Peaks and valleys, bends and curves

I was encouraged to take the bus across from Pokhara to Kathmandu because it is the best way to see the landscape outside the city.  Vista wise, I was not disappointed. The worst part was not being able to stop and take pictures of the vast green spaces that are comprised of valleys full of rice paddies and the sharp green peaks of the mountains.  Rice harvest is slowly starting so in some places the fields are golden, which looks neat with the brightly coloured clothing of the people working the harvest.  Today is officially the first day of winter here.

It was a bit of a long day having left at 8am and arriving at my hotel at around 4:30pm, but that mainly has to do with the terrain being so challenging as well as the fact that there is one main road between here and there.  One small glitch on the road means a bit of a back up for all the other drivers. Today we saw a rather nasty looking motorcycle accident and several local buses pulled over for wheel repairs.  I took the Greenline tourist bus so the condition of the buses is better than the local ones, which is unfortunate because I have seen several times in the papers here, articles about bus crashes most of whom (if not all) appear to be the local buses. I feel as though they drive way too fast and likely are in disrepair, especially the brakes ,which is often hinted at in the articles. 

The Greenline took its time, so I felt pretty comfortable that we’d make it there in one piece. I also felt quite privileged to have the choice.  Since we are just coming out of a festival weekend, we passed hundreds of people along the way waiting for a bus to take them home.  The choices available are basically the wide variety of local buses who wait until they are full before they carry on to an endless list of destinations.

I came back to Bouddha because I feel comfortable living here…  I walked through the Bouddnath Stupa gate to hear about 100 monks chanting while sitting at the base of the stupa. The light was poor so I didn’t get a good shot, but I tried.

I am back in Kathmandu for 2 weeks but next weekend I might make the move to Anamika’s apartment where she has very nicely offered me a room.  I feel bad putting her out, but it is more convenient for partaking in the training next week and it would be nice to live with nice people for a week. She has also connected me with a translator to take with me when I do the field visits so basically Anamika is my Nepalese saint.

Kathmandu is still a big gritty city and especially now comparing it to Pokhara which is so relaxed and easy to get around. Nature is so accessible as well but anyway, I’ll be back there in a few weeks so I just have to focus on the warmth and hospitality of the friends I have made here to help me make the most of it.