Jiri (first night before trek)


A bus to Jiri (I chose the luxury cab instead.)


During cab ride to trailhead in Jiri. That's a truck in front with people hanging out the back.

So, I have a lot to catch up on because I just returned to Kathmandu from my Everest trek. The day that I arrived in Kathmandu, I raced around town to make sure I had all of the permits I needed to start my trek. At one of the permit offices, I met a middle aged German man who was interested in sharing a cab to Jiri. We had the same itinerary, and he had done this trek years ago, so I thought he might be a good person to hike with. With no commitments to stick together along the way, he and I left Kathmandu at 7:30 the next morning with a friendly cab driver for the 7 hour ride to Jiri. The drive was beautiful after leaving the dusty, congested streets of Kathmandu. The road wound and wound up into the rural rolling hills, becoming narrower and less well maintained with every mile. The road turned into a rutted dirt rollercoaster for several miles, and then became paved again. There were precarious crossings over stream beds, and we passed dozens of buses headed in the same direction, stuffed with passengers, even on the roof. I had been looking forward to a similar roof-ride, but the cab was harrowing enough, I think. At one point, we stopped for tea near the Sun Kosi river (I think that's the one), and I used the bathroom upstairs which basically hung out over the river. The light in the morning was glorious, shining between the clouds and reflecting on the water. What a grand toilet! As we got close to Jiri, the cab was stopped four times by fake and real Maoists. At first I thought that they did not look like a very intimidating bunch--just some kids and young men with a banner draped across the road, asking for money, trying to look tough. Our driver argued with them, showing them a glove box full of receipts from the Maoists. We sometimes got past without a tax, and sometimes gave the equivalent of a dollar or so. The final group of Maoists were a little scarier, though, trying the doors and leaning into the car. My German companion, Peter, was very calm, though, and told them he didn't want to pay a tax. Anyways, with little money lost, we got through to Jiri, and I didn't encounter another Maoist along the way. The lodge owners in Jiri are very upset about the Maoists because they know that foreigners won't come through Jiri if they are getting hassled. And it can turn into an escalating problem because the Maoists know that the foreigners are loaded down with money for the duration of their trek. By the way, my hotel in Jiri cost 100 rupees, which is about $1.25.