Chitlin

Day two in Chitlin we started early as we had another very dusty jeep ride through the countryside, the real Nepal. The roads were extremely dusty and rough and it was quite a challenging trip for all of us.  We headed to a lake called Indra ------- ( can't remember).   This is the largest man made lake in Nepal and it was beautiful, we walked down into the lakeside along a goat track.  Several long  canoes were waiting to take us across the lake and we returned by walking over a swing bridge which spanned the lake (227 metres). There was a village at the lake with the usual homes and gardens, again very rough streets with all manner of goings on. There was evidence of fish farming in the lake which we think was for rainbow trout, as earlier in the day we had visited a small rainbow trout hatchery. 

After arriving back from the lake it was a quick lunch then back into the jeep for a ride back over the pass, again very tiring and rough. That evening we went to a buddist supra and then out for dinner. 

Friday 17th April

Well our first major disappointment today. We were up at 5am for our flight booked over the Himalayas and viewing of Mount Everest. Though there is always uncertainty with this flight leaving due to visibility on the mountain we were hopefull, it had been a starey night so that was promising. So with tickets in hand we managed to maneuver our way through a very chaotic domestic terminal and find the waiting area. Still looking promising... The call came and we boarded the plane, taxied to the runway and then stopped, what we thought just waiting for another flight to leave. But no, cancelled so back to the airport. As we are leaving tomorrow for Pokhara we were unable to rebook, and probably won't get the opportunity again. However nothing ventured, nothing gained. We had a beer for Sir Ed tonight instead.

Quiet afternoon with a quick trip around the shops and some last minute photos. Out again to dinner with everyone, visiting the Monkey Forest Temple on the way and some panoramic views of the city. Early start tomorrow as bus leaves at 6am for a five hour bus ride providing traffic is in our favour.

Wifi might be limited again in Pokhara. 

In Kathmandu city there is only power for about six hours a day which makes charging devices a juggle, wifi and hot showers a challenge. Makes you appreciate what we take for granted at home.