It's another long and tortuous road to Nepal, but we are all excited. We are Indiad out. Exhausted with the constant noise, the traffic, the dirt, the begging, the hard sales, the dreadful roads, even the delicious food that have led to tummy troubles for the majority of us and the doomed search for clean toilets. Actually, any toilets would be good. As we approach the border, the countryside opens out and becomes more lush, but it is already dark as we pass the long line of lorries queuing to enter Nepal.
Before we can enter Nepal though, we have to exit India! The street shops are brightly lit and the street is teeming with traffic and people The bus pulls up outside another garage lock up with a couple of tables stretched across the front. There are other shops either side but THIS is the place where we have to get our passports stamped. We muster around the tables and try to avoid being run over by various buses, bikes, rickshaws, etc as the passports are stamped for exit. We try to avoid seeming tooo excited as they are handed back and we pile back on the bus for the final 100metres towards Nepal. Off we tumble, grab our backpacks and rush the border 10metres in front of us.
On the other side, a quaint little cottage proclaims it is the Immigration Office Belahiya. Twenty minutes later we are officially in Nepal. A new bus awaits us outside and we climb up the steep steps. With each bus we seem to lose more seats and this one continues the trend so we are no longer able to claim 2 seats per person, but at least the seats feel a little more comfortable. As we pull away down the road it is not clear whether the improved springs are an advantage or disadvantage as every time we hit a pothole (of which there are many) or road hump (of which there are also many) the entire back row are bounced completely clear of their seats. This is going to be fun!
Even on the short journey to our hotel, we feel more relaxed. No horns beeping. No crowds of people clamouring for rupees or to sell something. No frenetic rickshaws, motorbikes, buses or random cows, goats, dogs, wandering all over the road. There is just peace and calm. Heaven.
Before we can enter Nepal though, we have to exit India! The street shops are brightly lit and the street is teeming with traffic and people The bus pulls up outside another garage lock up with a couple of tables stretched across the front. There are other shops either side but THIS is the place where we have to get our passports stamped. We muster around the tables and try to avoid being run over by various buses, bikes, rickshaws, etc as the passports are stamped for exit. We try to avoid seeming tooo excited as they are handed back and we pile back on the bus for the final 100metres towards Nepal. Off we tumble, grab our backpacks and rush the border 10metres in front of us.
On the other side, a quaint little cottage proclaims it is the Immigration Office Belahiya. Twenty minutes later we are officially in Nepal. A new bus awaits us outside and we climb up the steep steps. With each bus we seem to lose more seats and this one continues the trend so we are no longer able to claim 2 seats per person, but at least the seats feel a little more comfortable. As we pull away down the road it is not clear whether the improved springs are an advantage or disadvantage as every time we hit a pothole (of which there are many) or road hump (of which there are also many) the entire back row are bounced completely clear of their seats. This is going to be fun!
Even on the short journey to our hotel, we feel more relaxed. No horns beeping. No crowds of people clamouring for rupees or to sell something. No frenetic rickshaws, motorbikes, buses or random cows, goats, dogs, wandering all over the road. There is just peace and calm. Heaven.