The Army keeping an eye on proceedings

Worryingly the sign was attached to all four sides of the coach...

We boarded the bus and made our way to the airport. Tikay our guide had arranged to take out bags to the airport separately after instructing us to drop our bags in the hotel reception before 6am. Part of me believed that I'd never see my bag again.

We got to the airport safely with the Army escorting the bus with a truck load of men at the front and rear of the bus. We arrived at the airport and after a quick 'security check' we were re-united with our bags which were unceremoniously piled in the middle of the floor of the checking in area. I got the feeling this wasn't the sort of country that asked "have you bags been left unattended at any time". The airport domestic terminal seemed to be a bit chaotic and you could freely walk around the place unchallenged. At one point I walked straight out the back of the check in desks and had a stroll around on the tarmac. Bags were everywhere and all the dusty old offices and rooms around the check in area where filled with rubbish and junk. Signs were covered in bird crap and abandoned trolleys and piles of luggage and boxes just lay about the place. Because Nepal is such a small country this airport is largely used for Everest sightseeing flights rather than other domestic flights. As we would find out these flights somewhat dictate the running order of the day as the tourist flights are heavily dependant on weather conditions in the Himalayas.

The check in desks and the retro scales

General ditritus

Our Airline - Yeti

Customer Services

Our wait in the check in area as soon over as moved through the security check point which was basically a table with a scruffy curtain around it. We got through to the departure area which be our home for around 5 hours as all flights became more delayed. After exhausting all of the facilities including the suspect looking restaurant and the internet terminal we had had enough and just wanted to get out of there. All of this for a 25 minute flight! 

Our number was called and we walked out to the tiny plane sat out on the tarmac. We were soon up in the air after few formalities and munching on peanuts and sipping coffee. 

On board the tiny jet

I had wanted to arrange an Everest flight but had run out of time and although this wasn't an Everest viewing flight our flight path was exactly parallel to the Himalayas and provided an incredible panorama. It felt like we were flying below the level of the highest mountains and being only a 200km long flight we sat just above the cloud which gave us a clear and uninterrupted view of the mountains.

A misty View of Pokhara (827m) in the shadow of the mighty Machhapuchhre or 'Fish Tail' mountain which tops out at 6997m. 

I would have been happy to continue flying around the Himalayas but very soon after taking off we were beginning our decent and before we could settle into our seats we were back on terra firma once more. We then had to get ourselves and our gear to the hotel without the luxury of a government shuttle bus. Thankfully the enterprising locals were ready and waiting for us with all of the answers to our problems. Tikay negotiated a price for the transport and away we went.

Tikay guards the foot (now our official team mascot)

Genius.

We start the walk to the hotel a few kilometres away

The national strike was still on so the town felt very quiet and peaceful. The locals seemed to be at a loss with what to do. The shops were all shut up and people seemed to be uncomfortable with the fact that they were not working. Our walk to the hotel gave us a good chance to get a good feel of the layout of the town which is built around the shores of Lake Phewa Tal.

Pokhara is pretty unrivalled in its proximity to the scale of mountains such as the Himalayas. The Annapurna and Manaslu ranges (which rise to 8000m plus) are both visible from the town and are only around 30km away which means its a huge 7000m rise over what is a very short distance. Because of this Pokhara tends to be the popular starting point for the big treks. 

A local football game with an impressive backdrop

Local 'Ganga provision shop' closed (but giving a sign it might be open if you wanted something). 

Lake Phewa Tal

Pokhara is very popular with tourists and there are lots of lakeside options

Our hotel

A rumour had filtered through to our overnight mountain stays that a nationwide strike was imminent and that Nepal was about to grind to a halt. The maoist rebels (the largest party in parliament) had apparently fought a 10 year war to over through the monarchy of Nepal and create a federal republic. Their fear was that the president was trying to reinstate the former King and the government would achieve this by declaring an emergency followed by the introduction of military rule.

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/threeday-maoist-strike-paralyses-nepal/107448-2.html

Well by the time we had our briefing at the hotel it appeared that the strike was on so we swiftly handed over $75 for our guide to get us out of Kathmandu in a couple of days time and on to our next destination by plane. The strike was going to close every shop and mean that no cars, trucks, buses or bicycles would be allowed to take to the road for 3 days. Our main mode of transport was bus so this was our problem.

For now while our guide Tikay sorted out our flights we had a look around Kathmandu and took in a few local sights on foot. First up was the Swayambhunath temple. Also known as the Monkey Temple this was about half an hours walk from where we were staying in Thamel. It was so strange seeing the streets devoid of traffic. The usual madness of beeping horns, smokey cars and motorbikes was replaced with the silence of people walking. It was quite eerie.

The streets usually crammed full of cars and motorbikes replaced by crowds of people quietly walking.

The fact we were on foot allowed us to take in the sights of the streets without the distractions of avoiding cars and motorbikes who would dart and weave around you as you walked. It was quite pleasant particularly the lack of direct fumes in the air.

A couple of local laundry spots near our hotel

Some of the locals taking to the streets with their wares..or just hanging out.

A bit of street cricket

A tourist gets a close shave

The local police were guarding certain groups of shops and keeping an eye on the situation. The odd shop selling necessary items where allowed to be open in a very low-key way so this was necessary to prevent any violent protesting or worse.

We didnt really feel threatened despite talk of violent protests in some areas. It was quite calm and you go the feeling that people just got on with things behind closed doors. All the same after feeling pretty uncomfortable at a protest in central Kathmandu on the day I arrived you always felt that there was a possibility of some unrest.

A cow looks on to the deserted street probably wondering why its so quiet

We soon made it to the base of the temple where lots of locals and tourists were enjoying the sun and the peace and quiet under the watchful eye of the local police.

Local life and the steps up to the temple

Immediately on starting our climb up to the temple we were surrounded by the so called holy monkeys were were leaping about all over the place and keeping an eye out for snacks and trinkets.

The view from the top was not quite as far reaching as we thought. Despite the lack of traffic the smog was relentlessly sitting in the Kathmandu Valley showing just how the city's location means that its rarely a clear day.

 Pea Soup

At the top of the temple a large 5th century stupa sits amongst a number of shrines and tourist stalls which are all occupied by the resident monkeys. This temple is considered to be a focal point of power in the area by the Tantric Buddhists who say that an act of worship here carries thirteen billion times more merit than anywhere else.

Having poked my head into all of the shrines and buildings scattered around the stupa I happened across a small gap in between two stalls with a sign saying roof top restaurant...

Once I'd climbed the stairs I found tour-mate Malcolm chatting to a highly intoxicated local man who had been smoking some of the local produce..

Shortly after this photo was taken a monkey appeared from nowhere hilariously stealing his stash of wacky baccy..

Thieving monkey with the stash in his right hand

After a chai and a very bizarre half an hour with the resident crazy man we made our way through the temple grounds before heading back down to meet the others.

Then it was off to central Kathmandu for lunch. We found a nice rooftop restaurant looking down on Durbar Square and settled in with a few beers and some great Daal Bhaat in the sun.

Rooftop Views

Everest Beer and Daal Bhaat - Perfect

After lunch we took the time to soak up the atmosphere and the sun in Durbar Square and watch the people of Kathmandu go about their daily lives...as well as try on silly hats.

Durbar Square is made up of the old Royal Palace along with a variety of stupas, statues, museums and temples. Durbar square in fact covers two main squares with a further square known as Basatapur Square which is far less cluttered with buildings.

Of particular note is the Kumari Chowk, home of the Kumari or the Living Goddess. Elders interview young girls aged between 3 ad 5 years old and select the Kumari based on her exhibiting 32 auspicious signs (e.g. eyelashes like a cow or body like a banyan tree). The Kumari is then considered a living incarnation of the goddess Taleju. She lives inside the Kumari Chowk until she comes of age at which point she is replaced and retired on a modest pension. Very occasionally she will appear in one of the upper window inside the courtyard. She is said to answer unspoken questions with the look on her face. We heard that the current Kumari (aged 4) would be appearing and sure enough she did at one of the upper windows. It was quite an extraordinary sight. Although she looked like a normal 4 year old (despite her clothing/makeup) it was quite a rare occurrence for her to appear and so we felt pretty lucky that we had got a chance to see her.

View across to the Neoclassical facade of the Royal Palace (16th century and updated up to 19th century)

Shiva Parbati Mandir (18th Century)

Kumari Chowk - Home of the Kumari or Living Goddess and a stern message to any tourists thinking of exploring the building.

View across to the Trailokya Mohan

Locals chatting at the Jagannath Mandir which apparently is named after the god whose runaway chariot festival in India gave us the word 'juggernaut'.

Local children out for a walk

Local hawkers

We walked through to Basantapur Square where I was keen to meet up with a man named Rahis who had invited me into his shop for chai and a chat on my first day here. He had also taken me to dinner in an incredible local eatery that only locals knew about. It was pretty rough looking but the food was ridiculously cheap and probably the best I'd had so far on the trip.

Sure enough the strike had forced most of the shop keepers out on to the street where they gathered and talked and there was Rahis and his friend who I had met. He was keen to pose for a photograph outside his closed up jewellery shop.

Basantapur Square 

We walked on to 'Freak Street' or Jhochhe Street in search of a small cafe advertised in my guidebook as having real espresso coffee and real cake, a rare treat in these parts I can tell you. We walked down the street which was a line of shops all with shutters down (which made it very hard to find anything) when a man approached me who asked me if I was looking for the cafe. I said yes and he directed me to one of the roller shutters which was slightly lifted indicating that they were secretly open for business. As we had come to learn, even if the shutter was lifted by half a metre it was a subtle sign that the owner would be prepared to do business.

So secret cake we ate in the darkened and candle lit cafe feeling like we were breaching some kind of law with even the thought of such a thing. It was great.

ello, ello, ello - what is it we have here...?

Secret cake

After our secret cake outing we returned to the hotel to prepare for an evening meal in a tibetan restaurant which ended up being down a very dark alley, up some very dark stairs tucked away from sight. It was great. It was here where thoughts turned to our departure the following day to Pokhara.

Because of the strike our guide Tikay had resorted to booking flight tickets to Pokhara so that we could keep to our itinerary. The plan was to get up early and take a government organised shuttle bus to the airport. Presumably (and hopefully) the government had agreed with the protesters that they could run a single 'tourist' shuttle bus to and from the airport to get people out safely. That was our plan. 

But first we checked out a well known bar called Rum Doodle featuring a load of large timber feet all signed by visitors to the bar. The feet hanging behind the bar had a special purpose (so the story goes) in that each signature was made by someone who had conquered Everest.

We couldn't resist the urge to grab our own foot and start doodling. This would become our mascot for remainder of the trip!

Getting up at sunrise was becoming part of the daily routine and with the views on hand it wasnt really a chore.

The layers of mountains stacking up towards the Himalayas at the rear

After a quick brush down of the bikes by Mangal my guide we set off for a third day of fun on two wheels. We had to cycle through the town of Dhulikhel before taking a right, leaving the road and freewheeling at speed through the narrow lanes of the old town dodging cows, dogs and the locals. It as incredible fun and one of those moments that cant really be captured on camera. 

Mangal de-dirts the chain before the off

We emerged from the old town into countryside and after some more dirt track riding joined the sealed road to the next town, Panauti.

Passing through the agricultural land on the way to Panauti

Panauti is one of Nepals oldest towns and as I passed through it looked like some traditions were still going from the early days of the 13th Century such as the local people chipping away at rocks creating aggregate for use on road construction works. 

As we left Panauti the road became track and the scenery more rural and spectacular.

As we cleared each group of houses and started to climb back up the mountain the people became more friendly and the air less dusty and filled with the fumes from traffic.

We left the houses and people behind us and soon it was just us and the dusty track leading up into the sky.

We climbed quickly and soon got some good views of the valley.

Finally after several hours climbing we arrived at the top with views down to the smog of the Kathmandu valley.

The view down to the Kathmandu Valley and the track down

..and the view back up (to give you an idea of the gradient)

Kathmandu in the smog and the track down the mountain all framed by the Annapurna Range

A tourist flight passes the mighty Annapurna range

After hitting the bottom of the valley we cycled across the valley to Kathmandu for about 8km. It was a Saturday and the roads were mayhem. How I made it through without being knocked off the bike is still a mystery to me but we made it back through the streets of Kathmandu before sundown and in good time for a few cups of masala tea at the guides office.