A remarkable experience
I arrived at Gorakhpur to be inundated by taxi drivers and truck drivers offering me prices to the actual boarder of Nepal. I fended most of them off, then one came up with a good price. When I got into the taxi I realised that there were not 5 travelling as I had been told, therefore the price increased by 5!!! I sat in the taxi adamant that he should get some other passengers. Eventually he did after him talking and negotiating with other taxi drivers. Although the price was very cheap with regard to the UK.
I had no idea how far the actual boarder was, but it took 4 hours with 2 other passengers they were Nepali. It was not a bad trip and the driver was pretty good. We did stop for a break, and the loo not great facilities but acceptable. This is Nepal!!/oh still India. We arrived at the boarder with a sudden jolt as the taxi was not allowed to go any further, being an Indian vehicle. But I was now stranded. Where was the check in office and where did I have to purchase my Visa for Nepal!! Urrrr.
I asked, it was quite a trek to the end of the road where I was dropped, so there was nothing else for it but a rickshaw. For 50 R’s he would take me, we loaded my huge case and other bags and I climbed in. We were off. We reached the office of immigration, I stopped here for my stamp. The rickshaw driver was amazing he waited. I then needed to change my money to NRS so again he waited. Then to the visa office, the dust and confusion was pretty awful, there was no organisation. The rickshaw waited again. I got my Visa eventually, then I needed a bus to get to Kathmandu. I gave the rickshaw guy more money as I felt he had been so amazing. He then found me a bus going to Kathmandu. He was so kind he got all my bags into the boot of the bus and made sure I was OK.
Eight hours later after a really rotten journey I arrived in Kathmandu, although meeting Binod was not that easy as the bus did not stop where I thought it was going to. But in the dark night under a bridge feeling alone , my mobile phone saved the day. By midnight I was at our office/flat in Patan.
Unfortunately there are no pictures as being a lone traveller in the heat dust and confusion was difficult enough.