-- Kathmandu

The long stay in Kathmandu was justified by the solution of problems accumulated during the journey from March 18 to October 02. It was the occasion to appreciate the welcome of the Alliance Française, to establish contacts with Nepalese, to meet campervan-drivers. As information, I quote the problems by order of increasing difficulties and resolution.

I Alliance Française.
The welcome of the director, Mr. RANA, and of his collaborators as well French as Nepalese was cordial. They were at the origin of the solution of many problems. I picked up books in the plentiful library for reading and reading again French novels. Moreover, I attended in weekend French film projections. The Alliance bar serves meals of a good ratio price quality.

II Nepalese welcome.
While looking for shops to solve my problems, I contacted a number of people of which I can appreciate cordiality and obligingness. Always smiling, they gave me readily their addresses to help me.

III Met travellers.
The Scouts parking was not known by campervan-drivers. The presence of my truck attracted a first Austrian campervan there. Then the transmission from mouth to ear brought the visit of Benoit, Rouletopette, then of a couple Spanish, a French family and finally of a Dutch couple, Trottermoggy, in Unimog. It was the occasion to exchange information and addresses to keep in touch.

IV Solved problems.
4.1---- I realized that the connection of the modem of transmission by satellite Thrane & Thrane BGAN could not be established by the desktop computer. I obtained the address of a data-processing company near to my parking location, The Waves Group, which diagnosed that the connecting cable, which I use with the laptop computer, is a connecting cable from computer to computer and not from modem to computer. Moreover, the Ethernet card of DELL computer did not establish the connection. Consequently, I acquired an ad hoc cable and card at a cost of 19 euros.
4.2---- When I changed the front right-hand side wheel on the track towards Lhasa, I noted that the manille of stowing of the hoist to the higher bracket had disappeared. Roland replaced it by a strap. By arranging the material, I found the axis of the manille but not its handle. After a few days of looking for I gradually found a company, Durga Engineering & Auto Works, which forged the handle for approximately 12 euros. Of course, I found the original handle while cleaning the garage!
4.3---- I already had the occasion to describe the indiscretion of Chinese who invited themselves so much in the cabin than in the cell of my truck. To avoid these nuisances that will be frequent in India with the statements of the travelers, I made carry out a removable anti-intrusion board at the third height of the door of the cell by the carpenter of the Alliance Française, Globus Enterprises, at a cost of 10 euros.
4.4---- On the carpark of the customs at the border between Kyrgyzstan and China before Kashgar, I had found the truck with the glass of the left front face of the cell with cracks. No impact, shock or other was visible. These cracks were to be the consequence of torsions of the cell on the tracks in Mongolia as well as abrupt change of temperature in high altitude. As of my arrival in Kathmandu, I took contact with Achim NOACK, ex-UNICAT, to establish me a budget for the replacement of this glass while sending this part and its appendices by plane. I benefited from it to order diesel and water filters. These elements were sent the 20/11 and I made the customs clearance the 26/11 at a total cost of 113 euros and in four hours of procedure.
4.5---- Shocks and vibrations of the track were right of the reliability of the Durabook laptop computer used in the cabin of the MAN for navigation. It ceased functioning on the track to Kodari after the Nepal border crossing. The sending to France of this hardware, under guarantee, was a true course of the combatant to obtain the frankness from export duty. As of my arrival, I contacted the Department of Customs that directed me towards the Central Post office where I learned that I needed a letter from the embassy of France intended for Foreign Ministry. The embassy refused to write this letter, but It gave me the name of the person in charge to meet. When I went to the ministry, this person was on a journey to the USA for a month! But only the residents can obtain the frankness from customs duty. Via IEC-Telecom, I met Mr. Acharya of Public Freight, who put me in relation with a person in charge for DHL, who dealt with the problem. DHL Cost, insurance and baksheesh to the customs was of 138 euros. I deposited a guarantee having to be restored with the return of the hardware. It left 19/10 to arrive at the importer the 24/10. In front of the damage, It turned over it to the manufacturer. The laptop was returned the 14/11 by UPS and arrived at Kathamandu the 24/11. It took approximately three hours for UPS agent to carry out the customs clearance. The cost was of approximately 3 euros. The exhibition of the Airport Cargo Complex hall is confusing, ballet of warehousemen, forwarding agents looking for authorized signatures, potentates sitting at a table signing documents against payment… It remained me to recover the guarantee, UPS did not want to take care. Two days after, I due to turn over to Airport Cargo Complex to obtain two signatures in a little more than one hour and to return the following day to go for the amount of the guarantee refunded by payable check at the bank of Airport Passengers.
4.6--- In parallel, I informed the purchase of tires Michelin 14.00R20XZL. Indeed, since the departure of France with new tires I had carried out more than 39.000 kilometers. The tires could still make between 4,000 and 6,.000 kilometers. Nevertheless, I could not take the risks to leave of Nepal without the certainty to find tires here or in India. After several days of research, I noted that I could buy Michelin tires neither in Nepal nor in India. I sent an email via the Michelin Web; the answer came the following day informing me that my request was transmitted to Michelin Singapore. In spite of several revivals so much to Michelin France than to Michelin Singapore, I did not obtain an answer. I telephoned Michelin France that started again Michelin Singapore without result. I contacted Janashakti Auto Workshop, the well-known garage of the camp-site-drivers of the association of the Roads of Silk. After two hours of phone calls, the person found two tires Goodyear 14.00R20 Military of the Indian army in Pokhara. Consequently, all the problems were to ensure me of their compatibility with the two Michelin tires, which I will assemble on the front axle. Alas, when I wanted to buy these tires I noted that they did not exist. It was about an offer of call to sell me tires of Indian manufacture that are neither tubeless nor radial. Meanwhile I obtained an offer of Achim Noack with forwarding of the tires by air cargo. Against any waiting, I received a response of Michelin India that informed me of impossibility of finding tires in India, however that it was possible to make them come with a deadline from two to three months. At once, I asked to a price quotation that I received the 27/11. I will have these tires at a Michelin dealer in Chennai.

V Subsidiary, an ankle sprain right.
As of the first days of my stay, I used my bicycle. Alas, the irrational drive so much of the motorcycle riders than of the mini-taxis caused my fall in a gutter with a ugly right ankle sprain. I consulted the doctor of the embassy of France, who by safety required of me to make a radio to make sure that there was not of fracture. The reduction of the sprain took approximately four weeks. Fortunately I can continue to use my bicycle with all prudence resulting from this annoying experiment.

Mid-October I received the visit of two teams, Brout and Guillot, of the other group of the association of the Silk Roads who had made the journey, in China came to greet me before their departure to France. They taught me that the Fabre & Perrin tandem had been reconstituted to carry out the way of the return together.

This long stay enabled me to organize my new life after the rally in Mongolia and China. I took my reference marks such as they will be at the time of my trip in India and elsewhere. It will be necessary to show a great adaptability to support the constraints related to insertion in a human context very different from that of my former life.