The Nomadic Newlyweds: A Drive Through Hell to A City in the Clouds

Absolutely terrifying- the only way I can describe the bus journey from Chitwan National Park to Pokhara.

We said our goodbyes to our new friends Adam and Alicia and boarded the tourist bus to Pokhara. When we signed up for a tourist bus instead of a local bus I had visions of spacious cushioned seats and crisp air conditioning in a nice, sturdy,mountain road worthy, modern bus. What we got looked more like a fun fair ride than a serious mode of transportation. We passed all of the buses I described to get onto our 1975 Shaggin Wagon and sat in the very last seats that they saw no need for the luxury of cushions. I settled into the window seat and we were laughing as we started the 4 hour journey. Not long into the trip we were surprised when they started a DVD that played all the greatest bands of generations passed like The Venga Boys, AQUA (Barbie Girl, etc), The Scorpions-Unplugged and a band that neither of us recognized but their hairstyles hinted at early 80's.

About halfway into the second loop of the DVD we came to our first mountain road and while I was a bit nervous, (I have a pretty healthy fear of heights I'm trying to overcome on this trip), we were enjoying the views of lush mountain side and the local people. Until I looked down. Our death traps tires were brushing the side of the road sending rocks plummeting into the rushing river hundreds of feet below. I was keeping my composure fairly well until I saw an overturned bus, that looked exactly like ours, upside down, deep in the rocky valley. Mark switched places with me and I spent the rest of the trip crying like a big baby with my head in the seat next to an unfortunate Chinese lady. We arrived at our destination just as I finished mentally preparing my will-6 hours later.

The Death Trap

The inside was covered in big plastic colored lights- they didn't scream safety

Pokhara is probably one of the most tourist ridden cities in Nepal but it is the perfect place to come for outdoor activities (trekking, rafting, paragliding, etc), a bit of yoga, or just to relax. The streets are lined with shops selling everything from Nepalese North Face trekking gear (they swear it's just as good as the real thing) to Tibetan jewelery, there is an abundance of restaurants selling delicious food, and the locals are friendly and welcoming. Our taxi brought us to our prebooked hotel and we decided immediately that we would find a new place to stay the next day.The next morning we had a delicious breakfast of banana and honey pancakes and Nepalese tea and set off to find a new abode for the 2 weeks we planned on being in Pokhara. We found a lovely hotel named the Butterfly Lodge. It wasn't as clean as the hotel before but it had hot water, a fan, and a friendly manager who welcomed us with a smile and an assurance that he would not rip us off because of his firm beliefs in Karma.

The main street of Pokhara with the Annapurna range of the Himalayas

We relaxed until the next day when we decided to climb the 1000 meters to the World Peace Pagoda that is visible from the main street in town. We had a taxi drop us off 2.5 kilometers (about 1.5 miles) from the top. The walk was relatively easy and we were only slightly out of breath when we finally reached the top. The views were amazing and we spent about an hour just taking it all in. The giant pagoda was built by Buddhist monks to promote world peace and features large golden statues of Buddha. We got our first taste of the majestic Annapurna range of the Himalayas here and the snow capped mountains made us feel so small. It really was breathtaking.

One of my favorite shots of a boy on a bamboo swing. We passed him on the way up.

The World Peace Pagoda

One of the Buddha statues on the Pagoda

View from the top

The walk down the other side of the hill was a little less easy going and the slippery path had Mark on his butt a few times. We battled with a pack of friendly dogs for the narrow pathway most of the way down and were happy when we finally made it to the lake at the bottom. We bought our canoe ticket and were thankful that this one looked much sturdier than the Chitwan version. The canoe driver handed Mark a paddle and I sat back taking pictures as we made our way slowly across the crystal clear lake.

Our entourage for the day

View from the lake

Mark paddling us across the lake

Two days later, after a day of rest, Mark once again convinced me to hire bikes to ride to a well known waterfall about 3 miles away. After negotiating prices for bikes only slightly more comfortable than the ones we had in India, we set off. We passed the typical tourist shops and entered Davi's falls, so named for the the Swiss woman who was whisked away by flood waters while bathing there. We bought our tickets and were completely underwhelmed when we entered the gates. We followed a sign to a wishing well that turned out to be a concrete hole about 3 feet wide and 2 feet deep. The falls were so well protected from future tourist disasters that it was hard to see so we left. We got about half a mile into our return journey when my bike broke. Mark tried, unsuccessfully, to fix it covering himself in grease in the process. We carried on walking the bikes but with the sun beating down on us and 2.5 miles to go we decided to hire a taxi back. After a very heated conversation with the bike owner, we compromised to pay for the one working bike and went back to the hotel to clean up. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and enjoying the city and we ate some of the best pizza this side of Italy and prepared for our 5 day trek into the Himalayas the next day.

We woke up bright and early to have breakfast before our guide and taxi picked us up for the hour and a half drive to the starting point of the trek. Tom, our guide (his name is actually Tham but we didnt find this out until 4 days later), met us at the hotel with a shy smile. The drive was surprisingly calm despite the steep roads and we arrived in Nayapul ready to get started. Tham carried our big bag and we had our day packs and we set off down the rocky path. We started with a spring in our step passing a large group of trekkers feeling a bit cocky about our fast pace. The scenery captivated us almost immediately with mountains covered in various shades of bright greens. Terraced steps of rice paddys and vegetable gardens break into the forest adding splashes of bright yellow and purples to the scenery. The path followed a river for a while and the sound of whitewater rushing by coupled with the loud hum of crickets made the rest of the world fade away.

We stopped occasionally to snap some pictures and once when Tham found a very tall marijuana plant on the side of the road. He pocketed a few clippings and we carried on. We crossed a few suspension bridges where I surprised both myself and Mark by crossing with little fuss. Tham found a restaurant for lunch and had the best vegetable momos (dumplings) that we've had in Nepal. Shortly after we left our lunch spot it began raining so we found a tea house to stop to try to wait it out. We waited for about 30 minutes but Mark and I were both pretty eager to carry on so Tham reluctantly led the way in the rain.

Momo's (vegetable dumplings)

Not long after, we began the stone steps, the 3,807 stone steps, leading to the town we would stay in for the night. The rain made the uneven steps slippery and the increasing altitude made it difficult to breathe but we carried on slowly. Our final destination for the night was Ulleri, and we were relieved when we finally made it. We dropped our bags in our room and went downstairs to eat. Mark found a couple to practice his French with and I chatted with a local girl who spoke really good English. Tashi's parents were Tibetan refugees and she made money by selling jewelery to tourists. We talked for a while and then she showed me her jewelery, and I bought a bracelet for both me and Mark. Marks is made of yak bone and mine of Tibetan prayer beads and Jade.

After dinner we settled into our room that was about 6ft wide and 8 ft long and found the communal shower room and toilet that was a hole in the ground. We hung our wet clothes on a line outside and called it a night. We layed in twin beds in a room built like a shed, you could see the lights outside through the holes in the walls and they lined the ceiling with linoleum flooring to catch debris that fell through the timber roof. There was a large poster of a cruise ship in front of New York City-probably there to cover a hole in the wall but we are happy to be warm and dry and I'm surprised at our high spirits after such an exhausting day. We can hear the family who owns and lives in the guest house outside washing the dishes from dinner. Everyones laughing and the children are playing. Excitement for the Hindu festival that begins the next day was tangible.

I think back to times when I've broken or lost my cell phone or facebook was inaccessible and my life seemed to stop. These people, who live on top of the world, receive the necessities they can't make or grow themselves by mule or men who carry them on their backs. They are completely happy with exactly what they have.