Bad Joo-joo

Sometimes it seems that something is not all well in the Universe. You cannot explain it, just that every now and again things just don’t go your way. That was exactly what happened on our last day in Kathmandu.

It didn’t get off to a great sight when after breakfast we were treated to the sight of a man just finishing a bowel movement in the allotment outside our hotel. Thankfully we were high up enough for it not really to affect us, but it isn’t something you want to see first thing in the morning. Or ever, for that matter. We had realised that we would need to do a spot of admin to ensure safe passage through to India, as it seemed a less than well-travelled route. No trains in Nepal and the options looked like a 36-hour bus ride across the border, or to travel back to Kathmandu and fly into Delhi. The other choice would depend on whether or not we would be able to get a train from the Indian town of Gorukhpur to Delhi, after having got a bus/taxi from Pokhara to the border and then another into Gorukhpur, which looked lengthy and expensive. Plus we needed to work out how to get to Pokhara in the first place!

With the time fast approaching midday we decided to nip out and grab some food and do a few chores before cabin fever set in. We decided to try a travel agent to see if we could buy Indian train tickets in Nepal for our journey through to Delhi. After a bit of miss-communication he finally got the idea and jumped on the phone to call the Indian railway and see what he could arrange. We didn’t want to buy them there and then, just see if it were possible. When he put the phone down he claimed that it was fully booked. Oh well, we would just have to find another train. And we didn’t really believe him anyway, especially as we hadn’t even told him which train we needed!

I needed to find an internet café that would let me make an international phone call to Barclays to sort out my debit card. There was one just round the corner and I crept in through the dimly-lit corridor and tried to explain that I needed to call the operator and/or get the call charges reversed. He didn’t understand, so in order to get it all sorted and to get some money in my pocket again I dialled direct and made sure that I would get a receipt to forward on to Barclays.

"Hello? Barclays Fraud Department? I have a bone to pick with you..."

“I am sorry, the service you require is temporarily unavailable” came the voice down the other end of the line. I was fuming. I had tried emailing them, to no avail. I had already lost about a fivers worth of call credit trying to take their automated call. They never replied to any emails. And now when I pick up the phone to call them direct there was a problem and no mention of when it were to be fixed! Gah! I stormed off and just got that feeling that things weren’t going to go well.

Back at the hotel we experienced yet another power cut and then realised why Barclays weren’t available – the guy in the internet place had his clock wrong for England so it had been outside opening hours. Sheesh! So after lunch we went back in and I made my call. They understood what had happened and they advised that my card would now be usable. We would see about that…

We found another travel agent online that seemed pretty legit and should have train tickets for us so we set off to find it. Sadly it wasn’t just round the corner and was a hefty hike away. We never found it. But we did try another travel agent only to get the same response…fully booked. Oh dear.

As we were heading East we decided to stop off at the Hindu temple Pashupatinath. This was where they burned the bodies of their dead and we would be able to witness this and many other delights. When we arrived we were pretty tired from the long walk there but paid our 500 Rupees and wandered inside. We dismissed the offer of a guide and had a look round the place. We were told we weren’t allowed inside the main temple, which was fair enough, but once we were inside it seemed like there was precious else that we could see. Apart from monkeys. Always with the monkeys.

OK then, we will just look in from outside

So as we cursed our luck and headed for the exit I spotted the top of a temple that looked like something we might be able to see. As we walked down to it an armed policeman asked us for our tickets and a local came up and explained that this was where they burned the bodies. Hmmmm, maybe things were looking up. Another local chap accompanied us inside and showed us the ceremonial burning plinths and began telling me all about it. James had wandered off and I smelled a scam/someone on the take. I tried to dismiss him as diplomatically as I could and he left me alone.

Inside the temple - the bit we were allowed in

Whilst walking round we noticed a Sadhu (Hindu holy man) sitting down near to the river. James desperately wanted a picture with one whilst on our travels so he gave him a donation of 50 Rupees and sat down next to him. I snapped away and then James ushered me to sit next to him; apparently he had paid for me too! So we swapped places and James clicked away, but then the Sadhu asked me for a donation too! Cheeky. So as I had huge notes and small notes I found a 20 Rupee note and handed it over. The cheeky fella kept mumbling “one hundred” as I was searching around in my wallet, but he would have to settle for the 20.

The Sadhu and me 

After we had got our snaps we found the other plinths where a body was being prepared. There were many people lined up on the other side of the river all watching in quiet respect. We waited as they continued the ceremony but as the clock was ticking we had to leave before it finished. It was another lengthy trek back to Thamel and as it was after dark we were allowed into Durbar Square without paying an admittance fee. It seemed quite nice inside, but as it was after hours and it was the end of a long day we didn’t really get the full feel of it. We had also found Freak Street on the way, but again, it was nothing like Khao San road in Bangkok which is what I was expecting.

We were very hungry by that point so we decided to have another slap-up meal in the Cosy Cafe & Restaurant, if anything just to avoid Omar from the Rock Café. It started well when the owner greeted us wearing a Liverpool FC coat. We settled in and ordered the buffalo steak (for me) and the Biryani (for James) and supped away on two large Everest beers. Bliss. It was a good end to a troublesome day, and hopefully the bad joo-joo would be gone by the time we got to Pokhara.