Catching up

Monday, October 1

WOW!  Yes, WOW!  Today after breakfast we headed to the bus station in Pokhara.   While we waited to board the bus we watched as things were piled on top.  The bus was classically colorful in the Nepali/Indian way with green and orange for starters.  There were tassels on the inside of the cab along with other decoration.  Over the headlights there little decorative hoods.

Once seated inside, no leg room even for short folk, we watched as bags of sugar and other things were piled into the aisle (obviously no rule about keeping them clear).  They even stacked things in the aisle before most of the passengers were aboard  - the late-comers had to scramble over everything to get to their seats. Harry noticed that there were seats in the cab and asked if they could move up....the answer was yes, so they quickly moved to the very front of the bus!  

There were several guys who were like fare collectors and they hung out the open door or just barely inside the bus signaling when the driver should be stopping or starting and helping load additional baggage into or atop the bus.

Once on the road we zipped through the city and into the country with horn blowing and lane changing as slower vehicles were passed.  Later as we got into the hills we were being passed.  It was a typical drive in a bus.  Right.  At some point we took another road off the main one and then it really got interesting.  Imagine if you can a road just one lane wide with numerous switchbacks.  Then to make it more interesting, imagine then that most of the pavement is gone.  Oh, it was a little here and a little there and then it just wasn't!  The road became dirt or gravel or rutted with the occasional streams to be crossed (no bridge thank you).  The bus tipped and swayed and we were holding onto the seats with our butt muscles.  Of course, there were drop-offs first on one side then on the other and when one got to look out it was over valleys with terraced gardens of rice and millet.

We left the bus and after lunch we trekked for about 90 minutes to get to Sirubari.  It was mostly downhill from the main road, but we were glad to be done with the jostling of the bus.  When we arrived we were met by a group of women with flowers.  Each one of us received a flower necklace and loose flowers in our hands.  We walked up to the Buddhist Temple where we were formally received by the villagers.  We were first given some local wine (Roxi  - not sure of the spelling) that was served in small decorative wooden containers and this was followed by hard boiled eggs and spicy potatoes.  All of these things were very tasty.  Then we were assigned to our host families and led away to rest, take showers, and eventually dinner.  After dinner we were to meet in their community center for a program of local dance and music.  

We had a short walk in the village, which is so clean and tidy, the walks were all paved with flat stones, no muddy walking at all.  Our dinner was dal bat preceded by a glass of Roxi.  The evening's performance was all local dances and songs performed by charming young girls and yang women.  They were fun to watch and we enjoyed seeing them even if the program was a little long and the music just a tiny bit too loud.

Tuesday

After a nice breakfast we headed to the bus and back to Pokhara.  The return trip was by far more exciting than the trip there.  The road was almost entirely stone and slick red mud with deep ruts over which we sped at about 2-3 mph.  We bumped and bounced, hung on for dear life and tried not to look down into the gorges.

Once back in Pokhara we relaxed.  The bus trip had been more than we bargained on.  The visit in the village had been too short and if done again we would trek in and stay two nights.

Now we are preparing for trekking.  We will fly to Jomsom tomorrow am and begin our acclimation to higher altitudes. 

Wednesday morning.  

We had huge rains last evening just as we were to depart the restaurant!  We wonder just how "nice" that road went were on would be today if it was that bad yesterday.  The fog is starting to lift on the lake and all sorts of birds are singing, very few other sounds related to the city.

One one note about the lake here, there is a lot of floating vegetation that is alreay a problem and it they ignore it, it will be even a bigger problem.  We do understand that they will be working on removing it.

 

So this would appear to be a trip of surprises and our needing to be flexible.  Our flight was delayed from Pokhara because of fog there, but we sat in the airport like good little tourists.  Flights from Pokhara to Jomsom are iffy at best.  That is because there cannot be any fog or bad weather as the flight follows a path right up through the mountains.  As in Georgia when you fly to Ushguli, everything has to be perfect for a safe flight.  So we waited, had some coffee, and waited some more.  Finally our guide, Hem, said that the airlines had cancelled all remaining flights for the day because of high winds in Jomsom. We discussed options and felt that forward progress of any kind was better than no progress at all so Hem acquired a rental vehicle, a Mahindra four-passenger pickup. We piled inside and Hem, his brother, and our other porter, Hari, piled in back with all our gear and we headed off.  (To make the ride smoother for the back riders we picked up little wicker stools from the rental agency so they could sit more comfortable.) After two or three hours over bumpy roads we reached Beni, where we switched to a local bus.  Hem, Tulasi and Hari hadn't complained about being in the back of the pickup, but admitted  that the bus was better.  Better is a relative term, however, because the bus was crowded and an oven, plus being thrown around as it lurched along the rocky road.  

After a couple of hours more, we reached a point which the bus couldn't pass, so we walked along a treacherous trail and picked up another bus for another 30 minutes to Tatopani, our resting place for the night.  The guest house was a pleasant surprise, and we slept to the sound of the rushing Kali Gandhaki River after having an excellent dinner which included spinach soup (spinach fresh from their garden).  As we went up and down along the side of the cliff we met people carrying chickens, school kids, mules and horses and all sorts of people.  From the sky we must resembled one of those lines of ants we see going from one place to another in single file.

Thursday morning:  We will have breakfast at 7:00 and be on our way in another vehicle by 8:00.  There will be one more stretch of road where we will walk because the road is unsafe for vehicles.  Then it will be on to Jomsom.  

The road we are on follows along the river.  Through the most spectacular gorges you can imagine.  Often the road is right on the edge of a precipice but we hang on and lurch along.  The view is nearly beyond description, and it will only be when photos are published that you will be able to get a sense of where we were and to where we were headed.

We have had two more jolting bus rides and another 90 minute hike in between.  Now we are in Jomson where it is much cooler and we keep getting scatter showers.  Tomorrow morning is supposed to be better and 

we will get an acclimation hike in the morning.