Touring - Lhasa-Kathmandu by bike.

Im interested in any info on this tour, net info?

well unless you like the thought of a city full of riots i would recomend you staying away from Kathmandu or nepal in general right now. there are quite a few riots going on there right now, some recent ones involved bullets and the like. if the situation ever clears up then go for it, aside from the Denali NP in alaska my number one destination for world travel would be tibet and nepal.

Thor, wait for the king to step down and democracy to be re-established. For now, my guess is that the road should be considered closed to travellers.

I'm sure the Maoist fractions will also be quick to take further advantage of the political instability - the whole situation could get a lot worse before it gets better. Here's a National Geographic article from earlier this year (http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0511/feature3/index.html).

China or India might even offer to step in to lend military support to the democratic government.
Spies cycling across the borders reporting on troop movements might not be appreciated.

All this would be a magnet to the budding journalist, but as a tourist ?

Sydney Wignall's 'Spy on the roof of the World' (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1558215581/) is also well worth a read for it's combination of lighthearted and serious takes on the historical Nepal/China situation during his climbing expedition in 1955.

CameraMan, the rebels and allies only form a small percentage of the population and are unlikely to cause much trouble if some of their main demands (namely a return to democracy and a referendum on the constitution regarding the role of the monarchy).

Many foreign powers, and especially the US, have been supporting the monarchy in its take over of all powers and are now pressuring the parties to accept the king's offer. There are many reasons for their concerns is to preserve a certain peace and stability but their position is hardly one that resonates with an ideal of democracy. This, I am afraid, could translate in a certain anger towards Americans and Westerners in genral... I haven't read anything about this apart from the few kidnapings which happened a few years ago by maoist rebels but who knows how this volatile situation can turn.

thor,

Be more specific what are you looking for??? An organized trip or do you want to do it independently???

But just to get you started check out this report (This is one of the more recent reports. I have plenty of older ones): Biking Solo from Lhasa to Kathmandu - Reflections from a Cycling Trip of a Lifetime (http://www.bikechina.com/ct-sl-lskmd-05.html)

Plus, search through the bike forums on Thorn Tree, you might find more advice, esp. if you are planning it as an independent trip: Lonely Planet Thorn Tree Travel Forum --> Branches --> On Your Bike (http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/categories.cfm?catid=32&STARTPAGE=1)

Also, the author of the above report, Stephen Lord, has a book coming out in late May/early June '06 worth to check out: http://www.adventurecycle-touringhandbook.com/

pretty good crazyguy journal. lhasa to kathm. excellent pics.

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/journal/?o=lt&doc_id=890&v=mz&term=lhasa&context=all

i think if you research this subject you'll find that traveling solo (without paying for tour guide service) is illegal in china, and their police actually enforce these laws in the tibet region.

evidently people work around this by being cleaver, sneaky etc and lots of bribery. this strategy is apparently necessary in many countries in this area.

theres a couple that guides in nepal that posted in this forum before, they like their thorn bikes.

here. theyre in india.

member=cara

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=178458

http://www.out-there-biking.com/

thor,

Be more specific what are you looking for??? An organized trip or do you want to do it independently???

But just to get you started check out this report (This is one of the more recent reports. I have plenty of older ones): Biking Solo from Lhasa to Kathmandu - Reflections from a Cycling Trip of a Lifetime (http://www.bikechina.com/ct-sl-lskmd-05.html)

Plus, search through the bike forums on Thorn Tree, you might find more advice, esp. if you are planning it as an independent trip: Lonely Planet Thorn Tree Travel Forum --> Branches --> On Your Bike (http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/categories.cfm?catid=32&STARTPAGE=1)

Also, the author of the above report, Stephen Lord, has a book coming out in late May/early June '06 worth to check out: http://www.adventurecycle-touringhandbook.com/

Im interested in doing it independently without a guide but from what I understand this can be problematic.. Also at the moment the political situation in Nepal is a bit sketchy, but this might calm down quickly.. Does anyone have experience with this tour - what equipment is essential? Do's/dont's?

There are many political parties and their only point of agreement is their dislike of the king. Their widely divergent views on everything else will make Nepal social scene interesting but not relaxing for a long time.

Today the King agreed to return to a more democratic style government. Already many protests have been cancelled. Have a great trip