Difference between revisions of "2010-07-24 27 85"

Revision as of 09:36, 27 July 2010

The Place

Who Went

Felix Dance - by mountain bike.

Expedition

Felix Dance

I've been staying in an orphanage for the past three weeks in the hills east of Kathmandu, but there hasn't been much internet out here so I'd been neglecting my geohashing obligations. Luckily, just a day or so ago, I asked Talex to message me if there's an accessible one, and sure enough I got a message last night informing me that a geohash lay on a highway west of Nepal, only 24 kms from me, the very next day.

I was still umming and ahhing about it the next morning when I woke up at my usual time of 5am, especially because Saturday is these orphans' only day off a week and they wanted to take me on a walk to a local Buddhist Monastery (I had actually already been a few times). In the end, geohashing won, as it always seems to do, so I crammed down some breakfast and set off around 8:30 on my Giant Mountain Bike (my one from home!).

Unfortunately, this geohash was on the exact opposite side of Kathmandu to the orphanage, so I had to negotiate the absolutely nuts traffic right through this awkward metropolis. An hour of crazy traffic, sacred cows, boys flying kites and stupid amounts of dust thrown up from road construction got me out of town and into the hills. Another hour of slow progress ascending the cruelly steep hills surrounding Kathmandu, and admiring the view, got me to within 100m of the geohash. I quickly parked my bike and walked off into the paddy fields.

Of course, this being Nepal, I was instantly followed by about ten local kids ecstatic to see a westerner grace their small village. I felt pretty awkward about trapesing through their croplands, but they seemed cool - a sort of Bizarro World from the similar-looking kids at my orphanage on the west side of the valley. They even lined themselves up for a photograph that I could not refuse including below for their posterity.

Climbing back up to the 1550m pass (At 1463m this is the highest elevation I've geohashed at), I stopped only to drink a Mirinda before plummeting back down to Kathmandu and the reverse of all I'd been through before. On the way I met a car carrying Caucasians in their middle ages, and they seemed extremely pleased to see me, giving me an encouraging wave (since this is midsummer and monsoon season, Kathmandu is almost devoid of tourists at the moment).

As it happened, I got lost on the way back, taking the Ring Road too far, extending my trip needlessly, and I've stopped at this internet cafe along the way to write the trip up as I wait for the rain to ease up.

This geohash is interesting, not just because it's the first one in Kathmandu, but also because it's the first one employing my bike brought from home. In Vietnam I didn't get around to any hashes, and in Pokhara Rob and I went by motorbike. It also qualifies for a Déjà vu geohash award, because I came down this very road from Tibet two months ago, on May the 20th. The hash was only 100m off the road.

This is my route. C is where I am now, an internet cafe on the Ring Road. C to D is mere conjecture, but I hope it will prove accurate.

Estimated total ride: 61 kms
Time of hash: 10:26am
Total time for geohash: about 4 hours.

News Flash! Nasty sunburn!

Photos

GPS Proof
North view
West view
South view
East view
Felix wearing a tikka (not a monobrow!)
Locals
Group photo
My old bike!
Hindu statue
Kathmandu Valley
Dust on the Ring Road
Holy Cow!

Felix Dance earned the Land geohash achievement

by reaching the (27, 85) geohash on 2010-07-24.

Felix Dance earned the Bicycle geohash achievement

by cycling 61kms return to the (27, 85) geohash on 2010-07-24.

Template:Virgin graticule

Felix Dance earned the Déjà Vu Geohash Achievement

by reaching the (27, 85) geohash on 2010-07-24, and previously on 2010-05-20.

Felix Dance earned the Ambassador achievement

by obtaining permission from villagers to access the (27, 85) geohash on 2010-07-24.

@@ Line 22: / Line 22: @@
 Unfortunately, this geohash was on the exact opposite side of Kathmandu to the orphanage, so I had to negotiate the absolutely nuts traffic right through this awkward metropolis.  An hour of crazy traffic, sacred cows, boys flying kites and stupid amounts of dust thrown up from road construction got me out of town and into the hills.  Another hour of slow progress ascending the cruelly steep hills surrounding Kathmandu, and admiring the view, got me to within 100m of the geohash.  I quickly parked my bike and walked off into the paddy fields.
-Of course, this being Nepal, I was instantly followed by about ten local kids ecstatic to see a westerner grace their small village.  I felt pretty awkward about traipsing through their croplands, but they seemed cool - a sort of Bizarro World from the similar-looking kids at my orphanage on the west side of the valley.  The even lined themselves up for a photograph that I could not refuse including below for their posterity.
+Of course, this being Nepal, I was instantly followed by about ten local kids ecstatic to see a westerner grace their small village.  I felt pretty awkward about trapesing through their croplands, but they seemed cool - a sort of Bizarro World from the similar-looking kids at my orphanage on the west side of the valley.  They even lined themselves up for a photograph that I could not refuse including below for their posterity.
-Climbing back up to the 1550m pass (At 1463m this is the highest elevation I've geohashed at I believe), I stopped only to drink a Mirinda before plummeting back down to Kathmandu and the reverse of all I'd been through before.  On the way I met a car carrying Caucasians in their middle ages, and they seemed extremely pleased to see me, giving me an encouraging wave (since this is midsummer and monsoon season, Kathmandu is almost devoid of tourists at the moment).
+Climbing back up to the 1550m pass (At 1463m this is the highest elevation I've geohashed at), I stopped only to drink a Mirinda before plummeting back down to Kathmandu and the reverse of all I'd been through before.  On the way I met a car carrying Caucasians in their middle ages, and they seemed extremely pleased to see me, giving me an encouraging wave (since this is midsummer and monsoon season, Kathmandu is almost devoid of tourists at the moment).
 As it happened, I got lost on the way back, taking the Ring Road too far, extending my trip needlessly, and I've stopped at this internet cafe along the way to write the trip up as I wait for the rain to ease up.
-This geohash is important, not just because it's the first one in Kathmandu, but also because it's the first one employing my bike brought from home.  In Vietnam I didn't get around to any hashes, and in Pokhara Rob and I went by motorbike.  It also qualifies for a Déjà vu geohash award, because I came down this very road from Tibet two months ago, on May the 20th.  The hash was only 100m off the road.
+This geohash is interesting, not just because it's the first one in Kathmandu, but also because it's the first one employing my bike brought from home.  In Vietnam I didn't get around to any hashes, and in [[2010-06-15 27 83|Pokhara]] Rob and I went by motorbike.  It also qualifies for a Déjà vu geohash award, because I came down this very road from Tibet two months ago, on May the 20th.  The hash was only 100m off the road.
 [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Unknown+road&daddr=Ring+Rd+to:Tripureshwor+Marg+to:Unknown+road+to:Thapathali+to:27.6328885,+85.4948978+to:27.687632,85.29047+to:Unknown+road&hl=en&geocode=FTgGpwEdJhUVBQ%3BFVSVpgEdkEsVBQ%3BFQibpgEdoLMVBQ%3BFcqRpgEdLcEVBQ%3BFZiTpgEdh94VBQ%3BFfikpQEdcowYBQ%3B%3BFawFpwEdGhIVBQ&mra=dme&mrcr=1,2&mrsp=6&sz=14&via=1,2,3,4&sll=27.689304,85.308323&sspn=0.034657,0.084028&ie=UTF8&ll=27.67015,85.409775&spn=0.138651,0.336113&t=p&z=12 This] is my route.  C is where I am now, an internet cafe on the Ring Road.  C to D is mere conjecture, but I hope it will prove accurate.
@@ Line 35: / Line 35: @@
 Time of hash: 10:26am <br/>
 Total time for geohash: about 4 hours. <br/>
+News Flash!  Nasty sunburn!
 == Photos ==


Sat 24 Jul 2010 in 27,85: 27.6328885, 85.4948978 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox