Day 0: Kathmandu to Besisehar

10.3.08

Lost in thought,
staring out the bus window,
at the dense forest covered hillside.
The winding river in the gorge below,
is a constant companion on this journey.

-------------

Kathmandu to Dumre - We took the tourist bus to Dumre. It was comfortable, we all had seats inside the bus! It stopped for breakfast at a local place on the way, probably the usual stop for all such buses. The restaurant was basically like an outdoor cafeteria where they had prepared a few different breakfast choices and tea. Depending on what you wanted to eat, you'd stand in the appropriate line, pick and choose what you want then sit in the garden and eat. It was a simple place, set in a beautiful place. I think half the fun of breakfast was the garden and the environment.

From Dumre to Besisehar was an adventure - we took the local bus. The bus came, Misha and Alex got on top to secure our backpacks. As I was about to pass my bag up, the ticket collector motioned for me to get on, and I said I was passing my bag up - but he meant I should get on top; so I did, followed by Rita. We were riding on top - evidently there were no seats inside. It was a fun ride with `natural' air-conditioning :-). The road was paved and the drivers are quite skilled at ensuring a gentle ride - nobody fell off.

Once in Besisehar, we had a couple of hours in the day still so we hiked onward to Bhulbhule where we spent our first night.