Return to the fresh mountain air

Our two nights in Kathmandu were accompanied by afternoon thunderstorms that thoroughly drenched everything and continued off and on through the night. Complete with hail storms, we witnessed deluges that instantly turned the narrow lanes of the city into lakes. Rickshaw drivers and pedestrians alike throw plastic bags over their backs like capes and umbrellas becomes a serious hazard to darting through the lanes to avoid the rain. The valley has had a drought the last six months, so these rains are a welcome change...and the hydropower depends on it. (We were without power for much of our short stay, and the hum of generators powering the internet cafes and restaurants became a constant background drone.) A light rain continued to fall on us in the early hours of the morning as we walked through the sleeping city to the bus stand. By 6am we were on a bus, its horn harsher than an alarm clock, weaving our way out of Kathmandu and eventually out from under the rain clouds...finally getting a few glimpses of the mountains, a crumpled blanket of snowy peaks extending out to the horizon. We climbed and descended through hairpin curve after hairpin curve, jostling about in our seats as our bags continually readjusted themselves in the aisle. Our calm, cool bus driver handled the huge steering wheel with ease - one hand holding a cigarette while the other swung in wild criceles to the left and right, yet always an easy controlled motion following the crumbling line of pavement zigzaggin up the lush green hillsides. At one stop, another trekker asked if she could ride on top and all the westerners followed suit (despite a promise made to Tim's dad that we would always travel inside the vehicle! however, that promise was made about trains in India...and this was a bus in Nepal!) Most of the other busses that we pass are packed to the gills inside and then a pack of young men and boys are riding along up top. This satisfied a curiosity of ours, riding the next 40 km to our destination on top of the bus in the cool mountain air, freshly scented of pine! It started out delightful, although you couldn't relax too much...jerking back and forth, clinging to the edge of the luggage rack...metal rungs jarring our rear ends and our entire bodies lurching to and fro like rag dolls on the potholed road with endless curves. The novelty quickly waned, but the thought of the fresh wind in my face and clear views still causes a smile to creep onto my face. However, our destination...the end of the road...was a welcome sight.