Coming into Nepal, out of China, was like entering a whole new world. We walked through China customs and past the well-uniformed guards and into COLOR! Everything is colorful and bright in Nepal.
We also left a country working hard to be official and in charge (we were both told to wait to the side while they took our passports to other checks, but were later told by our guide that it was likely because the machine wasn't working correctly, so they had to use another) for a country that just isn't as concerned (no uniforms, no computers, just stapled our photos onto our paper visa).
One of our main concerns about getting to Kathmandu was a landslide that had blocked about 3 km of the highway a couple months ago. People had to walk across the area to get from the border into Nepal. We knew they had been working hard to repair it, but even up until the night before we arrived we were hearing different updates: yes, the road is open, actually the road is open to jeeps that can get across, never mind, you still have to walk 1.5km.
The three of us had several debates of the best way to prepare: what if we have to walk? Who will carry what? What if it RAINS? So many possibilities. In the end, we prepared the best we could and hoped for either an open road or porters who could help us carry the extra luggage.
This is how it went:
While in line in the Chinese customs, a Nepali man (very smart of him to stand in line with potential customers) told us he owned two jeeps one on each side of the landslide (convenient). He would take us to the landslide, hire porters to get across the landslide, then take us the rest of the way to our hotels in Kathmandu. All for $200 and we wouldn't have to pay until we arrived in Kathmandu.
We knew we could get a better price. So, after some debating and bartering he agreed to the price we had expected to pay (but the porter wouldn't be included, however, he would help us choose a porter because he knew who to trust). So, we climbed into his nice jeep (which was driven by someone else) and bumped and swerved along the road for 1.5 hours. When we got to the end of the road, we approached a crowd of men. Before the jeep stopped, they had started climbing onto the jeep reaching for our luggage strapped on top, trying to claim the job first. In one sense, it was one of the most exciting events of my life to have that many people climbing onto your car while you're still in it.
But, it was also something else to know that this crowd of men stood here fiercely competing to carry our stuff for $5.
We ended up with two porters, while I carried the guitar and Matt carried one of our packs. We packed for this trip knowing we would need to be self-sufficient and carry our own things, so it sounds strange to hire a porter. However, walking across, I was grateful we did. There was no trail and a large span was rocky, sandy and had streams of water running through. Our porter not only carried our things, but helped us get across safely as well.
Walking into a country is an incredible way to enter it. It puts you, literally, at ground level. You see the faces of the people whose home and culture you are about to encounter.
I did not take many pictures of this experience, but I felt like I needed to share it. The landslide tore down a hillside in the middle of the night several weeks ago taking with it a couple villages and 256 lives. The porters explained that the river ran dark brown with mud and the dead plants along the riverbank showed how the water had flooded 20 feet up.
We though about those porters vying for our luggage. If they were local, they may have known someone who was lost.
It was a unique experience. And it was a somber moment.
After about an hour we reached the other side and the second jeep. We continued on towards Kathmandu which was another 2-3 hours away. We stopped for lunch and enjoyed our first Nepalese meal. Then, continued on what is known as the most dangerous highway in the world. Thus, giving is our fist experience of survival in Nepal. The road is narrow and winds tightly around the mountainsides. Tatas, brightly painted trucks about the size of Uhaul trucks, carrying goods between Kathmandu and China zoom along this road. Our jeep passed them as often as possible. While he was a good driver, I just couldn't look out the front window. Every pass seemed too close of an encounter.
So, I looked out the side window. Below us unfolded a beautiful valley with fertile terraces cut into the hillside, green from the end of the monsoon season. The colors continued as we passed villages of pink, turquoise and orange. The people smiled. At checkpoints, the police loved that we were visiting their country and waved us on. Monkeys sat in small groups in the grass. Nepal is a cheerful land.
So, hello, Nepal. I am happy to meet you.
