The roads in Nepal are typical of a third world country: narrow, poorly maintained and inadequate for the amount of vehicles they carry. There seems to be an inexhaustible supply of small buses and 5-tonne trucks which rush along trying to keep to an impossible schedule.
On our road trip from Kathmandu to Pokhara, we were astounded at the risks taken the drivers of these vehicles and nothing was different on our trip from Pokhara to Kurintar. There was one nice interlude. We were stopped a couple of times by groups of young people who had strung a rope across the road and were stopping traffic asking for donations to assist their school.
At the second stop, we noticed a group of women sitting by the side of the road singing and dancing.
Sue had already asked if we could stop somewhere so that she could stretch her legs and this was as good a place as any. The dancers among us couldn’t resist and joined in. A good picture opportunity!
We arrived at Riverside Springs Resort in time for lunch, then jumped in the bus for a 5-minute drive to the Manakamana Cable Car which is an extraordinary thing to find in such a remote spot. It’s a terrific ride across a river and up a mountain where there is a famous Hindu temple.
The prices were interesting. Clearly foreigners can afford to pay more and it’s only 150 rupees for a goat. Of course, goats only travel one way as they are being taken up to
the temple to be sacrificed.
We couldn’t believe the crowd and the activity around the temple. Lots of people were sacrificing chickens and goats so we had a quick look and left them to get on with it.
On the way back down, we found ourselves sharing a car with an old man and his two grand-daughters. One of the girls told us she worked in Dubai and only came home occasionally. Her parents had passed away and she came home to see the old man who was now 86. He was a Gurkha and had served in the Indian Army. We were quite honoured and asked if we could take his photograph.
Back to Riverside Springs for a swim (quite cool) and a good dinner. In the evening, we had a show-and-tell of good travel gadgets. Sue and Martin showed a suitcase organizer kit which they had purchased. It consists of some pouches to keep particular items together. There is one packet for shirts which includes a template for folding. It seems a pretty useful idea because our suitcases are always a shambles.
Sue and Martin also investigated suitcases and have a couple of very light ones, unlike ours which may about 4Kg each. Steve showed an immersion heater he carries and I showed my Bebook which I think is one of the best gadgets every invented for travelers. I have 20 books currently installed on the bebook and another 700 on the computer – all in a gadget which weights only a few ounces.
On our road trip from Kathmandu to Pokhara, we were astounded at the risks taken the drivers of these vehicles and nothing was different on our trip from Pokhara to Kurintar. There was one nice interlude. We were stopped a couple of times by groups of young people who had strung a rope across the road and were stopping traffic asking for donations to assist their school.
At the second stop, we noticed a group of women sitting by the side of the road singing and dancing.
Sue had already asked if we could stop somewhere so that she could stretch her legs and this was as good a place as any. The dancers among us couldn’t resist and joined in. A good picture opportunity!
We arrived at Riverside Springs Resort in time for lunch, then jumped in the bus for a 5-minute drive to the Manakamana Cable Car which is an extraordinary thing to find in such a remote spot. It’s a terrific ride across a river and up a mountain where there is a famous Hindu temple.
The prices were interesting. Clearly foreigners can afford to pay more and it’s only 150 rupees for a goat. Of course, goats only travel one way as they are being taken up to
the temple to be sacrificed.We couldn’t believe the crowd and the activity around the temple. Lots of people were sacrificing chickens and goats so we had a quick look and left them to get on with it.
On the way back down, we found ourselves sharing a car with an old man and his two grand-daughters. One of the girls told us she worked in Dubai and only came home occasionally. Her parents had passed away and she came home to see the old man who was now 86. He was a Gurkha and had served in the Indian Army. We were quite honoured and asked if we could take his photograph.
Back to Riverside Springs for a swim (quite cool) and a good dinner. In the evening, we had a show-and-tell of good travel gadgets. Sue and Martin showed a suitcase organizer kit which they had purchased. It consists of some pouches to keep particular items together. There is one packet for shirts which includes a template for folding. It seems a pretty useful idea because our suitcases are always a shambles.
Sue and Martin also investigated suitcases and have a couple of very light ones, unlike ours which may about 4Kg each. Steve showed an immersion heater he carries and I showed my Bebook which I think is one of the best gadgets every invented for travelers. I have 20 books currently installed on the bebook and another 700 on the computer – all in a gadget which weights only a few ounces.
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