Our trusty, robust ''Mandali High Speed'' cross-country bus turned away from the hectic Kathmandu - Pokhara road across the Trishuli River to start the climb into Gorkha country. Mandali incidentally comes from the Sanskrit word for connection. And connecting people and their goods it does well! The passenger operation doubled as a postal and cargo service with all manner of goods getting picked up and dropped off along the way. At one instance, a soldier passed the conductor an official looking envelope written in bright red Nepali, Sanskrit style. A red-letter day for the soldier? A top secret communiqué? That's as far as the plot thickened before I got distracted again.
I had the fortune of seeing Sagarmāthā (at Alt. 8,848m the highest mountain in the world, otherwise known as Mt. Everest) unveiled behind the parting clouds half an hour before landing into Kathmandu.
What am I doing on this rickety bus? About to embark on a less well known but increasingly popular trekking trail called the Manaslu - Tsum Valley Trek. The unstoppable duo, Jason and Kyrea, is back again for the sequel to the Annapurna Sanctuary ''Life Heaven'' 7 years later featuring the original creator of timeless catchphrases himself, our guide Amir. The Manaslu - Tsum Valley trails especially hot up in October just as the monsoon season ends and the autumn chill is not yet biting. The greatest challenge shall be 3 weeks of walking through the Manaslu Conservation Area, with a detour into the once isolated Tibetan Tsum Valley that rises towards the Nepal - China border.
Just arrived and ready to rumble!
Sacks and boxes were getting lined up along the aisle. Young people got on and sat on seat edges, the stairs and on the padded engine cover at the front of the bus next to a constantly dozing old lady. The journey got really bumpy and the dazed old lady got a small bout of whiplash, luckily not injured but jolted right awake! These buses, being fitted for the average Nepali size, never have enough legroom for my 6ft 4inch frame! On top of that it is impossible to tell the age of a typical cross-country bus, usually refurbished and overhauled so many times they become almost immortal. At first I sat straight with one knee protruding on the left side into the aisle and the other jammed against the chair in front of me. The chair backs are not too stable and leap forward after applying some pressure. My aggressive positioning made a little girl in from of me start whining. After waging and losing the war of comforts with a 6 year old, I ended up in an odd sideways position, facing the doorway and staring down the precariously steep Gandaki valleys.
View of Kathmandu as enjoyed from one of the many rooftop terraces. Langtang Himal (Alt. 7,227m) is visible on a clear day
We were held up at one bend by an accident. A motorcyclist seemed to have rode too fast around the corner heading the opposite direction and slammed straight into a truck that was going in our direction. Pretty much all the drivers and passengers of the vehicles between us and the accident (including our bus) went out to stare down the scene. There did not seem to be an injured rider and some cops (who just happened to be around?!) loaded the damaged bike onto the truck. Requisitioning a vehicle involved in an accident to transport the other damaged vehicle. No injured people in sight. What an efficient way to clear things up and with involved people able to live another day of reckless road behaviour!
The Mandali ''High Speed'' Bus, jetting you all the way to your (hopefully not final) destination.
We arrived at Dhading Besi to load on more passengers and cargo. Our group stopped at a local eatery for some ''Dudh Cha'' (milk tea) and some splendidly delicious vegetable samosas, with a delicate balance of spice, peas, potatoes and sauce in a fluffy on the inside, crispy on the outside pastry. After our first ''Dal Bhat'' (rice and lentils) of the trip, the climb got steeper and rougher. The driver had the bus almost permanently on first gear with the rocking motion making the old lady give up on her siesta quest. By now most people were approaching their homes, and the constantly snorting conductor (it gets really dusty when the terrain is dry and it is quite normal to clear phlegm audibly in public in Nepal) helped a frail, elderly man out. Sometimes the conductor would stick his head out to act as an extended side view mirror (complete with human hand signals and whistles) or disappear into a shop on a slow bend, hopping back on within 10 seconds as the bus accelerates. There were some Australian lads who had hopped on earlier and the taller one was eager to give up his seat to a distinguished looking lady and hold on to the overhead bars.
The bumpy ride was only just over 100 kilometres from Kathmandu to the trail head near Gorkha, but on very narrow mountain roads (Courtesy of Lost Earth Adventures)
We finally reached our bus destination at Arughat and all the Gandaki folk dispersed fast with their luggage and goods. Amir, Krishna (our first porter), Jason and I prepared our bags for the first day of trekking, towards Arkhet Bazaar. The second porter was supposed to meet us here but was nowhere to be seen. Amir decided that Krishna should take a bus with the big rucksacks ahead of us. We wondered through the busting Arughat market (odd considering that another bazaar town was further on), emerging into a path surrounded by neat rows of rice paddies. People sat on stools or did their chores around the entrance to their traditionally built houses, with their healthy and abundant (tasty looking too!) chickens ambling around foraging and pecking. Since the get-go today it has been an overcast day, with the morning fog opening to more grey higher in the sky. Amir, who happens to be from here, pointed out his plot of land across the Buddhi Gandaki river and further up, the village of his parents and of his birth. He intended to spend the night there tonight. It looked like a very valuable plot to grow rice. Not too steep, away from sharp inclines (no landslide risk) and far enough away from the river to avoid a flood. This is pure conjecture of course as one must never underestimate the force of nature!
The Manaslu - Tsum Valley Trek route, starting at Arughat Bazar. The white space at the top and right is Tibet (Courtesy of Friend's Adventure)
We crossed a very austere wooden bridge (literally a series of wood planks nailed together) to finally reach Arughat Bazaar. This is a commercial place, geared to both serve local consumer needs and accommodation for tourists on the fast growing Manaslu Conservation Area circuit. However, there seemed to be a chronic littering problem here. All sorts of paper and plastic food packaging lay strewn on the dirt tracks, ditches and even in front of the convenience stores that sell the packaged items in the first place! Our guest house was right in the centre next to an ever flowing well, which was essentially the end of a pipe supplying presumably glacial or spring water. Our room was spacious enough but had no proper windows, allowing the wind to brush past the curtains. The roof was corrugated metal and the rain that began in earnest after the sun set, made the night a cacophonous hell.
An unwelcome room guest to add to the evening's (horror) entertainment
Also check out the Kathmandu to Manaslu photo album here.
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