Travel Nepal 4 - Nagarkot and Katmandu

Leaving this spectacular scenery of the Himalayan mountain range at Serangkot for Katmandu and Nagarkot

On 14 Oct 2012, we started early by road to Katmandu. Inspite of reminder from Izan and Badri, the two old women were late as usual spending time yakking at breakfast table. They were really a nuisance who were habitually late without even an apology. We were forced to wait for them as if we were their maids, no respect for the group members. It was most irritating. Since we started late, the road was already jammed. What I noticed most about the people in Pokhara was how they get water. They bathed, washed clothes and did other things in drains with free flowing water. We thought it was dirty but the water actually is fresh from the mountain. They keep rubbish out of the the drain which is more like a little stream. I saw  pipe lines at the edge of of a high ground where water flows through it and that water is fresh from its mountain source. I guess they are never short of water even during summer.

A tiny mosque serving over 700 Muslims is in need of financial help to enlarge it - Hanfia Gausia Jame' mosque just outside Pokhara

Izan, the travel leader with a group of kids at the madrasah of the mosque

As promised, Badri, the guide stopped at a small mosque just outside Pokhara. It was a pathetic mosque, small and old. There were 700 Muslims there with about 90 households mostly very poor living in their own community. The mosque people came out to meet us and Badri became the translator. We donated some money collected among the 5 of us Muslim ladies for the mosque. They wanted to renovate and enlarge the mosque but fund is hard to come by. When I came back I made an appeal for help from my Muslim readers of  my facebook but so far none responded. But I'll try to collect contributions from friends and children and Izan will bring it to them in December with her second group. We visited the madarasah where children learn gow to read the mukaddam. They make do with whatever is available to them.

Unbelievable congested bad road which took forever to reach Katmandu from Pokhara - 200km took over 6 hours.  

One of the pretty villages along the way to Pokhara

The road trip back to Katmandu was slower with endless lorries, buses and cars. An accident slowed the traffic almost to a standstill. I was lucky I emptied my bladder at the mosque. There was no toilet stop and no decent toilet along the way. Some ladies have already grumbled that they need to go to toilet. Nearing Katmandu, the driver noticed a decent restaurant and the ladies came down to use their toilet. It is really a nightmare when you have an urgent need to go to toilet and there is none available - no problem with the men but horrible for the ladies.
We had dinner at the halal restaurant, Anatolia and left Katmandu immediately to Nagarkot after lunch. It was getting late and by the time we made our way to Nagarkot. it was dark. We could make out the road which was frighteningly narrow and winding with gravels. When finally we arrived at Fort Resort, we couldn't believe this was was a place we  towere supoposed stay. Our room was small with difficult hot water. I was tired and after praying, fell a sleep. Electricity failed several times and at about 4 am, electricity went off again till morning. We had to pray, went to toilet and changed in the dark. It wasn't fun.

Thick mist veiled the sunrise at the Himalayan mountains. Taken from the rooftop of Fort Resort, Nagarkot

The Fort Resort Nagarkot, old and pretty but the road up there was nightmarish.

At Fort Resort Nagarkot rooftop for sunrise with room-mate,. Ramlah. A misty day.

At 6 am we went up the rooftop to watch the sunrise at the Himalayan mountain range but it was a very misty day. We hardly saw the sunrise which was veiled by the mist. Though it was misty, from the top, the view of the valley and the buildings was so pretty.