IAA 2010 - Commercial Vehicle Show

The biennial IAA - the World's biggest commercial vehicle show - took place again from 23 to 30 September. I was already there two days before the opening for the press days and could make some good pictures of the buses and trucks.

First of all, the stand of MAN with the slogan "Consistently efficient". We had a lot of vehicles on display and the stand was always bursting with people.

There were also to future truck concepts presented by IVECO and MAN. While IVECO unveiled a truck with optimized interior and exterior, MAN proposed a total different shape and trailer.

IVECO Glider

MAN Concept S

Another hot topic were Hybrids - nearly all big manufacturers had hybrid buses and trucks on display that can save up to 35% of Diesel consumption by storing braking energy.

MAN Lion's City Hybrid

Solaris Urbino 18 Hybrid

Besides Hybrids and energy efficiency, the manufacturers worked on some interior details: lighting, seating and others.

Solaris InterUrbino

Of course, there were also some exotic vehicles and some manufacturers that bet on "Sex sells".

FIAT hostess

Delhi

The last stop of my journey is again Delhi - and this time I made it finally to the sights I had always missed.

At first I took the metro, then a bus and finally walked to Qutb Minar. That's a tall pillar which was built in the 13th century by the Qutb rulers, was later restored and storeys were added.

The Minar as well as the other buildings were carved with floral decorations and Muslim words.

Around the pillar there were built mosques, a university, tombs and other buildings. Alauddin Khilji wanted to challenge the Qutb Minar by building the Alai Minar that should have been twice as high but was abandoned after the construction of the first storey.

Besides the usual squirrels I found some new inhabitants on the monuments: green parrots.

The auto-rickshaw driver who took me to the next monument tried to cheat me telling me the night price in the middle of the day. I paid him the correct price and then walked up to the Lotus Temple of the Bahá'i religion. In the inside is a big prayer hall for people from all religions.

Next I headed to the Red Fort built by the Mughal rulers at the riverside that today is several hundred meters away.

The inside contains mosques, hamams, audience halls, royal quarters and many more.

The walls are decorated with semiprecious stone inlays in the art from Agra and the Taj Mahal which is no wonder as Moghul Shah Jahan ordered the construction of both buildings.

In the late afternoon, I hired a cycle rickshaw around Chandni Chowk and saw a lot of crowded streets and crowded vehicles - no matter whether cycle rickshaw or motor cycle all carried more than the allowed passengers through the bazars and to the mosque.

Early the next morning I had to leave for the airport, then my plane left for Helsinki and later to Munich.

Kathmandu

My last day in Kathmandu, so I stayed here in the city centre biking through the narrow burstling streets. Everywhere I found little temples.

In Nepal, a lot of the temples are restricted only to Hindus, so I was really happy to find this entry and sign allowing me access to the temple behind.

To be salesman here, you do not necessarily have to have a shop just offer your goods at the next corner and wait for customers.

Of course, also Kathmandu has a Durbar Square. Together with the ones of Bhaktapur and Patan it forms the World Heritage Site. It was a national holiday so the museum and also the new palace further away were closed, so I just wandered around.

Statue of a king

Rani Pokhara

cycle rickshaw wallah enjoying a break

I finished my stay with a great steak lunch at the Tibetan Guest House, then I returned the bike and took a shower to wash off the dirt of another day in Asian streets.

In the afternoon, a taxi took me to the airport where I had to go through more security checks than ever before: one to enter the building, then the normal one inside, one as I left the building and another one on the gangway and a final one in Delhi after landing - Definitely too many!!!

Only the sight of the lovely Neoplan airport buses could cheer me up ...

... and a bird's-eye on the Kathmandu valley.

Bhaktapur

After lunch, I returned to the Ring Road and headed to the last city: Bhaktapur. The road should have been a highway but was more like a big gravel road with giant pot holes and under construction. I took me a lot of time and energy to reach the city. I was compensated by the lovely Durbar Square.

Royal bath

My guide showed me around and explained me the buildings and temples. After some time on the square, we moved to the Pashupatinath festival. All the married woman are wearing red saris and a lot of dancing groups are competing against each other.

Then I had a look at the craftsmanship of the town - first potery. On a big square many clay pots and vases are dried. Also statues of gods.

The second is the art of painting thankas. A thanka is a Tibetan silk painting depicting a famous scene, a Buddhist deity or a mandala. The art is taught in thanka schools where the pupils learn it for several years. A special thanka is the Dalai Lama Mandala. As it can take weeks, months or years to complete a thanka, the price is accordingly.

On the way back to my bike, I met some nice little school girls.

I took another road back to Kathmandu, but it also went up and down. When I returned to the city, I passed by the bus stop and saw the unloading of some stubborn goats from.

Patan

There are three royal cities in the Kathmandu valley: Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan. Today, I took the bike to visit the latter two.

The old royal city is situated around the Durbar Square with temples, royal palaces and other buildings. Mostly known is "The Museum behind the Golden Door" that is one of Asia's finest museums explaining the history of all the major religions and their gods & goddesses as well as

showcasing royal items.

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Royal Throne

Buddha

"Instead of cars carrying workers, Nepal has workers carrying cars on the rocky, hilly trails of the country." So this Mercedes-Benz from Germany was transported to Kathmandu in 1948.

Statue of the king

View of Durbar Square from Café de Temple

Mountain Flight to the Everest

At 5:30 in the morning I was picked up and brought to the domestic airport. After paying the airport fee and getting the ticket, I waited in the departure hall. A lot of Trekkers were waiting for their flights that should bring them to the mountains. For me instead, it should be just a round-turn.

Maximum 16 passengers can board the Beechcraft, all have a window seat (there are only two seats per row) and the view to cockpit is open. We were even allowed to go once or twice in the cockpit.

The stewardess was explaining us the mountains, but I have to do some read-up on the peaks. Unfortunately, I could not label each pic immediately. So enjoy the pictures and have a look at the second last.

Pumoki (7161 m), Nuptse (7855 m), Everest (8848 m), Lhotse (8516 m)

If I would have had any luggage, I would have found it on this totally manual baggage claim.