Motorcycle Madness

Himalayas Faintly In The Background 

After finally going through the long and hilariously complicated process of getting a new passport and renewing my Nepali visa the final step remained of obtaining a new Indian visa - the last hurdle necessary in order to legally exit Nepal and head south for Christmas. After waiting all day at the Indian Embassy my number was finally called. I went up to the window and handed in my form. The wait was finally over. The visa official took my form, looked up at me, and said "Come back next week". He handed me a paper with the pick-up date of December 14^th.

After being in Nepal for over 80 days and Chris somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 days, we were at a loss for ideas on how to fill this last 7 days. The only one thing was certain - we had to get out of Kathmandu. After some discussion it was decided that we will rent motorcycles and take a trip south. There were two major problems with this plan. Neither of has ever technically driven an actual motorcycle before and Nepal has the craziest roads I have ever seen.

Us & The Hogs in Khadichaur 

We went to a rental shop near the guesthouse and rented two 150cc Bajj Pulsar's, which seem to be the most common motorcycle in the country. After handing over 2000 rupees each for a 4 day rental ($24 USD), leaving a passport as deposit, the keys and helmets were presented, and once the enormous parade passing by the shop gave us an opportunity we were off. The first hour was pretty terrifying. It was a real challenge to simultaneously get a feel for driving a motorcycle, get used to driving on the left side of the road, and also not get into an accident amidst the seemingly unpredictable swarm of motorcycles, buses, cars, people, fruit carts, animals, and trucks. Chris was having particular trouble getting a feel for the clutch and struggled a bit with first gear. Having never driven a standard transmission before it was especially challenging for him to grow accustomed to. We eventually managed to get through the traffic while being perpetually blasted at face level by thick black clouds of smoke from passing buses and trucks. After an hour we hit a major intersection where we hopelessly lost each other in the sea of trucks and cars. With no cell phones, there was no way to find one other. After searching for about an hour I got on the bike and continued along our planned route stopping at an internet cafe to email Chris the meet up destination. While I rode ahead, Chris gave up his search for me

No One Here Can Read A Map

I arrived in the town of Dhulikel as planned and got an email from chris who arrived about the same time. We soon found each other at the guesthouse and went out for an insanely cheap and not so delicious dinner of rice with cloves and unusual spices. Walking back from the restaurant through the old Newari town during a typical power outage the stars shined impressively bright unimpeded by any city lights. We made our way through the narrow streets past candlelit vendor stands and watched a lunar eclipse take place. The whole scene felt like being in another world of centuries ago and I kept an eye on the rooftops half expecting to see a ninja leap through the darkness. Despite the fact that it was the most appropriate setting for a ninja sighting I have ever experienced I still failed to spot one.

Jay Shredding Up The Dirt Roads

After breakfast the next day we continued heading south (or so we thought). Finally out of reach of the insane traffic of Kathmandu, the mountain roads and fresh air were a welcome change. We stopped a couple times to ask directions and our intended route (south to the warm lowlands) was confirmed by two locals. After heading on another hour along a gorgeous river valley we stopped again for a break and found out we were nowhere near where we were trying to go. Instead of going south we were driving north along the road to Tibet. It also turns out that some Nepalis are unable to read a map and don't know their actual geographic location on the planet. It does not help when the map is written in English either. Encouraged by the beautiful scenery and just going with the spontaneous nature of the trip we decided to head north to see Tibet.

Holiday Parade In Barabise

As the day wore on, the roads wore down. The mountains around grew increasingly higher as did the unprotected cliff drop off the side of the road. Trucks and buses often whip around these curves on the opposite side, but keeping with the road rules of Nepal we used our horns excessively to alert oncoming vehicles of our presence and to scare goats/dogs/chickens/cows out of the way. You would not understand how effective this is unless you actually drove here. We passed through a town along the way where we were held up by yet another parade (every other day in Nepal is a holiday of some sort). There was a sacrificial goat and masked people in colorful and creepy costumes in a large procession. After observing the festivities we continued north. We drove past some massive waterfalls dropping from the towering cliffs above, various stream crossings later, and a mishap involving chris breaking his rear view mirror off the handlebars while going over a hidden speed bump, we made it to the border. The mountains across the border were even higher and various towns dotted the slopes leading north to the Tibetan plateau beyond. We stopped just short of the gate and armed guards since my passport was left as the deposit for the bikes and its not legal to enter Tibet from Nepal anyway.

Magic Buddha Statue: Tatopani, Nepal

We found a guesthouse a half an hour south of the border town and walked around. While staring at a 40 foot high "Magic of Buddha" statue complete with severed heads on a stick and a strange mustache, we made friends with a local monk. Later that day while asking him for advice on a place to eat dinner our conversation was interrupted by a horn honking up ahead. Various monks walking nearby and some locals simultaneously started running towards the truck in a mad dash (including the one we were talking to). Without discussion or hesitation me and Chris ran with everyone and hopped in back of the truck. Hitch hiking with Buddhist monks by the border of Tibet is not an opportunity to miss out on. The truck brought us back to the bordertown again where we ate dinner and walked back through the dark mountain roads. The waterfalls we passed earlier were now just thin ribbons of silver illuminated in the dark by the moon, which barely gave us enough light to not walk off the side of the road.


The next day we rode back to Dhulikel. Now more comfortable and confident with the roads and motorcycles we made it back to town in two hours. Heading south from Dhulikel is the road to Namobudda, a beautiful golden roofed monastery on top of a ridge overlooking the Himalayan mountains where we decided to go next. Taking the bikes off road on the path to the monastery was a lot of fun. Some of the highest peaks in the world were visible the entire way along the skyline.

Our Home For The Night

The monastery was breathtaking and we were the only tourists staying there. Bells, Horns, and Tibetan throat singing was heard in the background while we walked around taking pictures constantly in awe at the views and the serene atmosphere. Having dinner in a room full of buddhist monks with their marroon robes and shaved heads was another first time experience, but it didn't last long. The servers walked around with enormous cauldron sized pots of rice and soup and filled everyone's plates up endlessly. Being the only meal of the day for the monks they ate at a shocking speed and the room emptied out about 15 minutes after we entered. Full after downing two mounds of rice and two bowls of soup I waddled back to the room. Being a monastery, bedtime was early and sleep came at around 730.

Namo Buddha Monastery

The next day we headed back to Kathmandu through a different route taking us off road to some very poor rural villages. We passed through a beautiful and neglected square of Newari temples along the way, which unfortunately seemed to have been the town dump and was also the location of the village trash fire gathering. Once back in the city we navigated the traffic like pro's weaving around the cars and trucks following the flow of the other motorcycles and made it to Thamel in half the time it originally took to get out of the city. Along the way we stopped for a new rear view mirror and it was fixed in 15 minutes by skilled 12 year old mechanics and for just 250 rupees ($3.25 USD).

View En Route To Monastery

With the bikes returned unscathed and my passport collected, it was time for a major high-five. We both agreed that our first motorcycle adventure was the most exciting activity yet. What a blast. I can't wait to get back on another bike and explore some more less traveled areas. Not only is this the best way to travel and get off the beaten path, it is really fun. Once we got used to motorcycle driving and rules of the road it turned out to be not nearly as dangerous as it seemed at first. The traffic here is far less chaotic than it looks.

The drivers in Nepal are far better than most back home. They communicate through beeps and signal for you when its safe to pass them. It is cooperative! People actually help each other while driving! Just about everyone drives defensively and I didn't see one accident anywhere in our 4 days of riding yet almost every day driving to work in New Jersey i would see a fender-bender or worse on the largest and most organized roads I have driven on. There is a certain arrogance and righteousness to our driving attitudes back home that causes accidents, which is completely absent here. There is no "right or wrong", people just stay out of each others way. There was minimal yelling, or angry behavior. If someone cut someone off, or failed to signal, it is just accepted. Adjustments are made and everyone continues on their way. Driving is not used as a tool to take out your aggression here. Americans could learn a thing or two from the roads in Nepal and believe me, they have a whole lot more to be pissed off about than we do....


Anyway...regardless of any further bureaucratic surprises with our visas, the next post WILL be from India. If necessary we will resort to "Plan B" and sneak inconspicuously over the border in a two person horse costume.

about the same time and decided to grab some lunch nearby where he checked his email where received my message. It is very likely I ran right past him at the intersection while frantically looking for him.e most chaotic traffic I have ever seen. The city is infamous for its roads and the mountains are equally dangerous however, we were really desperate to leave the city. The excitement and challenge of a new experience was too much to turn down.

Kathmandu & the Osho Tapoban Commune

Hanging with Osho in our robes

      After a few rest days in Pokhara we returned to Kathmandu to wait on the arrival of Jay's passport. The city is not charming by any stretch, but returning to a city again and again provides a certain comfort when on the road. The streets, sights and vendors are familiar. The small charms of daily life slowly materialize, a good hole in the wall restaurant here and a quiet street there.

      The hustle of the city began to wear so we headed to a meditation ashram to wait out the remaining time before the passport was ready. A short taxi ride brought us to the Osho Tapoban Forest Commune, a spiritual hermitage just outside of Kathmandu. Tapoban is one of a huge number of ashrams based on the teachings of the guru Osho. India & Nepal are full of Gurus, spiritual as well as religious. These are the people who promote spirituality, meditation, love, peace, brotherhood and other humanitarian values. In the world of gurus Osho is somewhat controversial. Before his death in 1990 he drove a different Rolls Royce every day of the week while preaching free love, responsibility to ones self and the evils of institutionalized religion.

      Although fairly culty, I found it it to be interesting and amusing. I dont think Jay was quite as amused as I was. Full length robes must be worn at all times in the ashram, maroon by day and white by night. Osho's face was plastered everywhere. A huge closeup hung over our beds. Open the bathroom door and theres Osho again, staring you in the face. 

      Osho promoted a practice called dynamic meditation. Basically he believed that meditation as traditionally taught is very difficult to achieve in the modern world. Our minds have become clouded due to overexposure to stimuli and the increasing complexity of life . In order to properly meditate we must purge ourselves of subconscious thought processes and urges that are supressed due to adherence to societal norms. 

      Dynamic meditation has five stages, with music accompanying four of the five. Stage one is essentially hyperventilation, breathing in and our of your nose as deeply and powerfully as possible. It brings tremendous energy to the body. During stage two the music becomes frantic. You use the energy gathered during stage one to freak out. Scream at the top of your lungs, cry, laugh, roll around on the floor. The idea is to remove yourself from the process mentally and allow your subconscious and body to work in perfect union. People don't hold back in this stage and it was somewhat alarming initially. Stage three the music changes and you jump up and down yelling "hooooo" from the depths of your stomach. Supposedly this releases some form of pent up body energy. The music cuts out for the fourth stage, silent meditation. After fifteen minutes music starts up again and everyone dances, celebrating life. Again, people rock out completely unselfconsciously during this time.

      Dynamic mediation is just the first of five that take place throughout the day. All involve some type of movement or dance. Before bed there is a final meeting of everyone at the ashram called sangha. Sangha is a celebration at Osho Tapoban. Everyone dances like crazy people to surprisingly good Indian beats then lays down to listen to excerpts from osho lectures. Each song ends with everyone throwing their hands in the air and yelling "Ooosssshhhhhooooo!" As we are all wearing white robes, you can imagine the cult- like nature of the scene. I freaked out, danced and threw my hands up with the best of them. Jay sat down and closed his eyes, occasionally opening them and laughing.

      After a few days we received word that Jays passport was ready for pickup and we prepared to leave the ashram. Although I didn't agree with all of Oshos teaching, there were some points that resonated. Either way, the short stay in a commune and out of my comfort zone was a great experience and one that I will not soon forget.

 - The question is not whether life exists after death but whether your are alive before death.  - Osho