On the Road to Pokhara

Well if anyone asks me if I have ever been 4 wheel drive off road-ing, I can now answer with a definite “Yes!”. Today we drove to Pokhara to stage for the Annapurna trek. When Prem and I were emailing back and forth about my itinerary, he offered me a choice of travel after finishing the Langtang Valley trek. We could drive to Kathmandu then fly to Pokhara or we could drive straight to Pokhara. I thought it would be nice to see some more of the countryside so I chose the driving option. Well, the lesson buried in that choice is- be careful of what you ask for. The trip was quite an experience. I have already talked a bit about the road conditions (see Day 1) so I won’t dwell on that. Overall this trip was similar to the drive to the Langtang Valley, expect more “interesting”.

It turns out that after the earthquake China closed the then existing active border with Nepal, because the area was deemed too dangerous and unstable. They then opened a new active border location, where all trade is now funneled through, in Tibet, just past the Langtang Valley where we were hiking. What that did was dramatically change traffic patterns and what roads were utilized. Roads that were previously seldom used, and thus basically dirt, now became major thoroughfares for a large number of large trucks. We were on one such road for quite some time today. The government was not prepared for this dynamic and is just now doing the road construction, both to widen the now important road and pave it. This is the same road that has a construction road block from 11 am-5 pm that I previously mentioned. They are NO WHERE near the paving part! At the moment it is one big, ever-widening mud puddle. If you don’t have four wheel drive, a high wheel base and good tires, you’re doomed. We were well past the construction road block point having reached it by 10:00 am, but we did not get very far. We hit other obstacles.

I have to say it was a very instructional day and I learned a lot of things. I am going to share them.

What I learned today- in no particular order:

1) The answer to the eternal question, “Why did the chicken cross the road?”. The answer: To stop traffic. Because that is what happens. Chickens are included in the free range animals that occupy all of the villages. So occasionally, in a clueless chicken kind of way, they strut across the road. Traffic stops. Honking does not seem to affect them, although the dogs and goats know to get out of the way. People swerve around cows without honking at them.

2) The importance of stoplights. We got into several traffic jams, one legitimate because a truck separated from its container box which took up much of the road. That was quite a snarl because like I experienced decades ago in Russia, if one lane blocks up, people get impatient and go around the line. Of course when this happens eventually the oncoming lane also becomes blocked and no one goes anywhere. Finally the police showed up to unsnarl and take control (especially because they had to bring in a small crane to lift the container back onto the truck). Keep in mind this is all happening on what we would consider a two lane country road in the U.S. In order to clear the traffic snarl, a car that had gone down the oncoming lane, had to back up to let the trucks through. I know this because as we sitting there stalled we all noticed  when a car drove by us in reverse in the next lane, nose to nose with a big truck that was following it. Much shouting and waving of hands accompanied this maneuver. Prem got a picture of the fracas. The other traffic jam was similar in that the lanes collided, but the blockage was due to a one lane bridge where somehow or another people failed at the basic skill set we all learn in kindergarten called- “everyone gets to take their turn.” I think together we were stopped somewhere between two to four hours. (Never one to waste time, I am writing this while we are waiting.)

3) Tuborg extensively advertises in Nepal. I see their large green signs everywhere, even in the Langtang Valley at some of the tea houses.

4) I found out where the all of the bricks come from. We passed several brick factories just before the road turned off to Pokhara. They were obvious because of a) huge stacks of bricks everywhere and b) the big signs that said “Brick Factory”.

5) I never want to drive in Nepal.

6) The trucks tell stories, even though I cannot read them. They are all painted in some manner, in a great variety of ways. Some are like works of art, with actual sophisticated paintings on their various panels, some scenic, some religious art. Trucks also seem to have lots of country flags painted on them, or some rendition of flags. The American and British flags seem to be particularly popular for some reason.

7) It is possible to carry goats (yes, plural) on a motorbike. One guy was driving and another guy was sitting behind him holding an adult goat across his lap. The goat was belly up and its legs were awkwardly splayed everywhere. I got a quick glance at it as we passed and it appeared to me to have a look of terror on its face (I would!). The second goat was a baby goat that the guy was holding as you would a teddy bear, with his arm wrapped around it, freeing his hand to help hold the adult in place. The baby goat looked like it was enjoying itself. Of course its perch was way less precarious than its friend’s.

8) Even though road construction makes people crazy in the US, it is actually very accommodating and considerate of commuters. In the US you never see a line of about 40 cars, buses, and trucks pulled over to the side of the road in a long line, because the road is closed during the middle of the work day for construction. This particular road was closed at 10 am and set to open again at 4 pm. We passed this collection of stranded travelers around 1 pm. Still a way to go before opening. I wonder how long the line got?

9) If they ever have another earthquake it will be groundhog day for some people. I have been studying with interest how they build the houses. The concrete columns are reinforced fairly stoutly with re-bar, but in many cases, especially what I would call the less complex (read: expensive) homes, the walls that connect the columns are a simple one row of bricks, no reinforcement or bracing that I can tell. I cannot believe that those walls won’t fall apart with a decent amount of shaking. I believe the columns will stand though, so maybe, since there is a ton of brick around, this is part of the plan- simply to potentially have to re-do the walls.

10) Pokhara is the motorbike capital of Nepal. It was amazing; they were everywhere, zipping in and out lanes, weaving in between trucks and cars. But dealing with the heavy, dense traffic as we entered the city, I can kind of understand the attraction. We were stopped for quite a while for some unknown reason. Our driver got impatient and I’m pretty sure we took a detour down a one way lane (in the wrong direction) to achieve some forward movement. I think the point he got cranky is when the goat motorbike, which we had passed forever ago, tooled right by us while we were trapped. I’m not sure but I think the baby goat sneered triumphantly at us as it passed…

11)  There are rocks everywhere in Nepal.  Big rocks, little rocks, rocks in piles, rocks strewn about, rocks being used in construction of about everything, people breaking rocks up with rock hammers- you name it and it is here.  If someone can figure out a business that utilizes rocks, they would make a fortune.

The total travel time today was 11 hours. It was supposed to be somewhere between six and seven. Today, for me, it was a novelty, but I can’t imagine having to deal with this kind of thing regularly. I strongly suggest a book or something when you are traveling by car in Nepal. You can improve your mind while stopped for hours.

 

At the risk of making this blog too long I want to talk about the food today. We stopped twice for food, for breakfast and for lunch. All along the road are the equivalent of “fast food” cafes. They are small stalls with usually a woman cooking just a few dishes. There are random tables and chairs set up and usually an awning to protect from the weather. The food is basic, but pretty good and is all you can eat. I have included pictures of all my meal’s today. It’s kind of fascinating and was a bit of a culinary adventure for me. Prem was a bit protective of what I ate because he does not want me to have any troubles for the next part of our trek. I don’t think I will tell him that walking around in Pokhara tonight, after he dropped my off at my hotel, I found an organic restaurant that served fruit smoothies and salad. Yes, I had a salad. I could not resist green, nor fresh vegetables. They claimed that they wash everything in iodized water and I took them at their word. The place was filled with Westerners so that also gave me some comfort. It was absolutely heavenly to be eating fresh vegetables!!!!

 

 

 

Early night tonight because we are heading out at 6 am again. I’ll have some time to explore more of Pokhara after the trek.