[After three months of sitting on a bus and doing nothing more strenuous than sightseeing and drinking cay, a trek into the foothills of the Himalayas – however short – was a test for the average Overlander. Standard trekking equipment – jeans (newly washed for the first time since Kabul), Afghan jacket and scuffed wedged shoes!]
MONDAY 27TH DECEMBER, 1976 – Part One
“Waved them [Rob, Maree and Diane] off from hotel – going to Bangkok.
Left after eleven with Chris and Nikki – meeting Mark and Pam at trolley bus. After and few 100 yds the ropes of trolley came off the rails!
At Bhaktapur walked across vale – stopped for cay after 2 mins! Asked way to Katipur, but man said didn’t have any of it! Over bridge saw women washing below – and through filthy streets of Bhaktapur to Durbar Square. Had another cay stop! (lovely curd).
Then piled into minibus with milk churns crunched up against our knees; 2 lads kept swinging in and out of van door collecting fares and pushing in sacks and people on top of us! Really good fun!
Dropped at Karapati then started walking – little boy guide joined us plus various little fellas with baskets strapped to heads. Up rocky path – very steep straight away. Stopped on rocks for lunch (my breakfast) of cheese, bread, tomatoes, and an orange. Talking of cheese, Chris said look behind me and I nearly jumped 10ft to see 2 black goats peering over my shoulder!
Went on past lovely little hamlets – yellow and orange painte houses with thatched roofs, with hens and kids rushing around, little stores with nuts and grain etc., women pounding grain and sieving it; cows trying to block us off! We were wheezing and panting all over the place! I managed to keep up near front!”
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