Rockfalls and Earthquakes

Friday 24^th April 2015

This morning started out so well. We got up and had a lazy breakfast then packed up all of our things. We set off to Lumbini at 10.30am the sun was shining and the skies were blue.

There are two ways to get to Lumbini both of the roads are pretty good but one way takes about five hours the other seven or eight. The bit of info that we weren’t told that would have been useful is that along the shorter route the road is prone to landslides and rock falls.

The road was awesome it was winding and very hilly but the surface was smooth and it was a wide road. We had been going for about four hours and thought we had about an hour to go when the sky started getting really dark for about 30mins or so we had been chasing blue skies and sunlight but the clouds had finally caught up with us.

It began to rain, a bit of drizzle at first and then steadily heavier so we stopped to take shelter for a while along with all the other road users. After about ten minutes or so the rain eased off and we decided to make a break for it as everyone else was doing.

We hadn’t been driving long when we passed a sign saying ‘rock fall next 3km’ we didn’t think much of it and kept going we were rounding a corner when I noticed a few small rocks falling from above then next thing we knew huge boulders were crashing towards us.

All I had time to do was shout “oh fuck” as Mark was saying “what?” and looking up the rocks were suddenly falling all around us. Next thing we knew we were flat on the road. I saw Mark jump to his feet and it occurred to me that I should do the same. The bike was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly from behind us was a scream we turned around to see a girl running in the opposite direction the guy she was riding with was flat on his back not moving.

Rocks were still falling so we moved away to a grassy area where I had to sit down. We still couldn’t see the bike, my bag was down the cliff snagged on a tree and Marks had somehow come off the bike and landed on the road.

The guy still wasn’t moving but by this time people had arrived on the scene a few times small rock falls started again sending the helpers and rubber neckers running. By the time the police arrived what felt like an age later we were soaked through covered in blood and dirt, freezing cold and hurting. A local climbed down and retrieved my bag. Bystanders got us some water and ice for our bumps.

After filing a somewhat inept report the police commandeered a passing vehicle to take us to the hospital. We had to drive back through the rock fall area back the way we had come.

We arrived in the hospital where we were treated like celebratories crowds followed us into the emergency room and even after being treated it seemed people kept coming to look at us.

While we waited I went to the toilet. They say never eat in a restaurant where the toilet isn’t clean, I’m sure that applies to treatment in a hospital but I guess we didn’t have any choice.

We were lucky to come out of the crash with nothing more than some cuts and scrapes. The doctors cleaned us up and gave us tetanus shots (in the butt haha) then we had to sit and wait hours for the police to do their thing. They confirmed that the other man was dead but we already knew that as we had driven past his body still laying where he fell on the road on the way to the hospital.

The girl on his bike came and went in the time that we waited she was clearly in shock with a blank face. She looked as though she was even less injured than us.

Eventually we were discharged the hospital mixed up our medical reports so that each one has the wrong name but it doesn’t really matter too much. Our total hospital bill was about NZD $6 for the both of us!

Once the bill was paid and we had our medicines we left with the police to the station which was a short walk away. They had pulled the bike out of the river and it wasn’t actually as banged up as we thought it was going to be although of course it didn’t start after spending the afternoon submerged in a river. The headlight was torn away exposing all the electrics, the wheels were bent, the battery casing was gone, the clutch pedal and the pegs were mashed, there was a huge dent in the petrol tank, the luggage racks had been torn away and the seat was ripped and crooked.

The police said the bike would be safe until we picked it up but that was clearly not going to happen. As it can’t be sold in Nepal it will live out its day at the station until they scrap it for parts.

We left the station and went to the nearest guesthouse. There was no hot water and no power so we just ate then finally changed out of our wet clothes and went to bed. Although sleep was hard in coming after such a dramatic day and the huge storm that was raging outside. 

 As we were driving between Pokhara and Lumbini through a mountain pass we were hit by a rock slide. The bike was hit by a huge boulder and knocked out from under us clean off the road and into the river below. We were lucky to walk away with nothing more than cuts and bruises. Another man wasnt so lucky and died instantly when he was struck in the head by a falling rock.Where all the people are standing is where the rocks came down and where the body of the man who was killed lay. The bike ended up in the river but we couldnt even see it, the poilce later dragged it out.

Saturday 25^th April 2015

We couldn’t really sleep last night and so were up around 6am. It didn’t help that the rain was still falling heavily and that everyone in the building seemed to rise with the sun.

We went downstairs to get some breakfast it seemed the only thing on offer was veg noodles and tea so that’s what we had. Once we had eaten we asked one of the young guys who as hanging about if he would come with us to the police station to try and get an official police report for insurance.

He agreed and we headed across the road. It seemed the officers were still asleep except for two playing badminton who waited until their game was finished to help us. We occupied ourselves looking at the bike again and talking to the young guy who came with us.

Eventfully the police chief came out it turned out that if we wanted a report we had to go 9km to the area police station but after a few minutes of radio talk it came back to us that since we were so respectful and nice they were asking permission to write the report there although it would be in Nepalese.

Eventually they were granted permission and we waited while they completed the report hand written in triplicate. It took ages and we had to wait in a mosquito filled dark room. Eventually after posing for a million photos and shaking a million hands we were free to go with the report in hand.

We headed back to the guesthouse and packed up and paid the bill then set off for Lumbini. We were told the journey would take two hours with one change of bus but it actually took four hours with three changes.

The worst part was driving back past the accident sight the bus was rickety and old and just before we got on we were told that rock slide accidents on that road are very common and that sometimes entire busloads of people are wiped out by huge boulders. Not very reassuring.

The bus stopped often for long stretches of times and when It was moving the driver drove like a mad man meaning we were thrown about like wet rags at one point a local woman was thrown right off her seat onto the floor of the bus!

The first part of the journey was all through mountain passes and rock fall areas so we were both tense. Later we would learn that a huge 7.9 earthquake had struck Nepal moments after we left the mountains. We didn’t feel it but I think it was because our bus didn’t seem to have any suspension.

We stopped in a town of unknown name and the conductor told us we had to take a taxi the rest of the way this was backed up by the taxi drivers but seemed a bit fishy so we walked along the road asking the bus drivers (no fun feat when you are covered in bruises, your bag is soaking wet and your hand and arm keep bleeding everywhere) it didn’t take us long to find the bus going where we wanted to.

We rode that bus 22km to the next town where we changed a final time. It was only another 20km or so but it took a freaking age as the bus kept stopping. When we arrived in Lumbini we got down from the bus and walked along the main street looking for a guesthouse. As we were talking about which one to check out a Russian guy came over and told us about the place he was staying out it sounded cheap and cheerful so we checked it out and checked in.

We went looking for food and ate in some fly infested dive where the samosas where pretty good and the price was ridiculously low (plus there isn’t actually that much choice in this town)

After eating we went back to the guesthouse after letting everyone know we were ok in regards to the earthquake and telling them the news about the accident I had a shower and tried to clean up all my wounds. We were both knackered and sore and so spent the afternoon watching TV.

In the evening we went to find food. The mosquitos were out in force and for the first half of the meal there was no power meaning we were in the darkness. Thankfully it came on and the staff turned the fans on which stopped the mozzies.

We ate and chatted to some other girls about the earthquake they felt it pretty strong here in Lumbini. After eating all I wanted to do was lie down so after getting some chocolate we headed back and watched a movie.

Pokhara - Take two

Wednesday 22^nd April 2015

Back in Pokhara we decided to take a few days to rest and recover from the trek (my legs were fine I didn’t need a rest I did however need to wash a lot of stinking trekking clothes so a few days to make sure it was all dry was perfect. Marks legs were hurting him and he spent the entire day walking like Bambi it was especially amusing watching him walk downstairs.)

Today was pretty much a non-event we had breakfast and then returned to the guesthouse to do aid washing. It took much longer than it should have as after soaping up everything I owned the water ran out and we had to wait an age for the pump to fill the tank up again (but at least all the stinky clothes got a good soak)

By the time I was ready to hang it all on the line the sky had turned from the clear blue dream it had been to dark and thick with rain which typically started as soon as I started to hang up my clothes and as soon as Mark had finished cleaning the bike.

We had to move the clothes line to the safety of shelter and with that finally done we braved the rain to go and get some food for a late lunch.

We got to the Indian restaurant and the sky opened up heavier than ever before with huge hailstones as well as giant raindrops. (Google weather told us at the time it was a zero percent chance of precipitation…)

We ended up eating way more than needed mostly as an excuse to stay in the dry of the restaurant, but eventually we had taken the piss long enough and had to brave the weather once more to walk back to the guesthouse.

I spent the rest of the afternoon writing about our trek and waiting for the painfully slow internet to upload some pictures whilst enduring Mark singing “Don’t speak” by Gwen Stefani and not knowing any of the words so just making up lyrics about me ignoring him.

Eventually I was done and we went done the road in the drizzle to a Nepalese place. Having eaten all the Indian earlier I wasn’t really hungry and so just had a veggie Thukpa which is a Nepalese noodle soup and is very tasty.

By the time we got back to the guesthouse it was once again pouring with rain and so we hid inside watching movies.

Thursday 23^rd April 2015

This morning we were up and at our trusty breakfast haunt early we didn’t have much planned for the day except to go to the mountaineering museum. After we had eaten we spuddled about at the guesthouse for a while half-heartedly packing up and generally sorting through things.

We left for the museum around midday on the bike it was only a short drive so it didn’t take us long to get there. We parked up and got tickets and headed inside.

Some of the exhibits were really interesting others a bit boring and badly worded. I liked the stuff about all the mountains over 8000m and the tales about the Yeti. There was also a new exhibit about climate change and the impact that it is having on the people who live in mountain communities.

Mark was hungry and followed me around the museum like a bored small child at the supermarket so it was good when two hours later I was done and we could go and get some food.

We both got pizza I ate mine at a normal speed whilst he hovered his up like nobody’s business (anyone who knows how fast I eat would be amazed at the speed this boy puts away food it’s actually scary)

We finished eating just as the sky was beginning to thunder so we headed back to the guesthouse as we had washing out in the sun. We got back in time to move it before the heavens opened and then paid the bill for our stay in preparation for heading to Lumbini tomorrow.

The rest of the evening was spent chilling out and then getting more food before hitting the hay.

Buddhist Mandala made of coloured powder

Animals of Nepal

Explains itself really...

Just a picture of a Yeti eating a potato... Standard

Memorial to climber who have lost their lives.

Flogging... as a meaning of education?

If a Georgia falls in the woods and no one is around to see it did it really happen?

Saturday 18^th April 2015

We were up and packed earlier than we had been for quite a while but by the time we had breakfast and were ready to go the morning was getting away from us. We took a taxi the short distance to the bus station and from there got a local bus to Nayapul.

The bus was crammed with people gas bottles and huge sacks of who knows what. Several times the driver had to force people to clamber onto the gas bottles which lined the aisle of the bus where they were forced to stand bent awkwardly so their head didn’t hit the roof or somehow crouch on the uneven surface.

The bus wound its way over a mountain and arrived in the little town of Nayapul about two hours after we had set off. The ride was a tad scary with the bus going far too close to the edge on more than one occasion.

Once we stepped down it was about 11am and the trek began immediately we walked through town and across a bridge to the trekking office where we showed the officials our permits and we were on our way.

For the first few hours we walked along a wide dirt path every so often a jeep would pass us with tourists doing a shorter trek or with goods for the many restaurants and guesthouses that lined the way.

We stopped for lunch with a view of rolling green mountains. Not long after we resumed walking the road turned into a flight of stone steps which led upwards for several hours the going was tough and we stopped frequently to hydrate and also to wait for our guide who was lagging behind us.

We reached our first stop Ulleri earlier than expected at about 4pm we collapsed into chairs and had a cup of tea before heading upstairs for a hot shower. Sitting down we became quite cold so it was nice when we came back downstairs and the log burner was lit.

We got chatting to a couple of girls who were trekking to base camp the first few days of their hike is the same as ours and we ended up spending a lot of time together.

We spent the evening huddled round the fire having dinner and endless pots of tea before heading to bed quite early. (Although there was a huge tour group who did keep us up late)

Crossing the bridge form Nayapul to the trails

Waterfall just out of Nayapul

Entering the conservation area

One of the many suspension bridges in the mountains

Sunday 19^th April 2015

The same group that was up so late last night was up early this morning and made no effort to keep the noise down by the time the alarm went off at 7am I had already been awake a few hours listening to them all bang about.

We had breakfast although the porridge had far too much milk in it for me and so I left most of it. We packed up and headed off around 8am the other girls had left before us but we caught up with them on the trail. The morning was clear and crisp and when we came out of the tree cover we could see snow-capped mountains in every direction.

Today was a short walking day the path went up and down and didn’t present any major challenges. We stopped for lunch early at about 11am which was fine by me as I hadn’t eaten much breakfast from lunch it was only another 90 minutes or so to Ghorepani which was our second nights stop.

Ghorepani translates to mean ‘horse water’ so named for the wild horses who come down from the mountains to drink close by to the village. We arrived and the sky was still clear as anything we could see all the surrounding mountains the sight was stunning.

We planned to take a rest and then head up to Poon Hill which is the highest point of our trek but as we were sitting the clouds rolled n and soon we couldn’t even see the mountains.

It was early and the whole afternoon stretched out in front of us we had showers and then took a walk in the town but there wasn’t too much to see other than guesthouses. I did buy some wool slippers at the woollen shop though.

We headed back to our room which was on the third floor and was on the corner of the building the room had windows on three sides and even with the clouds the room was bright and we had great views. Mark had a nap and I lost myself in my book when I looked up the cloud had become so thick that it was just a thick mist clinging to the windows and even with my nose pressed up against the glass I couldn’t see a thing outside.

Later in the afternoon we headed downstairs where the log fire was roaring. And settled in for the evening on the sofas. Since we had eaten lunch so early we had an early dinner and then headed up to bed at about 9pm as we planned to get up for the sunrise.

first peek at some peaks!

I love bridges

Welcome to Horse Water

All the mountains before the clouds rolled in

Monday 20^th April 2015

I was woken up before 4am this morning much to my annoyance as we didn’t need to hit the mountain until about 5am meaning we could roll out of bed pull on clothes and go. We left at 5am with just our cameras and water to see the sunrise and then head back for breakfast.

We left in the dark and made our way up Poon Hill. Ghorepani sits at 2874m and Poon hill is 3210m it took us about 40mins to climb 336m up steep steps. We stopped about two thirds up where we had beautiful mountain views but by the time we reached the people filled top of the mountain the cloud had rolled in and we were awarded just glimpses of snowy tops every now and again.

We took photos from the viewing platform and in front of the ever hilarious Poon Hill sign hanging out hoping for a break in the weather but we had no such luck and after a while it began to get truly cold so we headed down for breakfast.

distant peaks from most of the way up Poon Hill

Barely awake to see the mountains

the mist rolling in at the top of Poom Hill

A brief glimpse of some snowy peaks

What a hilarious name!

The gang before we trooped down to breakfast

Prayer flags at Poon Hill

Back in the lodge the fire was going and the tea was flowing we had a leisurely breakfast before packing up and hitting the trail. Today’s hike was very up and down with the first portion a solid hour or so toiling upwards. Ghorepani is the meeting point for three different hikes and so today’s leg of the journey was full of other travellers heading in both directions, in some parts we were all walking in a train.

After the uphill slog we wound up and down until lunch we were under the cover of trees for most of it but every so often we popped out and were rewarded with views of rolling green hills covered in trees and flowers or of distant white tipped mountains peeking out of the clouds.

We stopped for lunch and the clouds started to pull cover by the time we had eaten they looked heavy with rain so we wrapped up and continued on. For the next wee  bit it was just down down down with the occasional flat bit thrown in we passed a bunch of languor’s chilling in the trees that fled when they saw us stop to take a photo and stopped a few times for waterfalls and odd rock formations.

We stopped at the bottom of a hill to rest where our guide informed us it was 30mins straight up ad we would be in Tadapani where we would spend the night. As we geared ourselves up for the climb it began to rain so we hopped to it. Luckily it wasn’t too heavy or cold and it gave us the extra push to get there quickly.

We arrived and checked into our rooms the rain started coming down in full force and we were all freezing so were glad for the beautiful hot shower. Once we were clean dry and warm we headed to the common room (which of course had a log burner) and had apple pie and pots of tea as an afternoon snack we sat and read and laughed at the huge thermos of tea three Chilean guys got when they asked for a big pot (it had about enough tea for 30 people!)

We had dinner about 6pm and stayed up a few hours more but we were all fading after the early start and the long days hike so as soon as it was a respectable time we headed to bed.

Down the stairs we go

This little hut was the cutest...it also said danger!

All the piles of stones

Can you spot the creepy arse scarecrow?

Tuesday 21^st April 2015

Today as our longest day yet with about seven hours trekking after a breakfast of Tibetan bread and honey and eggs we said goodbye to the girls and set off at about 8am almost instantly the path started downwards in a flight of stairs which was to become the norm for the day

Compared to yesterday the path was gloriously empty we took our time and rested when we felt like it. The first part was in the jungle of the mountain where we saw a few monkeys and some leeches (and as I was walking along alone at the back of the group I fell down but if no one saw it did it happen?) but we soon came out of the cover where the sun was hot and punishing.

After three hours we arrived in a town where we could hire a jeep the whole way back to Pokhara but we were set on walking all the way down to Nayapul and getting the bus from there.

A few hours in and it felt like we had already been walking all day with the constant jarring on the knees. After four hours we stopped for lunch which was a hugely welcome break from the continuous stairs and all the children asking for chocolate.

After eating we set off again and the stairs soon ended and we were onto the dirt road by this stage we had been walking about five hours and still had a few more to go but at least the path wasn’t as hard to walk on. We walked next to a river for the rest of the way with f=some friendly dogs who accompanied us back.

Mossy jungle

dont encourage me to buy 'snackers'

Sad donkeys hauling arse

More sad donkeys

This little girl demanded I took her photo and then told me it would cost me some chocalate... jokes on her i didnt hae any!

Terraced hillside

Some of the many stairs we walked down

flat ground far in the distance

A baby and a puppy

everywhere you look in Nepal there are quarries

Back at the bridge in Nayapul

sad tractor

what a poser!

We were so set in our stride we didn’t even notice we had arrived in the town. We stopped in the permit office to say we had arrived and then walked up through the town to the bus stop which did take almost an hour. We arrived at the bus stop as a bus was about to pull away out luckily we got some seats at the back.

We took a seat and sat back for the bumpy journey to Pokhara. The driver was a bit nuts and we hurtled along being thrown about in our seats quite often. We were close to town when it started to pour with rain and then the bus stopped and we were all sent to another bus which was already full.

By the time we got down at the bus station it was 5pm and we were the walking dead. We got a taxi back to the guesthouse and got our bags out of storage. There was no hot water but the guesthouse owner’s wife kindly boiled us a few buckets worth and we felt human again.

With clean clothes we headed out for food and headed back to the guesthouse to watch a movie and hide from the rain.

Kathmandu - Nepal

Wednesday 8^th April 2015

We got woken up this morning by a dude in the bathroom next-door hacking up his lungs and snoting into the sink it was rather unpleasant and went on long enough to disrupt sleep permanently.

We got up and chucked clothes on and made it across the road where we had huge breakfasts and abused the Wi-Fi for several hours of chill time. I had woken up feeling as though I had been hit by a truck so the inactivity made for a beautiful morning.

When we finally got moving we walked through Durbar Square to a shop so Mark could get a part for the bike and then headed to the Dharahara Tower originally built in 1825 but destroyed by an earthquake in 1934 and rebuilt in 1936 the tower has 213 steps and a viewing platform allowing 360 degree views of the city.

Durbar Square

We paid for our tickets and headed in there is no sort of control or regulation for how many people are in the tower at once or any sort of curtesy walking up or down instead everyone just sort of pushes in a mad scramble in either direction.

We walked right up to the top where there is a Siva Lingam we had a brief look before heading back to the platform and making a circuit of it and taking a few pictures along the way. The way down was as much of a squeeze as coming up and it was a relief to be back out on the street in the fresh air.

View from the tower

We walked to Thamel and got falafel wraps for lunch and then checked out a few stores as I wanted some new trousers but didn’t find any that really called my name. We walked back to the guesthouse where I read my book while Mark worked on the bike.

In the evening we walked back to Thamel to a vegetarian restaurant for dinner. All the tables were low so we sat on the floor. The food was pretty spectacular but the whole meal I was struggling to stay awake as lack of sleep caught up with me.

Thursday 9^th April 2015

Today was a pretty blah day. Mark went off early to drop his passport off at the Indian immigration office while I continued to sleep. We had planned a few things but after breakfast and then a coffee we stopped back at the guesthouse for a bit and I never left.

We came back to put some books on my e-reader and by the time it was done I was ready to take a nap and not do anything for the rest of the day as I felt all tired and grumpy.

In the evening we went to a place down the road and had burgers for dinner before spending the evening watching movies.

Friday 10^th April 2015

Today was another lazy-ish day we had a late breakfast and then dropped off our laundry (as its only 50 NPR per kg it made way more sense to just get it all done rather than toil about washing it in a bucket) with the washing sorted we walked to Thamel and got new trousers, we had already looked at some the other day and so just went back and got them.

We then walked a little bit further to the Garden of dreams. We had to pay 200 NPR to get in but it was worth it for the peace and quiet of the gardens. Built way back in the 1920s the garden was originally a private garden for Field Marshal Kaiser Sumsher Rana sadly in when he died in 1960 the garden fell into ruin until recently when I was restored to its former glory and restored to its glory it has been, although it is now only half of its original size.

The gardens are small but feature several ponds, fountains, decorative garden furniture, and verandas and pergolas. We headed down some stairs to a terraced grassy slope where there were plenty of mats and cushions to lounge on. The sun was shining and so we retired under a tree and spent the afternoon contently reading (and trying to avoid being pooped on by the crows that insisted in perching in the tree above us)

A few pics of people lounging in the Garden of Dreams

Unfortunately in the late afternoon we had to leave to head to the visa office for Mark to pick up his passport. Along the way we stopped off at the supermarket and got a snack then continued on to the passport office where we waited outside until they opened the gate then headed in once inside the process went quickly and we were soon on our way out.

We went and got a coffee to kill time and ended up staying in the café for dinner just getting a few things we could munch on while chatting and reading.

Saturday 11^th April 2015

After a long breakfast this morning we were going to head climbing but realised we didn’t really have enough time as we needed to pick up our washing at 2pm and couldn’t miss them as the shops closed on Sundays and we planned to leave then. This meant we had a couple of hours that we needed to kill so we headed back to the room and packed up a bit and then I sat about reading my book while Mark entertained himself with various activities.

Eventually it was 2pm and with the washing collected we headed to the Nayayanhiti Palace Museum. We ended up walking right past It and had to double back on ourselves we made it back just in time for the last ticket sales of the day.

The construction of the palace was completed in 1969 and in its heyday I’m sure it was a marvel of modern architecture but now it just looked tired and a bit tacky. (Although extremely interesting) I was expecting it to be reminiscent of an old English manor house but instead was like walking through somebodies tasteless grandma’s house. The palace had 52 rooms of which 19 are open to the public. It makes for some fascinating viewing to see all the old photos on the walls and the old artwork on the walls.

The royal family lived in the palace up until they were massacred by the crown prince (for not approving his marriage choice…ummm spoilt much?) after they were all murdered (and he then topped himself in 2001) the crown fell to some other dude but the Nepali people spoke and they were done with royalty and so after a vote in 2008 the new king was given 15 days to vacate the palace and become a commoner. The palace opened as a museum in 2009.

Unfortunately photography in the palace is strictly prohibited because the whole place is great full of old tacky dusty furniture, old portraits of royals, photographs of dignitaries, outdated TV’s, radios and telephones and a whole zoo of stuffed animals including at least six tigers, various leopards a polar bear, an alligator and several stools and umbrella stands made from elephant and rhino feet as well as all sorts of heads mounted on the wall.

Behind the palace is the ruins of a smaller building in which the royal massacre took place after which it was torn down. It’s also where the gardens are which are overgrown with weeds and unruly plants growing all over empty fountains and crumbling lawn furniture and a children’s play set.

The whole place while hugely fascinating feels stagnant and full of the many deaths that took place there and I was quite glad to be back out in the sunshine and on our way.

We stopped and had lunch in a trendy café before having a mammoth walk across the city to see a Stupa. We never made it to the famous one we set out to see instead settling on one we stumbled across. The courtyard was full of a mix of people praying, kids playing and young guys just hanging out. The mood was happy and the prayer flags that were fluttering in the wind were bright and cheerful. We walked clock wise around the stupa and then headed back into the city as the sun went down.

Hazy sunset in Kathmandu

We ate at the local Indian place and then got an early night before our road trip to Pokhara.

Sunday 12^th April 2015

Today we drove from Kathmandu to Pokhara. As is often the case everyone told us how nice the road was and that it would only take about six hours to get there. For once they were correct. Most of the way the road was in excellent condition with just a few potholes and bumps here and there.

We got up planning to leave round 8.30am but true to our normal fashion of not being able to get going it was 9.30am before we were on the road. We got up went and had breakfast and then packed up the remainder of our things. Once we had everything ready to go it didn’t take long to load up the bike and hit the road.

Even though it was a Sunday morning traffic in the city was heavy and it was a bit stop start until we reached the city limits and even then we constantly got stuck behind trucks or buses but about an hour or so into the journey the road opened up a bit and we started making decent progress.

The drive was beautiful as we went through small villages and towns all perched up on the side of the mountain. For the most past we followed a river which was beautiful although very polluted looking. In stretches the water was a thick brown colour (it was in one of these brown patches that we saw a bunch of people rafting and I hoped for their sakes they didn’t fall out)

We stopped a few times to stretch our legs but these breaks were also a hazard as the road was very populated and as soon as we stopped a dozen trucks belching out black smoke would careen by choking us where we stood.

The last 15km or so began to feel a bit endless as the road was boring and straight but lined with traffic eventually we reached the turn off for the lake and stopped at the first restaurant we came to for some veg chow mein.

Feeling fuelled up we went in search of a guesthouse, as its Nepali new year all the places in town are a bit more expensive than normal but we managed to find a place right opposite the lake that seemed pretty decent.

We dumped our gear and went in search of a cup of tea. We found a nice restaurant and chilled there until it was an appropriate dinner time then had a long drawn out meal as the rain poured down outside. When finally we were ready to leave it had calmed down enough that we didn’t get too drenched on the short walk back.

Thankfully there was hot water and after a nice warm bucket shower the world looked a better place.