Kathmandu District

Day 29: Paiya to Salleri
So let's pick up where we last left off. This entry is very much going to be about one mode of transport: the jeep. Now, we'd just finished our trek to Everest Base Camp. We'd planned to ride the jeep back to Salleri (where the actual 'paved' road begins and thus might get a bus back to Kathmandu from there) but figured it'd be too late to happen today by the time we got to Paiya, so probably wouldn't happen until Friday. As it so happened, when we reached Paiya for the Thursday 3 pm, we were ushered straight onto said jeep. Well, I say jeep, what I really mean is mobile-earthquake-simulator.

Straight out of Paiya, the jeep jerked violently back and forth on the crooked, rocky track, causing all sorts of limbs to rattle against the vehicle's roof as we came concerningly close to the sheer cliff drop. Thomas claimed that he felt like he was in an episode of 'the world's most dangerous roads', while I joked that I was impressed with the quality of Nepalese roads (hitting my head on the roof in the process.) Maybe we were in our element, with the feeling of invincibility apparently yet to wear off in our naive youth, even as the driver got out to rearrange the road for the dodgiest cliff hang into the abyss yet.

The worst of the exposure was over come Thamdanda, though, and after picking up some stray locals along the way, we were up to 11 people crammed into the jeep. Eleven! For a jeep big enough for maybe 7-8. With four in the front, the driver was practically hanging out the window, but thankfully retained enough tact to avoid the biggest boulders in the way. It was hardly comfortable in the back either, with not even enough leg room for an outstretched thigh causing severe cramps for the both of us. Our convulsions over the calamitous road continued for 6½ hours, and we drew a sigh of relief when our jeep did *eventually* turn on its headlights for the darkness.

Yes, finally at 9:30 pm, we had reached Salleri: paved road! But the uncomfortable bit wasn't over yet as we were told we'd have to be up by 4 am tomorrow for the onward leg to Kathmandu...

Day 30: Salleri to Kathmandu
Why the ellipsis, you're probably thinking. Surely that's the bad bit over with, you're on paved roads now? Well, not so much: this next journey was to last 12 hours. At 4 am we were escorted onto another jeep along with our merry band of accomplices from the previous leg: a Czech pair, a Réunion woman, a Korean woman, and a few Nepalis, even taking the same seating formation as we had the previous day.

I have to say, I'm surprised there aren't more Nepalese drivers in Formula One. Though to be honest, if there were, I think you might see a lot of time penalties for foul play handed out. The driving around traffic is insane! Genuinely insane, as our driver careered recklessly around every slower moving vehicle, pulling out to overtake on blind bends without compromise, even when there was no road with which to be able to. Briefly being stuck behind a slower moving bus (though probably still going 50 mph), we caught sight first of chickens strapped to its tailgate, then goats clinging on from stood on the roof! Nepal is a bit mad, that's my conclusion.

Between regular police checkpoints, where drivers would race to be the first to hand their slip of paper to an officer, we also stopped a lot. We stopped to eat Dhal Bhat here, ice cream there, fresh market fruit at another place, then crisps at another place, and another place etc. Feeling still a bit under optimum myself, I didn't have it all, but Thomas ate SO much this day. And it probably wasn't aided when we finally reached Kathmandu, returning to our favourite little restaurant opposite our hotel where we choked down pizza and chips (Thomas) and a burger and beer (JJ), then chocolate as a treat.Read more