The ‘microbus’ (a small van that comfortably seats 3 to a row but whose operators squish 4 in so you can neither move nor breathe) ride to Pokhara was supposed to take 5 hours. Unfortunately, about 45 minutes outside of Kathmandu, traffic came to a standstill. It turned out a truck carrying onions had collided with a woman and killed her.

In Nepal, accidents like this do not just get moved aside and dealt with so traffic can resume. Crowds form, and nothing gets moved until things are settled between the victim and accused (i.e. compensation). So while I felt sorry for this woman, I was concerned that we were going nowhere for maybe days.

We decided to walk to the other side of the accident and flag down another bus that would be forced to return to Pokhara – as all the vehicles on our side were forced to return to Kathmandu – and it worked out. We unfortunately had to pay another NR300 each, but it was better than backtracking.

So we arrived late, opted not to take the ridiculously priced taxis from the bus station and hopped on a local bus to go to the Lakeside area. Pokhara has a really nice lake (well, relatively – I’ve discovered that North Americans have different standards for what defines a lake ) and is a good place to chill out and take care of last minute arrangements before a trek.

We got our trekking permits sorted out (NR2000 each), picked up some iodine water purification tablets (water in the hills is not always the safest) and picked up a bunch of Snickers bars and other snacks that we were told would jump dramatically in price as we ascend in the trek. With our British friend we met in Sikkim we celebrated with a steak dinner and beer at the Everest Steak House, as it would be the last bit of meat we’d have for a while.

Heading out to do the (roughly) 3 week Annapurna Circuit trek, so I’ll be without internet for a bit. Will update then!

[View with PicLens]

One of my favorite things to eat in China is delicious and cheap la mian (those noodles that the guys stretch out), so I was pretty damn surprised to find an authentic la mian restaurant run by a guy from Qinghai in Kathmandu. The awesome decor with the forest/waterfall poster complete with deers and uh… a giraffe… was icing on the cake.

At 80 Nepalese rupees a bowl they were more expensive than Shanghai, but still worth it! 好吃！

We all scream for Gaylord Kwality ice-cream! Kekeke

[View with PicLens]

The 17 hour bus ride from Kakarvitta to Kathmandu was not fun. The bus stopped several times as Nepalese soldiers waved us down to ’search’. The soldiers that came aboard the bus to inspect it did little more than sneer and poke a few rice sacks with their fingers, but the bus ticket boy did discreetly hand off a napkin containing what I assume was a bribe / baksheesh to one of the commanding officers. I guess this insured that our bus was no security risk.

I can rarely sleep on buses or airplanes so it was a very long and tiring trip for me, and having no cash on hand I couldn’t buy snacks or anything to occupy me during the many stops. The driver did play some pretty awesome Nepali/Hindi music though.

So we arrived in the Kathmandu valley, and made our way to the Thamel area which is a tourist ghetto unlike any I have ever seen. There is truth to the local joke that Nepal’s three main religions are Hinduism, Buddhism, and tourism. The Thamel are is flooded with hotels and guest houses, restaurants of almost every food imaginable (including an amazingly authentic Sichuan place, complete with loud Chinese businessmen drinking and chain smoking), shops selling souvenirs, incense, Tibetan handicrafts, the usual hippy crap, and tons and tons of (fake) trekking gear.

Nearby is Durbar Square, which is much more interesting with a bunch of sidestreets and crowded alleys that seem oblivious to Thamel. By here is “Freak Street”, which was the hangout for foreign travelers in the 60s and 70s.

Most travelers seem to dislike Kathmandu, but I think it’s pretty cool. With all the Western comforts around Thamel though, it’s very easy to blow one’s travel budget sipping cafe mochas and eating pizza.

After spending about 5 day in Darjeeling, we did a jeep share with some travelers we met in Sikkim to head back to Siliguri and then make our way to Nepal.

The border between India and Nepal seemed pretty lax, to say the least. I’m sure we could have easily just walked by the one tiny outpost on the Indian side and the desolate Immigration Office on the Nepal side. In fact, part of me wishes we did, since our ‘Welcome to Nepal’ was met with a 30-day visa price of $40 USD, payable in USD – which we did not have, nor could get on the Nepal side – or in Indian rupees at the equivalent of about $60 USD. On top of that, the asshole at immigration tried to scam another 100 Indian rupees out of each of us, saying that it was an extra ‘application fee’ but could not explain why nor point to anywhere that mentions this fee. We did not pay this, nor did he insist.

We hung out in the border town of Kakarvitta for a few hours waiting for our bus to Kathmandu. On first sight, Nepal is not really what I expected. I guess I always pictured it as some very zen and spiritual place with clean mountain air and rivers, sherpas, goats, etc. Sort of like Sikkim. On the contrary, a lot of parts seem much poorer than Indian with even less infrastructure.

[View with PicLens]

After sadly leaving Sikkim, we decided to check out Darjeeling. Everyone told us that it wouldn’t be very impressive after visiting Sikkim, but I think it has a charm all its own. The views aren’t as nice (or maybe they are; there’s so much mist it’s difficult to see anything), but the bustling market/bazaar and community here is really interesting. Its full of cool buildings and very steep and narrow alleyways, and has a feel that is very distinct. People are pretty modern and stylish here, there is very little visible poverty, and (like Sikkim) with all the kids walking around town in school uniforms it sorta feels more like a rural Japanese town than India.

We met a Chinese couple here who have been traveling around the Middle East, and it’s provided me with a great opportunity to brush up on my very rusty 中文.

Ok, we came across this on the long way up the mountain Khechiopalri Lake. All my better judgment tells me this is not a human skull. It’s probably just a monkey skull. But I need confirmation! Where is that red-headed asshole from CSI: Miami with the horrible one-liners when you need him?

*takes off sunglasses*
“Looks like this hippie…”
*puts sunglasses back on*
“… had a bad trip.”
*YEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!*

Unlike the smoker’s paradise that is China, smoking seems to be looked down upon in India. It’s prohibited pretty much everywhere (especially in Sikkim where technically you can only smoke in your home) and locals that do smoke tend to cuff their cigarette, hiding it from view as if they’re doing something shameful.

I’m not much of a smoker anymore (unless I drink), but I have been picking up the odd pack of beedis. They’re not as harsh as cigarettes, have a nice fragrance and you can’t beat 1 rupee for a 5 pack.

[View with PicLens]

After relaxing in beautiful Pelling for a couple of days, we decided to do the 3-day “monastery trek” to Khechiopalri Lake (which looks more like a pond), Yuksom, and finally Tashiding, and totals about 60 km.

This trek really showed me how out of shape I’ve become. Going up and down the mountain trails was brutal. Even worse was sweating like a pig and wheezing while schoolkids skipped past on their way to class. It was a good workout though, and a nice way to see ‘real Sikkim’ as many of the trails went through villages.