India – Nepal

At New Delhi station, I was stopped by some locals as I went through a gate. They said the train to Agra was cancelled, so I had to change my ticket at a travel agency. However, I doubted them and passed through their little blockade quite decisively. Just great! After arriving in Agra, many rickshaw drivers offered to guide me, but I opted for sightseeing at my own pace.

BTW, I’timād-ud-Daulah was the place I wanted to visit the most. Its perfect symmetry was beautiful. *28/12/13

I returned to Delhi late last night. After breakfast, I strolled around Old Delhi. The characteristic noises of crowded cities made me excited. Also, Indian food was very tasty. However, it was disappointing that most locals weren’t kind to dogs. I witnessed a car run over a dog’s leg, but the driver didn’t care and he ran away. Besides, most of the time, people who spoke to me were up to something. Finally, I headed to Gorakhpur by night train.

BTW, Indians stood very close behind me in the queue. *29/12/13

The night train has three sleeper classes and a seating class. As I slept in second class, all of the passengers except me were locals and everyone was calm, so I felt a different atmosphere than in Old Delhi. After sunrise, I got off in Gorakhpur and I went to Sunauri by old bus. My bum hurt from sitting on the hard seat and from rocking on the rough road.

BTW, I fulfilled my long-held dream of crossing the India-Nepal border on foot, like in Midnight Express. *30/12/13

Bhairahawa was just like a border town. The best part of travelling was crossing the border, I again realized I was a traveller. I could use both Indian and Nepalese Rupee there. Besides, I felt I had entered Nepal when I had local dishes like momos. Anyway, I stormed down to Pokhara. It took 8 hours by bus, though. It was full of tourists in Pokhara and we enjoyed the fireworks festival on New Year’s Eve.

BTW, I was happy Nepalese were kind to dogs. *31/12/13

Fortunately, I could see the sunrise on New Year’s Day from a roof terrace. The Himalayas, dyed in rose, were so beautiful. Anyway, Pokhara is famous as a gateway to the Himalayas, so I climbed a small mountain to admire the scenery beyond Phewa Lake. At the lake, I could go across to the other side by a paid rowboat. Although a woman was rowing my boat, she asked me if we could row together. So I did, haha.

BTW, being in Pokhara, I really should have gone trekking. *1/1/14

Another 8 hours to reach Kathmandu. A traveler though I am, I chose the effortless way out: the tourist bus with lunch. The bus climbed all the way up the winding road at the end of the day. The lower areas were, interestingly enough, covered by forest, but on the plateau at 1,400m, Kathmandu appeared as a crowded city filled with vehicle emissions.

BTW, the city was busier than I thought. Happily, no stray dogs were there. Dogs and humans got along well. *2/1/14

As I wasn’t sure how my schedule would work out, I planned a spare day. In the end, the trip went as planned, so I spent a relaxing day. Earlier, a traveller at a restaurant told me to go there. Now I was at Pashupatinath. Locals usually hold cremation rites there. Actually, I was watching the curl of smoke the whole time.

BTW, when I was getting used to everything in Nepal, on the other hand, I had started missing the noise of India. I truly realized crossing the border was wonderful. *3-4/1/14