ASIANOVERLAND.NET KATHMANDU TO LONDON DAY 94/6: JUNGLE, NEPAL

The Trip Book reads: “DAY 5 CRASH SITE SEPT 23rd

 

Steve, Graham and Pianna went to the market – 1 hr by local bus.

came back p.m. with the goodies –

“FISH”, vegies, oil, etc etc eggs (again)

Gary & Wendy & radiator returned 2pm

JUBILATION

excellent lunch

Teena went to local school & taught 4th grade English in groups of 6-8

Then went swimming – then nearly drowned – carried away by the current.

Divested herself of her skirt (lost forever in the raging torrent) & nearly lost her super flip flops – later returned by some intrepid pupils. She had tea with the headmaster while he smoked a joint!!!

Marianne, ... Sarah & Jackie went for last skinny dip & nude sunbathing to consolidate all over tan!

 

7.00 mass exodus from the bus – all the kids following the Pied Piper (our revered courier)

 

Brian and Graham deserve big thanks & cuddles for helping Gary fix the motor all P.M.

 

Card players were oblivious to the dwindling battery situation so our next A.M.’s exercise included push starting the bus.”

The repair work to reinstall the welded radiator done by Gary with the help of two punters, Brian and Graham, might sound mundane. However, it’s important that all the parts fit back in; and that they go in the right way, so the big thanks and cuddles to Gary, Brian and Graham, are well deserved.

Trevor Carroll and Loxley’s bus Casper also had a collision which smashed their radiator, and a welder in Sukker, Pakistan welded a replacement/repaired radiator for them. They also required help and spare parts from a passing Sundowner’s overland – we might be friendly rivals at the camping grounds, but would always help each other out on the road.

Unfortunately, for the rest of Casper’s Asian overland, the radiator always boiled, requiring a kettle to refill it and pour over the radiator cooling rods. The Decker radiators always boiled on large climbs, requiring the kettle in the cab up the mountains, but the radiators always cooled very quickly when going downhill or on the flat. Except for Casper, which required huge amounts of water poured into the radiator and over the cooling rods all through Asia. Finally, a Turkish truck driver managed to explain with hand signals and blowing sounds to Loxley:

“.... the fan had been put into Casper back to front, pushing hot air from the engine into the radiator instead of sucking air from outside through the radiator, cooling it and pushing it into the engine compartment.

The fan in its reversed position had been heating the radiator instead of cooling it! Why didn’t we see that? Loxley, not impressed with being put right by a Turk, waited for the ‘know-all’ to leave before reversing the fan blade.”

Trevor Carroll’s book Crossing Continents with Top Deck at pages 228, 282

↑ Day 93 ↓ Day 95