Road to Tato Pani (On Our Own Dime)
Before I begin this page of the blog I must point out we are now in a holding pattern waiting for the concrete to cure and
supplies to be delivered. So we decided to make a side-trip exploring Nepal at our own expenses. No project money has been
spent on these next two days but we were checking on the project constantly.
While we wait for the pipe delivery we decided to take a break and tour some of the surrounding area. Madhav is proud of his
Nepali heritage and wants us to experience some of the history and sites. After driving for 12 hours we arrived at Tata Pani (hot
springs) at 8:30pm.
We left Kathmandu 7AM with our driver Sam Lama. We are in a 4x4 Scorpion SUV. It feels like a solid ride and Sam is a good
river. As we headed out of Kathmandu to the west we saw an endless line of buses and trucks entering Nepal from India. Lucky
we were heading in the other direction. We passed through several small towns and made a stop to pick up some water. After 4
hours we reached Pokhara the gateway to the Himalayas. We bought our permit which allows us to enter the Annapurna
National Park. We stopped for cold drinks in a cafe along the road and then we headed up into the mountains. As we climbed
the road turned to dirt, rocks and it got very bumpy. Sam drove slow but we rocked from side to side for the 8 hours. At first it
was amusing and we thought we were getting a good abb workouts. After 4 hours we quieted down and Cordella really started
feeling the ride take a toll on her insides. This was a very rough ride. The view was mostly driving along the Black River which is
a volcanic hot spring fed river that flows through a very deep gorge. The mountains rose 8,000 on both sides. We stopped a
couple times but as it got dark Sam wanted to reach our destination. In many spots there was only room for one car to pass and
the rule is if you are climbing up then you have the right of way. The other car heading down is expected to stop where there is
room for two cars to pass or back up. We were on the inside hugging the mountain most of the way and heading up. There's no
guard rail, 1,000 foot drop offs and most of the vehicles we passed were big trucks hauling supplies. We finally reached Tata
Pani having driven the last 3 hours in the dark. the road is really best described as a trail rather than a road. Ten years ago the
only way to reach this destination was by foot or horse so we describe this as our driving tour through the Himilayas. Having
passed very small villages which appeared very primitive Cordella was very nervous what our hotel would be like. What a
surprise. It's a rustic alpine lodge. Five star resort by backpacker standards - for us it's a rustic lodge. We had two rooms,
electricity, private bathroom with show and western toilet. Holy cow what a surprise! There was a cluster of small hotels and a
few shops. Madhav and Jeff ordered dinner on the restaurant: fresh trout, potatoes, rice, mushroom soup. Rick ordered trout,
Tibetan chicken fried rice, mo-mo dumplings and took it to the room to eat with Cordella. The food was excellent. The room
was comfortable and the weather was cool - perfect for sleeping. Having been on a boat for a long time when you come ashore
the ground feels like it is still rocking. Having ridden in the car for so long, the room rocked as we fell asleep.
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