Part of the experience of a foreign country is getting to see the parts that don’t make it into the guidebook, and one of the best ways to do that is to take the bus.
No, seriously, take the bus.
We took the bus from Kathmandu to Pokara, and a different bus back. Yes, we went for the tourist bus; air-conditioning was non-negotiable. Both trips were great. The one there was during the daytime and so I have pictures. The one back, well, I didn’t take a night-cam; the trip is written into memory, but not into shareable memory. Though I did get a video before we left:
As you can see, there are oooooooodles of choices among the bus companies. So many options, both going and coming. Your hotel can help you make arrangements. Do you get steered to a particular company? Yes, but it’s still cheap, and you saved yourself stress.
So, why, you ask, should I take the bus, when I can get there faster by flying? Answer: the sights! So many sights!
The mountains are beautiful, but they were more often green than what I had in my imagination. So much beauty! But also, see the snow-capped peaks in the back? Yeah, we were super excited to see those.
The bus stops every few hours for, er, the necessary. Bring your own toilet paper. Also, practice your deep knee bends before your trip; traveling you will thank you.
Happily, the bus also stops for breakfast. This was one of the best meals I had, which is probably because I was ravenous. But looooook at all those carbohydrates! With pepper and tasty stuff!
We did a lot of window gazing. Much of Nepal seems like it is a work-in-progress. Grotty roads and an emphasis on the cheaper side of transport reflects the country’s ongoing work on infrastructure, where aspiration has preceded achievement.
Yet, to be honest, agriculture has beauty that’s separable but complimentary to the vertical beauty of the mountains, and I admit to a little touch of longing for home as we enjoyed the countryside.
So, like I said, take the bus!
RESOURCES
To arrange for a bus, the easiest thing to do is just ask your hotel to help arrange it. Ours was about $16 each direction. For a 5 to 7 hour trip. No, I didn’t drop a digit.
