Onwards to Kodari, Nepal

See larger image here.

The Kailash-Manasarovar Yatra continues: Onwards to Kodari
We spent a day in Kathmandu flying along the Everest Mountain Range, taking darshan at Pashupatinath, and the Baudhanath Stupa, (Monks and Kids at the Baudhnath) and visiting the local markets. We left early the following morning for the border town of Kodari, where we would process immigration requirements and cross over into China-occupied Tibet.

Once we left Kathmandu, we also left behind paved roads. Dirt roads lead us through the countryside, up mountains and picturesque views. After monsoon rains, the fields cut in mountain sides were lush with greenery, reminding me of Goa and Kumta. But the rains also bring landslides in the mountains, and we heard news of villages washed away. In many places we drove by recent landslides. The rocky rubble had merely been shifted, so traffic could go by. We were treated to innumerable streams cascading down mountain sides; and in many cases, the streams flowed right over roads, slowly eroding them. As our mini-buses dipped into streams and groaned out again, we were simultaneously gripped by adventurous excitement and terror – which would be the defining characteristic of this trip. The 135 km journey took us more than four hours.

Green fields zipping by.

The road hugs the river Kosi; in several places I noticed rudimentary suspension bridges which the locals use to cross the rapidly flowing river.

Indian trucks dominated the roads here and I was struck by the vivid graphics on their trim. At a rest area, I shot this artwork atop the drivers cab. The art depicts nicely the scenery (and the river Kosi) we enjoyed in the mountains.

Along the route, our accompanying bus got a flat tire and we stopped in a village. These kids were selling quartered cucumbers. I was not going to test my intestinal immunity and just settled for a pic. Noticed the effeminate lips on the kid on the left

A tea shop in the village

As we entered Kodari, the buses had stopped in front of huge tire-burning fires in the middle of the road. Blissfully ignorant of what was happening, we carried our shoulder bags and walked a few hundred meters to the road-side dhabba-styled restaurant for a quick lunch. We walked around more burning tires spewing dense, acrid smoke, and angry young men glaring at us. In some places the heat and smoke were very intense and we hurried along.Our initial plan was to have lunch at this dhabba and then cross the border, which was only about 50 meters away. But all was not well in Kodari. Apparently the locals and the military police guarding the border had gotten into an altercation. The border was now closed and mobs had blocked the only thoroughfare with their burning tires and essentially brought this village to a standstill.As we ate lunch we hoped the mob would disperse soon and we would be able to carry on. But that was not to be. Outside, we heard the raucous of the angry mob. And then,thakt, thakt,
and pause.

We looked at each other, raised eyebrows at hearing shots being fired, but carried on with our meals.

thakt, thakt, thakt, thakt!
thakt, thakt!
thakt, thakt, thakt, thakt, thakt, thakt, thakt!

The sounds of automatic weapons fire continued, … and went on and on. We saw the mob screaming and running by, chased by camouflage fatigue-clad military types.

Our hopes of crossing the border were dashed. We were going to be stuck here between trigger happy military and tire-burning mobs! Great!

to be continued … .
You can breathe easy, we all came through the ordeal unscathed!