All aboard!

After the excitement and unpredictability of tuk tuks and buses to work in Bhaktapur, travelling in UK will never be the same again – here’s a few of my travel tales from the last week to give you an idea of what I mean…

- Enjoying the luxury of a seat but then being joined by 3 large goats and then 3 lorry tyres which had just been retreaded and still had wet rubber

- Getting a seat behind a woman with 2 large live (well, only just for one of them) chickens sitting on her lap

- Standing squashed next to four poles 4" by 4ft that kept falling on me

- Getting caught up in a sack of greens (coriander?) nearly as big as me and that were then later carried dragged off the bus by a girl smaller than Josie!

- Having a bit of a seat (Nepalis insist on getting even a 10th of one's bum perched where poss) surrounded by 5 of the dirtiest small kids you have ever seen and the littlest one scratching her head hard!


- A bus that went off in the totally opposite direction than expected, something that happens regularly here with traffic jams etc. But somehow I still ended up at correct place in the end?!!

- Getting a seat behind the driver and sitting on left side of bus that, unfortunately, ultimately gave me to much of a view of us hitting or being hit by a motorbike right under my window. After much shouting the bike rider jumped on the bus (leaving his bike and bus completely blocking one of the busiest junctions and rush hour…oh well), pushed past me and all other passengers and grabbed the bus driver’s keys and continued to argue. There was a huge crowd in road and petrol everywhere from bike so I decided to walk a bit and look for another bus...


And today my 1st bus had another live chicken, this time loose and just dumped on floor near driver and owner. On the 2nd bus I was surrounded by family who laughed and pointed at me! And half way home the 3rd bus stopped by road block where just all buses had stopped. We were fairly near airport on the junction of the city ringroad so I got off for the long walk home.

I saw some taxis running but all werefull except for 2 who would not use meter and I would not negotiate silly fares. More than half way home from (walk was not too bad as less traffic and so fewer fumes) a bus on a different route came along packed. I joined a string of students and managed to get just up steps and inside and stood on one foot holding bar with 2 very sweaty hands! 500yds further all stopped again and the bus took a u-turn as whole of the next road was also blocked with a sit down protest and red flags. So finally, I got on no. 5 and had the fun on a very bumpy narrow, winding up hill track on the fullest bus I have been on yet until I reached an area I know and pushed, squeezed my way through until I finally fell out the door and walked the last 10 minute home, very hot and sticky!

Apparently there is halla (rumour) that the Department of Education office will be locked again tomorrow, this time by striking private school teachers who are demanding permanent contracts. The trouble for me is that I won’t know until I get there so it could just mean another day of entertaining travel tales rather than actual work!

Each day different - I love Nepal!
Love S