Tuesday, December 22, 2009, I start from Namchi, a small town south Sikkim to reach Nepal and Kathmandu. 7h jeep to reach the Nepal border through Siliguri. The driver does not break and cramps the day before the march are hard to pass, when we are stuck in 4 of the width of each seat of the jeep, and one realizes that a European is wider than India!
Leaving the hills of Sikkim, monkeys on roadsides reapparaisent, they expect we throw our waste from cars.
Arrive Kakarbhitta, the Nepalese border, it's hot, you cross the river with a rickshaw which was dry and we arrive at Kakarbhitta. The strike is over in Nepal since yesterday, a Maoist political party has declared a general strike throughout the country during the preceding two days. Customs officers do not bother with 2 passport photos and I did not do the visa in 5 minutes. They were so welcoming I could not believe it was the police.
four hours later, after some momos, small dumplings filled with potato, the dish, visit a Buddhist temple in a small street from the earth, and changed my Indian rupees to 1.6 rupees Nepalese I took a bus to Kathmandu. The bus is old and strong. Loud music, I'll try to sleep but the speaker is right above me, and the musical tastes of the driver are rather made to keep awake.
1 hour later, the windshield explodes! A kid just sent a stone and the whole left side of the windshield is shattered. The 2 girls who were sitting opposite are came to take refuge at the bottom of the bus scared. The boy disappeared, fortunately for him. He had to believe that the strike was not over yet and wish to apply force. The driver tries to drive with just half of the windshield that protects but it is really too cold and want here at night and 10 minutes later found a place to repair and replace the windshield. Rather find a lot of power on a roadside, a 22h, a place to change the windshield of a bus, going to wake up one guy in a log cabin!
We go around and later we made a meal in a fast food restaurant, a large room, dishes are prepared a Thali (rice + sauce + some vegetables + Some hair), everyone eats the same thing, but the thali, which is generally a 30 RS, here is a 100 RS, AC recalls inflation on our motorway service stations
^ ^ The next day, 6 am always on the bus, a cap 3h Kathmandu, is expected. It was an accident almost an hour an ambulance arrived and then the night bus accidente removed from the road I can not imagine the care in the ambulance. At 10am, a 3rd accident without injured this time, a truck to pit and block the passage, another nose flattened. It will have 630 km in 17 hours.
Arrive Kathmandu, I took a taxi to Thamel, the tourist area we just recommend me.
Landmarks, to say the least. Everything here is for tourists, restaurants, laundries, hotels, general stores memories, hiking equipment, bakeries, bars and clubs, nothing is missing. The prices are expensive here, but I manage to negotiate a fair price for a luxury room with TV and hot shower. I finished the chapter Bodhgaya on the blog, but I'm on speed, speed too, and my memories and notes during my stay in Bodhgaya are rather small, the chapter will be rather empty, then it's that there had more emotions, so intense!
Thursday, December 24, 2009, 8am to lift towards Old city and Durbar Square. Lots of tourist shops throughout of the ballad, the prices are too attractive, hard to remember to buy at these ridiculous prices when I reminds me of the price I saw in France, that's all I often saw on the stands of the festival, it smells even sending a package whose price is greater than sending the content!
And here I can find any! The battery charger for mobile phone is standart here, you put the battery in the charger the phone by connecting two small contacts on the battery terminals, tension is adjusted and it was the universal charger, while in France each phone to its charger, here they are sold without a charger.
There are good dentists show all types of teeth they can ask you
Or, in France, your DVD player stops working, trash. Here you will repair man for a good price. He is redoing the bobinne the small transformer with a music system
Arrive in Durbar Square, the image is striking, like an old dream becomes real, when I go on one of the temples (Deveal Maju, a temple of Shiva), these temples are a kind of immense pyramids to steps which give a magical view of all the temples around, I saw these images so often on TV or in magazines . This place is truly magical, I take eyeful.
Cinoche night. Not one of these Indian films in Bollywood, but the wonderful "Avatar," a blend of science fiction and heroic fantasy like love. It's a nice wink to see this guy paraplegic who liberated by taking possession of a creature very real and life changing completely, while yaa just 3 years, I never thought to walk again normally!
December 24 obliges fiesta tonight, a night dancing in a small club of Kathmandu, after meeting Nepalese guides who have all the evening and invited to discover corners of tourist that I do not know yet here. On
after the Nepali friends, most chicks in this box are prostitutes. A friend told me Nepali trekker guide that a lot of prostitution, from the countryside, in the main tourist attractions, often hides behind all the massage parlors. The government may be even legalized prostitution face all the problems facing the police in controls. Here in Nepal, since the creation of the new government (after the king has been killed by his brother, who took power, then leave in place a government), the texts of laws have not yet been passed, there so corrupt that the country is challenged by some politicians and big Indian companies who are using the resources available in a grease the palms of officials, rather Disgusting for this country than I imagined as a small paradise pink sauce hippie.
Saturday, December 26, 2009. I go to Swayambhunath, a Buddhist temple overlooking Kathmandu, it is also called Monkey Temple, there are monkeys everywhere.
Then Bodhnath direction, the largest stupa in the world if so! Full of monks, and full of Tibetan sit around and pray. A steady stream of people is also the towers of the stupa spinning the prayer wheels, the mala in hand. I ask myself among a few square centimeters free, surrounded by Tibetans. It was right hot buttered tea, vital ca quail!
Tomorrow departure for Pokhara at the foot of Annapurna, a place ideal for trekking or paragliding learn!
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