Silk Route

Day 22 - Sun 6 Apr 08

Bandipur -> border -> Gorapur

An interesting day. It appears that that our $25 room was in fact $25 each - eventually got it down to $40. The other item of note was the thunderstorm last night, it was vast with one clap of thunder directly overhead!

The showers here are very hot, and the open windows have spectacular views over the mountain range. Said our good byes and head off with our taxi driver. There was a bit more speed today and we headed back towards Kathmandu before turning off the main road. We'd been told that it could take eight hours to get to the border, so we hot off at 08:30 just after breakfast.

We headed up hill and down hill and then down a river valley, and up and down hill again. The final bit was a bit like the train into Denver from the west coast, as the hills just stop and you're suddenly on a flat plain. I was surprised to see that we came across a queue of trucks a sure fire indicator of a border crossing. Yes we've arrived at the border in super quick time. Paid off our driver for less than we'd agreed, but he seemed happy. We were only just out of the door before he had another fare on the seat!

Hotel Vivek receipt

Exiting Nepal was as easy as entering a stamp on the passport and we're off across no-man's land which has a lot of shops on it. The Indian immigration post was no more than just an open fronted area surrounded by shops. Another form to fill, a stamp, and we're into India. The immigration bloke was knocking off and wanted a taxi so suggested we share a taxi. However taxis only leave when all the seats are taken. So we got in and waited, and waited but there's no sign of movement. Eventually got out and walked down the road with taxi's following us. Two even crashed into each other. Got in the same taxi but then we just stopped again.

had enough of this, so decamped into a big 4x4 which had seats for eight people, when we finally took off there were (at least) 12 people on board plus a baby, and the drivers mate clinging on the outside. I shared the front seat with someone else, and the immigration bloke shared the drivers seat with his leg either side of the gear stick. The 64km that we had to cover took about two hours, but felt much longer.

Dropped by the railway station and Phil checked out a hotel opposite, he came back stating that it was worse than the toilet at the border. A rickshaw drive took us to the Bobina hotel, a better room but not by much. Took a walk out to try and find an ATM, which was successful! Then it was out in the evening for a curry at the Vivek Hotel.

The tooting of horns is incessant.