, but the interface on the phone is so flaky and poorly designed, it usually just screws things up even more.

But since the active map was going to end soon and I would change over to a new map (Google only lets you put in about 10 stop points on a map, so been using 3-6 different maps to follow a custom route that is not just the fucking Interstate.  Another brain-dead design feature….one that never existed 15+ years back.

But the new map was giving me headaches too, and cannot work on it while riding, so pulled over into a parking lot and got things working, sort of.

For some reason when you edit a route, it breaks the Maps ability to actually know where you are in relation to the map itself.

So, the map moves in the directions you are going, but is showing you the map 1-2 miles away from where you actually are.  This only happens if you have the map setup to always show the road in front of you.

Now, if I lock the map to always have North at the top, then it shows the route, but you have to make the mental notes to know what direction you are turning and such.

So, back on the road, we soon got onto the Interstate as it lays over the original road for much of this section, or has cut the original alignment into small, mostly undrivable sections.

Not far down the freeway and traffic grinds to a stop.   California freeways, more like parking lots on a good day.

Finally got past the slow down (an accident on side of road, all lanes were open, so while slowing down some was expected, the average retarded driver has to slow way down and stare, causing a 10 mile traffic slow down).

Eventually reached the Cajon pass (and finally got the map working in the better mode again).

Here there are many old alignments still visible, some you can drive, but they are all gravel and mostly dead end sections.

But about half way down the pass, you can exit off and run on one of the alignments all the way to the bottom of the canyon.

Once I reached the bottom, you pass under the freeway on a newer road, and then pick up Cajon Blvd which is the old alignment, well the main one.  Another older alignment runs parallel a few blocks over after the split at a Y.

This segment takes you through a mostly empty zone of warehouses and industrial buildings, then some not so great parts of town, finally reaching the old center of San Bernadino, also not a very nice part of town.

I had really been needing a bathroom, but nothing presented itself.  I pulled into a McDonalds, but it was just packed with people, and few groups standing outside and I was not going to leave the bike with all the gear on it sitting there while I fought a crowd inside to use the bathroom.

Once I reached the part of town where the road turns west again toward the coast, I bid my farewell to Route 66.  Spending another 3 hours fighting local street traffic to get to Santa Monica, then fighting it again to get out of there was not going to happen. 

I am tired, over heated, and frankly over Route 66.  Nothing I would care to see along the remaining route, most of it has been rebuilt anyway, so this is where the trip ends.

I turned the opposite direction and went over a few blocks to get back on the freeway.

At this point I will not head down to the south side of Los Angeles Metro to visit a friend.

It will still take a few hours, but will be all freeway till the end.  Which means a lot of slow driving and sitting still as it was now 1:00pm on a Friday and things go from ugly to fugly.

Ran down I-215 to Riverside, with pretty much non stop traffic jam that way.

Then picked up highway 91 which had several slow downs, but some nice open sections as well.

Then I had to ignore the GPS again, another case of it wanting to change my route, but thankfully this time I knew what highway I needed, and it was not the toll road it wanted me to take.

Grabbed highway 55 south and then picked up I-5 to continue south.

55 ran smoothly, and I-5 started well, but had several slow downs as well.

Pulled off the freeway in the community of Lake Forest and found my hotel just off the Interstate.

I was an hour early, so stopped at the gas station next door to use restroom finally, and buy a cold drink.

I then rode next door and checked to see if I could get the room early.  Thankfully they were able to allow that, so checked in, grabbed a luggage cart and unloaded the bike (which I had just parked in the road under the front overhang.

Once unloaded, I moved the bike over to an empty spot in front of the building and went up to the room.

Unloaded the cart and then sat and tried to cool down as I was just dripping sweat and body was hot to touch.

Finally changed into street clothes, took the cart back down, and walked next door to buy some water, and a few more cold drinks.

Back in the hotel I made contact with my friend and he chose a restaurant to meet me at, but a bit later in the evening, about 9:00pm.

It was a 25 minute ride over to the place, so in the mean time I did some work online, then took a 2 hour nap as I was exhausted.

When the time came, we skipped the boots and pants, just taking the jacket and helmet to ride over since we would only be on side streets, no highways.

Got over without issue and found the place.  It was basically dark out already, so did not see much along the way, but was mostly nice, higher end residential and commercial places.

I parked and walked over to the restaurant, and a quick text let me know he was a few minutes away still.

Once he arrived, we went inside and got our table (he had made reservation to make sure we could get a place).

We talked, ate, and had a good laugh about old times.

We actually closed the place down, leaving at 11:00pm.

We then talked for another 30+ minutes in the parking lot before we both left to head back to our respective homes.

In my case, that was a return to the hotel, which was another 25 minute ride.

Arrived, found a parking spot and secured the bike, then went inside and up to the room.

Was not tired yet, so did a few things online, but did not do any important work, just goofed off.

Finally, time to turn it all off though and go to bed, have another long hot ride tomorrow.

Catch ya down the road.

Todays Route: