Dogmandu

Thursday 13th October – Porters and Permits

Apart from the barking dog we both managed a decent night’s sleep. I always think that Kathmandu should be renamed Dogmandu. We wandered downstairs at 8:00 and had a substantial breakfast that should keep us going for most of the day. Later in the morning I contacted Shekhar Pageni who manages a hotel in Pokhara. He is like Arthur Daley from Minder fame and Alice, Jemma, Telissa and I met him in 2009 in Pokhara. He is going to organize two porters for us and will charge 1300 rupees ($16) a day for each of us. There is still some coordination to work out and as we are hiring porters they need to be show on our TIM’s card (trekking permit). Presently we are waiting around for a mystery man who will arrive at the Tibet Peace Inn to organize the permits.

Well after a long wait we gave up waiting and headed off for some lunch. Along the way we advised the rafting agency that we would cancel if they did not have the required numbers by lunch time tomorrow. I needed a couple of items for the trek so we dropped into the Snowland trekking store which has served me well since 2005. My purchases were simple enough and they were able to supply me with a poncho, waterproof bag for my sleeping bag and a rain cover for the backpack. Our next stop was the Himalaya Java café which does a mean frozen mint lemonade. We chilled here for a couple of hours and I finished off with a expresso affogato. It was time to walk off our lunch so we hit the backstreets of Kathmandu for a couple of kilometres. We finished up on the Kitchen Curry rooftop and enjoyed a bit of people watching.

Our evening meal tonight was at an old restored Newari building called the Thamel House restaurant. I convinced James that we should try the buffet which has about ten traditional dishes. Some of the fare included bean curd soup, deep fried potato, lamb mince mo mos, wild boar, fish, grilled chicken, vegetable curry and back lentils. James couldn’t finish his meal but he did manage to squeeze in the yogurt and fruit salad desert. During dinner we were treated to some traditional Nepali dancing. I finished off with some rice wine which warmed up the old cockles. The meal and drinks set us back about $18 each which was expensive by Kathmandu standards but well worth it. It was a good end to a relaxing day.

Friday 14th October – A Change of Plans

Due to an increase in the number of guest’s breakfast this morning was more of a buffet. The food was similar to yesterday however the Bain Marie only kept it lukewarm. The tomato omelet however was freshly cooked and delicious. James adjourned to the room and while I was immersed in the Kathmandu Post the mystery man arrived. Shekhar’s friend was here to get copies of our passports and a photo which he was going to forward to Pokhora so we could get our TIMS and ACAP permits. He was a nice man and seemed to know what he was doing.

After sorting out our bags we headed off for a walk around the shops. Just before lunch we dropped into the rafting agency and to our disappointment they did not have the necessary numbers for the trip tomorrow. We ended up cancelling the trip and will now travel to Pokhora tomorrow. To achieve this goal we headed up to the Greenline Bus company and purchased two tickets. They were $US25 each but that includes travel insurance, water and lunch at a decent restaurant. The only downside is that we have to be at the bus depot at 7:00 in the morning.

With our business dealings over it was off to our favourite lunch place, the Pumpernickel Café. We ordered a fresh roll with goat cheese and a slice of ham which was really corn meat. It was delicious and the garden setting at the back of the café gives you a break from the hustle and noise of Thamel. With some time to kill we took a stroll down to Durbar Square to see what damage had been done in the 2015 earthquake. We did get sidetracked when on a side alley we spotted an interesting stupa. It was called Kathesimbhu Stupa and it radiated with colourful prayer flags and stone statues. Further on we passed a number of dentist shops which advertised their prowess with signs showing a grinning mouthful of teeth. At nearby Bangemudha Square there is a wooden shrine to the toothache god. It was easy to navigate our way as all we had to do was follow the yellow brick road or more truthfully the road was paved with stones. There were also plenty of locals on the move as they continued to celebrate the Dashain festival. We both reneged on paying the 1000 rupee cover charge as the sign outside proclaimed that at least 50 percent of the temples were damaged and many others were partially damaged. This was evidenced by the number of timber props we could see holding up sagging walls. Nevertheless it was a good walk and gave us a good workout.

Prior to dinner we thought we would visit a bar near our hotel that was called the Hole in the Wall. As we approached I could hear the strains of Johnny Cash being belted out of a speaker. I thought this is for me and ventured up the narrow staircase to a very small room. It definitely was a hole in the wall as it made my back deck look as big as Boondall Entertainment Centre. The owner is a young Nepali around 25 years old with a taste in music that brings a tear to this old fella’s eyes. His signage promised a cold beer and he delivered in spades. Slowly sipping my Nepal Tiger beer I couldn’t help but admire the old gramophone and posters that adorned the walls. There are a couple of other floors all of the same shoebox size. We left to the sounds of the Doors blasting out Changeling from their L.A. Woman album. Ah! Sweet memories and we’ll be back for more. Dinner tonight was at the Mountain Steakhouse which has taken over from my old favourite the Everest Steakhouse. The menu is the same with great cuts of beef that they import from Calcutta but sadly it has lost a lot of its charm as the old décor has all but disappeared. The manager who worked for the Everest Steakhouse told me that the old owner had gotten sick and sold up the business. On a side note the steaks are still delicious.

It is an early night for us as we have to be up at 6:00 so we can catch our bus to Pokhara.

Saturday 15th October – The Never Ending Journey (206km)

Well we did wake up just before the alarm went off and even had time for a cup of coffee. The Tibet Peace Inn has been a good spot to stay and as a bonus they even prepared a takeaway breakfast for us. James and I shouldered our backpacks and set off up the street en-route to the Greenline Bus depot. We hadn’t walked more than 20 metres when the first taxi driver stopped and asked if we wanted to avail ourselves of his services. Along with the rickshaw riders this scene was repeated many times as we trudged the 15 minutes to the depot. After loading our bags onto the bus we still had another 25 minutes to kill prior to our 7:30 departure. Our packed breakfast came in handy and I had soon eaten a couple of bananas and a boiled egg.

Finally, we were on our way and making good time through the suburbs of Kathmandu. In general the road wasn’t too bad but there are still plenty of sections that are quite potholed. The main thoroughfare to Pokhara is the Prithvi Highway and as soon as we started our descent into the valley of the Mahesh Khola we came to a standstill. Most of the trouble is caused by buses and trucks that cannot pass each other on the tight hairpin turns. It was stop, start for about 45 minutes before we were able to break free from the jam. The vehicles going up the hill were going to take a lot longer to clear. With all the delays, stopping, starting and potholes could feel a code yellow coming on. To relieve the pressure on my bladder I stood in the aisle for about twenty minutes. In the end I succumbed and knocked on the door of the driver’s cabin. I mumbled toilet please and within five minutes we had pulled over at a rest stop for a break and morning tea. I was the first out of the bus but there were a few others who were obviously in the same boat.

After a fifteen minute break we were on our way again and as there was a spare seat at the front I abandoned James for a window view. The road continued to follow the twisting, contorting Trisuli River passing the minor towns of Bhaireni where many white-water rafting companies set off from and Malekhu which is famous for its smoked river fish. We stopped for lunch at 11:30 at the River Side Springs Resort. It seemed to be popular with the Chinese as many of them were staying in the resort and enjoying the tranquility of the river as well as the swimming pools. The set menu of chicken and dal baht wasn’t too bad either.

With lunch over we hit the highway and four kilometres down the road we stopped. The problem was that a huge number of locals were wanting to visit the Manakamana Temple. Parking was at a premium which caused a massive traffic jam especially in the other direction. There is an Austrian engineered cable car that soars up an impossibly steep hillside to the temple that attracts all of the Hindu devotees. Once through the traffic jam it did not take long to reach Mugling which is the turnoff for Chitwan and Pokhara  which is another 96km away. The next major town is Dumre which is the turn-off for Besi Sahar the starting point of the Annapurna Circuit. We will be back this way again on Monday. I could feel another code yellow coming on but luckily the driver pulled over for a rest break. The last hour of the journey went slowly and James felt a bit off when we finally reached Pokhara. The journey time was 8.5 hours and we made a resolution to take the 30 minute flight back to Kathmandu at the end of the trek.

Shekhar whom I immediately recognized was waiting at the bus terminal for us. He soon had us in a taxi which soon had us at his hotel the Global Inn.  We chatted for a while about our families and I found out that his daughter is now married and living at Mowbray Park in Brisbane. There were no deluxe rooms available so we had to settle for the standard 2000 rupee room. It is comfortable and will serve its purpose for the next two nights. In the early evening we went for a stroll and were amazed at the number of people who were out and about. We eventually took a table at the Godfather Restaurant who were offering ice cold San Miguel beers for 250 rupees. There are no prizes for guessing their specialty however we opted for a pasta dish which we added some extras too. I thought that I would watch a little television but before I knew it I was chasing out the zzz’s.