Gorkha

We started our day early by waking up at 5.30 to be at the microbus stop at 6 am. We had a quick hot drink with our host Thumpten, who gave us a bag of apples and bananas in place of breakfast. His mate, the taxi driver, then took us to the bus stop, where we were immediately swamped by the microbus agents, one of whom grabbed my bag from out of the back of the taxi and began taking it over to his vehicle. I got it back, and the taxi driver helped us buy an official ticket at the ticket counter to make sure those jacked-up guys didn't overcharge us. We settled into a minivan-type vehicle, aka a microbus, which had seats enough for 15 people, (seats arranged as 2/3/3/3/4) with two other ladies sitting at the very front. We took off with the sliding door wide open and our conductor calling out "KATHMANDU" to any loitering pedestrian. Basically, people just hop on and pay him and then try to fit in as many people as possible even if there are not seats/space; it's up to the person if they want to get in. We quickly accumulated a full bus with all seats taken, but then more people got squeezed onto rows with 5 people sitting on the three-person row at one point.

The driver was going SO fast and overtaking whenever any inch presented itself. As we made good time, we got stopped by a small accident that blocked the road and a mini-landslide at one of the many construction points, which held us up for at least 20-30 minutes.

We finally arrived in Mugling where we were meeting our guide and other hiker and joining them in their proper bus from Kathmandu for the rest of the way. While we were waiting, we ate at the cleanest, most hygienic restaurant I've ever encountered. When you entered, the waitress sprayed your hands with sanitizer and directed you to leave your bigger bags on a table at the front, and they were all wearing masks. It was like COVID was still a thing. But the bathrooms were immaculate and had signage on how to use the Western ones and thick, clean toilet paper, and all motion sensor water and soap dispensers. It was heaven. The food was average, but the masala chai was strong! We were shaking and jittery from the caffeine hit.

Eventually, the bus from Kathmandu arrived with our guide, Mitra, and I was sat next to our hiking partner Cecilia from Sweden. She's very friendly and lovely, and I think she will be great company. James sat next to a guy who manspread the whole trip and who kept falling asleep on his shoulder.

Just when you think you can't experience a worse bus ride in Nepal, you experience a worse one. The road quickly got very steep, and the bus was really struggling, and then the road turned to dirt for the last 2 hours, which meant tons of erosion, landslides, and narrow roads with cliff drops on one side. I had to just look away after a while as staying engaged was giving me a lot of anxiety that we'd fall off. We finally made it to our village for the night, Machhakhola, which sits at 800m above sea level. Our rooms are simple but good, and after getting to know each other better, we showered and headed to bed for an early night after a very long day.

P.S. Cecilia told us the tip to not cry when peeling onions: you should stick your tongue out. Please, someone try it and let us know if it works!Read more