Journey to Pokhara

22^nd October 2011

  Nepalese driving is extraordinary.   There don’t seem to be any rules and coaches and lorries overtake any slower vehicle regardless of traffic coming in the opposite direction or a blind corner.  But it seems to work.  The drivers are all really skilful and miss each other by just a few inches.   Every bus has a conductor who toots the horn, gives hand signals and indicates how many centimetres to the edge of the chasm below. 

 I had moments of complete bliss.   The river valley is spectacular and took my breath away.   Thank goodness I chose to take the bus journey rather than travel by Yeti airlines.   It was 7/8 hour long journey with ‘comfort’ stops and a break for lunch which was a very hot curry. Perhaps what I thought was a green bean in the vegetables was really a chilli!  My training walks have been such a bonus.   The thighs are now strong enough to manage using a squat loo wearing a backpack!     

Kathmandu bus station

cheaper seats on the roof

A tree had fallen on the road in front of us.   You can just see the crack
in the windscreen.   It didn't instill me with confidence

The bus condutor toots the horn gives hand signals
and leans outside to see how far away the other vehicles are.

The Lodge here is wonderful and I have had a lovely welcome. There was a power cut whilst I was having my first shower and I hadn’t really got my bearings or remembered where the wind-up torch was, but I staggered around the room feeling for it and power returned about 10 minutes later. No chance of email/Skype/blogging unfortunately, so will have to get a cheap mobile so that I can text home. School starts at 10am tomorrow and it is about an hour’s walk.

Boudnath

I walked across the city to Lucy's house this morning and was pleased to have only taken a couple of wrong turnings.  I was welcomed as a long lost friend by her fluffy lhasa apso whose  photo is below  Perhaps I still carried the smell of Bertie on me?

I forgot to take my shoes off but hopefully will remember on the next visit to a Nepalese home

  We went to the beautiful Shechen Monastery and had lunch in the Monastery garden cafe.

  I then walked anticlockwise around the stupa whilst Lucy had a lesson. It was a peaceful place and fascinating to watch the Tibetans and other buddhists, performing their religious rituals. Lucy showed me how to a spin the prayer wheels three times.


We then met up for Masala tea with Tashi, a monk who is coming to Pokhara in November

. Hopefully I will meet up with him there. Lucy and I then returned to her house for a wonderful Nepali meal and now I am getting my bags together ready for my 6.30am wake up call for my journey to Pokhara tomorrow. Let's hope it is not raining or nearly as hairy as described by the two comedians on the BBC programme a couple of weeks ago.


I have added a few  photographs below. When I have more time I will try to improve the layout of this page

My favourite photo of the day

Kumari Devi

I have just visited  Kathmandu's famous Durbar Square and I caught a glimpse of the Kumari child who is worshipped as a Goddess.
I  came back to the Hotel to post the photographs but disaster - I can't find the cable to download from camera to computer!   Unless I find it this could be a very boring blog.  There are better photos than I could take on the internet at
http://www.visitnepal.com/nepal_information/kumari.php    This little Kumari child will not leave the building until she reaches puberty, when she is then replaced by another and she has to return to an ordinary life.   She comes out on to a balcony for a minute or so each morning and afternoon but photographing her is not allowed.  All pre-pubescent girls are revered in Hindu and Buddhist families here, but all that changes when they become wives and mothers.

My wonderful guide Sushil, surely the best in Kathmandu, has given me an insight into this fascinating and different culture and also took me to the Swayambunath Stupa.  He studied English at University and became a teacher, but now that he has a wife and family he finds it more lucrative being a tour guide. 

 Hopefully the camera cable is in my main luggage and I will be able to download my photographs when I get to  Pokhara-if I have internet access

Journey out

After an eventful journey to the Airport, with a few mishaps, I got to the check-in desk on time and discovered that I could have brought 10 kgs more.      My backpack has been emptied and checked three times, twice at Heathrow and now again at Delhi going through security to Kathmandu.  I was also taken to a cubicle and searched.  Do I look like a terrorist?  Perhaps I am overdoing the big beaming smile.   Customs officers seem to think it suspicious.  

I am writing this whilst waiting for my flight from Delhi to Kathmandu.   It is very hot and I have taken off layers of clothes and squashed them in my backpack.   Let’s hope I don’t have to empty it again.

Shopping List

Have had requests from Nepal today for antihistamine, melolin dressing pads, extra strength paracetemol, and Earl Grey tea!

Also heard that children's toothbrushes are a good thing to take out,  so now I am off to the chemist.

Amar Jyoti's new primary school classroom

This is one of the classrooms that  I am going to be helping, and it goes some way to explaining the previous request for educational posters.

Not long now

Two weeks to go before I start my travels.   I have just learned that I have a 35 kg weight allowance instead of the 22kg I originally thought, so can take out more resources for the school.   If any past colleagues have spare foldable posters, or other resources excess to their needs please get in touch.