November 6 – Kathmandu to Pokhara
Today we travelled by bus from Kathmandu to Pokhara. The distance was only 200 kilometers but because of the road conditions and traffic it took us almost 9 hours (including a 45 minute break for brunch and two fifteen minute rest stops along the way)
Our bus is new & relatively comfortable but the seats are pretty close together so there is no room to stretch your legs. There is no luggage compartment so all that gets tied to the roof – just like the locals!
I guess the upside of this is that our economy class seats on the plane trip home in a few weeks will feel luxurious.
It seemed like we were constantly going downhill through canyons & valleys and there was a lot of traffic going both ways – especially trucks & busses of all sizes. This is the main route from India into Kathmandu so it was literally bumper to bumper in a whole different kind of traffic congestion than what we see at home!
The road is so narrow that when you approach a hairpin turn in a bus or heavy truck the traffic coming the one way has to stop to allow oncoming traffic to use both lanes in order to safely make the turn.
The highway is only two lanes wide for the vast majority of the distance. The concept of no passing zones does not exist here. Its a total game of nerves – when drivers see any opportunity at all to pass they go for it – even on corners & up & over small hills – honking their horns like mad. If you encounter oncoming traffic while passing then one lane slows down to a crawl while the other passes & two lanes with narrow shoulders become four lanes. This is not for the faint of heart!
Along the way we passed dozens & dozens of “highway truck stops” that serve drinks & hot food. Masala chai to go! Some places even had buskers!
These places range in construction from a simple lean to made from bamboo poles & sheets of tin to much more elaborate concrete buildings complete with flush toilets.
The land in this part of Nepal is intensely terrace farmed with crops of rice & several varieties of vegetables including cabbage and cauliflower. All of the farmed areas look very orderly & productive.
The climate is also quite temperate – warm enough to allow year-round agriculture & to even grow bananas!
About halfway to Pokhara we began to get glimpses of some of the snow-capped mountain peaks. We also drove past the road that leads to the village of Gorkha, which is the home of the first Gorkha soldiers & it was also the epicenter of the massive earthquake in 2015.
In late afternoon we finally arrived in Pokhara. This city is beside a beautiful lake & is very popular with tourists. Unlike Kathmandu, the tourist shopping & restaurant district here has wide streets & wide sidewalks – making a much more pleasant experience.
There are lots of Westerners here as it is the departure point for the popular Annapurna trekking circuit. It reminds us a bit of Canmore, just outside Banff, catering to the trekkers and tour companies. Except for the Nepalese street vendors and souvenir hawkers, most of whom are less than 5 feet tall!
Even though it felt like we were going downhill for much of the road trip, Pokhara and Kathmandu are actually the same elevation of 1400 m. which is roughly the same as Banff! From the lakeshore, we can see the Annapurna range and the peak of Fish Tail Mountain – Machapuchare – at 7000 m!
It is revered by the local population as particularly sacred to the Hindu God Shiva and hence is completely off limits to climbing. I guess we will have to find another peak to plant the Canadian flag on!
We were pleasantly surprised by our spacious and luxurious room at the hotel which even has a rain forest shower and abundant hot water. We are soaking it up before we head out on our trek tomorrow morning. The only way we will get a rain forest shower is if the heavens open up along the trail but there is a promise of a dip in a hot spring along the way so Cath and several others have actually packed swimsuits to take. Good thing it’s light weight!
As part of the Diwali festival in Nepal, today is the day that dogs, man’s best friend are honored as protectors of the home. There are feral dogs everywhere & many today were adorned with garlands of marigolds & tika or red marks on their heads & given special food treats. I guess every dog has his day – and theirs is today.
Tomorrow we begin our 3-day hiking trek into the Annapurna mountain range. We are excited and, at the same time, a bit apprehensive. Should be lots of photo opportunities along the way. We have packed most of our trekking items in a large duffel bag that the porter will carry and the rest of our stuff we will carry with us in our day packs. We have packed light and can leave the rest of our luggage at the hotel. Our tour guide Kalpana says it won’t be too cold where we are going but we have lots of layers!
Not sure if we will have any access to the internet at our overnight stops along the way so we may not be able to make any new blog postings for a few days.
Cheers from Wally & Cath