Aaja bhanda 5 barsa ra ek din aghi, December 29, 2000 arthat 2057 saal ko Poush 14 gatay. Tyahi din ko samjhana ma yaha kehi kordai chu I had started this thread about 3 years ago but never got to complete it. Yespaali chahi tukra tukra gari bistarai paskine sur gardai chu.

I was scheduled to leave for Pokhara along with my Japanese and Malaysian friends (from here on, known as J and M) who were visiting me in Kathmandu at that time. We had planned a short trek in the Annapurnas. Well, it happened to be during the time of the Hritik Roshan kanda. The previous day was the “Upatyaka Banda” called by the CPN ML. There were rumors that the same party was calling the following two days as “Nepal Banda.” Of course as usual, there was no word regarding this issue from the state controlled media. However, there were also rumors that other parties, including the CPN UML, had been negotiating with the CPN ML not to call a strike on the King’s birthday (ironically the last one for King Birendra). Without knowing for sure whether the strike was called off or not, the three of us left home around 5:45 am. As we walked through the Gusingaal ko galli, there were a couple of chiya pasals open but that was far from confirming that the strike was called off since shops away from the main streets are usually open anyway. As we reached Hanumanthan, we saw a taxi that appeared to be waiting for passengers. That sight gave a little boost to our worried spirits.

As we crossed the Bagmati bridge and headed west towards Tripureswore, we saw a few more vehicles. By now, we were thoroughly convinced that the strike was called off. Tespachi pabitra Tukucha paar gari Rangasaala ko chewai bata Uttar haniyo, walking along the sidewalk raised high above the street. Tudikhel ko cheu cheu hindai we arrived Sahid Gate around 6:20 am, where we were supposed to catch our “tourist bus” at 6:30. All the tourist buses were supposed to leave Thamel and come that way. There was one European looking dude smoking a cigarette. He asked us in his barely comprehensible English if we were headed to Pokhara, I replied on the positive. It was a cold and foggy morning, and time seemed to pass very slowly. Many local minibuses, microbuses, and tempos stopped and passed by. However, no tourist bus was to be seen. While the three of us were talking and shivering struggling to keep ourselves warm, the grumpy looking European dude, who was apparently the only other person waiting for a Pokhara-bound bus, kept smoking one after another cigarette.

It was almost 7 am when one tourist bus finally arrived but that was not ours. Showing our ticket (with the bus # endorsed as 101), I asked the conductor “Ek saya ek number ko bus audai cha ki chaina?” “Audai cha” was his reply. Other tourist buses, some bound to Tandi and some to Pokhara arrived after that and I asked the same question to the conductors of each of them just to receive the same reply. Eventually the chain smoker got into his bus. I now started having doubts. I was thinking that may be the operators of that bus did not know that the strike was not called off and therefore decided not to operate that day. The two started teasing me, “You screwed us up. That bus #101 does not even exist. See, even that chain smoker is already on his way.” At the same time, I was thinking of a contingency plan of taking a minibus run by the Prithvi Highway Syndicate should our bus not arrive within the next hour or so. After repeating the same question to a couple of other bus conductors, finally one of them said “la yesai ma aunus.” So finally around 7:15 or so, we were on our way to Pokhara.

Bus pheri khataray paraycha. It belonged to Monica Travels. Unlike other tourist buses we saw, it did not have tinted windows. The two got the relatively better seats but I got the only other of the two remaining 2*2 seats. The aisle seat beside me was out of order; the backrest was tilting all the way back making it almost a flat seat. I used it to place my backpack. The window was missing a knob and was not stable. Banda garyo, ekai chin ma khyatrang khyatrang gardai khulihalne ani cheeso sireto le attack dinthyo. Tesmathi tyo knob hunu parne thau ko pwal bata aune chiso hawa ta chadai cha. After exiting the valley at Nagdhunga, we got a brief glimpse of the Ganesh Himal. After numerous twists and turns, and greeting numerous night buses and trucks headed towards Kathmandu, we reached Naubise. Dr. Harka Gurung, in his renowned book “Vignettes of Nepal” states that the road between Thankot and Naubise turns 52 times. However, I have always been forgetting to make the count myself to verify his statement.

Kramasha

After stopping at the kar chauki to pay the "rajmarga sudhaar kar", the bus sped to Dharke and crossed the Sungure Khola from where the road was to follow the Mahesh Khola. Ani Sopyang Khola tarera Juge Khola pugiyo. Just for sentimental reasons (since I had sipped numerous gilaases of chiya during my previous bus journeys), I wished the bus had stopped at either of those places but it did not. After passing through Mahadevbensi and Simle, the bus stopped on the middle of nowhere. The conductor yelled “Toilet!”

Aba bahira kaam kura sakaune baani ta afno chutisakeko rahicha. I walked about 50 meters or so around the bend and stood against the cliff to relieve myself. Many people did so closer to the bus while the ladies struggled to find a more private location. The bus moved on soon passing through Galchi from where we got a glimpse of the Trisuli which we were to follow till Mugling. Baireni bata Trisuli ko cheu cheu hudai we passed through Belkhu and Adamghat. During our momentary stop at Gajuri, I surprisingly noticed a “Snooker House.” Until a few years ago, it was not even common in Kathmandu.

At the junction where the road to Dhading splits, I saw a dilapidated Isuzu bus of Sajha bound to Dhading. That was the only long distance Sajha bus I had seen that time. Pahila ta kati travel gariyo Sajha ko hariyo bus dekhi liera nilo Isuzu ra Mitsubishi ma pani, both local and long distance. Dikka lagyo sarkari sanstha haru taal dekhda. Ani Malekhu ma macha becheko dekhay at several stores. “Janakpur ko macha Trisuli ko bhanera bechdai chan mora haru” bhanne sochay. A few kilometers from Malekhu, our bus stopped at the Blue Heaven Restaurant, which seemed to be a popular stop for the tourist buses. As we unboarded, the chain smoker’s bus was about to leave. He was on the line to board the bus behind a few other passengers, once again smoking. I was thinking, he must have been taking his last dose of nicotine before the next stop, which may be at least a couple of hours later. “Hey there is that chain smoker again”, M said once we were at an inaudible distance from him.

We took our seat right beside the river. Once again they started teasing me about our bus. “It is all your fault. The bus #101 does not even exist and now we are in this screwed up Monica bus. Even that chain smoker got a better bus.” Eventually the screwed up bus got nicknamed Monica Lewinsky Bus, and later on simply the Lewinsky Bus.

Kramasa

अनि के भो नि त्याँ'ट हिनसी?

Blue Heaven bata bus aghi badhna kehi delay bhaeko ma xyama prarthi chu hai. Lau aba sunu tyaha bata hidesi ko katha.

After a light breakfast, we were ready to continue. It was a clear day. At Benighat, where the Budhi Gandaki meets the Trisuli, we got a brief view of Ganesh Himal once again through the Budhi Gandaki Valley. Continuing via Charaundi, Majhimtar, the infamous Jogimara, and Fishling we reached Kurintar where we passed by the cable car to Manakamana. The bus briefly stopped at Mugling where M and J (who are husband and wife btw) decided to buy some oranges. They got off the bus, asked the price and must have felt that the vendor was trying to overcharge them, quoting Rs 40 for a kilo. I got off the bus, and asked her the price. She quoted me Rs 40 as well, but after some bargaining I managed to bring it down to Rs 25. Once in the bus, I asked a Nepali passenger sitting behind me how much he had paid for the oranges. “Das rupiya ma adhaa kilo leko” was his reply. Lau thagyo bhanya jasto lagyo. We crossed the Trisuli and started following the Marsyangdi.

Marsyangdi ko kinarai kinar Satrasayaphant ra Bimalnagar hudai Dumre pugiyo. That porition of the road had finally been repaired since my last journey in 1997 but beyond that it still remained unrepaired. Negotiating the dusty road with potholes, we left Dumre through Ghasikuwa (remember Bhanu Bhakta ra Ghasi?) and descended to Damauli via Musekhola. Damauli pani pahila ko bhanda nikai thulo lagyo. After crossing the long bridge of Madi and passing Tharpu, we stopped at a store on the middle of nowhere, which seemed to be another popular stop for tourist buses. Once again, as we stopped there the chain smoker was about to board his bus, again with a cigarette. “There is your good friend again,” I remarked to M. “Hey whatever..his bus is better than this Lewinsky bus” was his remark. Snacks and beverages were sold at outrageous prices. After a brief halt, we continued to Pokhara via Khairenitar, Kotre and Sisuwa. Seeing the stone houses, I became more and more excited about reaching Pokhara.

Back in 1997, the tourist buses did not go beyond Prithvichowk (though they could pick up passengers from Lakeside on the return journey) supposedly as the taxi drivers’ cartel prevented them from doing so citing “pesenjar napaera.” Back then, the bus had stopped in an isolated chaur just before Prithvichowk and we were attacked like vultures by the hotel agents. I asked the conductor how far the bus was going. “Rastra Bank Chowk,” was his reply. That was slightly better news to me since it was much closer to the Lakeside and Damside but still I wanted to avoid the agents. I was thinking of getting off at Mustang Chowk and take either a short walk or a local bus to Pardi instead. I told M and J about my plan but both of them strongly objected saying "No we are going to the last stop. We are seasoned travelers. We know how to deal with them.” I reluctantly agreed. Our bus journey ended somewhere near the Rastra Bank Chowk, once again in a chaur off the road where we were surrounded by agents. I told them that we were on a very low budget and could not afford to pay more than Rs 150 or so. One of them represented the Jharana Hotel, also recommended by my father, and agreed to the price I was offering. It was also agreed that we would get a free ride regardless of whether we chose to stay there or not. In an ancient Toyota Corolla, we reached our hotel at the Damside.

A few kilometers from Malekhu, our bus stopped at the Blue Heaven Restaurant, which seemed to be a popular stop for the tourist buses.
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Every tourist bus stop there, perhaps they get commision.

Ani Malekhu ma macha becheko dekhay at several stores. ?Janakpur ko macha Trisuli ko bhanera bechdai chan mora haru? bhanne sochay.
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Its irony fact.

In an ancient Toyota Corolla, we reached our hotel at the Damside.
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Feeling nostalgic. Kati chadiyo tyo toyota corolla. In the back seat, four person have to seat. Even it is difficult to seat 4 skinny people, the situation is really horrible if one of them is big.

Ah ! missing my mobike !

Nepalean,

"Every tourist bus stop there, perhaps they get commision"

This is very true of virtually every long distance bus staff. While the passengers pay exhorbitant prices for low quality chaamal ko bhaat, watery daal, few pieces of meatless masu, and a couple of pieces of potatoes, the bus staff are provided "special khana" (higher grade rice, thicker daal, and proper meat and veggies) for free in addition to the commission.

Do the greyhounds people get the same in MC Donald? curious!

You are right, I have ate with drivers and the staffs so many time (becasue the owner of the bus was my relatives) and they get fresh and much better food than the regular passenger. They even get papad and other veg that regular people do not get. Sometimes I even had kheer after the meal with the driver the staff.

Nepalean,

I think it is pretty common to see four people on the back seat of the smaller Marutis as well. Meanwhile, I took the Toyotas whenever I had a choice both due to nostalgia and comfort factors. Unfortunately, there were not so many of them running in Kathmandu as of 2004. I don't recall seeing any Datsun Sunny either. These days, taxis seem to be synonymous to the white Marutis which lack the much needed shock absorption.

Greyhound ko baray ma chahi thaha bhaena hai.

Although there are more places to hangout in Lakeside, I have always preferred to stay in Damside for better mountain views. M asked the receptionist if the "reflection" could be seen, and to his disappointment received the answer "from the other side." He was referring to the commonly seen pictures of Phewa Taal ko angan ma Machhapuchhre chhaya. I assured him that some of the "reflection" can be seen in the morning if it is clear. Well, it was around 2 pm then and the mountains were already behind the clouds.

After checking in, we made a leisurely walk to Baidam. Mulbato ma niskera baya modi Shahid Chowk bata pheri baya modiyo. Vehicular traffic was blocked in that area due to the ongoing “Pokhara Street Festival.” We decided to stop for a light lunch. It took a long time to receive our order. While waiting at our outdoor table just a few meters from the water, M remarked, “You first got the ticket for the bus # 101 that does not even exist, then into that screwed up Lewinsky bus and now probably this place is out of food.” He had ordered a veggie dish. L commented “they are probably still looking for the seeds to grow the vegetables.” My comment was “you need the land to grow the vegetables, and buying land is quite a bureaucratic and chaotic process.” We spent some more time gazing at the lake and the surrounding hills. Ananda lindai Sarangkot ra Pumdi Bhumdi ka danda haru, ani taal ma chaleka dunga haru herdai kehi ber guff gariyo. Eventually our food arrived, and soon we were on a boating trip.

Yeso Barahi Mandir ko fanko marera we started our stroll on the Lakeside and stopped for beer and snacks at a restaurant. As we waited on our table enjoying watching the street activities, an Indian woman sitting nearby asked me “Excuse me, are you from India?” Bhitra bhitrai ta jhanakkai ris uthyo, taipani trying not to be rude I replied, “No, I am from Kathmandu." She asked me again, “We are going back there tomorrow. Do you think RB’s is going to be open?” "Ma tyaha kaam garne ho ra malai thaha huna lai" bhandiu jasto lagyaathyo. “Probably, since the strike has been postponed” bhandie. “Do you think if Peanuts is going to be open?” “Probably.” “Ok thank you, sorry to disturb you.” “It’s ok, no problem.”

Soon we left the restaurant and started our pre-dinner stroll. Beer ko haluka buzz le garda ananda airaheko thiyo. M and J bought some stuff at Park and Save (did not see any parking spot, and things did look costly) needed for the trek that we were to start the next day. Thau thau ma folk dances were held on the streets.

The Lemon Tree Restaurant had special Newari dish advertised for Rs 50. Obviously, I could not resist it. I had taken them to a Newari restaurant in the Chetrapati area the previous day, and they were more than willing to try some more Newari food after enjoying jibro fry, gidi etc. Needless to say, that is where we chose to have our dinner. A slim young lady dressed in traditional Newari attire served us “aila” from the “aunty” on small earthen dishes (can anyone tell me what are they called?). Ek dui thopa nilna sath mukh dekhi pet samma nyaano hune. We ordered the special dish, which was served on the saal ko paat ko tapari (lappes ki bhanincha Newari ma?). Piro piro choela, alu ko achar, alu bodi tama ko tarkari ra chiura khaiyo beer sanga. They were also playing Nepali folk music. After a long time I had heard the song “dhunga lyayo syauli lyayo saunay bhel le..bhet bhayo maya lagyo karma ko khel le.” A little more tipsy from the beer, I started humming the song myself. “Dr. Stolte is there!” M said all of a sudden. Dr. Stolte was one of our economics professors in college. Jhasanga bhaera heray. M started laughing, malai tettikai ullu banaeko rahicha mora le. It would have been a nice surprise to meet our college professor like that but..may be next time. We left the restaurant. J wanted some ice cream to kill the piro. After stopping at Baskins Robbins, we walked our way back to our hotel. With a bit tipsy body and a full stomach we soon crossed the unlit stretch between Baidam and Shahid Chowk and reached out hotel. Planning to meet at the rooftop the next morning for some photography, we headed to our rooms.

Kramasha

:)

हैन पैलाको चिप्लेढुङ्गाको चिप्लेढुङ्गा आजभोलि चिप्लेढुङ्गामा छैन कतातिर चिप्लियो त्यो चिप्लेढुङ्गा ! हे हे हे !
यात्रा सँस्मरण रामाइलो रे'छ ल ! बढम्... छिट्टै अरु अगाडि बढम् !

As planned, we met at the rooftop early in the morning. Many other tourists as well, mostly Japanese, had gathered on the adjacent roofs with their cameras. Bistarai ghaam udauna thalyo. The mountains were in full view, starting from pink, and turning golden as the sun rose. Dozens of cameras came into action. Slowly the peaks turned white and M could see some of the “reflection” that I had assured him of. As much as we would love to spend more time on the roof, we had a long day ahead. Our destination of the day was Ghandruk. We reluctantly headed downstairs to our rooms, and met at the lobby with our gears packed. We left the hotel and walked back to the main street where we were to catch a local bus to the Baglung Bus Park after having breakfast.

In compliance with the restaurant’s name, we decided to have our breakfast at Don’t Pass Me By. Although it was a chilly morning, we sat outside by the waterfront to catch a partial view of the mountains. The service was slow but the food was excellent. Ani thotro Tata ma chadhera Mustang Chowk tira lagiyo. Tyaha bata baya modi airport lai daya pardai Prithvi Chowk ma pheri baya modi bus rokiyo. “La Bagar Bagar Bagar Bagar” bhandai conductor karauna thalyo. Yo America basera motaera hola, pahile jastai gari local bus ko seat ma sajilai basna nasakne bhaechu. Tyaha chadheko ek jana lai jhyaal ma basna diyera I took the aisle seat so that I could still stretch my legs. In a few minutes bus aghi badhyo. Sabhagriha Chowk(?) bata New Road tira daya modiye pachi pheri Himal ko darshan paiyo. Ani Chipledhunga ma daya modera pheri Mahendrapul ma baya modiyo. Pokhara ko downtown yahi ho bhanera sathi haru lai bujhae. Soon we entered the older part of the city. Palikhechowk (Pokhara ma jati dherai chowk aru kahi chaina ki kaso?) bata Tersapatti hudai Baglung Bus Park nira pugepachi hami orliyaun. A short walk of perhaps 200 meters took us to the bus station from where we were to take a bus or taxi to Nayapul.

Kramasha

अब आउनै लाग्यो!

मुटु छुने लुम्लेको हावाले!
हावाले!
... ... ...

चाँडो चाँडो दिम् है।

लुम्ले काँडेमा पुगेर बेलाइती प्रोजेक्टको अतिथी गृहमा बास बसेम्..... भन्यो भने मैले जान्या छ !:D

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