Some may remember that the story title for Star Wars Episode IV was "A New Hope". Well, it appears that I have a narrow slither of hope that might actually allow me to realize this adventure. This certainly won't happen in May as originally planned, but the last few weeks of September are looking promising from an air travel perspective and where in-country logistics are concerned. September is after monsoon season, which is obviously a good thing. My riding routes could be challenging because monsoon season really does a number on them. Given the questionable state of the world today and projecting forward to September, who knows if maintenance on the more challenging mountain passes will have been completed - or even started.
I've confirmed that I can get a bike and the monasteries I was planning to use for accommodations have indicated that they believe they can host me by then, assuming Nepal opens its borders again. Even though my departure wouldn't be for five months from this blog entry's date, many pieces will have to fall into place before I arrive. It's not lost on me that that is asking for a great deal of coordination, cooperation, and progress from numerous and disparate global agencies. I give it a 50-50 chance at best.
I've confirmed that I can get a bike and the monasteries I was planning to use for accommodations have indicated that they believe they can host me by then, assuming Nepal opens its borders again. Even though my departure wouldn't be for five months from this blog entry's date, many pieces will have to fall into place before I arrive. It's not lost on me that that is asking for a great deal of coordination, cooperation, and progress from numerous and disparate global agencies. I give it a 50-50 chance at best.
All of this of course, assumes the world (especially the third world) is open for business by then and I recognize that is a tall order. But anyone who knows me knows I need something to look forward to. In short, I gotta have hope.
When I last checked, China had canceled the Everest climbing season for all of 2020. However, access to the base camp might be available if the Tibetan border is open. Time will tell. If the border is closed, I would defer to the alternate route I had previously described here.
My fingers are crossed!
