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| Two bikes, Two cities, 1200 kilometers, One goal: change the world by teaching kids to read |
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| The strange, the odd and the scary |
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| Getting into Lhasa for as long as we wanted to be there was never going to be easy. We sat down in a dodgy looking tourist office in Kathmandu, handed over passports, a few nods, a few bills, a handshake. Two days later our 30 day visas showed up. Our group was listed as Nicolas Bertsche, Teacher and David McQuillen, Shopkeeper. We didn't ask any questions. |
| Toilets. The unmentionable needs to be mentioned at least once, as going to the toilet in Tibet is sure to be an epic, unforgettable and usually uncomfortable experience. These two holes, plunging into the scary darkness, are out back of a guesthouse sitting at 4,500m where the temperature outside - and inside - was negative 10 celsius at night. Not sure what you would say to someone who came to use the other hole while you were there. And, hey, where's the toilet paper? |
| Transportation takes a lot of forms in the third world. And much of it looks pretty strange. Left: One of the thousands of Mad Max style choppers we saw on the road in Tibet, complete with happy waving Tibetens yelling 'Tashi Delek'. Below: Music blaring, traffic weaving, terror inducing Indian taxi in Bombay. |
| Although we were ever far from being 'presentable' for most of the trip, Nicolas chose to get a haircut in Kathmandu. What was strange about that? Well, it lasted something like two hours, they gave him a head, shoulder and face massage, full open blade shave, and he was given a police escort to and from the barbershop (generous tip assisted) when he couldn't find one. |
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| God bless Air Nepal. They really should not be flying airplanes. And they seem to know it and be just a bit more honest about it than one is comfortable with. Left: Instructions for what to do in case of a crash. Distributed onboard the Royal Nepal Airlines jet from Bombay to Kathmandu. |
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