Dolpa, May 15 -- High in the mountains of the Karnali province, Dolpa is one of Nepal's most remote districts, divided into three regions-lower, middle and upper. The district headquarters Dunai was connected to the national road network just seven years ago, in 2018. But upper Dolpa still has no road access.

Even without roads, Chinese motorbikes are everywhere. Upper Dolpa covers three rural municipalities-Shey Phoksundo, Dolpo Buddha and Chharka Tangsong-and most households there own at least one Chinese motorcycle, primarily because of the proximity to the Chinese border. From villages like Tinje, Dho and Phalek, Tibet is just an hour's ride away.

Every year, the border opens for around 15 to 30 days after mid-July, during which res...