18 Jan 2003 Kathmandu, Nepal

Today we made our first foray into the bus system.  We were heading to
the town of Bhaktapur.  We walked to where the trolley buses were
supposed to originate.  None originated there, but after asking some questions we found the bus.  They are definitely not designed for average height westerners.  We could barely fit in the seats and even then only by sticking our feet in the aisle.  They pack them in the bus and it makes lots of stops, wherever anyone waves them down.  The conductor must have been only 15.  He hangs out the door yelling to get customers, then runs up and down the aisle ( more like he squeezes by) collecting the fare.  It cost us 8 Rupees (Rs) each (about 10 cents) so I guess you can't complain. It wasn't obvious when to get off (the conductor didn't speak any English).  Luckily I noticed the tourist ticket office since this was not the one we were looking for and it was on the far side of town.

Bhaktapur is a gorgeous town and vehicle traffic is very restricted so you can wander around looking up and not worry about getting run over.  It is also much more peaceful.  Durbar Square is just as impressive as the other two.  We had lunch in a converted pagoda in the middle of the nearby square.  It was fun sitting on the top floor and watching life go by.  We wandered into Potter's Square where they were hard at work turning out rows and rows of pots.  The old men were spinning the pottery wheels with big sticks to get them going, then shaped the clay as it spun.  The kids were busy pounding the clay into shape.

We then roamed to the original spot we were supposed to get off the bus to catch the bus back.  It was a small corner that was chaos, with buses pulling in and out as we tried to figure out which bus was headed to Kathmandu.  As we tried to stay out of the way. a bus honked at us and the conductor from our trip out jumped off and we were saved, and headed back to Kathmandu.

Traffic on the roads is quite an experience.  There are a wide variety of vehicles on the road and traffic regulations appear to be only guidelines.  There are hordes of bikes, not as many as China, but sometimes the bike packs prevent you from being able to see and cars behind them.  There are the bike rickshaws (mostly around Thamel to Durbar Square).  Next in quantity are the motorbikes, many with full loads or women passengers riding sidesaddle in their saris.  Then there are the little three wheel taxis that can carry maybe two or three.  Then there are a proliferation of cars and taxis.  Most of the cars are small, old, and look rundown, but then there are brand new SUVs in the mix, usually Mitsubishis.  Then there are the minibuses.  These each have two rows of seats in back that run lengthwise.  Probably eight people should fit but you see them driving around with up to 14 or 15.  There are dozens of sizes of buses and trucks that go into the mix.  Throw all these onto roads with almost no traffic signals or markings on the road, narrow roads filled with potholes and other hazards, and you have quite a thrill ride if you dare open your eyes.

We left home with our backpack fit for our six month journey.  Like any modern adventurer, we have a short wave radio, the latest Lonely Planet (LP) guidebooks, clothes made from the latest fabrics, minidisc player with our favorite tunes, a water filter so we can filter our water so we don't have to but bottles (environmentally friendly as most places don't recycle the plastic bottles), pacsafes (a wire mesh net you can put over your backpack to keep it from getting broken into or stolen), mosquito netting, malaria pills, Cipro (for traveller's diarrhea) along with a few other toys and essentials.