Pokhora to Bandipur

  Bandipur, Nepal
Monday, April 16, 2007

We decided to ride on the roof of the bus from Pokhara to Dumre. It was great fun, balancing on the bars atop the bus roof and hanging on intently. The first half hour was pretty tame, but something got into the bus driver once he got out onto the open roads and we slid from one side to the other as the bus swung around corners. 2 1/2 hours was enough! Bandipur is a small village perched on a mountainside. There's only one street really (the bazaar) lined with pretty Newari style architecture. The village is renowned for it's views, but it was pretty hazy so after a walk around we sat back to watch the spectacle of an incoming electrical storm. That was about the extent of entertainment, apart from the incredible amount of small and intensely happy children playing in the bazaar, somewhat disproportionate to the adults, making the place seem a little weird. We stayed in a traditional house with wooden shutters facing out onto the bazaar - very charming until nightime when clouds of whining mossies descended on us, dust made us sneeze throughout the night in chorus and barking dogs sounded like they were perched on our pillows! The jeep ride down the mountain the next day was hilarious - the jeep just kept filling up until i counted 25 men, women and children inside (not counting those on the roof!). I even ended up with a plump Nepali woman on my lap for the 1/2 hour journey!