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Charter Flight
Finally it was time to leave our beloved India, and head north for Nepal and the mountains..... We boarded one last overnight bus from Varanasi for the border town of Sunauli.
We arrived as the sun was rising over a strangely quiet border post, taking our packs on cycle rickshaws, we were ushered to a sleepy Indian official who, with beedie smoking, grunted and stamped us out of India.
The border was a collection of small offices and run down cafes, we simply walked past this and into Nepal.
After handing over a load of US Dollars we were all issued with 3 month visas and free to go......EXCEPT....... there was a country-wide strike !! This meant no buses or taxis were running at all and we had a very long walk to our trekking town of Pokhara....
However never underestimate the powers of South-African ingenuity.. after only about half an hour the boys had managed to arrange a charter flight for 18 people.... luckily we had crossed the border with several other travelers and the plane seats filled quickly... a few hours wait and we were off to the airport, again by cycle power.
On the journey we found ourselves in the midst of armed police, all on high alert if the strike were to turn nasty... luckily for us it didn't and we soon found the safety of the local airport. Check the photos!!!
The plane was amazing, we all felt like film-stars as we boarded the tiny private propeller craft , everyone had a window seat for the awesome 45 minute journey up into the foothills of the Himalayas. We enjoyed the best views of terraced hills, and had more than a fleeting glimpse of the snow-capped mountains beyond....our excitement was at an all time high!.
Landing in Pokhara, we were lucky enough to find the only bus working to take us to the town center, and to the Little Tibet Guest House.
The strike meant that EVERYTHING, shops, ATMs, Cafes etc were closed, except for a strict two hour window from 6-8pm each evening, when you could down a pizza (yummy!!) and race around the high street panic buying warm jackets, thermals, snack bars, and other trekking essentials....bear in mind we arrived with little more than shorts and t-shirts from India, and had to kit ourselves for Himalayan
altitude and snow, and potential Yeti attacks. (I bought a trekking pole for this... he he he)
We had two days in Pokhara in which to organize ourselves: we met up with a work colleague of Guy's ,Ling and his wife Annie, sorted trekking permits, packed and repacked our bags several times, and squeezed in a short lakeside walk and Guy had a much needed fillet steak (courtesy of Ling and Annie...thanks!).
All of this was done under the shadow of the strike, and when protest marches and rallies began to get heated, so we were glad to run to the hills....
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gail coe
non-member comment
mom
Hi to the three of you. It was great getting your latest blog. We have just parked our rv and unpacked. It was wonderful being able to connect up to the internet again. We are in Malibu looking out at the Pacific ocean. I must admit our scenery is nothing like yours. The flight was long, boring and exhausting. Slept for the last 3 days.Now we can start our holiday.Nick very kindly took us to the airport and has kept the car while we are away. Will keep in touch have a great trek in the Himalays. Love you lots mom