From Chitwan it was another 6 hour drive to Kathmandu. The traffic was better, at least until we got to the city. I think normally this would be done by a van, but I was the only person who added this 'Chitwan Extension' to the tour, so the tour company just got a car and driver. I think the driver stayed somewhere near Chitwan while I was there.
From Chitwan in the south, the road goes north and connects with the east-west road between Pokhara and Kathmandu. It follows the Trisuli river for a while, which is fairly large and in a steep valley. There is a Trisuli Adventure Center where you can go river rafting.
On the way I notice more things. For example, at first I thought there were shanty towns built on the side of the road. Then I realized that these were villages that were here before the road. When they built the road they just laid down some asphalt through the middle of the village, leaving the dirt floors where garbage collects on the side. The houses are simple small wood structures with corrugated roofs, and people continue to live as they did before, bathing and cooking outside their houses. The stoves are all this terra cotta coloured, low square shape with a ledge and a hole in the side for wood and pots on top. People walk up and down easily despite the crazy traffic going by. Once in a while there is a group of school children whose nice uniforms stand in contrast to the rustic surroundings.
Along the way there are swinging pedestrian bridges across the river that connect the villages to the terraced hills on the other side.
After a few hours the road starts up the long winding hills to Kathmamdu, and eventually you come over a pass and see the Kathmandu valley below. The pollution is quite bad. On the road, once in a while we'd pass a truck belching thick black smoke. I had the window open, and when I got to the hotel I realized by forehead and ear were black with soot.
Once in Kathmandu, I take a few more hours to explore the rest of the old part. Namely, I walk all the way down the market street until Durbar Square. This is a group of large pagoda-shaped temples surrounded by some open space. The size of the area is quite a contrast from the narrow market streets that lead to it. I wander around taking it all in. There are as many Nepali hanging out on the steps of the temples as there are tourists milling about.
One interesting thing is a smaller square ornate building with a courtyard. Apparently a young girl is always kept there, looked after by priestesses, who is supposed to be a living embodiment of a godess, and she makes appearances from time to time.
From Chitwan in the south, the road goes north and connects with the east-west road between Pokhara and Kathmandu. It follows the Trisuli river for a while, which is fairly large and in a steep valley. There is a Trisuli Adventure Center where you can go river rafting.
On the way I notice more things. For example, at first I thought there were shanty towns built on the side of the road. Then I realized that these were villages that were here before the road. When they built the road they just laid down some asphalt through the middle of the village, leaving the dirt floors where garbage collects on the side. The houses are simple small wood structures with corrugated roofs, and people continue to live as they did before, bathing and cooking outside their houses. The stoves are all this terra cotta coloured, low square shape with a ledge and a hole in the side for wood and pots on top. People walk up and down easily despite the crazy traffic going by. Once in a while there is a group of school children whose nice uniforms stand in contrast to the rustic surroundings.
Along the way there are swinging pedestrian bridges across the river that connect the villages to the terraced hills on the other side.
After a few hours the road starts up the long winding hills to Kathmamdu, and eventually you come over a pass and see the Kathmandu valley below. The pollution is quite bad. On the road, once in a while we'd pass a truck belching thick black smoke. I had the window open, and when I got to the hotel I realized by forehead and ear were black with soot.
Once in Kathmandu, I take a few more hours to explore the rest of the old part. Namely, I walk all the way down the market street until Durbar Square. This is a group of large pagoda-shaped temples surrounded by some open space. The size of the area is quite a contrast from the narrow market streets that lead to it. I wander around taking it all in. There are as many Nepali hanging out on the steps of the temples as there are tourists milling about.
One interesting thing is a smaller square ornate building with a courtyard. Apparently a young girl is always kept there, looked after by priestesses, who is supposed to be a living embodiment of a godess, and she makes appearances from time to time.
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